AMBEDKAR ON CASTE

AMBEDKAR ON CASTE:-

                                                     Dr. Ambedkar was rightly called as the second Moses or modern Manu. He was the voice of the voiceless, hope of the hopelessness, light of those in darkness and a support for those, who were deprived and exploited in the Indian society. He brought them out of the clutches of untouchability, bondage of oppression, and the leprosy of the caste system. He empowered the untouchables to stand firm and assert themselves as human beings in a society dominated by caste Hindus. He showed them the way to stand firm and erect, to hold their heads high and to think and talk the language of free men and women. He took them to the feet of Buddha to give them a glimpse of a potential future, and how they can reconstruct their lives in the light of reason and on the principles of justice, liberty equality and fraternity.

                                                                Ambedkar was so fearless that his expression was never inhibited even by Gandhi's creed. In the struggle for freedom, he was a rebel against the caste Hindu leaders and his boldness and outspoken criticism of many who led the masses often reminded one of the famous statement of Mill: If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.

                                                               The most creative contribution made by Ambedkar was as an uncompromising fighter for Indian humanity, particularly of the humblest. There is a common impression in the minds of the post-Independence generation that Gandhi was the principal savoir of the untouchables of India. But when we consider the stature and achievement of Ambedkar as an intrepid warrior for socio-economic liberation of the lowliest, the lost and the last, especially the dalits and the exploited tribals, there is no doubt that without diminishing the tremendous conscientisation of the Hindu community by Gandhi vis-avis untouchability and Harijan debasement, Ambedkar's ceaseless war on behalf of the proletariat, in its widest connotation, is incomparable. He was not a mere depressed-class leader but a defender of human rights of the weaker and the exploited people. So he set up educational institutions to raise the level of consciousness of the serf-like people. "Tell the slave that he is a slave and he will revolt against his slavery," was his motto.

Caste System:-

                                   Ambedkar's understanding of the caste system underwent certain significant changes over the period of his writing. Initially, he had argued that the characteristic of caste was superimposed on exogamy in a shared cultural ambience. He found that the caste name is an important feature, which keeps the solidarity of the caste intact. He increasingly argued that graded inequality of members is the normatic anchor of the caste system. He found Gandhi subscribing to caste initially and latter opposing it but upholding varna instead. He however, felt that the principle underlying Gandhi's conception of varna is the same as that caste; that is categorizing a person on the basis of birth rather than on basis of the worth and the value of a human person worth. Caste system is part and parcel of the Hindu society. It has been coming through the ages, and it and it will remain with the Hindu society for ever. Ambedkar's perspectives on caste can be seen in his works such as 'Caste in India', 'Annihilation of Caste' and 'Who Were the Sudara?. In these works he has critically analyzed the caste system from the historical and social perspective.

The Nature of Caste System:-

                                                                       Everybody knows that caste is the name given to groups of a certain kind into which Hindu society is divided, but it is not easy to define the term precisely. Castes are not all built on the same model. The system has grown up slowly and gradually, and castes, which are of different origin, are also of different nature. They all have, as a common characteristic, a spirit of exclusiveness, which has the effect of restricting the intercourse of their members both with each other and with other castes. One caste forbids the remarriage of widows, others permit it; one accepts food from certain outsiders, another forbids such acceptance from anybody but a caste fellow. In the Northern India, certain castes are regarded as conveying pollution by touch. In other parts of India, similar castes are regarded as conveying pollution not only by touch but also by mere proximity. 

                                                                    The caste system of India is unique. There are significant differences in the  understanding and manifestation of caste in Hindu India from place to place. However  caste can also be defined in terms, which gives the concept cross-cultural applicability. Caste in India means an artificial chopping off of the population into fixed and definite unites, each one prevented from fusing into another through the custom of endogamy. A caste is an endogamous group, or collection of endogamous groups, bearing a common name, membership of which is hereditary, arising from birth alone, and imposing on its members certain restrictions in the matter of social intercourse either (a) Following a common tradition occupation, or (b) Claiming a common origin, or (c) Both following such occupation and claiming such origin, and generally regarded as forming a single homogeneous community.

