Introduction to "Beyond caste"

Caste is the great wall of India. It is the bedrock on which Indian society is founded. Though the caste system is supported and sustained more than anything by scriptures of Hinduism,it has also penetrated deeply in other religions due to conversion of people from different castes. The caste is raising its ugly tentacles in different countries due to migrations of Indians. It is therefore not just a national issue, but it is an issue concerned with human race. Recently, the caste based discrmination was exposed in UK. The caste kills people, rapes women and humiliates human personality. The recent atrocity in the heartland of Buddhism in India, the Vidarbha, is an eyeopener. However this is just a tip of iceberg when compared to number of atrocities committed every hour in India in the name of caste.

The physical manifestation of caste is dreadful. It is the main cause of violence in rural India. However, its psychological manifestation leads to negative mental states which are detrimental to growth of human personalities. In a way caste system results into mental disease. It is limiting the boundless human personality and potential. From all perspectival positions, it is not beneficial for humanity to base its social relations on caste. However the caste system provides a strong "social security" and "safeguard" to a few, while "social insecurity" to many. Undoubtedly, upper castes in India benefit from the system. For some people caste is beneficial. Therefore some are not at all interested in abolishing it. This is evident in the Modern Indian history. Wherever possible this issue was hidden and given the last priority and in some cases "no priority" at all.

This resulted into sustainence of this heinous system even after more than 50 years of transfer of power to India. The legal framework is in place due to efforts of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, but as there is a general apathy towards the issue of caste, this legal framework fails to provide justice to people at large. The solution to "fight caste" is to "go beyond caste". This is not easy.

There are three issues really:

1. Analyse caste
2. Go beyond caste
3. Fight caste

We are focussed here with point 2, without forgetting importance of point 1 and 3.
The "beyond caste" people can only "Fight caste". There can be various methods to fight caste, but the beginning should be with "going beyond" it. Different people will advocate different methods based on their interests and inclinations. This is fine so far as they do not claim that thats the only method. Fighting caste is going to be based on combination of many methods, sequencing of the various methods according to priorities and sometimes harmonising different methods. There is therefore a scope for NGOs, political parties, social movements, social organisations and businesses for fighting caste. We have to fight the caste. We have to accept that a single organisation cannot fight the monster of caste.

Going beyond: where?

One has to make efforts to go. Efforts in the right direction will pave a way for others. Why do we have to make efforts? We are conditioned by caste. We need an environment, or if a need be, we have to create a new environment, so that we can go beyond caste. The methods involves:

1. Interaction with people from different and diverse caste backgrouns wherever possible
2. Working on oneself to see whether our intellect and emotions are driven by caste
3. Creating conditions for others so that they can go beyond caste

There is so much to write and elaborate and I hope that we will contribute towards going beyond the caste, in order to fight caste.

Mangesh
24.10.06