The rising threat of Casteism in India

By admin | 22/04/2025 | Categories: Category

Story by: Anjali Priya , Senior Journalist (pic: iStock)

Casteism in India: The current atmosphere in the country is undoubtedly worrisome. Religious extremism is slowly giving way to caste-based conflict. In recent times, India has been grappling not only with religious issues but also with the flames of casteism and linguistic divisions. While political leaders continue to play their games to stay relevant, a large section of the country’s youth suffers from unemployment. Amid rising inflation, hunger, and poverty, Indian politics today seems to swing between religion and caste. But are only the politicians to blame for this? I believe not.

Caste-Based clashes in India

Alongside religious disputes, caste and language-based tensions are also increasing in India. We all know that India’s diversity and its history are thousands of years old. This history is not only golden in parts but also stained with dark chapters. One of those dark stains was the way upper castes used to control the fate of Dalits. If we flip through the pages of history, we find a time when the upper castes held significant power in society. Society was divided into four main castes—Brahmins, Rajputs, Kayasths, and Shudras. The Brahmins assumed the responsibility of managing society and, considering themselves superior, began exploiting other castes, especially the Shudras, now known as Dalits.

They denied Dalits the right to education, promoted untouchability, and perpetuated several social evils. But over time, many intellectuals and social reformers emerged who not only raised their voices against these injustices but also worked to eradicate them. Whether it was Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule from Dalit backgrounds or Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Swami Dayanand Saraswati from Brahmin families, they all played key roles in challenging practices like Sati, child marriage, the exploitation of Dalits, and in advocating for education rights for all, including women. Thanks to their efforts, society began to witness positive changes.

A dangerous resurgence

But even after 75 years of independence, caste-based clashes are once again reaching alarming levels. There are two main reasons behind this: first, the rise of extremists within every caste group; and second, the mentality of revenge—which is also a product of extremism.

For instance, there are still Brahmin extremists who believe they are the custodians of religion, that they have some sort of copyright over God, or that they can still oppress Dalits. On the other hand, there are now factions within the Dalit community whose sole aim is to “take revenge” for the injustices faced by their ancestors centuries ago. Let me be clear—I am referring only to a small group of people on both sides. The majority of educated and responsible citizens are still concerned primarily with education, employment, and inflation.

But the extremists are more focused on pulling each other down, whether they are Brahmins or Dalits. And in today’s digital age, social media has given them a free and open platform to spread their agendas unchecked. This gives politicians a new topic to exploit, and catchy headlines for the media to boost TRPs. Meanwhile, the country’s real issues, like unemployment, inflation, and hunger, are left behind. Extremists don’t care about these, and politicians never did.

A need for perspective

These people seem to have forgotten that development happens with time. They must understand that while people in ancient times may have lived in a limited and narrow mindset, today’s world has evolved far beyond that. In this modern era, what truly matters is education and discipline, not caste or religion.

Whether it’s Brahmin extremists or Dalit extremists, they must realize that no single caste or religion can ever be solely responsible for a nation’s progress. If caste-based extremism and religious fanaticism become too active, nothing could be more dangerous for a country than that.