André Béteille's piece on caste in the Indian polity (Feb. 21) is timely and hits the nail on the head. However, he has missed a vital point while discussing the issue. It was the introduction of the Railways, a mass transport system, which was the first great step towards bringing people together, intentionally or otherwise.
Vijaya Subramaniam,Chennai
Though one should agree with André Béteille's view that caste is perpetuated by organised politics, it is difficult to share his optimism that caste consciousness is on the wane. Being a sociologist, he studies things as they are, not as they ought to be. For all the dwindling pre-eminence of caste in the everyday lives of urban Indians, we are, by and large, an emotionally divided lot. The ideological profile of politicians across all major parties bears testimony to this fact. Development of a scientific spirit, together with a thoroughgoing emotional integration of the 1.2-billion nation, alone can redeem the country from the vice-like grip of a political class that thrives on dividing us in the name of castes/sub-castes. Experts who do not have the wisdom to sense the subtle transformation might be missing the point as felt by the Prof. Béteille, but it is true that politicians, in a democracy, will sell what sells best.
Viswanath V. , Kurnool
To say that universal adult franchise has made people more conscious of their caste or given it a political colour would be a little unfair to history and amounts to a historical error. Consciousness of caste was there well before universal adult franchise was adopted, at least from the late Vedic period. But debating all these without trying to appreciate its root cause and remedy will not serve any purpose other than acquainting us with more dimensions of social division.
Mozahidul Islam,Aligarh
While it is true that caste discrimination has come down in the urban areas, it is widely prevalent and sometimes takes ugly and violent forms in rural areas. It is indeed a dichotomy that people who feel superior to some others in social dealings wish to be treated as inferior for purposes of reservation in education and government jobs.
R. Narasimhan,Chennai
The author has missed a major factor in the perpetuation of caste in India — government policy for reservation. Even the most “casteless” person becomes caste conscious when it comes to seeking admission to professional colleges or joining government jobs. Often it is the last straw he clutches at to ensure good education and good living thereafter. The caste system will be alive as long as there is reservation.
Mathew Gainneos,Thiruvananthapuram
The article downplays the social reality that caste is an unalterable feature of our society and coaxes us to distort the bitter truth that caste is India's destiny. The media do not spread an illusion that ours is a caste society, as the article blatantly claims, but rather, they faithfully represent the worse social realities in a caste-ridden society like ours. Our emerging middle class would say that caste is no longer there. Though in many respects caste is diminishing, it is still a part of society as it dictates much of what happens in life.
T. Marx,Puducherry
I completely agree with Prof. Béteille that the hold of caste over society has been receding in the long term. The process of unlearning caste might take generations as caste inheres in the same social structure as society. Drastic changes are not possible and not even desirable for the disorder they might bring about. Over the years caste has been losing its sway. The best examples are modern day work culture and marriage alliances. The biggest leveller could be the spread of education and a modern outlook among people.
Sarath S. Pillai,New Delhi
