Article 15 (2019)
Of course, the law is quite precise in all of it; that no citizen should be discriminated based on their religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. The trouble is that people like to flock together based on common practices, interests and vocations. Even though every man accepts that all Man are equal, they also admit that if everyone is equal, no one would be King. Plato's idea of an ideal society is also based on hierarchal order. Every member of the community is tasked with a specific duty so that society can function. Everyone got their place in the sun, and over time, people started putting value and importance of one profession over the other and called it a caste system.
Articles of late are suggesting that the notorious caste system in India is actually a foreign import. The word 'caste' has its origin in Portuguese and was brought by the farangs during their conquest of the East. The division of members of the ancient Hindu society apparently denoted the aptitude of an individual to a particular profession. It came with different names like jathis and varnas. It must have evolved over the generations as it was seen as an economic facilitator. People engaged in the same profession can explore the nitty-gritty and know of every nook and corner of the trade. This is evident from the generational continuity of individual businesses, e.g. Chettys and restaurants, Patels and hotels and of recent Jains and diamond trading. Apprenticeship recruitment amongst clan members ensured continuity of craftsmanship and continuous supply of services in the society. It is said that there was no hierarchical arrangement in the strata of society. It united the community.
Trouble brewed when caste was used to divide. The British have the dubious honour of conducting the first caste census in 1871 to codify society, give spurious recognition of one over the other, create mayhem, divide and rule. The last caste census which was done in 1931 forms the backbone upon which the educationally and economically disadvantaged layer of the population is aided.
To ensure a continued supply of menial labours and to justify one's perch at the top of the ladder, it was given a religious twist; that it is sanctioned in the scriptures and was decreed by the Gods and the First Man on Earth, Manu. No legislation is going to change this way of thinking, especially when it is convenient to be people in power.
The political use of the caste system is divisive at best. It is used by self-serving politicians to divide, ensnare and instigate people against each other. Like the colonial masters before it is a convenient tool to 'divide and rule'.
This movie is about a newly appointed Police Chief, of a privileged upbringing, being posted in a remote district which is run by the old school enforcement unit. The chief's subordinates have been keeping things under check by adopting a clear discriminatory rule by decree. Daily the low-caste members of the society are prejudiced. Many reports of missing daughters of the untouchables do not see daylight. The chief can see funny things happening under his nose. The crux of the story is how he, an Indian who had spent a large chunk of his young adulthood overseas with an activist fiancé, try to change the status quo.
It is imperative to note that BR Ambedkar, himself from the Dalit community, is the central figure behind the drafting of the Indian Constitution in 1950. He had alleged quipped that if the impoverished and oppressed are not protected by the Constitution, he will burn the Constitution! The polymath is mentioned many times in this film.
Of course, the law is quite precise in all of it; that no citizen should be discriminated based on their religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. The trouble is that people like to flock together based on common practices, interests and vocations. Even though every man accepts that all Man are equal, they also admit that if everyone is equal, no one would be King. Plato's idea of an ideal society is also based on hierarchal order. Every member of the community is tasked with a specific duty so that society can function. Everyone got their place in the sun, and over time, people started putting value and importance of one profession over the other and called it a caste system.
Articles of late are suggesting that the notorious caste system in India is actually a foreign import. The word 'caste' has its origin in Portuguese and was brought by the farangs during their conquest of the East. The division of members of the ancient Hindu society apparently denoted the aptitude of an individual to a particular profession. It came with different names like jathis and varnas. It must have evolved over the generations as it was seen as an economic facilitator. People engaged in the same profession can explore the nitty-gritty and know of every nook and corner of the trade. This is evident from the generational continuity of individual businesses, e.g. Chettys and restaurants, Patels and hotels and of recent Jains and diamond trading. Apprenticeship recruitment amongst clan members ensured continuity of craftsmanship and continuous supply of services in the society. It is said that there was no hierarchical arrangement in the strata of society. It united the community.
Trouble brewed when caste was used to divide. The British have the dubious honour of conducting the first caste census in 1871 to codify society, give spurious recognition of one over the other, create mayhem, divide and rule. The last caste census which was done in 1931 forms the backbone upon which the educationally and economically disadvantaged layer of the population is aided.
To ensure a continued supply of menial labours and to justify one's perch at the top of the ladder, it was given a religious twist; that it is sanctioned in the scriptures and was decreed by the Gods and the First Man on Earth, Manu. No legislation is going to change this way of thinking, especially when it is convenient to be people in power.
The political use of the caste system is divisive at best. It is used by self-serving politicians to divide, ensnare and instigate people against each other. Like the colonial masters before it is a convenient tool to 'divide and rule'.
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Prof R Vaidyanathan explains how Caste plays a beneficiary
role in society. Caste played its position at a different time
with a different economic model.
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This movie is about a newly appointed Police Chief, of a privileged upbringing, being posted in a remote district which is run by the old school enforcement unit. The chief's subordinates have been keeping things under check by adopting a clear discriminatory rule by decree. Daily the low-caste members of the society are prejudiced. Many reports of missing daughters of the untouchables do not see daylight. The chief can see funny things happening under his nose. The crux of the story is how he, an Indian who had spent a large chunk of his young adulthood overseas with an activist fiancé, try to change the status quo.
It is imperative to note that BR Ambedkar, himself from the Dalit community, is the central figure behind the drafting of the Indian Constitution in 1950. He had alleged quipped that if the impoverished and oppressed are not protected by the Constitution, he will burn the Constitution! The polymath is mentioned many times in this film.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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