Introduction

Caste system is the bane of the Indian society. It divides and keeps the Indian society into sectarian groups and classes. The roots of the caste system are traced back to time immemorial days, the age of the Vedas or Puranas. While one view discriminates between the castes as upper and lower castes on the basis of their origin, another view traces the origin of the castes to varnas which classifies the caste system on the basis of their functions.

It is an irony despite of the growth of culture and civilization in the modern India still the caste system prevails and plays a predominant role in the Indian politics and society.

Although there has been some progress and potential for social change for Dalits, they continue to be exploited, discriminated against and treated as sub-human. Attitudes are slowly changing but caste bias remains so Dalits continue to fight for their freedom in India. Unscrupulous politicians exploit them to their best advantage in the course of elections and in fact the vested interests in politics want to perpetuate the caste system. Therefore more drastic steps should be taken by the Indian Government to remove this social evil as it remain deep rooted in our society.

The Indian government, perhaps realizing the difficulty of eradicating the caste system from India, is providing the reservation system to the socially and economically backward castes in the educational institutions and in offering employment opportunities.

At the same time, the Indian Government has enacted laws to remove untouchability among the so called lower castes, by specifically declaring untouchability as a social evil, sin and a crime against humanity and God. It even prosecutes the offenders under the provisions of Untouchability Act.

While the differences among the caste system remain deep rooted, unscrupulous politicians exploit them to their best advantage in the course of elections and in fact the vested interests in politics want to perpetuate the caste system. Therefore communal tensions and clashes among different communities periodically occur and thereby the caste differences become deep rooted and the caste system gets perpetuated.

Recently in a remote village namely Uthapuram in Madurai District in Tamil Nadu, the caste system manifested itself in the form of a wall known as 'Untouchability Wall'.It separated the residential areas of two castes, the people of schedule caste on the one hand and the people of 'Pillaimar community' on the other hand.

In the year 1999,when the Southern districts of Tamil Nadu had the worst communal clashes, this particular village 'Uthapuram' also got infected with communal clashes,in which a number of persons died in both castes. Unable to bear the onslaughts of caste clashes, a few families of Pillaimar community deserted their village and went to Tirupur, a textile city, to eke out their livelihood and still they are residing there. The impugned 'caste wall' was raised to some distance by some Pillaimars in their patta land so as to prevent the invasion or intrusion or the free movement of the 'people of the pallar community' (schedule castes people considered by the upper castes as untouchables) who are living on the other side of the wall.

In March, 2008, the existence of 'the caste wall' or popularly known as the 'wall of untouchability' came into light in a popular daily through the efforts of a political party, CPI (M).It called upon the government to remove 'the caste wall' fixing a deadline, which led to dramatic events at Uthapuram village. The CPI(M), even threatened to remove the wall, if the government did not come forward to do it.

Immediately, the Madurai District Collector camped at Uthapuram village and held many rounds of talks with the Pillaimar community for the removal of 'the caste wall'.Led by their leader Mr.Murugesan, the Pillaimar community, called upon the government to set up a police station in the Uhapuram village so as to safeguard them and to have talks with them. On the instructions of the government, the District Collector dismantled a portion of the wall thereby paving the way for the movement of people on either side of the wall.

Protesting the action of the government, the entire Pillaimar community vacated the Uthapuram village and went to a nearby hill and camped there temporarily. Staying in the open chilly air affected the health of the young children with fever and diarrhea But the Pillaimar community refused to accept any medical help extended by the government and also refused to come back to their village until their demands were met. It was really pathetic to see thousands of people camping at the hilly tract in the open air and remained adamant despite of facing many odds and threats like illness, wild animals like jackals and innumerable venomous snakes.

After a week, one A.C.Shanmugam, a popular leader of a political outfit, managed to persuade the Pillaimar community to return back to their village, by arranging and fixing an appointment with the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for further talks.Now Uthapuram village remains calm without any communal problem.But the differences between the two caste communities are alive.

