Eradication of Caste and Birth of New Humanity

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The bane of the caste system has been the hierarchical stratification of the privileges and ritual statuses which were totally ascribed. While the higher castes enjoyed higher ritual status, socio-economic privileges, education and learning. The lower castes were deprived of all good things in life. The subsequent scriptures including the Puranas, Geeta and Manu's Dharmashastra rationalized all such inequalities attributing them to Karma.
The rigidity of the caste structure and its attendant ramification of socio-economic inequality are based on the endogamy that is practiced which ensures privileges to higher castes on a permanent basis. The privileges that once enjoyed by higher castes are preserved to their progeny through inheritance, while handicaps are sustained by the lower castes on a permanent basis. The privatization and globalization processes are making the situation more alarming by further widening the gap between the haves and the have nots, the terms that could be generally substituted for upper and lower castes.
The only way out is to sensitize the lower castes of their miserable plight and to enlighten them about paths and possibilities of their redemption. The post-independent Indian state too had undertaken many ameliorative programmes but the caste still remains a massive deadweight on the Indian society obstructing the birth of a new humanity informed by equality, freedom and fraternity. In this book a number of scholars have put forward their ideas and reflections on how to eradicate the caste and to facilitate the birth of a new humanitarian social order.
Contents of this book include: Introduction; Eradication of Caste System; Eradication of Caste and Founding the Driving Forces for the Birth of New Humanity; Themes for Eradication of Casteism; Some Thoughts on Casteless Society, Caste System: A Sociological Perspective; Eradication of Caste in the Era of Globalization; Can Caste be Eradicated?; Caste Eradication and Birth of New Humanity in Assam; Caste Practices and Influences Affecting Tribals; Eradication of Caste; Dalit Movement-A Case of Desanskritisation; Dalits in Tamil Nadu, Still Change is a must among the Tribals; Caste Configuration and Social Equations in Premchand's Godan; Shot Varnashrama Dharma; Hypocrisy and Indian Society; The Concept of a Post-National Identity; Eradication of Illiteracy and Unemployment; Changing Social Relations in India and Teacher Education; The Socio-Economic Base for the Rise and Growth of Buddhism; Education in Quest of New Humanity; Can Changeology Change the Hindutva Culture?; Changeology vis-a-vis the Culture of Silence; Changeology and Humanism; The Plight of Dalits in Telangana; The Genuine Progress Indicator is Changeology; Changeological Reflections on Philosophy of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar: Changeology: A Discipline for the New Humanity; Caste Discrimination is Worse than Racial Discrimination; Dalit Movement-Caste Consciousness; Dalit Youth and Nation Building; Changeology: India's Educational Indicator, Index.

Dr. D.M. Ravi Prasad, Ph.D., D.Litt. (California) was born in 1953 at Konampet village of Adilabad District of Andhra Pradesh. He is a poet and writer and the Chairman, Board of Studies in Sociology, Kakatiya University, Warangal.
Dr. Prasad organised and participated in many National and International seminars and conferences. He has published 12 books and innumerable papers in various journals.
He is regarded as father of "Changeology", a new discipline for the New Generation, Lifeology (a new discipline for the New Man, Loveology (a new discipline for the New Millennium), Laughology (a new discipline for the New Sociology), Humanology (a new discipline for the New Humanity). Lightology (a discipline for the Enlightenment), The new developed science called Changeology (a new discipline for the New Generation) is recognised and taught in various Universities at U.G. & PG. levels. He is conferred with prestigious awards D.Litt., Man of the year ward and the award of outstanding people of 20th century. He figures in the Directory of writers brought out by the Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, India.
He has produced a rare, creative and innovative works which would undoubtedly bring out on a International Revolution in the world at large.
Dr. Guguloth Bhadru, M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D., joined the University service as Lecturer in History in 1990 and promoted as Associate Professor in 2001. His research interests are social movements in India. He did his M.Phil. on "Role of Lambadas in Telangana Armed Struggle of Jangoan Taluk-1945-51" and Ph.D. on Jotirao Phule Low Coste protest movements of 19th century".
He has translated Dr. BR Ambedkar's Writings and Speeches Volume V, from English to Telugu published by the Telugu University, Hyderabad. He is the Member of Indian History Congress, South Indian History Congress, A.P History Congress and served as Treasurer for LIII Indian History Congress held at Warangal in 1993.
He was awarded U.G.C., Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in 1988 and Mahatma Jotirao Phule National Award, by Dalit Sahitya Academy, New Delhi, in 2001. He has been assisting the University administration In different, capacities such as member, Academic Senate, Member Standing Committee of SC/ST Cell, Member, Advisory Committee of Adult and Continuing Education, Warden of PG Hostel from 1993-95, Director, Kakatiya Adhyana Kendram Pre- examination Coaching Centre for SC/ST/BCS 1998-2002. At present he is the Head of the of History and Tourism Management of Kakatiya University.

