Any traveler who decides to visit India has probably heard or read that the population of this country is divided into castes. There is nothing like this in other countries; castes are considered a purely Indian phenomenon, so every tourist simply needs to get acquainted with this topic in more detail.

How did castes appear?

According to legend, the god Brahma created varnas from parts of his body:

1. Mouths are brahmins.
2. Hands are kshatriyas.
3. Hips are vaishyas.
4. The feet are sudras.

Varnas are a more general concept. There are only 4 of them, while there can be a great many castes. All Indian classes differed from each other in a number of features: they had their own duties, homes, individual color of clothing, the color of the dot on the forehead and special food. Marriages between members of different varnas and castes were strictly prohibited. Hindus believed that the human soul is reborn. If someone has followed all the rules and laws of his caste throughout his life, in his next life he will rise to a higher class. Otherwise he will lose everything he had.

A little history

It is believed that the first castes in India appeared at the very beginning of the formation of the state. This happened about one and a half thousand years BC, when the first settlers began to live on the territory of modern India. They were divided into 4 classes, later these groups were called varnas, which literally means “color”. The word “caste” itself contains a certain concept: origin or pure breed. Each caste over the centuries was determined mainly by profession or type of activity. The family craft passed from father to son and remained unchanged for dozens of generations. Any Indian castes lived under a certain set of regulations and religious traditions that regulated the norms of behavior of their members. The country developed, and along with it the number of different population groups increased. The multiple castes in India were amazing in their numbers: there were more than 2000 of them.

Caste divisions in India

Caste is a certain level in the social hierarchy that divides the entire population of India into separate groups of low and high origin. Belonging to one or another part determines the type of activity, profession, place of residence, as well as who a person can marry. The division into castes in India is gradually losing its significance. In modern major cities and in the educated environment, division into castes is officially prohibited, but there are still classes that largely determine the life of entire groups of the Indian population:

1. Brahmins are the most educated group: priests, mentors, teachers and scholars.
2. Kshatriyas are warriors, nobles and rulers.
3. Vaishyas are artisans, cattle breeders and farmers.
4. Shudras are workers, servants.

There is also a fifth group representing the Indian castes - the untouchables, who in Lately began to be called oppressed. These people do the hardest and dirtiest work.

Characteristics of castes

All castes in Ancient India are characterized by certain criteria:

1. Endogamy, that is, marriages can only take place between members of the same caste.
2. By heredity and continuity: you cannot move from one caste to another.
3. You cannot eat with representatives of other castes. In addition, any physical contact with them is strictly prohibited.
4. A specific place in the structure of society.
5. Limited choice of professions.

Brahmins

Brahmins are the highest varna of Hindus. This is the highest Indian caste. The main goal of brahmins is to teach others and learn themselves, bring gifts to the gods and make sacrifices. Their main color is white. At the very beginning, only the priests were Brahmins, and only in their hands was the right to interpret the word of God. Thanks to this, these Indian castes began to occupy the highest position, since only God himself was higher, and only they could communicate with him. Later, scientists, teachers, preachers, and officials began to be classified as the highest caste.

Men of this caste were not allowed to work in the fields, and women could only do housework. A brahmana should not eat food prepared by a person from another class. In modern India, more than 75% of government officials are representatives of this caste. There are unequal relations among the various subclasses. But even the poorest of the Brahmin subcaste occupies a higher level than others. Killing a member of the highest caste in ancient India is the greatest crime. From time immemorial it has been punishable by death in a cruel form.

Kshatriyas

Translated, “kshatriya” means “powerful, noble.” These include nobles, military personnel, managers, and kings. The main task of a kshatriya is to protect the weak, fight for justice, law and order. This is the second most important varna representing the Indian castes. This class maintained its existence by collecting minimal taxes, duties and fines from subordinates. Previously, warriors had special rights. They were the only ones allowed to carry out punishments against members of castes other than Brahmins, including execution and murder. Modern kshatriyas are military officers, representatives of law enforcement agencies, and heads of enterprises and firms.

Vaishyas and Shudras

The main task of a vaishya is work related to raising livestock, cultivating the land and harvesting crops. This is any socially respected occupation. For this work, the vaishya receives a profit or salary. Their color is yellow. This is the main population of the country. In modern India, these are clerks, simple hired workers who receive money for their work and are satisfied with it.

Representatives of the lowest caste in India are the Shudras. From time immemorial they have been engaged in the most difficult and dirty work. Their color is black. In Ancient India these were slaves and servants. The purpose of the Shudras is to serve the three highest castes. They did not have their own property and could not pray to the gods. Even in our time, this is the poorest segment of the population, which often lives below the poverty line.

The Untouchables

This category includes people whose souls sinned greatly in a past life, the lowest stratum of society. But even among them there are numerous groups. The highest classes, representing the untouchable Indian castes, photos of which can be seen in historical publications, are people who have at least some kind of craft, for example, garbage and toilet cleaners. At the very bottom of the hierarchical caste ladder are petty thieves who steal livestock. The most unusual layer of untouchable society is considered to be the hijru group, which includes representatives of all sexual minorities. Interestingly, these representatives are often invited to weddings or births of children, and they often participate in church ceremonies.

