All about India

In India, access to wealth and power varies considerably and vast differences in socio-economic status are evident in many areas. It is common in city life to see a prosperous, well-fed man or woman chauffeured in a fine car pass gaunt street dwellers huddled beneath burlap shelters along the roadway. In many villages, solid cement houses of landowners rise not far from the flimsy thatched shacks of landless laborers. Distinctions of the socio-economic statuses are present in almost every settlement in India (Heitzman and Worden, 1995). This is largely because the Indian society has a hierarchy of endogamous, birth-ascribed groups, each of which traditionally is characterized by one distinctive occupation and had its own level of social status. As an individual cannot change his or her caste affiliation as stated by traditional beliefs, every family belongs in its entirety and forever to only one named caste. This immobile social system has led to each caste developing a distinctive subculture that is handed down from generation to generation (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 2013). Besides the caste system, the high socio-economic inequality in India, is also caused by unequal employment opportunities between males and females, as well as unequal access to services between urban and rural dwellers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Caste system serves as a powerful tool for people to distinguish themselves according to their power and income levels, with religious beings considered to be the most important, followed by the warriors, the merchants, the commoners and then the outcasts. As a result, people who earn more and hence congregate together are able to exercise more power as opposed to people who earn less. The growing population has significantly worsened this trend throughout the years. For example, a ban was imposed in 2005 under the Bombay Police (Amendment) Act, prohibiting “any type of dancing” in an “eating house, permit room or beer bar” while allowing dance performances in hotels and other establishments classified as three stars or higher (Lawyers Collective, 2013). This clearly shows that the distinction that is made between different social groups, signifying the importance of this issue. If this issue is not dealt with, the segregation may cause the voices of the lower social groups to be diminished and vice versa for the higher and more prominent groups. This will, in the long run, lead to one-sided policies and augmented benefits for the high social groups rather than for the lowers who need it more. To see how the caste system has sparked conflicts, click here.