DNA of an Indian: a rich cultural heritage, centuries of exceptional academic achievement and CASTE discrimination

The UK government is trying its utmost to remain politically correct and not to “hurt” the feelings of the many minority groups that now reside here. As part of this, the government is trying its best to outlaw all forms of discrimination through the Single Equality Bill.

Racism is seen as anti-social behaviour but there is no reference to caste discrimination – a potentially more damaging and acute form of prejudice for Asian communities. Should caste discrimination be added to the Single Equality Bill? Of course.

In theory there is to be a single Equality Act for Great Britain. It will encompass disability, sex, race and other grounds of discrimination within one piece of legislation. With the Equality Bill expected to be published this month, I explore some of the issues still facing minority ethnic communities of the South Asian Diaspora – the main issue it seems remains to be Caste discrimination (no surprise there then).

There are three main guilty parties in the caste discrimination arena. Some openly practise caste discrimination whilst others inadvertently maintain it:

1. The Oppressor: those with perceived power.
2. The Victims: who fail to stand up and challenge the oppressor.
3. The Law Makers: those reluctant to address the problem.

Most of us will not believe that Caste discrimination was outlawed in India in 1947 when caste divides are openly seen and practised there today. I have seen it myself. The system has been in existence in India for centuries. Members of lower castes have lived lives in squalor and it continues today. It is safe to say that making caste discrimination unlawful in the UK will go a long way to ensuring that ill-informed social divides in the context of a UK British Asian society will diminish significantly. We are not in India. The UK government needs to address a problem that has hindered the progress of South Asian communities since they first arrived here over 50 years ago.

In my last post, I maintained that class would kill caste. It’s obvious and necessary in a free world. All are given equal opportunity and we become the shapers of our destinies. This is what makes the UK a fantastic place to live. It could have been very different for me. My grandfather could have decided to go elsewhere when he left the Punjab in 1954 to make a better life for himself. I consider myself lucky to have been brought up in the UK with moderately liberal Indian parents who didn’t push the caste agenda onto me. I was always told that my education was important and I could be anything I wanted to be if I worked hard to get it. I think my parents got it right.

Just yesterday, I tried to explain the notion of being ‘working class’ to a friend of mine who instantly proclaimed that I was middle class based on my education and career. It was a revelation. Here I was proud to be from a working class migrant family and in the eyes of those around me I was already a middle class high achiever. To be honest, I am proud to be working class and in my eyes I will always belong to this group. It makes me who I am. The caste system however upsets me – and it’s my fellow (often uneducated) Indian counterparts who push this outdated system onto me.

In the UK, it doesn’t matter which caste you belong to. We are all treated equally (some will challenge me on that). Everybody is free. My friend Ashwin, the ‘chamar’ I talked about in a previous post is a high achiever. In India, he would never have excelled as he has done in the UK and he openly admits it. In CasteWatch UK’s report on "Caste and the Asian Christian Diaspora" released in March 2009, a key note speaker describes how he overcame caste prejudices through higher education. It empowered him and his family and allowed him to excel. His caste had no bearing on who he aspired to be. According to Kapil Dudakia of the Hindu Forum of Britain, “caste is well and truly non-existent” in the UK. Which world does he live in?

Including caste in the Single Equality Bill would be a step in the right direction for UK British Asians. There is no need for a caste system in the UK. The Jatt farmer doesn’t cultivate his land here. He works in IT, lives in Birmingham and has three children who attend a state school. The Hindu Brahmin runs a florist, owns a Ford Mondeo and shops at Tesco. The chamar runs his own business, takes expensive holidays and sits on his local council. Caste? It does not matter anymore does it?

When South Asians introduce themselves, they are advertising their origins.

“Hi I’m Bal Sidhu” - Note to self: He is Jatt (indicated by the surname, a Punjabi, a Sikh, and most likely to be from Jalandhar district India).
“I am Gopalanand Das” – mental note taken: A Hindu, possibly Brahmin, most likely to be from Northern India, possibly Uttar Pradesh or similar.

