communities in India, 2011

communities in India, Hindu . Muslim . Others % Christian . Sikh . Others include Buddhist . % Jain . % Other Religions and Persuasions . % Religion not stated . % Source: Census of India, In % times, in urban areas it does not matter much who is walking along next to us on a street or eating at the next table in a restaurant. The Constitution of India prohibited any caste-based discrimination and laid the foundations of policies to reverse the injustices of the caste system. If a person who lived a century ago were to return to India, she would be greatly surprised at the change that has come about in the country. Yet caste has not disappeared from contemporary India. Some of the older aspects of caste have persisted. Even now most people marry within their own caste or tribe. Untouchability has not ended completely, despite constitutional prohibition. Effects of centuries of advantages and disadvantages continue to be felt today. The caste groups that had access to education under the old system have done very well in acquiring modern education as well. Those groups that did not have access to education or were prohibited from acquiring it have naturally lagged behind. That is why there is a disproportionately large presence of ‘upper caste’ among the urban middle classes in our country. Caste continues to be closely linked to economic status. (See Plus Box on Page .) Caste in politics As in the case of communalism, casteism is rooted in the belief that caste is the sole basis of social community. According to this way of thinking, people belonging to the same caste belong to a natural social community and have the same interests which they do not share with anyone from another caste. As we saw in the case of communalism, such a belief is not borne out by our experience. Caste is one aspect of our experience but it is not the only relevant or the most important aspect. Caste can take various forms in politics:  When parties choose candidates in elections, they keep in mind the caste composition of the electorate and nominate candidates from different castes so as to muster necessary support to win elections. When governments are formed, political parties usually take care that representatives of different castes and tribes find a place in it.  Political parties and candidates in elections make appeals to caste sentiment to muster support. Some political parties are known to favour some castes and are seen as their representatives.  Universal adult franchise and the principle of one-person-one-vote Urbanisation: Shift of population from rural areas to urban areas. Occupational mobility: Shift from one occupation to another, usually when a new generation takes up occupations other than those practiced by their ancestors. Caste hierarchy: A ladder-like formation in which all the caste groups are placed from the ‘highest’ to the ‘lowest’ castes. I don’t care what my caste is. Why are we discussing all this in the textbook? Are we not promoting casteism by talking about caste? Now you don’t like it! Didn’t you tell me that wherever there is domination, we should discuss it in Political Science? Will caste disappear if we keep mum about it?