Erine M.

Boyd SOC/120: Prejudice and Discrimination Article Due: Day 7, 11/27/11

In the area known as the Republic of India 1,222,237 square miles, in this area the population is estimated to be a little more than 846 million. Within this population there are four major language families, several thousand ethnic groups, religions, castes, and cultures. The caste system is the most elaborate in any of the other Hindu or Buddhist countries. Also society is so fragmented that there can be 20 or 30 castes within a village. The Hindu religion justifies the division of society into castes. Race is described as biological descent and Ethnicity is described by cultural heritage. None of this seems to matter to some, at least those that dont identify with the caste system. India struggles with vestiges of this ancient and discriminatory caste system, even as the country emerges into the 21st century. This system dates back 2,000 years or more, it divides the population. The highest category of castes are those called Brahmins, traditionally these people were priests and intellectuals. Below them were Ksatriya, they were the warriors and rulers. The third group is known as Sudras they are mostly farmers and low to the middle class. The last group is hardly recognized, and is considered untouchable they are called Pancama. An interesting thing about the caste system is that its origins are in the Hindu theory of reincarnation and fate, caste groupings can be found among Indian Muslims, Jews, and Christians. In addition caste systems also can be found in Buddhist lands of Korea, Japan, and Tibet in these places their existence is rained by the presence of the untouchable social categories. Despite the vast diversities, the people of India are all proud of their cultures and religions. India is a fascinating country where people from vastly different communities and religions live together in unity. The Indian population is polygenetic and is an amazing cocktail of various races and cultures. There is a vast range of people that live in India. The people are so diverse, that people differ from state

to state in look, likes, culture, food, and clothes. People in the north and northwestern regions of Kashmir, Rajasthan, Punjab are said to be the descendants of Indo-European Aryans. They are tall, fair, and have pronounced features. The Rajputs of Rajasthan they are claimed to be the descendants of the Huns of Central Asia. The Central Indian region is inhabited by a mixture of Aryan and the indigenous Dravidian races. Dravidians are dark, short and are used to living in a typical hot Indian summer. A combination of Mongolian and Dravidian people lives in the Eastern Indian regions of Assam, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram. These people are known by their high cheek bones and small, slanted eyes. The Indians from the southern region are a mixture of Dravidians and Aryans. Adivasis, have lived in close relationship with the forest and have a great dependency on it. There are many Dalit communities that are also quite dependent on forests and natural resources for their survival, besides it being where they live. Craftsman Dalit communities like Kurava in Kerala, Mala communities in Andhra Pradesh, Basod in Madhya Pradesh are more dependent on the forest resources. Because various projects have already banned them from land and property on many occasions in order to take out a marginal living. Due to their emotional attachment with the forest, they always search for a similar location. Whenever they are displaced in the name of progress and development they seem to settle another area similar to their previous environment. It is because of this past that the Adivasis and Dalits in many parts of the country are branded as encroachers, and discriminated upon for all the wrong reasons. Some people and corporations fail to realize that these people are the original owners of this land. This makes for a tough life and hard living conditions, because they are part of the untouchable caste known as Pancama. They end up having to move often and never find relief from being displaced. Most of these people are outcast and live to the best of their abilities and with what

they are able to get on their own. As their control over natural resources is further and further reduced, many forest and forest dwelling communities have deteriorated. For indigenous communities of the Adivasis and Dalits their dependency on the land and forest lands is not just where they live but a productive asset as a place for them to be self-sufficent, co-exist with others, and have a community with dignity and tradition. Because the Adivasis and Dalits will not give up on their traditions of being forest dwellers and workers, many people have decided to just take their land. As if they were never the original inhabitants and owners of the land. Many development projects have had a large hand in the displacement and migration of these people, virtually creating an army of domestic refugees. The Indian Constitution recently banned them from being untouchable under Article 17 and the Schedule Caste/ Schedule Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities Act), 1989 was introduced to combat persecution and discrimination against Dalits and Adivasi (tribal) people. Despite the existence of these strong legal provisions, Dalit and Adivasi populations have found it virtually impossible to access their rights through the legal system. In this context, the Dalit and Adivasi Rights Initiative provides legal aid and rights-awareness to members of Dalit and Adivasi communities and uses the law to ensure that the violation of Dalit and Adivasi rights are addressed and taken care of through the legal system. It has taken a long time for the Dalit and Adivasi people to get to this point in their fight. But through the efforts of several different organizations and civil rights groups, they are getting the deserved justice and help they need to once again become independent people of their native land.

Citations: Thachil, Tariq; Herring, Ronald. Contemporary South Asia, Dec2008, Vol. 16 Issue 4, p441-464, 24p, 2 Charts, 4 Graphs; DOI: 10.1080/09584930802472798 Kapoor, Dip. Journal of Alternative Perspectives in the Social Sciences, Aug2010 Special Issue, Vol. 2, p122-149, 28p Kapoor, Dip. Gender, Place & Culture: A Journal of Feminist Geography, Oct2007, Vol. 14 Issue 5, p609-616, 8p, 2 Charts; DOI: 10.1080/09663690701562453 Brown, Kevin D.; Sitapati, Vinay. Harvard BlackLetter Law Journal, Spring2008, Vol. 24, p3-59, 57p Das, N. K.. Bangladesh e-Journal of Sociology, 2009, Vol. 6 Issue 1, Special section p117, 17p