I really want to know more about India’s caste system but I am not sure if it is a good idea to ask the indians around me. Can the indian blinder friends shed some light on these questions? - I heard that it is very offensive to ask Indians about their caste system (therefore I have to ask on Blind) especially as a foreigner, is that true? - Is caste system still a thing? Is it a very sensitive topic in India? Do Indians talk or joke about it? - Do indians care about their caste? Can I ask what caste they are in?
Indian media is filled with leftist and Islamist. They generally give a caste angle to all incidents which they can spin for political gains. Being a Scheduled caste myself I have never felt the bias. To give you a reality check, Muslims killed a dalit in my village because he was hungry and eating in field during Ramazan. Group of Muslims gathered in no time and killed him. This story was peddled by national media as high caste Hindus killing a dalit so that Muslims are not shown in bad light during Ramazan. In fact, Muslims were shown as savior who took the dying man to hospital. So, to answer your question. We do care about caste. Each caste has unique ways. But we don't discriminate based on caste. Please refrain from asking caste as most would not really know about it.
I am sure they would know about it, reservations in the education system and government funded programs funneled only to win elections have promoted castism more than anything. Indians who are in the US definitely know their caste but they don't care about it or discriminate anyone based on it.
Caste is a complex topic and won’t be easy to understand without ‘living’ it. Many of blinders will claim it does not exist in urban areas but they will be mostly lying or ignorant. - offensive: for most of Indians it’s not offensive. However they may be reluctant to talk about it with strangers as they won’t know how the other person will react. Upper caste are most likely to brag about it (or feel pride in it). Many in so called lower caste will brag about it as well although in lower numbers. - caste is very much alive. Young generation is trying to make it a thing of past. Among friends it’s not a thing. However the same person interacting with strangers will react differently. In South India its way more rigid. In North India its not as rigid however North Indians exploit it more (less prevalent but with more intensity). Indians care about their caste. They will feel awkward if a stranger asks them.
In US, how do two Indians know each other’s caste? Is it a must-know? In terms of marriage, (In US) do Indians care about the caste of their spouse?
Typically Indians in US may not care about caste of other Indians for one off interactions. Among friends they tend to know and most of them won’t care. However there are groups/deep relationships built based on castes especially among South Indians. The last of many Indians give away their caste. They care about it very much when it’s an arraigned marriage otherwise not.
- You can ask cast. Some high cast ppl will be happy to hear that question, while other might not. - In current generation, cast things is not a thing. It is slightly sensitive topic when talk is on reservation system in India, otherwise it is an open topic. - well they do. As some rituals differs on cast by cast basis and even though some indian pretend how modern they are, but by heart do what their cast system has thought them in special occasions.
There is freedom of speech provided by the Constitution to talk about a caste but it is illegal to ask an individual about their caste in public. However, it is not difficult to identify the caste of an individual for certain family names. You can also determine their religion (and their native language) if you know their full name.
How do people track the caste for everyone? Tell from last name? What if I change my name? For Indians in US, can I change my name and claim a random caste?
The family name cannot be changed right? For example, in US you can change first name from A to B but family name will still remain the same. The caste is sometimes associated with lastname. Upper caste don't need to track because they don't get special reservations from the government. The lower caste people need to maintain a certificate obtained from local government to show proof for claiming benefits.
ALL CASTES MATTER lmao I don’t see protests there though
Whenever you visit India, don't get in an argument with lower caste person. If they call police, you will be charged with crime, put in jail without court hearing and without bail option. That's the law to protect lower caste folks from upper caste folks.
Wow good to know!
What? What sad part of India did you come from? It is not true OP, don't believe this guy
It should also be noted that the caste system has a lot of roots in religion. It's mainly the Hindu religion & parts of the Muslim religion that has observed it throughout history. The other religions didn't really have any sort of caste system. (As far as I know.)
Lol! Clearly you've not heard of Sikh Dalits and Christian Dalits.
Out of the entire Sikh & Christian population, what percentage had any of these castes? The Christian dalits were an extreme minority & were the remains of the system prior to conversion.
1. Yes, offensive. 2. A huge thing. There had been drama when I had discussions of marrying a girl of another caste. Quite common. Indians talk about it considering it as a norm and something we got to live with which is kinda ridiculous. Politics, money, societies circle around the aspect of caste. 3. Many do. Nope, because of 1.
Also, people here should stop spreading misinformation & generalising all Indians.
So generalizing all Indians are brown is misinformation?
You very well know the context here. Is it true that all religions in India had a caste system?
It’s a thing is the villages where people are illiterate. Education requires years of effort... ignorance is the natural state of people so it’s hard to fight prejudice. In the cities and in workplaces caste is alive because of govt reserving seats for those it considers “left behind”. And the criteria for left behind isn’t economic. It’s based on caste. This pushes caste into politics.
Dalit lives matter?
We believe in reincarnation. Fate kills us all over and over again. And we are reborn. Life itself doesn’t matter much. Your deeds do. 😉