The worst person is the one who does not belong to any caste. The name of this category of the population is pariahs. These include people who were born from other pariahs or as a result of inter-caste marriages and who are not recognized by any class.

Modern India

Although there is a public perception that modern India is free from the prejudices of the past, today this is far from the case. The system of division into classes has not disappeared anywhere; castes in modern India are as strong as ever. When a child enters school, he is asked what religion he professes. If it is Hindu, the next question will be about his caste. Also, when entering a university or college, caste has great importance. If a prospective student belongs to a higher caste, he needs to score fewer points, etc.

Belonging to a particular class affects employment, as well as how a person wants to arrange his future. A girl from a Brahmin family is unlikely to marry a man from the Vaishya caste. Unfortunately it is so. But if the groom is higher in social status than the bride, an exception is sometimes made. In such marriages, the child's caste will be determined by the paternal line. Such caste rules regarding marriage have been completely unchanged since ancient times and cannot be relaxed in any way.

The desire to officially downplay the importance of caste in modern India has led to the absence of a line on membership in a particular group in the latest census forms. The last data on castes in censuses was published in 1931. Despite this, the cumbersome mechanism of dividing the population into classes still works. This is especially noticeable in the remote provinces of India. Although the caste system appeared thousands of years ago, today it is alive, working and developing. It allows people to be around others like themselves, provides support from fellow humans, and defines rules and behavior in society.

The first castes appeared in India at the stage of state formation. About one and a half thousand years BC, the first settlers appeared on the territory of modern India. They were divided into four classes. Much later, called varnas, this word, literally translated from Sanskrit, means color. The word caste itself carries a semantic concept as a pure breed.

Belonging to some community of people in power has always been highly valued among all nations. It’s just that in ancient times, intertwined with Indian religion, this concept acquired the status of an unshakable law. At the very beginning, these were brahmins, priests, in their hands was the right to interpret the word of God. Thanks to this, this caste occupied the highest position. Because above them there was only a divine essence with which only they could communicate. Any word they said was law and was not subject to discussion. Next came the kshatriya warriors. Very numerous and powerful caste of India. At all times and among all peoples, professional military men have participated in government. Only on the territory of India did they become a separate group of people who passed on their skills and traditions.

How people's lives differ in different parts of India, read more:.

The caste was so closed that for many centuries simple people could not even imagine becoming a soldier. Such heresy was punishable by death. Vaishyas included traders, farmers, and cattle breeders. This caste was also numerous, but the people who were part of it did not have any political influence, since representatives of the highest castes of India, at any moment, they could deprive them of all their property, home, family, simply by saying that it pleases the gods. Shudra servant worker. The most numerous and powerless caste, the people who belonged to it were actually equated to the level of animals. Moreover, some animals in India lived much better because they had sacred status.

Further divisions into castes in India

Later, after quite a long time has passed. The first castes began to be divided into smaller ones, with even more strict assignment of certain privileges and rights to a certain group of people. Religion played a big role in this division. In Hinduism, it is believed that after death, the soul can be reincarnated into a person more high caste india, if he strictly observes all the rules of this division during his lifetime. If not, he will be reborn into a lower caste. It was impossible to leave the caste limit; even if a person had some excellent qualities, he could not rise during his lifetime.

As time passed, this system of building society only became stronger. Neither the conquest of the people by the Mughals, who brought with them the Muslim religion, nor the later conquest by the British, could shake the very foundations of this system. The very nature of caste seems quite logical. If the family is engaged in farming, then the children will do the same. Only the Indians have abolished the very possibility of making a decision in this matter; everything is decided only by birth. Where you were born is what you will do. To the main four, another one was added, the untouchables. This is the lowest caste. It is believed that communication with members of this caste can pollute anyone, especially members of the higher castes. Therefore, they never directly communicated with representatives of the untouchables.

Modern caste division

In modern India there are a huge number of castes. Priests, warriors, merchants and even untouchables have their own division. It is quite difficult to understand all these intricacies. Yes, with the advent of the possibility of leaving the country, young people are increasingly beginning to think about the appropriateness of this order of things. But in the provinces in the interior of the country these laws are treated very jealously. And at the state level, this tradition is supported by the government of the country. There is a Constitutional Table of Castes. So, this is not medieval savagery and a relic of the past, but absolutely real, government system. Each state has its own division into castes. No matter how visitors feel about it, this whole cumbersome mechanism works. Perfectly fulfilling its purpose.