The above examples show that we as Asians use caste as a defining feature – it often forms part of our identity and we enforce and maintain it often without thinking. Until we all see that it adds no value to who we are, it will remain alive. It is unfortunate that the caste system has been exported from India. It is up to us to first understand the problem and diagnose a suitable solution for its remedy – The Single Equality Bill. When we are punished for doing something unlawful, chances are we don’t do it again.

“I am Gary Robinson” – My mind works overtime - meaning "son of Robin” with English heritage, possibly of Northern Irish descent? Could he be related to Sugar Ray Robinson the famous boxer? A real stab in the dark here… A member of the Royal family perhaps? There’s just no telling. No signs of status, caste and social standing here – he is free to be whoever he wants to be.

Caste discrimination becoming unlawful will help to remove some of the ingrained perceptions of power of the oppressors – they cannot enforce an age-old belief in a forward thinking society. It will give the victims a better chance to live in peace. Legislation is the vehicle in which to make this happen. The law makers are responsible for ensuring that all are free from discrimination of any kind and given equal opportunity.

Incorporating caste into the Single Equality Bill will also send a message to the world and those who practice caste discrimination elsewhere. It’s not feasible anymore and my children will certainly be better off for it in years to come…

The South Asian migrants have come a long way since the 1950’s. The following generations will move even further once caste has been removed and all are able to compete equally… The Caste system has been described as the ‘cancer of Indian society’. The only way to cure it within the UK context is to remove it.

A Letter of Thanks - CasteWatch UK

In my recent posts concerning the caste system and its impact on British Asians, CasteWatch UK who actively promote to remove caste discrimination from British Asian society thanked Paki Tin for airing an issue that is often shrouded in secrecy. From a British Asian perspective, the effects of the caste system are very much still ingrained within our communities. To totally remove it would be difficult. To understand what caste is in the context of modern society however is far more realistic and we should all take note of who we are and what we stand for - when the 18 year old lad in the club sips his drink and proclaims his superior caste we can be sure that the caste system is abused and misunderstood. Let us all seek answers...

Dear Paki-Tin,

I am extremely thankful to you for taking interest in our cause. I have gone through your blog and it is fantastic, thought provoking and is full of information that must be presented to every young Asian mind in the UK. I have to thank you for supporting us. We need people who oppose Caste discrimination in the UK and are willing to take part in a massive social reform and education of young Brit Asians to develop their identities in line with British Values and not based on obsolete and discriminatory bigotry.

It is fascinating to see the view points of people when they speak about racism. The same people make a complete and very fast u-turn the moment you present them with caste issues and go into denial mode. As someone, who has personal experience of both, caste discrimination is considerably more painful, particularly in British situation. Hindus and others who are still trying to maintain the caste divides have to be re-educated in human rights and British Values. I am going to forward the link to your blog to the rest of our members.

Regards,


Davinder Prasad
General Secretary
CasteWatchUK

Societal Weather Report Part 2: High Caste, Low Caste – We are Over Caste… The high winds of change are upon us.

Not only is the caste debate big enough for us to ponder over all day long, it is a debate that is very much needed today. I am a modern Sikh, who lives a British lifestyle. I battle to maintain a Sikh identity and lifestyle whilst conforming to a Western way of being – the two do not have to be mutually exclusive and I combine the two as much as possible. After all, they are two facets of my identity that I am equally proud of. My identity is however further complicated by my caste. For me, just like power begets resistance, caste begets social division…

In my last post, I explored marriage and the caste system. Two complex arenas that are almost matrimonially intertwined as they can be in modern British-Asian society. But where does all of this leave us? What really is happening with the caste system in our societies today? And the biggest question of all for me - Are UK British Asians reviving their cultures in ways they don’t understand? Is the South Asian Diaspora inherently caste racist?

