Introduction

In traditional Indian society, the status of the individual and the group were
always influenced by ascriptive values. Membership in a particular caste
determined his or her position in the areas of economic, social, and political life.
When the power of caste is supreme in society, ones own customs and religious
beliefs play important role in determining the social status of its members as
whole and women in particular.

Generally in India, caste system can only be comprehended when we
realize that it is essentially permeated by religious conceptions.
1
. Further, caste
system has established a direct link between the religious beliefs and the social
differentiation
2
.

Judging from the view point of social prestige and status, Each group of
castes, each caste and sometimes even each sub-caste was allowed to cultivate its
distinctive styles of like in the matter of diet, dress, worship, marriage, etc.
3
Very
often these observations have made us think about the relationship between caste
hierarchy and the various customs and religious beliefs and practices existing in
Indian social scene.

It may pointed out here that Material prosperity and political power cannot
by themselves bring about a change in the original status unless it is legitimized

1
A. M. Hocart, Caste: A Comparative study, Russel and Russel Publications, New
York, 1958. p. 47.
2
Man Weber, on Charisma and Institution Building, The University of Chicago
Press, Chicago, 1966, p. 143.
3
Andre Beteille, The future of the Backward Class: The competing demands of
status and power, in Philip Mason (ed.), India and Ceylon: Unity and Diversity,
Oxford University Press, London, 1967, p. 93.
through the observance of power rituals and customs
4
. But while speaking about
changes in the status of castes, it can be seen that a group changes by rising in
social scale or by being lowered, according to this observance of the ritualistic
rules. Here, it may be quite true that Western education, the expansion of caste
free occupations, and the possibilities of geographical mobility-all enable the
individual to change his style of life on his own
5
. When these problems are
studied in the case of members of lower castes, one of the methods adopted by the
lower castes and tribes to raise their social status is taking over the customs, rites,
and beliefs of the Brahmins, and the adoption of the Brahminic way of life
6
.
Under the influence of these dynamic process in our society, it cannot be denied
that The lower castes are steadily endeavouring to enhance their social prestige
by abandoning their own customs and adopting those of the higher castes
7
.

There is an intimate association between ones status level n society and the
customs and religious beliefs one follows. When the ascriptive values give way to
the traits of achieved status criterion, and one is enhancing his social prestige, he
has to legitimate it by the observance of proper rituals and ceremonies. As for
instance, among several social customs and practices that prevailed in different
areas of Indian society, Divorce, separation, polygamy etc. were common among
the lower and the Scheduled Castes. The fact that they consider divorce bad is the
impact of Sanskritization
8
.


4
S.K. Chauhan Class, Status and Power, Social Stratification in Assam, Classical
Publishing Company, New Delhi, 1980, p. 47.
5
Andre Beteille, op. cit., p. 108.
6
M.N. Srinivas, Sanskritisation and Westernisation in A. Aiyappan and L.K.
Balaratnam (ed.), Society in India, The Social Sciences Association, Museum
House, Madras, 1956, p. 551.
7
L.S.S. OMalley, Indian castes and customs, Vikas Publishing House, London.
1974, P. 173.
8
Sachchidananda, The Harijan Elite A study of their status, net works, mobility
and role in social transformation, Thomson Press (India) Ltd., 1977, p. 122.
Ones own food habits, items of food, the way of taking food, etc. are part
of our custom. Mode of eating and customs relating to food habits etc. had been
considered serious matters governing the social status of members in India. Under
the influence of authority of caste, status depended to a great extent on food habits
too.

According to Hindu tradition, those among them who eat beef (or have a
tradition of beef-eating) are assigned the lowest social rank. In the context of
modernization, and competition for the betterment of social and individual status
in society, castes which had been fairly low in the traditional hierarchy changed
their diet, their social customs and sometimes even their gods in favour of those of
the upper castes
9
. While speaking of changes in low caste by Sanskritization,
Andre Beteille
10
asserts, there are changes in occupation, diet and social practices
of various kinds Items of food such as pork and the drinking of alcoholic
beverages are often given up, as adaptive mechanisms of upward mobility in
society. It is quite true among the Harijan women that the measures by which an
improvement of status is sought are the abandonment of occupations though to be
degrading, the adoption, of vegetarianism and self denying ordinance against the
drinking of liquor
11
.

One of the outstanding features of the Indian society is that every group in
society could find some other group which is relatively inferior or superior to it,
economically and socially. Every caste discovers some other caste towards which
it can practice social distance tough it resents to the behaviour of the caste which
discriminates against it. As a part and parcel of custom, this has been practised by
various castes in India.

9
Andre Beteille, op. cit., p. 95.
10
Ibid., p. 97.
11
L.S.S. OMalley, op. cit., p. 173

Since it was practised by higher castes as their custom, the Harijans also as
part of Hinduism were tempted to follow it. It is interesting to note that the
members of the Harijan castes follow the hierarchical principle among themselves
as rigidly as those of the higher castes
12
.

Marriott has pointed out the importance of interaction also as a criterion for
caste ranking and the consequent status differentials in India
13
.