It should be noted, since modern India is a democratic state, all freedom rights associated with obtaining Caste certificates are very strictly observed, various methods of state support are provided for the maintenance of lower castes. Even to the point of setting quotas for special seats in parliament. Currently, all peoples living in India recognize the caste division and follow this tradition. Even the Spanish and British priests who remained on the territory of the state after the departure of the colonialists created their own Indian caste system and stick to it. This emphasizes that with the right, competent approach, any system of government can work, no matter how conservative and orthodox it may look in the eyes of visitors. In modern India, a change of castes has become possible. It is enough for one or several families to change their occupation and that’s it, a new caste is ready. In modern reality, especially in large industrial cities, such changes are treated quite loyally.

Before traveling to India, you should definitely familiarize yourself with the cultural characteristics of the country, for more details:.

The Untouchables

This is a completely separate category of people. It is considered the lowest, people whose souls sinned greatly in the previous incarnation go there. But even this last rung of India's social ladder has its divisions. At the very top there are working people or those who have some kind of craft. For example, hairdressers or garbage collectors. The bottom of this staircase is occupied by petty thieves who make their living by stealing small livestock. The most mysterious thing in this hierarchy is the group of hijras; it includes representatives of any sexual minorities. It is amazing that representatives of these seemingly dregs of society are invited to weddings and births of children. They are often felt in numerous church ceremonies. But the worst thing in India is considered to be a person without a caste, even of the lowest rank. Such people are called pariahs here. These are people born from other pariahs or as a result of inter-caste marriages and not recognized by one of the castes. More recently, you could become a pariah simply by touching one of them.

Indian castes, video:

“India is a modern state in which there is no place for discrimination and inequality,” Indian politicians speak from the stands. “Caste system? We live in the 21st century! Any form of discrimination based on caste is a thing of the past,” public figures broadcast on talk shows. Even local villagers, when asked whether the caste system is still alive, answer at length: “it’s not like that anymore.”

Having seen enough of it up close, I set myself the task of observing and forming my own opinion: whether the caste system of India remains only in textbooks or on paper, or whether it lives on, disguised and hidden.

Village children from different castes play together.

As a result, having lived in India for 5 months, I can say with confidence:

1. The caste system exists in Indian state and today. People are given official documents that reflect their caste.
2. Enormous efforts of politicians, PR people, and television are aimed at eradicating discrimination based on caste.
3. In society, the caste system has been preserved and lives happily ever after. Elements of discrimination are still present. Of course, it is far from being in the same form as before, but still. “Caste is not important these days,” say Indians with their naive eyes wide open. And their daily actions confirm the opposite.

A little theory. What is the caste system.

In India, there are 4 main castes that depict the human body. Russians love to argue about caste, varna, what is what. I do not pretend to be a scientific treatise and will use the terminology that is used by “ordinary” Indians with whom I communicated on the issue. They use castes and podcasts in the English version. Jati - in living Hindi used. If they want to know a person's caste, they only ask what his jati is. And if they say where he is from, they usually give his last name. The caste is clear to everyone based on the last name. When asked what varna is, ordinary Indians could not answer me; they did not even understand this word. For them it is ancient and unused.

1st caste – head. Brahmins. Clergy (priests), thinkers, scientists, doctors.

A married couple from the Brahmin caste.

2nd caste – shoulders and arms. Kshatriyas. Warriors, police, rulers, organizers, administrators, landowners.

3rd caste – torso or belly. Vaishya. Farmers, artisans, traders.

Furniture makers. 3rd caste.

4th caste – legs. Shudras. Servants, cleaners. The Indians call them Untouchable - untouchables. They can both perform the lowest jobs and occupy high positions - thanks to the efforts of the government.

Within the castes are divided into a large number of podcasts, which are arranged in a hierarchical order relative to each other. There are several thousand podcasts in India.

No one in Khajuraho could really tell me what the difference is between the subcastes within the 1st and 2nd castes, and what, more specifically, is their purpose. Today, only the level is clear – who is higher and who is lower relative to each other.

With the 3rd and 4th caste it is more transparent. People determine the purpose of the caste directly by their last name. Haircut, sewing, cooking, making sweets, fishing, making furniture, herding goats - examples of podcast 3. Tanning leather, removing dead animals, cremating bodies, cleaning sewers are examples of the 4th caste subcaste.

A child from the cleaner caste is the 4th.

So what has been preserved from caste systems in our time, and what has sunk into oblivion?

I am sharing my observations of the lives of the people of Madhya Pradesh. Residents of advanced cities - I know what’s wrong with you :) You are already much closer to the west. But in our wilderness it’s the way I write :)

Manifestations of the caste system that have disappeared or changed today.

1. Earlier settlements were built on the principle of division of castes. Each of the 4 castes had their own streets, square, temples, etc. Today, in some places there are communities, and in others they are mixed. This doesn't bother anyone. Only a few villages have retained their original organization, with a clear division of territory. For example, in .

Old village of Khajuraho. Retained the organization of streets according to castes.

1. All children have equal opportunities to receive an education. The issue may be money, but not caste.

A boy grazes buffaloes at sunset and learns a lesson from a notebook.