The caste system is deeply ingrained in the minds of some Asians (for Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims). In India, I have seen the Hindu ‘untouchable’ caste excluded from Indian society, begging and getting by in the most demeaning ways imaginable. It was heartbreaking to see since these people were trying to get by but were ignored and marginalised because of an apparent system that dictated their sub-human status. In history, Hindus brahmins would take a shower if they touched a chamar by mistake or purify their homes with water and prayers should a chamar enter their premises. Every sixth human being in the world today is an Indian, and every sixth Indian is an untouchable. It makes you think doesn’t it?

I remember being at school and first discovering that I was of a particular caste. It didn’t mean anything to me; I was a British lad living in Britain with no other comparison. For a fellow student to claim he was superior to me by his caste was farcical to me! After all, we were at school to learn and his caste didn’t mean that he was given better treatment than me… it was all a bit silly at school but there were many underlying tensions that segregated the Asian communities in this way. Looking back now, casteism was alive more than I realised and often governed relationships between people even in the younger age brackets. In the 60’s and 70’s, these prejudices were more ingrained with first generation British-Asians learning the ways of the world from migrant parents who may not have known a life without caste. I have been told that many people in the 1960’s and 70’s suffered at the hands of racist bigots. But adding to the complexity of race discrimination, many ethnic minorities suffered racism from within their own communities due to caste divides.

So when a fellow student at school was beaten up for his caste, I became sure that I didn’t want to know about the caste system again. The police called it a ‘racially aggravated assault’. And that is exactly what it was, an assault made on the grounds of race. Casteism is equivalent to racism. It has no place in a modern society where the class structure prevails.

In modern Britain, the South Asian Diaspora revive their Asian roots and cultures through various means which display an inherent racist attitude. Not only have we learned that inter-caste marriages are seen as wrong by many (I am a direct witness to this), we can also acknowledge that they are now becoming more frequent. A good sign I think. But it goes deeper than that. In Sikhism, gurdwaras are often divided according to caste. It is not uncommon to see the Ramgharia gurdwara, the predominantly Jatt gurdwara, the Satsang gurdwara (accommodating a sub-set of Sikh followers) and so on. The establishments themselves are often managed by members of particular castes and therefore maintain the caste divides. It is ironic since Sikhism promotes equality, the Sikh Gurus forbid caste and the gurdwara is open to people from all corners of the world (the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the spiritual capital of the Sikhs has four entrances on all four sides representing an open door to all faiths, races and creeds). In reality, only those from the ‘caste’ community attend their gurdwara in Britain. I don’t think it is as frank or as obvious as I describe it but it is definitely there quietly governing modern day worship.

The youth of today promote caste. The UK Bhangra Industry promotes caste and it is possibly a medium through which caste is glamourised the most. Its very common to hear caste bias lyrics re-enforcing caste stereotypes. The Asian youth latch on to half formed realities concocted by Bhangra songs and take these realities as real life. I accept that bhangra music in the UK initially helped migrants to remember their home countries and cultures whilst living in foreign lands and often in poor conditions. I also accept that bhangra music allowed Asians to reaffirm their ethnic identities in the face of a new western culture and an often racist environment. Nowadays however, caste no longer bears the same significance it used to. There is no difference between me and another young British Asian – we both receive an education, we both strive to achieve our goals, we pay our taxes and we climb the class structure in parallel to our economic and social accomplishment. Why then should the caste I seemingly belong to influence my standing in society?

Rajinder K Dudrah eloquently purports that Bhangra music allows for internal reflection – a means through which individuals can make sense of their identities. These reflections however are “unique according to individual life experiences” and “collective in that other British South Asians are able to internalise similar life experiences but not necessarily in identical ways*”. The process of making sense of oneself however, is hardly enhanced by bhangra songs that promote caste divisions and usually irresponsibly.

