PART 1: C HOICE OF TITLE FOR A SSIGNMENT 1

Title chosen first: Caste system in modern India

However, this title is too vast and not precise enough to allow proper
exploration of the subject. Thus, I decided to focus on The Untouchables;
leading to the final title for my written assignment which will be:

Can the pred icame nt of ‘Unto uchables’ ever be

eradicated?
 PART 2: BRAINSTOR MING

Root of caste system: Distortion of Varna System

Brahmin, Vaishya, Kshatriya, and Sudra: four classes which became status
demarcations
Prestige and wealth took the place of duties assigned to them.
This gave birth to the Untouchability (Dalits) phenomenon which still plagues
India.

Tackle:
Economical aspect- jobs given to them, their contribution to economy
Sociological aspect- how they are still viewed by society
Religious aspect- are they allowed to use same places of worship as
others?
Educational aspect: Are they allowed proper education?

The treatment of Dalits women.

Why this inequality or subhuman treatment? Can we qualify this as humane?
What can be done to stop such discriminations?
Repercussions this practice is having on India
The future perspective of the Untouchables
How are Indians who are termed as Untouchables living through this?
Is there a solution? Will this practice ever be eradicated?
Who is to be blamed?
PART 4: WRITTEN ESSAY

Caste system originated from the sacred Vedas most precisely from the
Purusha Sukta where, four basic classes were brought forward: Brahmins
(priests), Kshatryas (warriors), Vaishyas (traders), Shudras (labourers). At first
it was supposed to be a classification of different occupations of individuals in
a society so as to ensure a proper balance when it came to human resource
management. However, a complete distortion of this practice has taken place.
Class and duty have turned into caste and prestige. Members of a high caste
enjoy more wealth and opportunities while members of a low caste perform
menial jobs. Most revolting is the category of Untouchables who are
considered to be so lowly that they are not even given a place in the caste
system

Every sixth human being in the world today is an Indian, and every sixth
Indian is an untouchable. For thousands of years the untouchables, who are
those people at the bottom of the Hindu caste system, have been treated as
subhuman. Take a minute and imagine generations of individuals living under
the pressure of such discrimination and who are considered as being in a
permanent state of impurity. Commonly known as Dalits, these people are
forced to live in battered habitations on the coastal regions of India away from
the civilised world. Despite the fact that, caste discrimination has been against
the law since 1950, prejudice continues. Can this dilemma ever be
eradicated?

The world in which evolves most of the Untouchables is completely chaotic.

Women irrespective of their age are sexually harassed by men from the upper
castes; children are not given proper access to education as they are not to
be mixed with others who actually form part of the caste system, jobs given to
them are mainly that of toilet cleaning and garbage removal. Moreover, in
some Indian rural regions, they are given a different well for their daily use so
as not to ‘contaminate’ the main well. Access to places of worships is
restricted to them as they are considered to be polluted. All these above
mentioned points clearly state that there is a major crisis in India when it come
to equality. Despite the modern image the country tries to reflect in its
technological development, the actuality of facts is very ugly.

I believe that the main reason of such aggressive segregation is the

erroneous education provided to the younger generations who form part of the
upper castes. These children are taught that Untouchables are not considered
as human beings and that being are the lowest of the low they do not merit
any form of acknowledgement. The Untouchables, in short, live to serve
others. Having been implemented such a prejudice in mind; it is obvious that
they will do nothing to change the actual situation for the better. On the other
hand, those Untouchables who receive a minimum of education and who
realise the unfair situation in which they are, cannot do anything as they are a
minority and are not powerful enough to rebel.

The superiority and inferiority phenomenon is another obstacle in the

eradication on Untouchables. Human beings being human beings need
people who are inferior to them in order to feel superior, according to Alfred
Adler; it forms part of our subconscious. Eradicating the Untouchables will in
turn mean the ending of the supremacy of higher caste. This inferiority and
superiority complex also exists within the clan of Dalits.
Adler, A. (1956). The Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler. H. L. Ansbacher and R.
R. Ansbacher (Eds.). New York: Harper Torchbooks.

"Memorandum to the United Nations Calling for an Investigation into Atrocities

Against Untouchables of India by the UN Commissioner for Human Rights." (21 Jul.
1997): 10 par. Online. Untouchable UN Memo. Internet. 3 Nov. 1997. Available:
http://www.saxakali.com/Community Linkups/dalit1.htm