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Essay on The Indian Caste System
The caste system in India is a significant part of prehistoric Hindu tradition and dates back to 1200 BCE. The term caste was first used by Portuguese travelers who came to India in the 16th century. Caste comes from the Spanish and Portuguese word ‘casta’ which means ‘race’, ‘breed’, or ‘lineage’. Many Indians use the term ‘jati’. There are 3,000 castes and 25,000 sub castes in India, each related to a specific occupation. These different castes fall under four basic varnas: Brahmins who are priests, Kshatryas who are warriors, Vaishyas who are traders and Shudras who are the laborers.
Caste not only dictates one's occupation, but dietary habits and interaction with members of other castes as well. Members of a high caste enjoy more wealth and opportunities while members of a low caste perform menial jobs. Outside of the caste system are the Untouchables. Untouchable jobs, such as toilet cleaning and garbage removal, require them to be in contact with bodily fluids. They are therefore considered polluted and not to be touched. The importance of purity in the body and food is found in early Sanskrit literature. Untouchables have separate entrances to homes and must drink from separate wells. They are considered to be in a permanent state of impurity. Untouchables were named ‘Harijans’. In the book ‘Children of God’ by Gandhi tried to raise their status with symbolic gestures such as befriending and eating with Untouchables. Upward mobility is very rare in the caste system. Most people remain in one caste their entire life and marry within their caste.
In Arundhati Roy's novel, The God of Small Things, the laws of India's caste system are broken by the characters of Ammu and Velutha, an Untouchable or Paravan. Velutha works at the Paradise Pickles and Preserves Factory owned by Ammu's family. Yet, because he is an Untouchable, the other workers resent him and he is paid less money for his work......