I was asked once in a bar by an intoxicated Indian lad – ‘Are you Jatt mate?’. No formal introduction. ‘No I’m a Sikh’ I replied and proceeded to the bar (I’ve always been a smart arse). Later we met again and he asked again. ‘So what does it mean to be Jatt?’ I asked. ‘Well we’re the highest caste in Sikhism, we don’t like chamars and we drink a lot, haha’. Somehow I knew that he was mis-informed and his knowledge probably went no deeper. In reality, I have had this conversation many times with individuals including the girl who once asked me what my caste was on our first date. I never did return her call. It made me laugh when I witnessed young Asians singing the lyrics to a popular bhangra song promoting casteism but the only words they knew were ‘Putt Jattan De’ followed by painful lip synching and mumbles. Even Britney Spears would cringe at those attempts.

Warped truths inform the realities of those who don’t seek the truth. Until I fully understand what it means to belong to a caste, I don’t belong to it.

‘I’m a privileged member of the community because my caste is higher than yours’, I was once told.
‘I’m a [caste] and that makes me a highly regarded member of the community’ said another.
‘I’m proud to be a [caste]’.

‘In the context of your current life circumstance, you own no land in the UK apart from the semi-detached house your father brought in 1985. And that he paid for with his savings accumulated by years of toil in the local steel mill. And now your father is a manual labourer (I use this example since my own grandfather laboured for over 30 years in the local manufacturing works – he was very proud of it too). You father looks forward to the end his shift, he looks forward to the weekend when he can put his feet up and relax. He pays his taxes and has the right to vote like the rest of us. He attends the same religious establishment as everyone else and associates with the same community as everyone else. Now tell me again why you claim to be a privileged member of the community when your caste has no bearing on the life you lead here in the UK?’

Wouldn’t it be great to respond like this? We all think it but don’t quite express it. Are we therefore all guilty of maintaining the system that categorises us according to age-old beliefs that no longer apply to us as Asians in the West? Are we even Asian (Asia is so huge)? I sometimes question that too. Why enforce an obsolete belief in an environment far removed from pre 20th Century India or even modern day India? I’m about as Indian as Ben Kingsley playing Gandhi.

However we choose to live our lives, we should be doing it with humility. At the most basic and fundamental level, we are all human beings. The caste system is a man made concept steeped in tradition and history that only seeks to divide individuals – it has no place here anymore. Abolishing deeply held beliefs can be difficult and I appreciate that many cannot do this or struggle to understand life without the caste structures that shape their opinions and beliefs. We must however, seek to understand one another, learn about the differences between us and embrace the diversity among us - not just between community groups and religious groups but between various castes too.

Loyalty to a caste is much more detrimental to society than merely belonging to one – it re-enforces the system and helps to shape identities. As a Sikh, I have first hand experience of the caste system forging hatred between people and do I want that for my children? It will be a sad day if my children are forced to make sense of their lives in a society still overshadowed by a caste structure.

The caste system cannot survive in Britain where education will send you up the social class system far quicker than any caste would – there is no room for a caste system here. The rays of an honest sunshine can never be overcome by a temporary rain cloud (and this stubborn cloud has been around for a long time). In the UK, or any other economically developed country, class will kill caste. This will happen more effectively if we also shift our mindsets accordingly and understand the significance of what we are faced with. Looking ahead, mild temperatures and cold winds continue, maybe the sun will come out tomorrow.

“They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself”.
Andy Warhol

* An excellent article exploring Bhangra music and ethnic identity and experiences of South Asians in the UK.

"Drum N Dhol 1: British Bhangra Music and Diasporic South Asian Identity Formation" by Rajinder K Dudrah - European Journal of Cultural Studies, Vol. 5, No. 3, 363-383 (2002).

I also recommend CasteWatch UK – a brilliant organisation promoting the removal of caste discrimination in the UK. [www.castewatchuk.org]

A societal weather report: Expect this dark cloud to reign perpetually. A shadow is CASTE over our societies…

Meet Adam, a 27 year old City worker. Enjoys fine wine, rugby and yachting. Loves travelling, the arts and classical music. Seeks independent lady who is spiritual, assertive and confident. Age is no barrier. Ps – He’s a Jatt and you must be too.

