ADVERTISEMENTS:
Some of the merits and demerits of caste system in India are as follows:
Merits of Caste System:
From time to time the Indian caste system has been attacked from various quarters and to it have been ascribed all the numerous evils from which society is suffering.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
But the very fact that it continues inspite of these attacks as before goes to prove that the system is not so bad as it is thought to be. The very fact that the Brahmins retained their supremacy for two thousand years proves that they were eminently fitted to be in a position of domination.
The merits of the caste system are the following:
(i) Trade union and orphanage:
It has provided every individual with a fixed social environment. In the words of Hutton, “He is provided in this way with a permanent body of associations which control almost all his behaviour and contacts. His caste canalizes his choice in marriage, acts as his trade union, his friendly or beneficent society, his state-club and his orphanage; it takes place for him of health insurance and if need be, provides for his funeral.”
(ii) Spirit of cooperation:
It has fostered the spirit of co-operation and fellow-feeling among members of the same caste. By helping the poor and needy, it has avoided the necessity of the state supporting the poor. It minimises envy or unhappiness.
(iii) Defines economic pursuits:
ADVERTISEMENTS:
It defines the economic pursuits of the individual. There is an occupation pertaining to every caste so that the child’s future is not only carved out already but also a proper place of apprenticeship is provided. Since there is identification of work with caste, and little thought of change, there is more pride in workmanship. Ancient India was a land provided with generations of craftsmen and soil cultivators who were extremely skillful in their avocations.
(iv) Racial purity:
It has preserved the racial purity of the higher caste by forbidding indiscriminate inter-marriages and has greatly fostered the habits of cleanliness by insisting on ritual purity.
(v) Influences intellectual make-up:
It influences the intellectual make-up of an individual. Since the caste dictates to each member customs to be observed in the manner of diet, the Observance of ceremonies and whether he may marry a widow, his views on the social and political matters are bound to be influenced by his caste customs. This fosters the spirit of equality within the groups.
(vi) Integration of the country:
It develops class consciousness without breeding class struggle. It has created an efficient organization of Hindu society without giving any chance to class frictions and factions. It was the best device to organize within one society people of different cultural levels. It prevented the country from splitting up into warring racial units. It integrated Indian society into one vast and variegated community and provided the country with a sure basis of security and continuity whereby a stable and orderly organization of society could be possible.
(vii) Provides for various Junctions:
It provides for the various functions necessary to social life—”functions ranging from education to scavenging, from government to domestic service of the most menial kinds and it makes this provision under the sanction of a religious dogma, the belief in Karma, which renders the superficially inequitable distribution of functions acceptable as being part of the divine order of the universe.” It provides a much better method of division of labour than the European class system.
(viii) Cultural diffusion:
It helps in cultural diffusion within the group. The caste customs, beliefs, skill, behaviour, the trade secrets are passed on from generation to generation. Culture is thus carried from one age to another.
(ix) Separation of social from political life:
It has separated the social from political life and has maintained its independence from political influences. S. C. Hills says, “His intimate life, the life which to the Hindu really matters is altogether independent of the political conditions, which happen to prevail.” It serves as a, great church and maintains its own religious system by providing for the worship of caste gods.
Demerits of Caste System:
But the system has given rise to several evils.
(i) Denies mobility of labour:
It has denied mobility of labour since the individual must follow the caste occupation and cannot change it according to his likes or dislikes. This leads to stagnation.
(ii) Untouchability:
ADVERTISEMENTS:
It leads to untouchability. According to Mahatma Gandhi it is “the hate-fullest expression of caste.” Large section of people is reduced to the state of virtual slavery. In addition, it has also created many other social evils like child marriage, dowry system, purda system, and casteism.
(iii) Solidarity retarded:
It has retarded the growth of solidarity and brotherhood in the Hindu society by rigidly separating one class from another and denying any type of social intercourse between them. It has led to the disintegration of Hindu society and weakened it.
(iv) Wrong man in occupation:
It often results in putting man on wrong occupation. There is no guarantee that a priest’s son would also like to be a priest or would possess the qualities for a successful priest. Under the caste system he cannot take up any other profession even though he may possess the skill and liking for that. It does not utilise fully the talents and capabilities of the population and is, therefore, a barrier to optimum productivity.
(v) Obstacle to national unity:
It has proved an obstacle to the growth of national unity in the country. The lower classes feel discontented at the behaviour meted out to them in society. As Dr. G. S. Ghurye states, “It is the spirit of caste-patriotism which engenders opposition to other castes and creates an unhealthy atmosphere for the growth of national consciousness” E. Schmidt also pointed out that one of the most tragic consequences of the caste system is that it prevents the development of general national consciousness.
(vi) Obstacle to social progress:
It is a great obstacle to the social and economic progress of the nation. Since the people believe in the theory of ‘Karma’, they become conservative. And because their economic position is fixed, they are led to inertia killing their initiative and enterprise.
(vii) Undemocratic:
The caste system is undemocratic because it denies equal rights to all irrespective of their caste, creed or colour. Social barriers are erected specially in the way of lower class individuals who are not given freedom for the mental and physical development and are not provided with opportunities for that.
(viii) Promotes casteism:
The caste system has created the feeling of casteism. The members belonging to a caste, carry caste feelings and manifest blind and over-riding loyalty to their caste ignoring the healthy social standards of justice, fair-play, equity and brotherhood. The terms like ‘Brahminvada’ and ‘Kayasthavada’ are expressions of casteism.
Under the influence of casteism members of one caste do not hesitate in harming the interests of members of other castes. Casteism spells autocracy instead of a system based on fraternity. The politicians exploit the feeling of casteism to their advantage at the cost of nation’s interests.
On the perusal of comparative merits and demerits of caste system it may be safely concluded that the demerits far outweigh the merits. Although caste system played an important role at a certain stage of Indian History by supplying the social foundation to the village community system, it has lost its utility in modern India. A caste system makes for a lethargic and stable society.
Where status is determined at birth and cannot be either lost or improved by the actions of the individual, there is little encouragement of exceptional endeavour. Few will do more than is demanded of them and some will even do less. Whether he worked or played, the aristocrat remained an aristocrat. No matter how hard a Harijan worked, he could not escape serfdom. It is on account of the closed character of Indian caste system that the people of India are so lowly motivated and the society as a whole is inert and apathetic.
As James Bryce says, Social structure is an important factor. Where men are divided by religion, or caste distinctions grounded on race or on occupation, there are grounds for mutual distrust and animosity which make it hard for them to act together or for each section to recognize equal rights in the other. Until the caste barriers are broken and it becomes possible for a man of low status to profit by individual effort, such effort will not be forthcoming and the society will ultimately suffer.