Indian society is cast ridden. The people are divided into a number of religions like Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, etc. The Hindus themselves are divided into a number of casts and sub-castes. The Brahmins, the Khastriyas, the Vaishyas and the untouchable (The Shudras) are the four main castes. Each of these castes is further divided into a number of sub-castes.
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The people of one caste don’t like to mix with others. This division of society into so many religions, castes and sub-castes comes in the way of the unity and integrity of the Indian nation. People vote on the basis of caste and religion and do not take the merits of the candidate into consideration. Democracy itself has become a mockery owing to this evil.
The caste system is a great social evil. From time to time social reformers and thinkers have tried to eradicate this evil, but to no avail. Even Gandhiji could not do much for the eradication of Untouchability. It is a deep-rooted problem which has defied all solutions so far. The problem has persisted largely because of the illiteracy and ignorance of the people. Their ignorance makes the people conservative and superstitious. Hence they do not accept any social change. They want things to continue as they are. Every measure of social reform is strongly opposed and is considered to be an attack on their religion by the religious fanatics.
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Therefore, if the evil of caste system is to be eradicated every possible effort should be made to educate the people and thus create a strong public opinion against the evil. School text books should be carefully revised. Lessons should be included to teach the students that the caste system is manmade. It was a system for the division of labor devised by our wise forefathers. Originally, man was not born into any cast: his caste was determined by his learning or by the nature of work he did in life. Basically, all human beings are equal; they have the same kind of blood in their veins. The differences of upper and lower are wrong, and entirely the creation of vested interests. The similarities between the different castes should be stressed rather than the differences. In this way would be created awareness against the caste system and its hold upon society would be gradually loosened.
The various organs of mass communication should be pressed into service against this evil. The Radio, the TV., the cinema, and the press can play a very useful role in this connection. Talks by eminent scholars, thinkers and social reformers may be arranged from time to time and broadcast over the radio and TV. if the right type of films are shown, the cinema can also serve as a powerful force for the eradication of this social evil. People of all ages and ages and from every section of society go to the cinema frequently, and films depicting the evils of the caste system and stressing the equality of the people of different castes can but influence the mind of the spectators. Articles on the subject from the pen of eminent writers published in the newspapers can also be of great help in our fight against the monster of Casteism. A responsible press can do a lot in this direction.
In short, the key to this problem lies in the creation of a strong public opinion against it. Teachers, scholars, thinkers, and writers should all unite in the nations fight against this chronic and widespread social evil. The caste system persists even after 50 years of independence. This is clearly seen in the massacre of a numbers of harridans at Jainabad, Bihar, and the hue and cry that was raised against the entry of Harijans in Nathdwara temple in Rajasthan. Every effort should be made to change the psychology of the people, and strict action taken against offenders.