I just don’t get it. It’s the year 2009 and still people ask me when I am going to be married – to a girl within my caste. Who gives a shit about caste? Surely I should be marrying the person that I want to share the rest of my life with, who I will love and protect, till death us do part? Using caste as positive criteria when searching for a wife hardly fits in with my list of required attributes…

1. A Human Being and female (in that order).
2. Minimum education: a UK degree. Preferably educated to Doctor level or equivalent.
3. Sincere, sensitive, passionate, inspirational, articulate, non-argumentative, confident and as sexy as Angelina Jolie.
4. Secondary criteria: Can make the curries, is thrifty but creative or creatively thrifty, makes nice Punjabi tea, will be a maid to my parents and will iron my cotton shirts!

You may think the above is slightly crass but marriage bureaus of the Asian variety openly advertise in this way all the time… take a finely selected sample from Shaadi.com below. A friend recently told me how she found her husband on shaadi.com. I was surprised but intrigued so I had a look for myself. It is safe to say that within Asian communities, the caste system is inextricably linked to marriage.

So in the search columns of shaadi.com, I excitedly look for a bride, aged 20-25. Religion? Mother tongue? Who cares, I leave the boxes open.

Desperado (identity disguised) but I’m sure ‘Cutey Pie’ wasn’t her real name either. She is 25, a Sikh Jatt, Liberal, occasional drinker and confident, ambitious and open minded. Sounds nice doesn’t she?

Or how about the Sunni Muslim accountant, earning 40-50k from Hounslow. Has a wheatish complexion and loves bollywood? Not bad either.

Or the Hindu Brahmin solicitor from Birmingham, 26 with a GSOH, (very pretty may I add – I might even express my interest), passionate, intelligent music lover looking for Mr Right.

For me the most sinister characteristics of these adverts are the references to caste. Marriage adverts like those above seek to re-enforce the caste system which maintains the divide between Asian communities and only strengthens tension and separatist attitudes within communities and we openly allow it.

Within the Asian communities, ‘casteism’ is a big issue that potentially falls under the toxic umbrella of racism or ‘religiously sanctified racism*’. In Sikhism for example, Punjabis are known for their views on castes with much hatred and tension caused because of a hierarchical system that was banned by the Sikh Gurus. Historically, Sikhism abolishes the caste system – all are equal. In a Gurdwara, men and women all sit on one level regardless of caste – Only the Guru Granth Sahib sits on a raised platform. But when we step out of the doors of our religious establishments, a dark black cloud called caste discrimination hangs over our society.

I can only talk about my own experience as a Sikh in reference to caste. I could also bore you with the history of caste and how India maintains a heavy caste laden society. But I won’t. What’s the point? I’m a British Sikh and I hardly ever visit India now, I’m a stranger there and I miss my British luxuries whenever I’m there like the pub, the smell of the countryside, motorway service stations and the M25! In brief, social classes are defined by hereditary groups often termed as jātis or castes originating in India. Generally identified with Hinduism, other religions including Christianity, Islam and Sikhism have been associated with a caste system. Although caste barriers have diminished in recent times in India, it still plays a huge role in general society and politics.

So what do I know of caste? Well, Jatt Sikhs apparently belong among the upper echelons of Sikh society. They are landowners who cultivate their farms growing crops and living off their sales. Tharkan Sikhs are known as carpenters and Jalhai Sikhs were tailors. Chamar Sikhs, and this is where it gets ugly were known to be catchers of animals that were skinned and their furs sold (I am sure that my explanations will be questioned by those who claim to be in the know about these things but I give you my view only). It was seen as a dirty trade and for this reason, Chamars seemingly fall lower down the caste system. Chamars were considered ‘untouchable’ in the Hindu caste system. I wonder what Mr High-Caste would make of my friend Ashwin, an acclaimed Dr of Medicine, an esteemed entrepreneur and writer – and a Chamar.

