How Did The British Caste System Change Indian Culture

India under the British Raj saw a lot of changes in its culture. For example, Satii, the practice of a woman to burn herself with her husband, after her husband’s death, was ultimately abolished, because it was “horrific”. Furthermore, practices such as infanticide was abolished, and Sanskrit texts were translated by English linguists. We can see that the British changed a lot of stuff in India, however, they did not change the core of indian culture, the caste system. Instead they supported it and upheld it. The caste system was one of the biggest religious and cultural practices of the Indians, which was predominantly Hindu. The caste system is based on the fact that the caste or social class in society that one is born to, is based on a
concept called Karma. Karma is basically the saying ‘what goes around comes around” - and it is used to justify the placement of certain people in a certain caste, or social class. The idea is that one is in a certain class, because of their actions in their previous life. Thus, those in the lower castes must be insubordinate to those at the top, or else they will remain in the same caste in their next life. This thus gives a reason for the mistreatment of humans and “sub humans”. 1 . The British Raj saw this, and did not change it, but continued it for 2 reasons. First, The British people. British Raj continued the caste system, because they did not see anything that was wrong with it. In fact, the saw the caste system as a continuation of the British hierarchy. The British hierarchy was “external”, in the sense that social status and mobility was based on the accumulation of wealth. An outsider can easily tell what class a person is in, just by looking at them. However, the caste system was seen as “internal”, in the sense that the hierarchy was based upon one’s birth, and had nothing to do with worldly possessions. Thus, the caste system was a continuation of British social order. Furthermore, an outsider could not clearly tell who belonged to what class. “and therefore not easy to see” 2. Secondly, they [ the British] reinforced the underlying dynamic of social hierarchy in India – those that helped them were brought up in status and those that did not help them, saw their place in society decrease. The British Raj basically continued the cast system, because it helped him, and helped the British overall.
For example, the British people served as magistrates, sanitations officials, generals, judges, and other high government positions, because of the caste system. Also, Brahmins, and merchants, could easily exploit deals for them, that would make Britain rich and in return, the British Raj may lift the helper’s place in society. There was no reason to abolish the caste system, because it helped the British people gain a lot of money, it gave them power, and it make their supporters happy, because their supporters also wanted to continue the caste system. However, this continuation of the caste system is inherently evil, and was not a wise decision in the long run. This continuity of the caste system is horrific because it oppresses the Dalits and basically treats them as sub-humans. The Dalit’s mere presence and eye contact to anyone is seen as “impure”. These Dalits are so oppressed that they must tie a broom to their hips so their “impure” footsteps are cleared away. They have spittle’s hung around their necks, because a Dalits spit, according to Hindu culture, can “impurify” the whole place. The mere shadow of a Dalit can be “impure” and bad, and thus the Dalits are constantly oppressed, no one cares about
them. In fact, the mutilation, rape, murder, and beating of Dalits are common to the people of India. 3The most horrific part is that even if you were to change your religion, identity, or even move, the mere fact is that, by society’s standards, you are still a Dalit. This type of oppression was faced by B.R Ambedkar, a Dalit born man, yet an educated man. He had to tie a broom to his hips , so his footsteps were cleaned. He states in his speech, “The annihilation of the caste” : “there cannot be a more degrading system of social organization than the caste system. It is a system that deadens, paralyzes, and cripples the people from helpful activity. This is no exaggeration and history provides ample evidence .”4 Here, B.R.
Ambedkar shows that the caste system is inherently flawed, because it divides up the people, completely segregates them so no -intermarriage or even inter-dining is allowed by people of different caste. He goes further to give the example of the Maryann Empire, the single period in Indian history of “freedom, greatness and glory.”, that achieved its title, because it abolished the caste system, and thus the majority, or the Shudras took over. He explains that the only way Indian Society can proceed , is if they abolish the caste system. The caste system is inherently flawed because of 3 reasons. First, an outcast is shunned by the entire Hindu community. Unlike the Muslim, Christian and Sikh castes, the Hindu castes try to kill outcasts and completely shunned away. Furthermore, the outcasted person would still remain within the same caste to others, as if they have never left (its confusing, I know) 5Secondly, there is no inherent unity between the people, because the people are divided into castes. The way that the caste system works, is that it divides up the people and completely segregates them. In fact, the concept of inter-marriage and inter-dining is a foreign concept. IF one does commit such actions, they are sentenced to death by the elders.6 Thirdly and lastly, the caste system allows the insubordination of the lower castes (i.e. untouchables) by those in the higher castes 7. Let’s take the example of the tyranny practiced by the hindu community upon the
balias, an untouchable community in central india. This report was presented in the Times of India of 4th January 1928. The Balias community were made virtually insubordinate to the higher castes. These people are told that they cannot wear nice clothes, and that must not wear any form of jewelery. Furthemore, they are told that they must render services to the Hindus and they they must not seek remuneration, and “must accept whatever a hindu is pleased to give.” They are even told to clear out of their villages if they do not comply to these rules, set upon them, by the Hindu’s. This form of oppression, this form of confinement of people simply because of what caste they were born is disgusting.