Caste, it is said, is as old as India. It is hypothesized that in its initial form it predated the arrival of the Aryans. In its original form each caste was a loose occupational guild consisting of people with certain specialized skills and the larger society was a federation of horizontally structured occupational groups with a loose periphery that allowed inter-group marriages.
The arrival of the Aryans made all the difference. The invading forces that were fair-skinned subjugated the dark skinned local people and called them Dasus, Slaves, and to maintain their racial purity did not allow admixture of blood through inter-marriages. At least, Pratiloma i.e., marriage of Aryan women with the local men was fiercely detested. Thus, the early part of Rigveda mentions the two-fold division of the society into two endogamous units called Aryans and Dasus largely based on colour.
Those Aryans who mastered the lore and pursued the priestly occupation and officiated at the rituals, enjoyed certain privileges and a high ritual status when compared to the ones who defended the territories and those who were engaged in economic pursuits. They were called Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vysyas respectively.
But the Brahmins enjoyed pre-eminent position because of the high ritual status and numerous privileges. They were anxious to ensure bequeathing of such status and privileges to their own progeny and so made their own class endogamous, the privileges and status enjoyed by them hereditary. Taking cue from Brahmins, the Kshastriya and Vysyas also made their groups endogamous, hereditary and ascriptive. Thus the four-fold division of the society including Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vysyas and Sudras (Dasus) was theorized in the Purusha Sukta, a later hymn of Rigveda as Varnashrama Dharma. There were some Aryans who did not settle down along with other Aryans and continued to be nomads, whom Ambedkar called 'broken men'. They formed the panchama caste. And to these ranks were added the condemned people who were the products of Pratiloma-the off-springs of Brahmin women and other low caste males. Thus, the five-fold division got consummated. Further occupational specializations led to more and more occupational divisions which became endogamous. Thus, the caste system got originated.

The 'Caste' which is the most defining of the features of Hindu Social Organisation has been a subject of much debate and discussion apart from being the chief cause for the backwardnesses of the lower castes such as the dalits and OBCs. It has been an obstacle for social integration, political participation, economic advancement and educational development. Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar respectively advocated two divergent paths for redemption of the masses who have been victims of the caste oppression. While Gandhiji pleaded for gradualist, reconciliatory and cooperative political mobilization of Dalits coupled with change of heart of non-dalits Dr. Ambedkar advocated rapid political participation, through the education, organization and mobilization. These two divergent paths had their own who tried to advance the cause of lower castes in their own ways. The post-independent Indian state too had undertaken many ameliorative programmes but the caste still remains a massive deadweight on the Indian society obstructing the birth of a new humanity informed by equality, freedom and fraternity. In this volume a number of scholars have put forward their ideas and reflections on how to eradicate the caste and to facilitate the birth of a new humanitarian social order. The articles included here were originally presented as papers at UGC sponsored "National Seminar or Eradication of Caste and Founding the Driving Forces for the Birth of a New Humanity" held at the University Arts & Science College (Kakatiya University), Warangal in October, 2001. Thanks are due to Dr. C. Rangarajan, the then Governor of Andhra Pradesh for a very thoughtful inaugural address to the seminar (the same is included in their volume as a paper), Prof. S. Parmaji for writing a good foreword and to Dr. D.M. Ravi Prasad and Dr. G. Bhadru for directing the seminar and bringing the papers to see light of the day. Thanks are also due to Prof. G. Sreenivas Reddy, who has agreed to credit the volume despite severe time constraints. Dr. M. Rajeshwar was a source of great help in collecting the papers and in adding to their publication fitness.