BM1917

INDIA AND ITS CASTE SYSTEM

Modern India is a country of dramatic contrasts. The country’s information technology (IT)
sector is among the most vibrant in the world, with companies such as Tata Consultancy
Services, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Infosys, and Wipro as powerful global players.
Cognizant is an interesting company in that it was founded as a technology arm of Dun &
Bradstreet (USA), but it is typically considered an Indian IT company because a majority of
its employees are based in India. Many IT companies locate or operate in India because of
its strong IT knowledge, human capital, and culture.

Traditionally, India has had one of the strongest caste systems in the world. Somewhat
sadly, this caste system still exists today even though it was officially abolished in 1949, and
many Indians prefer it this way. At the core, the caste system has no legality in India, and
discrimination against lower castes is illegal. India has also enacted numerous new laws
and social initiatives to protect and improve the living conditions of lower castes in the
country.

Figure 1. India's Caste System

Source: https://medium.com/@notesfromunderground/caste-system-of-india-a-hoax-
b0dffb333696

Historically, India’s caste system impeded social mobility. But the stranglehold on people’s
socioeconomic conditions is steadily becoming a fading memory among the educated,
urban middle-class Indians who make up the majority of employees in the high-tech
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economy. Unfortunately, the same is not true in rural India, where some 70 percent of the
nation’s population still resides. In the rural part of the country, the caste remains a
pervasive influence.

For example, a young female engineer at Infosys, who grew up in a small rural village and
is a dalit (sometimes called a “scheduled caste”), recounts how she never entered the
house of a Brahmin, India’s elite priestly caste, even though half of her village were
Brahmins. And, when a dalit was hired to cook at the school in her native village, Brahmins
withdrew their children from the school. The engineer herself is the beneficiary of a
charitable training scheme developed by Infosys. Her caste, making up about 16 percent of
the country (or around 165 million people), is among the poorest in India, with some 91
percent making less than $100 a month, compared to 65 percent of Brahmins.

To try to correct this historic inequality, politicians have talked for years about extending the
employment quota system to private enterprises. The government has told private
companies to hire more dalits and members of tribal communities and have been warned
that “strong measures” will be taken if companies do not comply. Private employers are
resisting attempts to impose quotas, arguing with some justification that people who are
guaranteed a job by a quota system are unlikely to work very hard.

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 At the same time, progressive employers realize they need to do something to correct the
inequalities, and unless India taps into the lower castes, it may not be able to find the
employees required to staff rapidly growing high technology enterprises. As a consequence,
the Confederation of Indian Industry implemented a package of dalit-friendly measures,
including scholarships for bright lower-caste children. Building on this, Infosys is leading the
way among high-tech enterprises. The company provides special training to low-caste
engineering graduates who have failed to get a job in industry after graduation. While the
training does not promise employment, so far, almost all graduates who completed the
seven-month training program have been hired by Infosys and other enterprises. Positively,
Infosys programs are a privatized version of the education offered in India to try to break
down India’s caste system.

QUESTIONS (4 items x 5 points):

1. How did the caste system affect the following?

a) Economy of India
Caste system has a huge impact to the economy of India. First, it slows down its
economic growth since the caste system put limitation and prohibition to its people
and as a result not everyone can freely do what they want. Innovation,
entrepreneurs, and businesses were impaired because people are discriminated
base on what status they belong to, from the moment they were born to the last
moment of their lives. In addition, people wo belong to lower caste doesn’t have a
full access to education since they are not accepted by the schools and universities
in their admission for the reason that they belong to lower rank. Because of this,
there are only 11.6% Dalit who composes the under-graduate and post-graduate
students. Lastly, caste system can make their country to have lower human Index
since one of its factor is the average schooling of the people.
Caste system became a huge hindrance to the economic growth that they want, it
blocked every opportunity just right before their eyes. Indeed, one person can make
a huge impact to the world, how much more the hundreds of millions unprivileged
Indians whom opportunities and chances are taken away.

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 b) Business practices of India
The business practices in India was one of the most affected by the caste system,
Indians were judge based on the system they belong to and not on the skills that
they possess. People who belongs to lower levels such as Dalits, sudra and
untouchables are rarely hired even they are qualified and skillful enough for the job.
If they are hired their salaries and wages is always 28.5% lower that their
counterpart people who belong to the higher rank or the Bhramin, Kshatryia and
Vaishya. If the people in the lower levels engaged or established business, they are
mostly the one who face bankruptcy since they have less customer and the
treatment towards them is always negative and hostile.

c) Political system of India

According to the caste system, a person who were born in upper level is fated to
belong to the group of people who were composed of influential, powerful and
famous while the lower caste is not totally free to enter the politics. In addition, when
the politician belongs to Bhramin and Vaishya, voter will conclude that the politician
who belongs to Bhramin is more knowledgeable than Vaishya. Lastly, the voters will
gather according to the castle level they belong to and decide whom they want to
vote as one or not to vote at all.

2. What programs can you think of that may help the dalits to get a job?
I think creating a propaganda such as “Dalits matter” will raise an awareness to the
citizens, that even the people on lower caste deserves opportunities, to study, to
work, to politics, to have freedom and etc. This propaganda includes a free access to
education, a scholarship to the one who needs help and providing support until they
find a stable job. This will also call the government to act, to promote equality despite
of what status they belong to, a call not to discriminate but to appreciate every
human being living in their country. This would not only help Dalits but also everyone
under the low level of caste.

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