 Ambedkar and Caste:-

                                                     Born an untouchable, Ambedkar was not an exception in facing the humiliation and tribulation, which every untouchable had to face in those days. He had seen people not having sufficient food to eat, no roof over their heads to give them shelter and no land to grow food, women with no clothes to cover their bodied. Ambedkar wanted to find out the reason for this poverty and inhuman existence. One reason was that the social system sanctified by Hinduism. In his own words: "This religion and social order had ruined them. But this is not going to stop them. This would ruin the Hindus themselves and ultimately India".

 Ambedkar's Understanding of the Caste System:-

                                                                                                                        Ambedkar in his writings and speeches had dealt exhaustively and pointedly with the evils of caste system. According to Ambedkar, the caste system is not merely a division of labor. it is a hierarchy in which one labourer is graded above the other. There was no readjustment of occupation, and therefore, caste became a direct cause of much of the unemployment. He further said, Caste did not result in economic efficiency. It had not improved the race. It had completely disorganized and demoralized the Hindus. He found that there was no Hindu consciousness as such. In every Hindu, the consciousness that exists was the consciousness of the caste.

                                                                        Their habits and customs, beliefs and thought were not enough to constitute them into a society. Men constitute a society because they had things, they possessed in common. The caste system prevents common society and by preventing it, it has prevented the Hindus from becoming a society with a unified life and a consciousness of its own being. There is only individual share or part in the associated activity. According to him, castes are autonomous and there was no authority anywhere to compel caste to admit a new corner to its social life. The Hindu society being a conglomeration of castes and each caste being a close corporation, there was no place for a convert. The Hindu religion ceased to be a missionary religion when the caste system grew up among the Hindus. was inconsistent with conversion. So Ambedkar said, "So long as castes remain, Caste  Hindu religion cannot be made a missionary religion and shuddhi will be both a folly and futility".

 Ambedkar's Understanding of the Origin of Sudras:-

                                                                                                                             Concerning the origin of the Sudra, Dr. Ambedkar hotly contests the view of the purusasukta that from the very beginning, there have been four Varnas (in the Indo-Aryan society). According to him, there were, at first, only three Varnas  Brahmana, Kshatria and Vaisya. It is the purusasukta, which refers to and justifies the existence of the fourth Varna, i.e. the Sudra. Dr. Ambedkar observes that the purusasukta is a late production, which was composed, long after the age of the Rigvedas was over. The Vedas do not say anything about the origin of Sudras, only the purusukta dilates on them. That it is an 'interpolation' is the opinion of many scholars.

                                                                                  According to Ambedkar the origin of Sudra may be traced back to the well known struggle for supremacy, that took place in the ancient past, between the Brahmanas and the Kshatriyas. A struggle, which is reflected in the allegorical story of the many long wars between Vasistha and Visvamitra and their supporters. Both of them were priests, a Branmana priest and a Kshatriya priest. There was hostility between them because each one claimed priority or superiority in matters relating to the institution of priesthood. In these conflicts and wars the key position was for a long time, occupied by Raja Sudas, the strong supporter of Visvamitra. At the end, however, victory went to Vasistha and his Brahamana supporters. They celebrated their triumph by condemning the progeny of the Sudras to menial tasks, making them occupy the lowest rung of the social ladder. They were so degraded that they became the lowest class - Sudras; degraded people in the Indo-Aryan society.

                                                                     Dr.Ambedkar's theory of the origin of the Sudras may be summarized as follows: "The Sudras were one of the Aryan communities of the solar race and ranked as the Kshatriya Varna in the Indo-Aryan society. There was a time, when the Aryan society recognized only three Varnas, namely, the Brahmins the Kshatriyas and the Vaishyas. The Sudras were not a separate Varna, but apart of the Kshatriya Varna. There was a continuous feud between the Sudra kings and the Brahmins, in which the latter were subjected to many tyrannies and indignities. As a result of the hatred towards the Sudras, generated by their tyrannies and oppressions, the Brahmins refused toperform the Upanayana (ceremonies) of the Sudras. Owing to this denial, the Sudras became socially degraded, fell below the rank of the Vaishyas and thus came to form the fourth Varna".

 Ambedkar's View on the Origin of the Untouchables:-

                                                                                                                                 Untouchability was being practiced in the Hindu society for centuries. Various reasons are given justifying the practice. Main causes were the obsession of the Brahmins to maintain purity and to avoid pollution. Endogamy is the essence of the caste system. Brahmins introduced an elaborate system to preserve their purity. They married among themselves and if they had sexual relations with women of lower castes like the Kshatriyas, Vaishya or Sudras, the progeny was not entitled to the privileges allowed to those who were born of Brahmin women's womb. In order to maintain purity, all relations with lower castes were prescribed. Those who opposed the Brahmin religion or rebelled against the caste system were branded as Untouchable and thrown out of the society.

