India, a country full of mysteries, always brings people a lot of surprise and incomprehension. However, behind all this strangeness may be attributed to India's unique caste system.
From ancient times to the present, India has maintained a state of ** and lacks ** centralized rule, which makes the independence between the states extremely strong. The caste system plays a vital role in this process, shaping not only the social fabric of India but also the way of thinking and living of Indians.
Therefore, to truly understand India, one has to mention this far-reaching caste system. It is a part of Indian history and an important part of Indian culture.
Around 3000 B.C., large settlements appeared on the Indus River Plain, where all the houses were made of bricks, and each house had a sewer system, which can be said to be a living condition that is difficult to achieve in modern India.
However, in 1700 BC, Indo-European tribes invaded India from Central Asia and called themselves "Aryans", meaning "people of noble birth".
This is the caste system in India, a complex social structure with a long history that has profoundly influenced the development of Indian society.
After the Aryans invaded India, they expelled the darker-skinned, flat-nosed natives to southern India and established their own ruling power in the Indus Valley, ushering in the Vedic era.
The caste system in modern India is thought to have originated from this invasion. The Aryans divided the people of their territory into four classes: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras.
Brahmins are monks and a sacrificial class and enjoy many privileges such as tax exemption, impunity, etc. Kshatriyas were warriors, including kings and warriors, who were responsible for specific rule work and collected wealth for the Brahmins to enjoy.
Vaishyas were agricultural and commercial practitioners who provided for the first two classes by giving alms and paying taxes.
The Shudra is the fourth class in the caste system and mainly consists of occupations such as peasants, servants, and artisans. However, the caste system in India is far more complex than these four hierarchies.
According to statistics, the main castes in India can be subdivided into about 3,000 castes and 25,000 sub-castes, and the understanding of the entire caste system requires in-depth research and systematic elaboration by professionals to fully grasp.
In addition to the four main caste hierarchies, there are also Indians who are classified as "untouchables" and are considered "untouchables" in the eyes of the upper castes.
In India, there is a group of people known as the "untouchables". Most of their ancestors were convicts and prisoners of war, and their status was passed down from generation to generation, and they were engaged in the most menial jobs, with no access to education, poor clothing, and low social status.
India's caste system has created clear boundaries between castes, inter-caste marriage is seen as taboo, and those who violate it are often relegated to the status of "untouchables". The perception of the caste system among Indians at the bottom is deep and painful, with hard work, low income, and discrimination against the upper castes.
However, will they rise up in this situation and change their fate?
The caste system in Indian society may seem cruel and unjust, but in reality, the lower castes and untouchable seem to be accustomed to this system, and even show awe and respect for the upper castes.
In order to maintain the dignity of this system, they will even take the initiative to make way for the upper castes, including letting go of their own shadows, believing that this will desecrate the dignity of the upper castes.
This behavior is not outright discrimination, but is reasoned according to a self-consistent logic. The caste system divides people into different hierarchies, but this distinction is clever and reasonable, and seems to balance order and fairness in society to some extent.
In this world, everyone deserves to be respected, regardless of our social status. We are all equal and have the same dignity and worth. Our bodies may be different, but our souls are the same.
Everyone's soul is pure, without exception. However, our bodies can be affected by the outside world and become polluted. The caste system is a misconception that divides people into different classes and devalues people of lower castes.
This system is based on the false belief that people's bodies determine their worth. In modern society, we should eliminate this system and respect the dignity of every person, regardless of their caste.
We should focus on each person's soul, not their body. In India, the number of Brahmins and untouchables has been greatly reduced, accounting for less than 10% of the total population.
The majority of Indians are made up of Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras. We should respect everyone, eliminate the influence of the caste system, and let everyone enjoy the respect and equality they deserve.
During the time of British India, Indians had their caste rank on their identity documents. However, after India's independence, the constitution clearly stated that the caste system was no longer a basis for discrimination against others, and at the same time, the "untouchable system" was abolished.
These measures make it difficult to determine a person's caste or whether they are untouchable through identification documents. But does this mean that low-caste or untouchable people can impersonate high-caste people by changing their clothing, language, behavior, etc., and then change jobs, raise incomes, and even enter the affluent class?
Unfortunately, this is not a realistic idea. Even without caste identification on paper, there are many details in the daily lives of Indians that reveal their approximate caste hierarchy.
In India, there are significant differences in caste hierarchy. From the physiognomy, we can roughly judge which caste a person belongs to. Since the Aryan invasions, the ruling class has mostly consisted of high-nosed Brahmins and Kshatriya castes,** and fairer-skinned.
Many Indian movie stars and Miss World come from these high castes. However, the untouchables are mostly made up of dark, flat-nosed indigenous Indians, who have significant physical differences from the upper caste castes.
There are distinct caste differences in Indian society in terms of language and surnames. During British India, high-caste people were usually educated by the British elite and were fluent in English; At the bottom, people use their own national language or local dialect.
This difference is also reflected in Indian films, where wealthy families tend to use English for conversation, while poor families use languages that we don't understand, such as Hindi. The language of the middle class is a mixture of English and Indian, and English words pop up from time to time in conversation.
Similarly, Indian surnames also reflect caste hierarchy. For example, Indian movie star Aamir Khan's surname "Khan" represents his high caste.
Khan"Among Muslim tribes it is synonymous with chieftain. Aamir Khan's surname originates from a Muslim family whose ancestors were tribal leaders and belong to a high caste.
One might think that by imitation and learning, the lower castes can pretend to be the higher castes. However, the most important fact is that the high-caste way of life is incomprehensible and imitating for the lower castes, just as the average worker cannot imagine the life of a billionaire.
It is difficult for people of the lower castes to get a glimpse into all aspects of the life of the upper castes. Therefore, when two Indians who do not know each other's caste meet, as long as they talk about details such as clothing, food, festivals, weddings and funerals, etc., their caste hierarchy can be quickly revealed.
In India, the key difficulty in impersonating the upper castes is the deep understanding of the high-caste way of life. Although interracial marriages are strictly restricted in India, the lower castes can improve their social status through "fanization".
The process of "Sanskritization" includes a number of complex steps such as changing occupations, eating habits, and living customs. Wealth accumulation, religious movements, and "upward marriage" were also unconventional ways for lower castes to advance their economic and political status.
Once they have established a good economic and political foundation, they will uplift their caste through a process of "fanization".
Indian movie star Hiri Daiyu was born in the low-caste Shudra, but with her outstanding acting talent, she successfully promoted to the high-caste Brahmin caste. The rise of caste through such formal channels is a great honor for the lower castes.
Therefore, we can say that the difference between high and low castes in India is far more complex than we think, not only in language, lifestyle, way of thinking, but even in appearance.
In such a society, if the lower classes want to rise to the upper class, they must go through several generations of unremitting struggle and pay huge financial resources. Without the corresponding ability and wealth, people from the lower classes who try to impersonate the higher classes simply by changing their dress and language can expect to be spotted in a few days, and the results will be extremely tragic.