India's Caste System Is Nothing But Colonial Propaganda!

The caste system in Latin America was a creation of Hispanic colonial elites. The British, of course, were thoroughly pleased with the outcome of their social re-engineering. Administrator and diplomat Lepel Griffin believed caste was useful in preventing rebellion, while James Kerr, the principal of Calcutta’s Hindu College wrote in 1865: ‘It may be doubted if the existence of caste is on the whole unfavourable to the permanence of our rule. It may even be considered favourable to it, provided we act with prudence and forbearance. Its spirit is opposed to national union.’ But, It was totally distinct from the social structures of India, known as varna and jati. Caste emerges as a much misunderstood or misrepresented part of Hindu society. it is important to understand what is “caste”. The word is derived from the Spanish/Portugese word casta. Casta derives from a root indicating chastity or purity. But Jatis have been prevalent for thousands of years in the Indian subcontinent. If jati is a hereditary, occupation or tribe-based system, varna is a social system based on spiritual inclination.Varna is one aspect of the Varnashrama dharma system of Hinduism.The Vedic tradition ensured that the dvijas should not feel entitled or privileged as they are compelled to also learn and preserve the Vedas. Nicholas B. Dirks, Chancellor of the University of California, has conducted an exhaustive study of how the British transformed Indian society for the worse. In his ‘Castes of the Mind: Colonialism and the Making of Modern India (2001),’ he says the concept of caste hierarchy was a British construct.