Thus the institution of caste remains a sensitive and volatile issue in India and time and again, it raises its ugly head, either in politics or society.

Dalits or untouchables are still considered outcasts in India and remain impoverished, discriminated against and segregated.

Although the practice of “untouchability” was abolished in 1950, it remains and is very much alive in India. The caste system in India is over 2,000 years old and is tied with the religion of Hinduism, so it is not going down easy.

India has one of the world’s largest democracies but the Dalits or so called “untouchables” do not generally feel that they have been given fair treatment.

There are four varnas or large caste categories and they are:

• Brahmins (priests and teachers)
  

• Ksyatriyas (rulers and soldiers)
  

• Vaisyas (merchants and traders)
  

• Shudras (laborers and artisans)
  

The fifth category is considered outcasts, untouchables or Dalits. One sixth of India’s population or 160 million Dalits endure discrimination, segregation and social ostracization. Many villages are separated by caste and they may not cross the line dividing them from the higher castes. They also may not use the same wells or drink in the same tea stalls as higher castes. The state administration frequently fails to install electricity, sanitation facilities or water pumps in lower caste neighborhoods. Higher caste villages also enjoy better education, housing and medical facilities than the segregated Dalits. Urban areas have shown some improvement but people in rural areas and villages still face extreme discrimination.

Division of labor:

The occupations of people in caste systems are hereditary so if your parents are street cleaners then you are considered a Dalit as soon as you are born. Dalits are restricted to certain occupations that are considered too dirty or polluting for the higher castes such as:

• Sanitation Work
  

• Plantations workers
  

• Street Cleaners
  

• Disposing of dead animals
  

• Leather Workers
  

• Cobblers
  

Although the government has made some formal policies to discourage discrimination, the integration of Dalits is not easily accepted because many are still prejudiced. The programs that have been created are not always being implemented and the Dalits understandably feel discriminated against and most do not believe the government is doing much to help them.

• Most Dalits live in extreme poverty, do not own land and have no opportunities for better employment or education. Because of their vulnerable position and lack of access to land they are often taken advantage of and abused by landlords. Police rarely help because they have their own caste biases. There is a lot of police corruption happening and if any Dalits dare complain or try to change the social order by demanding land or asking for a minimum wage they are beaten, harassed and sometimes even murdered.
  

Although India now has a policy of quotas for education and government jobs for Dalits, most are still stuck with menial jobs. Dalit children can attend school but they have to sit at the back of the classroom and are frequently treated poorly by teachers and students. The drop out rate is very high because of this and also because they need to help their parents financially by working. Lower castes continue to have lower literacy levels, which prevent them from obtaining higher paying jobs. Presently almost two thirds of Dalits are illiterate.

• Dalit children are more likely to be malnourished because they often lack basics such as access to clean water and proper health care. They are also frequently victims of abuse including child labor.
  

• Many Dalits continue to work in slave like conditions in order to pay off debts as bonded laborers. The Bonded Labor System Abolition Act in 1976 abolished bonded labor by demanding the release of laborers and prohibiting new bondage agreements but it has not been properly enforced.
  

Conclusion

The Indian government, perhaps realizing the difficulty of eradicating the caste system from India, is providing the reservation system to the socially and economically backward castes in the educational institutions and in offering employment opportunities.

At the same time, the Indian Government has enacted laws to remove untouchability among the so called lower castes, by specifically declaring untouchability as a social evil, sin and a crime against humanity and God. It even prosecutes the offenders under the provisions of Untouchability Act.

While the differences among the caste system remain deep rooted, unscrupulous politicians exploit them to their best advantage in the course of elections and in fact the vested interests in politics want to perpetuate the caste system. Therefore communal tensions and clashes among different communities periodically occur and thereby the caste differences become deep rooted and the caste system gets perpetuated.

Although there has been some progress and potential for social change for Dalits, they continue to be exploited, discriminated against and treated as sub-human. Attitudes are slowly changing but caste bias remains so Dalits continue to fight for their freedom in India.