Caste by another name

It is to Srinivas’s credit that he came up with the important insight that census enumerations and electoral politics have actually given fresh life and impetus to our age-old caste system. Those who ignore caste ignore what is an overwhelming social reality in India. The late Kanshi Ram was acutely aware that the communist parties who talk about “classless” societies seem to be almost invariably led by an upper caste politburo. Many British administrators argued that with their departure, free India would deteriorate into rule by an upper caste Hindoo oligarchy. To an extent, the early years of Independence in fact bore this out. But the strange genius of India has ensured that gradually but inexorably this has changed.

It started, as such things must, with the political leadership. Virtually all the regional political parties are now led by members of castes which a century ago were excluded from power. Soon it will be the turn of Central Government leadership on a sustained and not just an episodic basis. Over time, this pattern has moved from the world of politics into the more rarefied realms of the bureaucracy and the judiciary. The demographics were always in favour of the lower castes who constituted the majority of the country. In the last century, these demographics have moved even more emphatically and decisively to strengthen the position of the lower castes. And given the context of universal adult franchise this is by no means a trivial matter.

Today we have accepted the reality of the assertion of caste identity. We have even accepted that this identity can be gainfully leveraged by individuals. We are sensitive to the fact that the Scheduled Castes (a brilliant bureaucratic use of the much-maligned English language; they are “scheduled” because their list appears in a “schedule” of the Constitution) prefer to be called “Dalits” rather then the patronising “Harijans”. We have widely expanded quotas and reservations to cover OBCs. (Another brilliant bureaucratic term. “Other” than whom? “Backward” as compared to whom?) And our judiciary has created a new sub-caste known as the “creamy layer”. In future, it is entirely possible that on government forms that we hapless Indian citizens tend to fill out in quadruplicate some of us may have to describe ourselves as “CL” or “NCL”.

What of the future? What Toynbee said of race applies to caste too. Clearly inter-marriage is the long-term nemesis of caste. And marriages across the caste divide happen increasingly and easily among the rich, the middle class and the poor in urban settings. Those who would like to see a quick demise of the caste system should agitate not for rural welfare funding, but for urban development.

... contd.

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