Caste System - My first awareness of it - Page 4

Originally posted by: annika20

@Bewafa

Yes the Sikh history stories are there about the Guru making even the Mughal Emperor sit down with everyone else and eat langar - same food cooked for everyone else.

The Gurus also used to do their own work themselves. From tending to the fields to cleaning the langar area or repairing the broken roof of their homes.

Sadly, so-called followers of religion only turned out to be ones who ''know the stories'', ''have heard or read them everywhere'' BUT do not follow it at all.

When I question my relatives on this discrepancy in our actions and in things we are supposed to learn from saints, they give excuses that ''Gurus did what they did because they were not ordinary like us, they were mahapurush, mahaan aatma and we are ordinary people who give in to society.''

Then give lame statements like ''we are part of society, we have to live in it..or whatever that is happening is result of kalyug!''😲

Easily make excuse to justify your action by saying you're not a Guru or enlightened soul or that you're helpless since you're only flowing with ''society'' or deny your own responsibility and blame it all on times we are living in!🐷

Originally posted by: annika20

From a very young age.

I would hear relatives and neighbours bash ''choode'' or ''chamaar'', hint at their supposed lack of intellect. In fact, ''choodi/chooda'' are used almost as gaalis/cuss words.

At primary school itself, my classmates would ask me, ''Tum kya ho?''. I'd get puzzled and thinking they were asking about religion, I'd tell them my religion. But then they'd say, ''Nahi woh nahi. Tumhari caste kya hai?''

Caste was discussed a lot both by teachers and students. Even when they'd hear a surname, they'd dissect and discuss whether it was high caste, low caste or what!

My dada ji was particular about caste. Always speculating about caste of a person from his looks or behaviour or name!

Untouchability was not practised in our homes or school. But insults, name calling and stereotyping the community was widely prevalent.

People still think of lower castes as ''brainless'', ''rude'' or ''freeloaders'' - who get jobs and admissions through reservations.

You're talking about Dalits? Even so-called ''highest castes'' look down upon ''middle level caste'' (!) and talk disdainfully about them. 😡

The oddest thing I have seen is that other religions did not really have any caste system, but even they practise it in a big way - flouting basic tenets of their religion. No wonder we have ''Sikh Dalits'', ''Christian Dalits'' etc.!😲

Looks like we just needed excuse to discriminate against our own people!

Originally posted by: say.maaneet

my experience is a lil bit different here.. I have studied in a Missionary School .. there was daughter of sweeper who used to read with us .. there was students from different cast n religion ... we have never seen any discrimination there, in my family also everyone was out of it.. I was in a world where caste discrimination was a word from alien world .. it was after my 12th when I was going to apply for collage one thing made me aware of this... "Reservation" for SC caste .. I could see how ppl less deserving getting the opportunity before me... n the thing was from whom ds reservation is the Needy class is not getting it but some ppl who has the surname of a SC using it.. some of them belong to reach family, some of their father is a officer in Gov office .. 2nd shock I got when one of my friends started trying for gov service .. for every form a general candidate should give 100/- n for sc/st its free ... d way it's going CASTE DISCRIMINATION will take another shape but it wont be removed from our country.. one side their is this Dalit system, one side some political leaders are banking upon it and in another side normal people who belongs to General category who were least bothered by ds caste system, now getting victimised by different kindda discrimination ... any way its a complicated thing

FOR ME I JUST WANT EQUILIBRIUM IN INDIA.. NEITHER OUR RELIGION N NOR OUR CONSTITUTION LET US REMEMBER OUR CASTE AGAIN N AGAIN