1. All people have the opportunity to get a job in government agencies or large companies. People belonging to lower castes are given quotas, jobs, etc. God forbid they start talking about discrimination. When entering university or work, the lower castes are generally in chocolate. For example, the passing score for a Kshatriya may be 75, and for the same place for a Shudra it may be 40.
2. Unlike the old days, a profession is often chosen not according to caste, but as it turns out. Take our restaurant workers, for example. The one who has to sew clothes and the fisherman work as cooks, one waiter is from the washerwoman caste, and the second is from the kshatriya caste of warriors. The cleaner is called to be a cleaner - he is from the 4th caste - Shudra, but his younger brother already washes only the floor, but not the toilet, and goes to school. His family hopes for a bright future for him. There are several teachers in our family (kshatriyas), although traditionally this is the domain of the brahmins. And one aunt sews professionally (one of the 3rd caste subcastes does this). My husband's brother is studying to become an engineer. Grandfather dreams of when someone will go to work in the police or army. But so far no one has gathered.
3. Some things were forbidden for castes. For example, the consumption of meat and alcohol by the first caste - Brahmins. Now many Brahmins have forgotten the behests of their ancestors and eat whatever they want. At the same time, society condemns this, very strongly, but they still drink and eat meat.
4. Today people are friends regardless of caste. They can sit together, communicate, play. Previously this was impossible.
5. Government organizations - such as schools, universities, hospitals - are mixed. Any person has the right to come there, no matter how some wrinkle their noses.

Evidence of the existence of a caste system.

1. The untouchables are the sudras. In cities and the state they are protected, but in the outback they are considered untouchable. In a village, a Shudra will not enter the house of representatives of higher castes, or will only touch certain objects. If he is given a glass of water, then it is thrown away. If someone touches a sudra, he will go and take a shower. As an example, our uncle has a gym. It is located in rented premises. 3 representatives of the 4th caste came to my uncle. He said, of course, do it. But the brahmana, the owner of the house, said - no, I don’t allow untouchables to be in my house. I had to refuse them.
2. A very clear proof of the viability of the caste system is marriages. Most weddings in India today are organized by parents. This is the so-called arranged-marriage. Parents are looking for a groom for their daughter. So, the first thing they look at when choosing him is his caste. In large cities, there are exceptions when young people from modern families find each other for love and get married to the sighs of their parents (or simply run away). But if the parents themselves are looking for a groom, then only in accordance with caste.
3. We have 20,000 people in Khajuraho. At the same time, no matter who I ask about - what caste they are from, they will definitely answer me. If a person is known a little, then his caste is also known. At a minimum, the top one is 1,2,3 or 4, and very often they also know the podcast - where it is inside. People easily say who is taller than whom and by how many steps, how castes relate to each other.
4. The arrogance of people from the highest castes - 1st and 2nd - is very noticeable. Brahmins are calm, but periodically express slight contempt and disgust. If a representative of a lower caste or a Dalit works as a cashier at a railway station, no one will wonder what caste he belongs to. But if he lives in the same village as a Brahmin, and everyone knows what caste he is from, the Brahmin will not touch him or take anything. Kshatriyas are outright bullies and braggarts. They playfully bully representatives of lower castes, command them, and they just giggle stupidly, but don’t answer anything.

Representative of the 2nd caste - Kshatriyas.

1. Many representatives of the 3rd and 4th castes show demonstrative respect to people from the 1st and 2nd. They call the Brahmins Maraj, and the Kshatriyas Raja or Dau (patron, protector, elder brother in Bhundelkhand). They fold their hands in namaste to the level of their heads when they greet, and in response they only deign to nod their heads. They often jump out of their chair when the upper caste approaches. And, the worst thing is, they periodically try to touch their feet. I have already written that in India, when people say hello or during important holidays, they can touch their feet. Mostly they do this with their family. Brahmins also touch their feet in the temple or during a ceremony. So, some individuals strive to touch the feet of people of a higher caste. This used to be common, but now, in my opinion, it looks ingratiating. It's especially unpleasant when old man runs to touch the young man’s feet to show him respect. By the way, the 4th caste, as previously oppressed and now actively defended, behaves more boldly. Representatives of the 3rd caste behave respectfully and are happy to serve, but the cleaner may snap at you. It’s very funny to watch, again, using the example of a restaurant, how employees, without hesitation, scold each other. At the same time, it takes a lot of effort for everyone to reprimand the cleaner, and they try to shift this mission onto me. He always listens to me, looking with delight with wide open eyes. If others have the opportunity to communicate with whites - this is a tourist place, then the Shudras rarely manage to do this, and they remained in awe of us.
2. Despite the fact that representatives of different castes spend time together, as I wrote earlier (point 6 of the last block), inequality is still felt. Representatives of the 1st and 2nd castes communicate with each other as equals. And towards others they allow themselves more impudence. If something needs to be done, the one with the lower caste will immediately blow himself up. Even between friends these marajs and daws are constantly heard. It happens that parents may prohibit their children from making friends with representatives of lower castes. Much, of course, depends on upbringing. What is more clearly expressed on the street, in an institute, for example, is no longer noticeable - here everyone usually communicates on equal terms and with respect.

