Table of Contents
India encompasses people belonging to a number of castes and religions. The caste system in our country has been prevalent since the ancient times. It has been a cause of numerous problems in our country. It is considered to be a social evil. Many notable Indian leaders have opposed this system. However, the caste system and the problems related to it continue to haunt our society.
Long and Short Essay on Casteism in India in English
We have provided below short and long essay on casteism in India in English for your information and knowledge.
The essays have been written in simple yet effective English so that you can easily grasp the information and present it whenever needed.
After going through these casteism in India essay you will know what the effects of casteism in India and its society, what people are most affected by the casteism, how can casteism be controlled and what is already done by the governments etc.
The information given in the essays can be used in school/college during speech giving, essay writing and other competitions.
Short Essay on Casteism – Essay 1 (200 words)
Casteism is a system that finds its roots in the ancient times. It is being followed blindly since years and furthering the interests of the people belonging to the upper castes. The lower caste people are being exploited and there is no one to listen to their concerns.
The Indian society has broadly been classified into people belonging to four castes – The Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. The Brahmins belong to the upper most class. In the ancient times, these people were involved in priestly activities and people held high regard for them. The Kshatriyas were the rulers and the warriors. They were considered brave and powerful and were seen next only to the Brahmins.
The Vaishyas came next. These people were involved in farming, trade and business. The Shudhras were the lower most caste. People belonging to this caste were labourers. There was also a fifth caste. These people were considered untouchables and were not even treated as humans. Although, people have taken over different professions these days the caste system still exists. People are still judged and treated based on their caste and not their profession, talent or achievements.
Casteism does not only exist in India but is also prevalent in various other countries such as Japan, Korea, Sri Lanka and Nepal to name a few. Just as India, people in these countries are also facing the wrath of this evil system.
Essay on Caste System in Modern India – Essay 2 (300 words)
Introduction
Caste System in India came into being during the ancient times and still has a strong foothold in the society. However, it would not be wrong to say that the mindset of people is changing with time. This particularly holds good for the people living in the metropolitan cities. The educated lot are becoming more accepting and are not stuck with the rigid caste system defined centuries back. The amendments in our laws have also brought about a change in this regard in the modern Indian society.
Law against Caste Discrimination
The age old Indian caste system has earned a lot of criticism. Many people came forward to fight against it but could not shake it. A dire need to establish a law against caste discrimination was felt in order to do away with this heinous social evil. Thus, after India got independence, it was decided to put a ban on discrimination based on Casteism. The constitution of India banned it in its constitution. This was a message loud and clear to all those who ill-treated the people belonging to the lower classes.
The Reservation System
While establishing law against caste discrimination was an intelligent move, another decision taken with this has proved to be destructive for our modern society. It was the introduction of the reservation or the quota system. The quota system reserved certain seats for the lower class people in the education sector as well as government jobs. This system was established to uplift the standard of living of the backward classes.
However, it has become a cause of great concern in modern India. Due to this reservation system, many times the deserving candidates from the general category do not get admission or employment opportunity while the candidates from the scheduled caste/scheduled tribe category get the same even when they are not skilled or capable enough.
Conclusion
Casteism should be completely done away with in modern India if we really want our country to grow and prosper.
Essay on Casteism in Indian Politics – Essay 3 (400 words)
Introduction
Casteism in India is the root cause of several social and political problems. The people in power are using it as a tool to strengthen their position and juggle money. Casteism plays a major role in the decision making of the general public. It has a big impact on the vote bank and thus the politicians use it tactfully for their gain.
Casteism: A Tool to Earn Votes
Politicians visit different places to seek votes from the general public before the elections. This propaganda begins months before the elections during which the politicians put in all their efforts to persuade and influence the public to vote in their favour. Our politicians are well aware about how sensitive Indians are when it comes to their caste and religion. Thus, they use this as a medium to acquire more and more votes.
Many people, especially in the rural areas do not assess the candidate’s qualification, experience or ability to handle the position and rather vote him if he is from the same caste as them as it gives them a feeling of kinship. The politicians know this and try to stress upon this factor all the more to ensure they get maximum votes.
Lack of Fair Play
While several voters choose their leaders based on their caste, these leaders further choose their staff based on the same criteria. They prefer giving prominent positions in the party office to people belonging to their caste. This bars the deserving candidates from coming to the forefront and taking on key roles. Those who are talented and can actually work for the betterment of the society are thus left behind and the non-deserving ones come to power.
Opposition Parties Use Casteism
Many times, the political parties use Casteism as a tool to invoke hatred among the general public and thus create disturbance. People in our country get hurt very easily in the name of religion and caste. A small issue at times leads to big riots that hamper the peace of the nation. This is the simplest way to create disturbance and gives the opposition a chance to question the ruling party. The position of the ruling party weakens due to such episodes and this usually works against it during the next elections.
Conclusion
The political system in India is known to be corrupt. The politicians make use of all that they can to further their interest. The strong belief of Indians in the caste system is their weakness and the Indian politicians make the most of their weak point.