                                                                 But according to Ambedkar in primitive society there were nomadic communities -the tribal communities based on blood relationship. In modern society, there are settled communities and local communities based on territorial affiliation. The primitive society was nomadic, not because of any migratory instinct, but it was the result of the fact that the earliest forms of wealth held by primitive society were cattle. Cattle had the migratory characer. This society became a settled community when a new kind of wealth was ldiscovered. It was land. The progress of agriculture became the main source round which b the whole society became settled.

                                                             In the course of time, there was continuous trouble and warfare. As a result of it the problem of defeated tribes arose. A defeated tribe became broken into bits. It was a floating population consisting of groups of broken tribesmen roaming in all directions. They had to live as stray individuals, shelter and protection became a problem for these broken men. The settled communities and broken men struck a bargain whereby the broken men agreed to do the work of watch and ward for the settled tribes and the s ettled tribes agreed tog ive them food and shelter. As the broken men were aliens, they began to live outside the village. This explained why it was natural to suppose that the Untouchables from the very beginning lived outside and Untouchability had nothing to do with  their living outside the village.

Ambedkar's Interpretation on the Causes of Untouchability

                                                                According to Ambedkar the emergence of Buddhism and beef eating are said to be the cause of the origin of untouchability. Since Hinduism had practice of caste system broken people left Hinduism and embrace Buddhism. Their acceptance was only to get rid of the caste system and practice of untouchability. When there was a large number of ja conversion into Buddhism, Brahmins could not stomach it. Brahmins began to hate both, the broken men as well as the Buddhists. They considered broken men very low caste because of beef eating. Since then the concept of the untouchability came into existence. The broken men hated the Brahmins because the Brahmins were enemies of Buddhism. Since broken men were called untouchables they converted to Buddhism. Hence it is possible to conclude that the root cause of untouchability is Brahmins themselves and their jealousy.

The Effects of Caste System on Society:-

                                                                                                 The effects of caste on the Indian society are multifarious and vicious. Caste is the mother of most of the ills that exist in Me Indian society. Caste does not permit a true spirit, but promotes a narrow caste spirit. We do not have a united society, but many societies each caste being a separate society. Even in the same caste there are many sub castes, many mini societies. The result is disastrous; endless division in society. Caste is antisocial in spirit. Caste has thwarted the emergence of what the sociologist's calls "consciousness of kind". It is extremely painful to know that in Indian society, some groups of people are traditionally branded as criminals. They become the first targets of the police and are suspected and often tortured by the police for a crime committed by somebody else. The cause of all this is the caste system. Many killings, kidnappings, murders, rapes and all sorts of social unrest are caused by the caste system. Hindu religion cannot become a missionary religion because it cannot integrate the other social groups into its fold on the basis of equal footing. Hinduism is just a conglomeration of castes, not a religion as such. Caste is therefore, the real explanation of why the Hindu has left the savage to remain a savage . The stagnation that we see today in the Indian society has its roots in the caste system.

Inter Dining and Inter Marriage:-

                                                                                The action for the abolition of caste is to begin with inter-caste dinners and inter-marriage. Fusion of blood can alone create the feeling of being kith and kin and unless this feeling of kinship, being kindred, becomes paramount, the separatist feeling of being aliens created by caste, will not vanish. Caste is not a physical object like a wall of bricks which prevents the Hindus own. ndus from co-mingling and which has, therefore to be pulled d Caste is a notion; it is a state of mind. The destruction of caste does not therefore mean the destruction of a physical barrier. It means a notional change.

 Rejection of the Authority of Vedas:-

                                                                                            People are wrong when they mix their caste with their religion. The Shastras teach them about this religion of caste. The real remedy is to destroy the belief in the sanctity of the Vedas. Ambedkar says: "Make every man and woman free from the thraldom of the Vedas, cleanse their minds of the pernicious notion founded on Vedas, and he or she will inter-dine or inter-marry, without telling him or her to do so".

Bibilography

                                                         I.            Gandhi And The Contemporary World---- Dasarathi Bhuyan

                                                                                                                                              II.            Source in internet