Children of farmers - 3rd caste.

1. Above I wrote about equals and even Better conditions for low castes when applying for government jobs or large companies. However, in small towns It doesn’t work in villages either. I asked my husband whether he could hire a Shudra as a cook. He thought for a long time and said, after all, no. No matter how great the cook is, this is not possible. People won't come and the restaurant will have a bad reputation. The same applies to hairdressing salons, sewing shops, etc. Therefore, for those who want to get to the top, the only way is to leave their native places. To a place where there are no friends.

In conclusion, I want to say about the new caste that rules the world. And in India too. This is the money caste. Everyone will remember about a poor kshatriya that he is a kshatriya, but they will never show as much respect as a rich kshatriya. It saddens me to see how educated but poor Brahmins are sometimes favored and humiliated in front of those who have money. A Sudra who has become rich will move in a “higher”, so to speak, society. But he will never receive the same respect as the Brahmins. People will run to him to touch his feet, and behind his back they will remember that he is... What is happening now in India is probably very similar to the slow death of European high society, when rich Americans and local merchants slowly penetrated it. The lords first resisted, then secretly slandered, and in the end they completely became history.

At the end of July, a 14-year-old untouchable, held in sexual slavery by a neighbor for a month, died in a hospital ward in New Delhi. The dying woman told the police that the kidnapper threatened her with a knife, forced her to drink juice mixed with acid, did not feed her, and, together with his friends, raped her several times a day. As law enforcement officers found out, this was the second kidnapping - the previous one was committed by the same person in December last year, but he was released on bail. According to local media, the court showed such leniency towards the criminal because his victim was a Dalit (untouchable), which means her life and freedom were worth nothing. Although discrimination based on caste is prohibited in India, Dalits are still the poorest, most disadvantaged and most uneducated section of society. Why this is so and how far up the social ladder the untouchables can rise - Lenta.ru explains.

How did the untouchables appear?

According to the most common version, these are descendants of representatives of tribes who lived in India before the Aryan invasion. In the traditional Aryan system of society, consisting of four varnas - Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaishyas (traders and artisans) and Shudras (wage earners) - Dalits were at the very bottom, below the Shudras, who were also descendants of the pre-Aryan inhabitants of India . At the same time, in India itself there is a widespread version that arose back in the 19th century, according to which the untouchables are the descendants of children expelled to the forests, born from the relationship of a Shudra man and a Brahmin woman.

The oldest Indian literary monument, the Rigveda (compiled in 1700-1100 BC), says that the Brahmins originated from the mouth of the proto-man Purusha, the Kshatriyas from the hands, the Vaishyas from the thighs, and the Shudras from the feet. There is no place for untouchables in this picture of the world. The varna system finally took shape between the 7th century BC. and 2nd century AD

It is believed that an untouchable person can defile people from the higher varnas, so their houses and villages were built on the outskirts. The system of ritual restrictions among the untouchables is no less strict than among the brahmanas, although the restrictions themselves are completely different. Untouchables were forbidden to enter restaurants and temples, carry umbrellas and shoes, walk around in shirts and sunglasses, but they were allowed to eat meat - which strict vegetarian Brahmans could not afford.

Is that what they call them in India - “untouchables”?

Now this word has almost fallen into disuse and is considered offensive. The most common name for untouchables is Dalits, “oppressed”, or “oppressed”. Previously, there was also the word “harijans” - “children of God”, which Mahatma Gandhi tried to introduce into use. But it didn’t catch on: Dalits found it as offensive as “untouchables.”

How many Dalits are there in India and how many castes do they have?

Approximately 170 million people - 16.6 percent of the total population. The issue of the number of castes is very complex, since Indians themselves almost never use the word “caste,” preferring the more vague concept of “jati,” which includes not only castes in the usual sense, but also clans and communities, which are often difficult to classify as one or another. another varna. Moreover, the boundary between caste and sub-caste is often very blurred. We can only say with certainty that we are talking about hundreds of jatis.

Do Dalits still live in poverty? How is social status related to economic status?

In general, the lower castes are indeed significantly poorer. The bulk of India's poor are Dalits. Average level literacy rate in the country is 75 percent, among Dalits - just over 30. Almost half of Dalit children, according to statistics, drop out of school because of the humiliation to which they are subjected there. It is Dalits who make up the bulk of the unemployed; and those who are employed tend to be paid less than members of the upper castes.

Although there are exceptions: there are approximately 30 Dalit millionaires in India. Of course, against the backdrop of 170 million poor people and beggars, this is a drop in the bucket, but with their lives they prove that you can achieve success even as a Dalit. As a rule, these are truly outstanding people: Ashok Khade from the Chamar (tanner) caste, the son of an illiterate poor shoemaker, worked as a docker during the day, and at night he read textbooks to get an engineering degree, and slept under the stairs on the street, since he did not enough money to rent a room. Now his company is doing deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars. This is a typical Dalit success story, a kind of blue dream for millions of underprivileged people.

