How To Be An Anti-Casteist

I've lived long enough in North India to know that outside a couple of cities, being out after dark is a big no-no if you're a single woman.

Yes. Jaati, jaat. "Kul" as well. People often ask "kis kul se ho" - "what lineage you belong to" - it's supposedly a politer way to ask someone's caste.

And in the region, your last name (sorry, it's just a knowledge I picked up while growing up) is endemic to, it's called "jaayat" or "jaait".

> In Hindi I think

I assumed you are either not Indian or not from that region in the North.

Also, what I meant by saying there are not really terms one should look out for is in professional setups, at least these days, caste is not asked openly but indirectly.

The caste system in what is now India is entirely of their own making.

Rest assured, nobody is thinking of the Spanish-Portuguese casta system when they talk about Indian caste. We might use the same word but I don't think anyone is familiar enough with the Spanish usage in the Americas for it to bring about a misunderstanding. But you make a very good point.

For non Spanish speakers or people not familiar with the Spanish casta system, it's synonymous with breed and lineage. Before the "Conquista", the lineage was focused on nobility Vs peasants. During the conquista, it shifted to a racial pecking order. The idea that the Spanish casta (castizo) was at the top of the pyramid, and any mixtures with other races put you at different levels in that pyramid. For instance a white castizo mixed with a black person would be mulato, but a white non-castizo like a Dutch or English white mixed with a black would give you a lower but similar caste. Your caste had implications in social and political life -- access to property, being able to hold certain jobs, etc. It quickly became unworkable because of the ever growing degrees of "mestizaje".

I don't know if India has a similar idea (what caste are you when a dalit mixes with a Brahmin?), but as you've mentioned, it's worth noting that the word we use for the Indian Varna does come a Spanish word (which in turn probably has Nordic roots) for a very different race/lineage based caste system.

I have been following the discussions on caste here at HN and other forums. I noticed that whenever this topic comes up, there are some arguments brought up to either deny the existence of the caste system in modern India or to blame it entirely on the European rulers or portray it as a noble social system that was hijacked for political purposes. Let me address these points.

1. Caste system was a thing of the past

I was born in India in a Hindu family and lived there for most of my life, until recently. I left the country because, among other reasons, I did a inter-caste marriage and was afraid of the repercussions. I was raised in a big city but had close ties to my ancestral village where my grandparents and extended family live. I can attest that the caste system does exist in all spheres of life and it is more pronounced in rural areas but less visible in urban centers. The caste system decides who you can marry, where you can live and even where you will be buried when you are dead. I have faced casteism at school, work and personal life. I have seen, as clear as daylight, numerous other incidents of caste based discrimination and violence both subtle and overt.

Some recent incidents in the news throws light on how invasive these practices are.

Hyderabad, a tech hub on par with Bangalore, had an incident of Honor Killing last week, which is just one of many such incidents. [1]

Low caste people are still forced to live in secluded parts called Dalit Colonies and are not allowed to freely enter the main sections of the village, where the upper castes live. [2]

There still exist separate burial and cremation grounds for low caste people.[3][4][5]

These are just some of the manifestations of the system. There are many day to day practices that are considered normal behavior by the society.

India's popular matrimonial sites has separate sections for each caste.[6]

You can see many house lease offers in popular classifieds websites saying "Vegetarians only". This is a form of Dog whistling as most upper castes are vegetarian.[7]

2. Caste system was introduced by British rulers to divide Indians.

Most people cite to the census carried out by the British, but conveniently forget that the census just formally documented the existing caste demographics for administrative purposes; not invent it. The caste system has roots in vedic culture and existed for at-least two millennia before Europeans ruled India. The religious laws such as Manusmriti and Dharmasutra extensively documents the caste system. Any one who reads those scriptures can understand that the ancient civil laws were entirely based on caste. I see this argument as a way to deflect the blame on foreign rulers without accepting the flaws that were inherent to the Hindu religion.

1. https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/crime/260920/man-hack...

2. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/path-to-...

3. https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/denied-access-cremator...

4. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-landrights-caste-tr...

5. https://sabrangindia.in/article/dalits-obcs-forced-bury-thei...

6. https://www.shaadi.com/matrimony/reddy-matrimony

7. https://www.nobroker.in/property/2-BHK-apartment-for-rent-in...