There was massive uproar in my family when my cousin decided she wanted to marry not only out of caste but to a non-Indian. It was like an alien was threatening the family circle and we were being infiltrated without any control. More recently, my family members have had inter-caste marriages but not without the frowns seen on the faces of the older generation. They can’t help it, that’s all they know. The older generations uprooted to the UK from all parts of India and with them came deep rooted cultures, norms and values inherently and openly abiding by the caste system. Maybe more fittingly, the picture to the right should read: "Subject to caste, will you be my wife?"

To what extent is the caste system still governing the Asian community in the UK? Times are changing, people are changing. As the migrant generations in the UK unfortunately die out (those that first transitioned to the UK in the 1950’s and 60’s), I am certain that the caste system will diminish too. As the third, fourth and even fifth generation British Asians continually live comfortably in modern day Britain, we see an increase in mixed-race marriages, inter-caste marriages and more recently civil partnerships (but within the Asian communities who knows to what extent this happens: I open a whole new topic on the Asian gay community here so I will not digress). My point is, I hope the caste system becomes less important. No longer does it matter that person A married person B of the same caste. What does matter is that A and B lived a happy and fruitful life. I have seen no evidence (whether it be qualitative, first hand accounts or statistical and extensively search I did) to suggest that same-caste marriages have a lower divorce rate than cross-caste marriages. In fact, divorce rates within the Asian communities have risen across the board and I think mainly for the fact that the increasingly Westernised Asian community no longer have to be tied into a marital transaction for life. Gone are the days when a wife died with her husband on the pyre. Recent studies suggest that only two out of five adults in the UK will be married in 20 years’ time and by 2031, married couples will make up only 41% of the population. The Office for National Statistics also predicts the fastest growing group are the singles - more for me to choose from then (when I'm 50!).

Nowadays, Ms Independent doesn’t need a man for support and Mr Muscle (I use these names in jest) continues to search for the virgin bride who has absconded and since found her inner strength and decided to ‘date’, join Shaadi.com and attend Asian Speed Dating events in order to examine and evaluate a reliable sample of the Asian male community in hope of finding Mr Right. A sign of the times I think.

In my day to day life, I often sigh with sheer frustration when Aunty mentions that her brother’s son’s wife’s second cousin’s brother in law’s daughter may be suitable for me since she shares the same caste as me. She then mentions that she is a doctor and very homely which seemingly re-enforces her case. I often ask whether she would prefer to marry me off to the PG Tips chimp as long as she is the same caste. Surely she would be homely, and could at least make me nice Punjabi tea (and it ticks off a line on my checklist). Clearly the need for marriage bureaus like Shaadi.com advertising potential spouses on the basis of caste indicates that people still adhere to the caste system more than we care to realise or acknowledge. Shouldn’t caste be seen as another form of racial discrimination? After all, my caste has no bearing on me and the qualities I bring to my marriage, or even to wider society…

In today’s current climate, I am over caste. I want a GSOH (not referring to someone who ‘Got Syphillis on Holiday’). [Promiscuous Asians, another topic for debate methinks]. I want a romance not a Ramgharia. I want a bold and beautiful lady not a Brahmin.

It can be argued that the caste system has become diluted today. Some people don’t even know what their castes stand for but they pledge dying allegiances to them… Isn’t it a shame to identify yourself with something you have no knowledge of? Maybe GSOH should mean God Save Our Humility which seems more fitting on this occasion… The sanctity of marriage becomes tarnished by a caste system that holds no water today but continues to wreak its havoc like a silent tornado… I predict a sunny future if we banish caste back to where it came from and move on…

Do not be proud of your social class and status, you ignorant fool! So much sin and corruption comes from this pride.

Sri Guru Granth Sahib

*According to CasteWatch UK [www.castewatchuk.org]