Have the untouchables ever tried to rebel?

As far as we know, no. Before the colonization of India, this thought could hardly have arisen in our heads: at that time, expulsion from the caste was equivalent to physical death. After colonization, social boundaries began to gradually blur, and after India gained independence, rebellion became meaningless for Dalits - they were provided with all the conditions to achieve their goals through political means.

How deeply submissiveness has become ingrained in the Dalit consciousness can be illustrated by an example given by Russian researchers Felix and Evgenia Yurlov. The Bahujan Samaj Party, which represents the interests of lower castes, organized special training camps for Dalits, in which they learned to “overcome the age-old fear and fear of high-caste Hindus.” Among the exercises was, for example, the following: a stuffed figure of a high-caste Hindu with a mustache and a tilak (dot) on his forehead was installed. The Dalit had to overcome his shyness, approach the scarecrow, cut off his mustache with scissors and erase the tilak.

Is it possible to break out of the untouchables?

It is possible, although not easy. The easiest way is to change religion. A person who converts to Buddhism, Islam or Christianity technically falls out of the caste system. Dalits first began converting to Buddhism in noticeable numbers at the end of the 19th century. Mass conversions are associated with the name of the famous Dalit rights activist Dr. Ambedkar, who converted to Buddhism along with half a million untouchables. The last such mass ceremony took place in Mumbai in 2007 - then 50 thousand people simultaneously became Buddhists.

Dalits prefer to convert to Buddhism. Firstly, Indian nationalists treat this religion better than Islam and Christianity, since it is one of the traditional Indian religions. Secondly, over time, Muslims and Christians developed their own caste divisions, albeit not as clearly expressed as among Hindus.

Is it possible to change caste while remaining Hindu?

There are two options: the first is all kinds of semi-legal or illegal methods. For example, many surnames indicating membership in a particular caste differ by one or two letters. It is enough to be slightly corrupt or charming a clerk in a government office - and, voila, you are already a member of another caste, and sometimes even a varna. It is better, of course, to perform such tricks either in the city, or in combination with moving to another area, where there are not thousands of fellow villagers around who knew your grandfather.

The second option is the “ghar vapasi” procedure, literally “welcome home”. This program is implemented by radical Hindu organizations and aims to convert Indians of other religions to Hinduism. In this case, a person becomes, for example, a Christian, then sprinkles ashes on his head, declaring his desire to perform “ghar vapasi” - and that’s it, he is a Hindu again. If this trick is done outside your home village, you can always claim that you belong to a different caste.

Another question is why do all this. You will not be asked for a caste certificate when applying for a job or when entering a restaurant. In India, over the last century, the caste system has been demolished under the influence of the processes of modernization and globalization. Attitude to to a stranger is based on his behavior. The only thing that can let you down is the surname, which is most often associated with caste (Gandhi - traders, Deshpande - Brahmins, Acharis - carpenters, Guptas - Vaishyas, Singhs - Kshatriyas). But now that anyone can change their last name, everything has become much easier.

How about changing varna without changing caste?

There is a chance that your caste will undergo the process of Sanskritization. In Russian this is called “vertical mobility of castes”: if one caste adopts the traditions and customs of another caste of higher status, there is a chance that sooner or later it will be recognized as a member of a higher varna. For example, a lower caste begins to practice vegetarianism, characteristic of brahmins, dress like brahmins, wear a sacred thread on the wrist and generally position themselves as brahmins, it is possible that sooner or later they will begin to be treated as brahmins.

However, vertical mobility is characteristic mainly of the higher varna castes. Not a single Dalit caste has yet managed to cross the invisible line separating them from the four varnas and become even Shudras. But times are changing.

In general, being a Hindu, you are not required to declare membership in any caste. You can be a casteless Hindu - your right.

Why change the caste in principle?

It all depends on which direction to change - up or down. Raising your caste status means that others who value caste will treat you with more respect. Downgrading your status, especially to the level of the Dalit caste, will give you a number of real advantages, which is why many representatives of higher castes try to enroll as Dalits.

The fact is that in modern India the authorities are waging a merciless fight against caste discrimination. According to the constitution, any discrimination on the basis of caste is prohibited, and you will even have to pay a fine for asking about caste when hiring.

But the country has a mechanism of positive discrimination. A number of castes and tribes are included in the Scheduled Tribes and Castes (SC/ST) list. Representatives of these castes have certain privileges, which are confirmed by caste certificates. Seats are reserved for Dalits in the civil service and in parliament, their children are admitted free of charge (or for half the fee) to schools, and places are allocated for them in institutes. In short, there is a quota system for Dalits.

