Sikhs in the city: Castewatch UK update

Happy New Year to all readers of Paki Tin

The last few months of 2009 were ones that flew by in an instant for me. In what has been a momentous year for many, I will remember 2009 personally as one which opened my eyes to the many ills of our society. By opening my eyes, I saw the problems - now its up to me to either close them again and ignore them, or speak up and address them. But to avoid starting the new year on a negative note, I wish all of you a prosperous 2010 and begin this year with an update from our friends at Castewatch UK - always fighting the cause for equality amongst all and making excellent progress. So much so that the Sikh community has backed Castewatch's efforts to push the Single Equality Bill through parliament. Good work.

CasteWatchUK Press Release

Sikhs support “caste amendments” to Single Equality Bill

A delegation of CasteWatchUK met delegates of a number of Sikh organisations from East London and Essex to discuss Caste Based Discrimination and the need to outlaw it with respect to the forthcoming Single Equality Bill.
It was unanimously agreed that Caste Based Discrimination is now a serious problem facing Asian Communities in Britain and agreed to support the campaign led by CasteWatchUK. The meeting also recognised that Caste Based Discrimination practices (due to various cultural reasons) also pervade the Sikh community contrary to its religious ethos. All the organisations present unanimously condemned without equivocation and ambiguity Caste Based Discrimination practices and agreed to support the proposed amendments to outlaw Caste via the Single Equality Bill. It was emphasised that Caste must be declared as a protected category along with other discrimination strands addressed by the Single Equality Bill to make for a fairer Britain.

Satpal Muman, Chairman, CasteWatchUK
Davinder Prasad, General Secretary, CasteWatchUK
http://www.castewatchuk.org/ e-mail: info@castewatchuk.org
13th December 2009

Positive action in 2010 - follow the correct path and you shall find what you seek

Rays of sunshine may oust a shadow once CASTE - Single Equality Bill update

CasteWatch UK, a supporter of Paki-Tin have informed us of the progress made in the passing of the Single Equality Bill. Paki-Tin reported on the pitfalls faced by British Asian society in light of the caste debate - it seems that British Asians embrace the west but cling onto caste prejudice. Can you truthfully explain what caste you belong and what significance it holds for you today?

For those victims of caste discrimination - take heart and take note - this will continue.

For those who practice caste discrimination - your ignorance will not be tolerated in a free society.

Please also see Paki-Tin's previous articles on CASTE discrimination:

A societal weather report: Expect this dark cloud to reign perpetually. A shadow is CASTE over our societies… - 7th April 2009


Societal Weather Report Part 2: High Caste, Low Caste – We are Over Caste… The high winds of change are upon us. - 10th April 2009


A Letter of Thanks - CasteWatch UK - 19th April 2009


DNA of an Indian: a rich cultural heritage, centuries of exceptional academic achievement and CASTE discrimination - 22nd April 2009


**Update July 2009**

You will be aware that CasteWatchUK has been leading the campaign to have Caste Based Discrimination (CBD) addressed in the Single Equality Bill (SEB).

CasteWatchUK recently submitted a memorandum as evidence to the Scrutiny Committee overseeing the Single Equality Bill. Caste Based Discrimination has now been addressed as per the amendment as proposed.


Although several MP’s who have been supportive of our cause were working hard behind the scenes, the amendment was proposed by Lynne Featherstone MP and Dr Evan Harris MP - members of the Bill Committee. Please see the Single Equality Bill amendment by following the URL below.


The Committee stage now comes to a close. The SEB will now proceed to the Report Stage then 3rd reading after that onto the House of Lords. We will continue to eagerly monitor the passage of the Single Equality Bill.


You will not be surprised to learn that we faced immense opposition from Hindu Council UK and Hindu Forum of Britain. No doubt when they learn of this amendment there will be retaliation. We will have to keep an eye on how the SEB progresses in the next stages.

Here is the URL for the memorandum that CasteWatchUK submitted:-

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmpublic/cmpbequality.htm#memo

Here is the URL for the proposed amendment to the SEB:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmbills/085/amend/pbc0850707a.1113-1119.html

A link to Bill Committee: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmpublic/equality/equality.htm

This is a historic day for our people in the UK & rest of the world and marks the beginning of an end of our suffering in silence for centuries in the name of caste.

Regards and thanks for your continued support to our common cause.

Davinder Prasad
General Secretary
CasteWatchUK

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.