Essay on Casteism in India – Essay 4 (500 words)
Introduction
India is known to be divided by Casteism. Among other social evils, Casteism has been a major one that has hindered the growth of talent in our country. It has also been a cause of oppression. People have suffered immensely at the hands of this baseless system in the past and are still suffering. Many learned leaders in our country have tried to oppose and fight the caste system but it still persists and is only growing stronger.
Casteism: Dictates Religious and Social Life
Casteism in India has majorly dictated the religious and social life of people in India particularly of those living in the rural areas of our country. Since centuries, people living in the Indian villages have been segregated based on their caste. They live in different colonies and are treated on the basis of their caste. In the earlier times, people from different castes strictly went to different wells to fetch water and bought food from different places. A Brahmin never had food touched by a person belonging to the lower caste.
The upper class people in India are looked up to and respected. They are the privileged ones. The lower class people on the other hand are looked down upon. They are treated badly and are deprived of many rights. In the earlier times, people belonging to the lower castes were not even allowed to enter the temples as they were considered impure.
Marrying a person belonging to the other caste is considered to be a crime in our country. While people living in the metropolitans have become open to the idea of inter-caste marriages in the modern era, in the villages it is still seen as a heinous crime. People do not hesitate taking the lives of those who marry someone from another caste.
Casteism: A Social Evil
Casteism is considered to be a social evil. It is an unjust system which is ruthlessly exploiting a section of the society. People from the lower classes are trying hard to make a place in the society. However, even if a person from the lower class seeks education and gets a good job, he is still not given the kind of respect he should get in the society. This has been a cause of distress in the people belonging to the lower classes.
Casteism: A Cause of Concern for Upper Classes
Casteism in the modern era has become a cause of concern for the people belonging to the upper classes too. This is because the government of India has introduced quota system in order to raise the standard of living of people belonging to the lower classes. This has been done to provide greater opportunities to the people belonging to the lower classes so that they can come at par with the upper class people. However, this has done more harm than good to the society. This is killing talent and contributing to brain drain in India.
Conclusion
Casteism is hampering the growth and development of our country as it bars the actual talent to nurture properly. It also becomes a basis of hatred among people belonging to different sections. This system is causing harm to the individuals as well as the society as a whole.
Long Essay on Casteism – Essay 5 (600 words)
Introduction
Casteism divides the society into several parts. It is a threat to any society as it creates biasness and negatively impacts the behaviour of the individuals. It is prevalent in many parts of the world. India has been a victim of casteism since centuries. This evil system has been eating our society and hindering its development.
Origin of Casteism in India
Many theories have sprung up regarding the origin of casteism in India. As per one of these theories, the caste system in India was introduced with the arrival of the Aryans who intruded our country in 1500 BC. It is believed that they came up with this system to segregate the society to make things more manageable and exercise better control.
They segregated people based on their profession. It was their strategy to rule more efficiently. This system should have been done away with as their rule ended however it continued as it was serving the upper caste of the Indian society. The upper caste people have been promoting this system since centuries and the lower class people have been suffering at their hands.
As per Manusmriti, the ancient text on Hinduism, Casteism came into being in 1,000 BC. On the other hand, according to the Hindu theologians, this system was introduced by Brahma who is the creator of the universe. The Hindu theologians believe that the people who came from the head of Lord Brahma became priests or teachers, those who came from his arm became warriors or rulers, those who came from his thighs became labourers or peasants while those who came from his feet indulged in cleaning and sweeping tasks.
Different Castes and Impact on the Society
The Indian society has been divided into four sections based on Casteism. These are Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudhras. The Brahmins are the top most in the hierarchy. They are considered to be the superior caste. In the ancient times, the priests formed a part of this section. Then came the Kshatriyas who were the rulers and warriors in the earlier times.
The Vaishyas belonged to the working class. The merchants, artisans and labourers formed a part of this group in the ancient times. The shudhras were the ones who indulged in cleaning and sweeping tasks. This is the lowest caste. Although people have changed their professions over the time, they are still divided into different castes based on the profession their ancestors were involved in.
The upper caste people look down upon the lower caste people and exploit them. Unity among citizens is important for the growth and development of any country. The citizens must all stand united and get equal opportunities to work, study and prosper. A country where people do not stand together and support each other cannot develop. Unfortunately, Casteism has divided India. People in our country are divided in the name of religion and castes. They have a lot of hatred for the people belonging to other castes and religions. This is proving to be a big hindrance in the growth of our society.
Conclusion
Casteism is a deep rooted evil in the Indian society. Although the mindset of people has been changing with time and laws have been introduced to stop discrimination against it nothing much has been achieved in this direction. The lower class people are still being exploited by the upper class people in India.
On the other hand, the reservation law introduced to uplift the lower class people has proved to be unjust. The constitution of India must do away with the caste system completely. People should be given admission and employment based on their knowledge, skill and ability and not based on their caste. This would bring in true freedom.
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