It's hard to say whether this is good or bad. The author of these lines met Dalits who were capable of giving a head start to any Brahmin in terms of intelligence and general development - quotas helped them rise from the bottom and get an education. On the other hand, we had to see Dalits going with the flow (first according to quotas for college, then according to the same quotas for the civil service), not interested in anything and not wanting to work. They cannot be fired, so their future is secured until old age and a good pension. Many in India criticize the quota system, many defend it.

So Dalits can be politicians?

How can they? For example, Kocheril Raman Narayanan, who was the President of India from 1997 to 2002, was a Dalit. Another example is Mayawati Prabhu Das, also known as the Iron Lady Mayawati, who served as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh for a total of eight years.

Are the number of Dalits the same in all states of India?

No, it varies, and quite significantly. The largest number of Dalits live in the state of Uttar Pradesh (20.5 percent of all Dalits in India), followed by West Bengal (10.7 percent). However, as a percentage of the total population, Punjab leads with 31.9 percent, followed by Himachal Pradesh with 25.2 percent.

How can Dalits work?

Theoretically, anyone - from the president to the toilet cleaner. Many Dalits act in films and work as fashion models. In cities where caste lines are blurred, there are no restrictions at all; In villages where ancient traditions are strong, Dalits are still engaged in “unclean” work: skinning dead animals, digging graves, prostitution, and so on.

If a child is born as a result of an inter-caste marriage, which caste will he be assigned to?

Traditionally in India, a child was registered as a lower caste. It is now believed that a child inherits his father's caste, except in the state of Kerala, where according to local law, the mother's caste is inherited. This is theoretically possible in other states, but in each individual case it is decided through the courts.

A typical story happened in 2012: then a Kshatriya man married a woman from the Nayak tribe. The boy was registered as a kshatriya, but then his mother, through the court, ensured that the child was registered as a nayak so that he could take advantage of the bonuses provided to disadvantaged tribes.

If I, as a tourist in India, touch a Dalit, will I then be able to shake hands with a Brahmin?

Foreigners in Hinduism are already considered unclean because they are outside the caste system, so they can touch anyone and for whatever reason without desecrating themselves in any way. If a practicing Brahmin decides to communicate with you, he will still have to perform purification rituals, so whether you shook the Dalit’s hand before or not is essentially indifferent.

Do they make inter-caste porn with Dalits in India?

Of course they do. Moreover, judging by the number of views on specialized sites, it is very popular.

It will come across, I know many Indian travelers who live there for months, but are not interested in castes because they are not necessary for life.
The caste system today, like a century ago, is not exotic, it is part of the complex organization of Indian society, a multifaceted phenomenon that has been studied by Indologists and ethnographers for centuries, dozens of thick books have been written about it, so I will publish only 10 here interesting facts about Indian castes - about the most popular questions and misconceptions.

1. What is an Indian caste?

Indian caste is such a complex phenomenon that it is simply impossible to give an exhaustively complete definition!
Castes can only be described through a number of characteristics, but there will still be exceptions.
Caste in India is a system of social stratification, a separate social group related by the origin and legal status of its members. Castes in India are built according to the following principles: 1) general (this rule is always observed); 2) one profession, usually hereditary; 3) members of castes enter into relationships only among themselves, as a rule; 4) members of the caste generally do not eat with strangers, with the exception of other Hindu castes of significantly higher social position than their own; 5) caste members can be determined by who they can accept water and food, processed and raw.

2. There are 4 castes in India

Now in India there are not 4, but about 3 thousand castes, they can be called differently in different parts of the country, and people with the same profession can have different castes in different states. Full list for modern castes by state, see http://socialjustice...
What nameless people on tourist and other near-Indian sites call 4 castes are not castes at all, they are 4 varnas - chaturvarnya - an ancient social system.

4 Varnas (वर्ना) is an ancient Indian class system. Brahmins (more correctly a brahmin) historically are clergy, doctors, teachers. Varna Kshatriyas (in ancient times it was called Rajanya) are rulers and warriors. Varna vaishyas are farmers and traders, and varna sudras are laborers and landless peasants who work for others.
Varna is a color (in Sanskrit again), and each Indian varna has its own color: the Brahmins have white, the Kshatriyas have red, the Vaishyas have yellow, the Shudras have black, and before, when all representatives of the varnas wore a sacred thread - he was just their varna.

Varnas correlate with castes, but in very different ways, sometimes there is no direct connection, and since we have already delved into science, it must be said that Indian castes, unlike varnas, are called jati - जाति.
Read more about Indian castes in modern India

3. Caste Untouchables

The untouchables are not a caste. During the times of ancient India, everyone who was not part of the 4 varnas automatically found themselves “outside” of Indian society; these strangers were avoided and not allowed to live in villages, which is why they were called untouchables. Subsequently, these untouchable strangers began to be used in the dirtiest, lowest-paid and shameful work, and formed their own social and professional groups, that is, untouchable castes, in modern India there are several of them, as a rule this is associated with either dirty work or murder living creatures or death, so that all hunters and fishermen, as well as gravediggers and tanners, are untouchable.

