Caste/Jaati/Varna

 Caste/Jaati/Varna   : My Point of View

Part 1:

You have often heard these three words used as meaning the ‘same’ in different contexts. However ,if you look closely, they do not mean the same....infact, they hold different positions....

check around...look at the daily conversations around you....If you hear about any “intercaste’ marriage, people will ask “ vovu jaathi ge?”....not which ‘caste’....its in thier subconsciuos.....Caste is . Most of you rightly figured it out is divided into 4 categories: Brahmin, Kshatriya.vaishya and Shudra.....

.where as, jaathi meant ‘Community”....If someone in Mangalore asks you “Vovu Jaathi?( which Jaathi)”, you usually say- I am a Bunt, a Billava, a Mogaveera, a amchigele( slang for GSB) etc...you would never reply as “ Brahmin, Kshatriya etc”....simply because you dont identify as such....

‘Caste’ in India came into existence perhaps in Late 18^th century( through the British), whereas ‘jaathi’ system existed in India more than 2-3000 years ago...

In Jaathi, they had variuos hireachy-which was fluid and kept changing.

Example: our community-GSB means Gowd saraswath Brahmin.....it doesnt mean all of them are Brahmins( according to ‘caste’ definitions)..it also doesnt mean-there are no ‘brahmins’ among them....like I said- Its not a ‘Rigid’ system.

Similarly In the Billavas( supposedly not a Higher ‘caste’ according to Caste system) have thier own Priests called “poojary” among them, who take care of the community temple rituals. Example: Kudroli Temple.

In the Bunts jaathi , though -shivalli Brahmins( Thats again ,a different Jaathi) have been taking care of thier temple rituals.Example: Kadri Temple.

Each Jaathi had thier own Temple, thier own customs and traditions and used to usually marry among themselves.

The English Idea of ‘caste’ is totally different to the ‘jaathi’ system- in this aspects.....

Part 2:

Caste:

The word Caste itself derives from the root ‘casta’-which was a Portuguese word which meant ‘race’. Caste system was very much prevalent in the Europe during 1700’s. However unlike in India .there, the ‘caste’ made divisions between the Kings/Aristocrats/Soldiers and peasants. British knew and followed this system in England.

If you notice the chronology, the British had complete control over on India from 1808, through ‘East India Company’...as is usual for any conqueror, massive loot was taken from India to fuel the Industries in Europe... the Indians started rebelling , by 1857 it led to what is today known as ‘First war of independence”....Luckily for the English, the uprising got defeated....That is when, the British Monarchy dissolved the ‘company’ and took over the rein themselves....Now the British wanted to have a system,where such rebellions do not happen in the future as well as ,a system in place to manage a huge place like India. (How else could you rule it with just 10,000 British in India , in any given time?)

They could see variuos Jaathis existing with thier own equations among themselves.

Either out of Ignorance or Malice( maybe a combination), the ‘caste ‘ system was introduced to classify variuos sections of Indians in 4 sections.....it happened through the first ‘census’ in 1872....Using this system, British pushed up the ‘Brahmins’ economically and socially...and used the same ‘Brahmins’ to control or subdue the other ‘castes’...pages could be written on the disadvantages of this system ( disadvantage to the Indians, but advantage to the British)....Not only Hindus, even Christians and Muslims were classified in variuos castes/sects....

Many of the freedom fighters ‘saw’ through this unreal system...but the damage continued....just before the Independence-when it was clear that- it would happen, there was a big debate on whether to continue with the ‘caste’ system or not....however the majority of the freedom fighters sided with Gandhi’s view ,that it should be Continued after Independence.....so, we are still having it ,as of today....

Part 3:

Jaathi System:

Perhaps being born and bought up in a Urban atmosphere, its difficult for most to understand the need for a Jaathi system.

Imagine yourself living a few centuries ago, where the villages were dominant and not the urban cities.

The following advantages of Jaathi system would have been apparent.

1. Continuation of your culture and traditions.

2.Social security net for the distressed among them....like widows or orphans etc.

3. Economic stability provided due to support from co-jaathi members.

4. Rituals/practices were retained from generation to generation.

5. Most importantly, the invaders from outside the country could not break them, as the jaathis were small, organic and independent to each other.

Like with any system, it had its own disadvantages

1. Reduced intermingling with other jaathis

2. Opposition to marriage between two jaathis.

3.Less opportunities to modify prevalent Traditions.

4.Most Importantly, it failed to act as a cohesive medium, as a nation. The nation wide identity was missing against a foreign invader

As more and more Indians shift to the Urban environment, the jaathi system will dilute itself, as a natural reaction.

Example: How many know, which jaathi the person in the next apartment belongs to?

I am Not concluding that as a good or a bad development, because every system has its own pros and cons.

Part 4:

Misconceptions about the Jaathi system:

Please note that, when the word ‘caste’ is mentioned below, it means the system introduced by the British, whereas the Jaathi system (for better understanding , call it community system) is at least a millennia old evolved system in India.

Generally, what we came to believe was , “The caste system was bad.

The Shudras, the lower caste’s were subjugated by the Brahmins and in some cases-the Kshtatriyas” . This is the common narrative.

However , if we look into actual historical facts, jaathis were fluid in nature.

In the sense, Thier power and importance increased or decreased depending on how close they were to the Political powers of those times.

Check out the below names.

1. Wodeyars of Mysore.

2, Scindias Of Gwalior.

The First wodeyar hailed from what the present ‘caste’ system defined as belonging to ‘potter’ caste, or ‘Kulal jaathi’ in local language. Some records say ,they hailed from ‘cowherd’ jaathi or ‘kuruba' jaathi. They had to bring in priests from far off srirangam, because the local priests didn't consider them ‘Kshatriya’ enough.

The First Scindia( originally Shinde) belonged to the caste ‘Kurmi’ or agriculturists. They were also not Kshatriya’s. Kurmi’s come under ‘Other Backward caste’ in today's India.

Were these Families backward by any measure?.

As mentioned earlier, the jaathi or community moved ‘above’ in social stature depending on how close they were to the Political center of the day.

It was not ‘restricted’ like in the ‘caste’ system in Today's times.

Heard Of Chatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj?

He Himself belonged to the caste of shudra, if you go by the British system of Caste.

As far as discrimination is concerned, people interested could read the ‘The beautiful Tree’ by Dharampal, where he posts records of majority of students in the schools belonging to ‘lower castes’ in the Mid 1800’s.( ‘shudras’ were 45% ,’brahmins’ 20%)

Part 5:

Varna.

You read about Caste and Jaathi. Whats Varna then?

Varna literally means color.

The color that you exhibited, the characters that you exhibit ,made you into a particular Varna.

Krishna famously describes it in the Gita to Arjuna.

You may been be born into any Jaathi, but the characters you exhibited, while you lived your life made you belong to a Particular Varna.

Varna was never meant for large groups.

It was always a nomenclature for the Individual.

Few Examples: I am born in a Brahmin’caste’, but my character, my profession makes my varna as ‘Vaishya”

A person in the Army  may have been born in any caste , but his characters and profession make him a Kshatriya Varna.

Someone belonging to a profession like teaching, would be called belonging to ‘Brahmin’ varna, in those days.

A intellectual would be called a ‘Brahmin’ Varna, in those days- though he/she could have been born in a Shudra caste.

It was a individual certification -you could say. It Didn't matter -which family ,you were born into ..That certification didn't pass on to your Children. Thier Varna would be different depending on thier characters.

The British probably read about this classification, got confused and pigeon holed vast groups into 4 Groups or 4 Castes.