By way of the influence of social custom on individuals inter personal
relations the higher the status of a caste, the more rigid it is in the manner of
accepting food from others
14
. However, during these days, Social mobility will
bring about a change in inter-personal relations between the Scheduled Castes and
the higher castes
15
. Further, it can be observed that educated Harijan elite,
whether political or bureaucratic, move and interact more widely with other
Hindus and non-Hindus
16
.

Under the Hindu tradition, during pollution times, like child birth, death of
immediate kin members etc., certain customary restrictions are prescribed for the
members to be observed during religious functions. This may vary with sex,
community etc,. Likewise, modifications in attitudes towards certain customs or
actual practice of customs by various communities among the Scheduled Castes
indicates the direction of improvement in the existing status of members of

12
B. Kuppuswamy, Social Change in India, Vikas Publishing House, Delhi, 1975,
p. 153.
13
Mackim Marriott, Village India, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1956.
14
Andre Beteille, caste, Class and Pawer, University of Califormia Press, London,
1971, p. 56.
15
Suneila Malik, Social Integration of Scheduled Castes, Abhinav Publications,
New Delhi, 1979, p. 61.
16
R. Issacs Harold, Indias Ex-Untouchables, Asia Publishing House, Bombay,
1965, p. 129.
families in the society. These Sanskritic tendencies are made possible and visible
through the changes in the behaviour of members which can very well be observed
through customary or institutional modifications. Rituals are usually the symbolic
expressions of the inner feelings of the actor in social set-up. The changes in
ritualism towards simplicity and modernity very commonly reflect the motivation
towards the status mobility of members and the group.

Regarding the Harijans, certain demographic features of female population
of India, viz,. The early age of marriage, high rates of mortality and illiteracy, and
low rates of participation in the labour force indicate their low status in society
17
.
But these have been undergoing changes and these changes are studied here in
terms of the status mobility of women. As a part of custom, child marriage was a
common occurrence among all sections f he society, especially among the lower
strata.

Early marriage put an effective impediment to higher education of girls.
Among the Harijans, the age at marriage increases with education in every socio-
economic straturn
18
. Education tends to exercise pressures for a higher age of
marriage for men and consequently also for women
19
. In Kerala The age at
marriage has gone up and marriages taken place only after puberty and physical
maturity
20
. But Sachidananda points out that Child marriage is widely prevalent
among the Scheduled Castes but the changes have started taking place with their
exposure to modern influences
21
.

17
ICSSR, Status of Women in India: A Synopsis of the Report of the National
Committe, Allied Publishers, Private Ltd., 1975, p. 6.
18
Girija Khanna and A. Varghese Mariamma, Indian Women Today, Vikas
Publishing House, Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, 1978, p. 13
19
Suneila Malik, op. cit., p. 121.
20
K.C. Alexander Pulaya Harijans of Kerala in Social Mobility in Kerala, Deccan
College, Poona, 1968, p. 96.
21
Sachchidananda, op. cit., p. 123.
In ancient India, endogamy was the accepted custom. But now, caste as a
barrier to marriage is gradually dying off, since people are more aware of the
personality characteristics which are important in making marriage a success.

Another modification in this attitude prevalent in modern society is the
inclination towards the slackening of the observance of the rigid regulations of
marriages. The weakening influence of endogamy and the crossing of the rules of
marriages by modern society are important events today. Modern inter-caste
marriages have been considered to be more ideal from the point of view of status
consciousness among the lower sections of the caste society.

In Kerala, the Harijans seem to have o objection to inter-caste marriage
because that would help them move up in the hierarchy of prestige and self-
esteem
22
. In this connection, it is meaningful to observe that the status of a
Scheduled Caste woman can certainly be improved by a high caste man having the
courage and conviction to break the high and low caste barrier through marriage
23
.

Inter caste marriages can thus contribute a great deal in modifying the
rigidity and spirit of the caste hierarchy and also to improve the status of Harijan
women in relativistic terms. Under these circumstances the major idea to be
examined in this chapter are confined t the role of changing social customs on the
modification of status of Harijan women in Kerala.

Social customs of the Harijans and their actual or changing power over the
members, especially women contribute to the maintaining of ones position in the
social scale. A change I these customary practices helps t change the status of

22
N. Patnaik Caste and Social Change-An Anthropological Study of three Orissa
Villages, National Institute of Community Development, Hyderabad, 1969, p. 42.
23
H.R. Trivedi, Scheduled Caste Women, Concept Publishing Company, Delhi,
1976, p. 45.
women in society. Increasing rate of deviational practices from the endogamous
nature of caste tend t invite new modes of social relations among the Harijan
women. Development of new dimensions of education, economic opportunities
and other amenities enables the women of Harijan community to rise new heights
of life. The tendency towards inter-caste marriages is more among the Harijans
having higher educational qualifications and higher economic status in society. As
an aspect of the basic feature of Indian caste structure, practice of inter-dining by
Harijans with upper castes tends to increase with higher educational attainment
and higher economic background of women. In any society attainment of socially
elevated position tends to make Harijan women less conforming to the rigid
customary ways of life.