4. When did Indian castes appear?

Normatively, that is, legislatively, the caste-jati system in India was recorded in the Laws of Manu, which date back to the 2nd century BC.
The Varna system is much older; there is no exact dating. I wrote in more detail about the history of the issue in the article Castes of India, from varnas to modern times

5. Castes have been abolished in India

Castes in modern India are not abolished or prohibited, as is often written.
On the contrary, all castes in India are counted and listed in the annex to the Indian Constitution, which is called the Table of Castes. In addition, after the population census, changes are made to this table, usually additions; the point is not that new castes appear, but that they are recorded in accordance with the data indicated about themselves by the census participants.
Only discrimination on the basis of caste is prohibited, this is written in Article 15 of the Indian Constitution, see the test at http://lawmin.nic.in...

6. Every Indian has a caste

No, this is also not true.
Indian society is very heterogeneous in its structure, and besides the division into castes there are several others.
There are caste and non-caste, for example, representatives of Indian tribes (aboriginals, adivasis), with rare exceptions, do not have castes. And the part of non-caste Indians is quite large, see the census results http://censusindia.g...
In addition, for some misdemeanors (crimes) a person can be expelled from the caste and thus deprived of his status and position in society.

7. Castes exist only in India

No, this is a fallacy. There are castes in other countries, for example, in Nepal and Sri Lanka, since these countries developed in the bosom of the same huge Indian civilization, as well as on. But there are castes in other cultures, for example, in Tibet, and Tibetan castes do not correlate with Indian castes at all, since the class structure of Tibetan society was formed from India.
For the castes of Nepal, see Ethnic mosaic of Nepal

8. Only Hindus have castes

No, this is not the case now, we need to go deeper into history.
Historically, when the overwhelming majority of the Indian population professed - all Hindus belonged to some caste, the only exceptions were pariahs expelled from castes and the indigenous, tribal peoples of India who did not profess Hinduism and were not part of Indian society. Then other religions began to spread in India - India was invaded by other peoples, and representatives of other religions and peoples began to adopt from the Hindus their class system of varnas and the system of professional castes - jati. Now there are castes in Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Christianity, but they are different from the Hindu castes.
It is curious that in northern India, in the modern states, the Buddhist caste system is not of Indian, but of Tibetan origin.
It is even more curious that even European Christian missionary preachers were drawn into the Indian caste system: those who preached the teachings of Christ to high-born Brahmins ended up in the Christian “Brahmin” caste, and those who communicated with untouchable fishermen became Christian untouchables.

9. You need to know the caste of the Indian you are communicating with and behave accordingly.

This is a common misconception, propagated by travel sites, for no known reason and not based on anything.
It is impossible to determine which caste an Indian belongs to just by his appearance, and often by his occupation too. One acquaintance worked as a waiter, although he came from a noble Rajput family (that is, he is a kshatriya). I was able to identify a Nepalese waiter I knew by his behavior as an aristocrat, since we had known each other for a long time, I asked and he confirmed that this was true, and the guy was not working because of a lack of money at all.
My old friend started his working career at the age of 9 as a laborer, cleaning up trash in a shop... do you think he is a Shudra? no, he is a Brahmin (Brahmin) from a poor family and his 8th child... another 1 Brahmin I know sells in a shop, he is the only son, he needs to earn money...
Another friend of mine is so religious and bright that one would think that he is a real, ideal Brahmin. But no, he was just a sudra, and he was proud of it, and those who know what seva means will understand why.
And even if an Indian says what caste he is, although such a question is considered rude, it will still give nothing to the tourist; a person who does not know India will not understand what and why it works in this amazing country. So there is no need to be puzzled by the caste issue, because in India it is sometimes difficult to even determine the gender of the interlocutor, and this is probably more important :)

10. Caste discrimination in modern times

India is a democratic country and, in addition to prohibiting caste discrimination, has introduced benefits for representatives of lower castes and tribes, for example, there are quotas for admission to higher education institutions and for holding positions in state and municipal bodies.
discrimination against people from lower castes, Dalits and tribal people is quite serious in India, casteism is still the basis of life for hundreds of millions of Indians outside major cities, it is there that the caste structure and all the prohibitions arising from it are still preserved, for example, Indian Shudras are not allowed into some temples in India, it is there that almost all caste crimes occur, for example, a very typical crime

Instead of an afterword.
If you are seriously interested in the caste system in India, I can recommend, in addition to the articles section on this site and publications on the Hindunet, reading major European Indologists of the 20th century:
1. Academic 4-volume work by R.V. Russell "and the castes of the central provinces of India"
2. Monograph by Louis Dumont "Homo hierarchicus. Experience in describing the caste system"
In addition, in recent years, a number of books on this topic have been published in India; unfortunately, I myself have not held them in my hands.
If you are not ready to read scientific literature, read the novel “The God of Small Things” by the very popular modern Indian writer Arundhati Roy, it can be found in RuNet.