Merits and Demerits of Indian Caste

System – Essay
Read this comprehensive essay on merits and demerits of Caste System
in India !

Merits of Caste System:

In spite of various demerits, caste system in India has been proved to be a

stabilizing and interacting force. It cannot be denied that since its origin it
has served the development and preservation of Hindu community.

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According to K.M. Panikkar, “The Hindu people constitute one of the

oldest integrated societies of the world. For over two thousand five
hundred years the Hindu have been a people. They had, broadly speaking,
an organized social system the main characteristic of which were the
same from Himalayas to Cape Comorin, No doubt the Dharma Shastras
and the Griha Sutras which embody these principles applied only to
certain dominant classes and beneath them were many communities
professing a wide variety of customs and practices. And yet it is one of the
miracles of history that loosely knit though it was, Hindu society has
survived over two and half millions and remains today an active and
vigorous society ready to make its place, in the world.

Some of the principal merits of Indian caste system are mentioned as

below:

1. Harmonious Division of Society:

Classification of society is indispensable in every country. In ancient India

such classification existed in a perfect form. The whole society was
divided into four classes namely. Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishayas and
Sudras. These classes were not rigid and closed. No one was Brahmin by
blood nor was any one Sudra by birth. Everyone was free to attain the
highest social dignity. The classification was based on some scientific
principles namely heredity and economy of labour. Thus, it always
preserved the social integration.

2. Caste Systems as a Constitution of Hindu Society:

The caste system has worked as a constitution of Hindu society.

According to some European writers, “It is this principle of Hindu social
constitution that has enabled the nation to sustain without being shattered
to pieces, that the tremendous stocks given by the numerous political
conventions and religious upheavals that have occurred during the last
thousand years. Similarly according to Sir Henery Cotton, “The caste
system has rendered most important service in the past and still continues
to sustain order and solidarity”.

3. A Source for the Evolution of Higher Race:

The constitution of caste comprises certain sanctions and prohibition

about marriage. Such laws according to Havell, “were laws of spiritual
engines designed to promote the evolution of a higher race”.

4. A Source of Stability and Contentment:

Besides the evolution of higher race, caste system has been a

fundamental source of social stability. In the words of Sidney Law, caste
system is the main cause of stability and contentment by which Indian
society has been traced for centuries against the stock of politics and the
cataclysms of nature. Apart from this, caste system has provided a
definite professional career to each individual.

Demerits of Caste System:

As has been stated earlier, caste system performed some of the very
useful services for Hindu Society. But in course of time, some of its
aspects became hindrance in the way of social progress. Conservatism of
caste system prevented it from keeping pace with the advancement in
other spheres of human activities. Dr. Radhakrishnan has rightly stated
that the device of caste system has ultimately prevented it from growing.
Many other thinkers are of the opinion that the time has come to
overthrow the whole caste system.

Following are some of the more obvious harms which the caste system is
doing to Indian society in its present state of development,

1. Social Disorganisation:

Instead of remaining a uniting force as it was in its past, caste system has
become a dividing element in Hindu society. It has divided the Hindus into
hundreds and hundreds of sub-caste groups and sects. Enmity and
hatred has replaced the feeling of respect and sympathy amongst the
members of high and low caste.

This attitude between high and low caste gradually developed into the
worst form of untouchability which pushed a major section of population
to a state of lower than of an animal. This stratification of society into high
and low has cast its shadow on all aspects of Hindu society. Even the top
caste Brahmins are divided into the hundreds of Sections, each claiming
itself to be superior to others. Even in present India, this problem still
stands as it was a hundred years ago.

2. Political Disunity:

Caste system divided the whole society into innumerable subdivisions and
to unite them politically has become impossible. This national disunity
which was the direct outcome of caste system enabled foreigners to
conquer and rule over this land without any apparent difficulty. Even after
independence we find that caste elements are very active in our society
and more after than not, they stand in the way of social welfare.

3. Untouchability:

Caste system was the cause of degradation of a large portion of

population of the Hindus. Sudras were and still are treated as sub-
humans. To say honestly they were regarded more repulsive than crawling
worms of the gutters. Persons of high caste think it necessary to wash
themselves if they accidentally touch a Harijan. They were deprived of all
social privileges which were available to members of high caste and were
forbidden from all of such public places as temples, ghats, wells and
schools etc. Thus, caste system cut nearly crores of persons from the
main stream of Indian social life.

4. Despotism of Upper Caste:

The caste system ultimately became an instrument in the hands of upper

caste for suppression of the persons of lower caste. That section of
population which is called by the common name of Harijans, were
deprived of all kinds of property rights, of utilisation of villages ponds and
the right of self-development. Such treatment of a part of Hindu
community by the rest portion weakened the strength of the whole
community.

5. Religious Conversions:
Compelled by the tyranny of upper caste, great masses of the lower
castes converted their religion and accepted Islam or Christianity and
became worst enemies of the Hindus. In Hindu social organisation,
cultural sphere is closely interwoven with the religious one. With the
growing rigidity of caste system, the religious life of an individual became
an adulterated one and so became the whole culture. Each caste and
every sub-caste claimed the superiority of its own brand of culture. This
fact stood as a veritable abstacle in the way of cultural development of
India as a whole.

6. Lower Status of Women:

Caste system is the principal cause of the downtrodden state of Hindu

womanhood. By the practice of the maintenance of the structure almost
every right of a free human being were snatched away from women. They
were deprived of education and all directions of their progress were
closed. For the sake of caste, they were married before they could
differentiate between a doll and a husband. They were not allowed to
remarry even if they became widows on the first day of their marriage,
instead they were compelled to burn themselves with the dead bodies of
their husbands.

7. Denies Mobility of Labour:

It has denied mobility of labour since the individual must follow the caste
occupation and cannot change it according to his likes or dislikes. This
hinders the economic progress of the country.

8. Retards Solidarity:

It has retarded the growth of solidarity and brotherhood in the Hindu

society by rigidly separating one caste from the other and denying any
type of social intercourse between them, it has been the source of
disintegration of Hindu society.

9. Hindrance in National Unity:

The caste system has been an obstacle to the growth of national unity in
the country. It is because man has his first loyalty to his caste than to any
other group. The caste system is the antithesis of democracy. Casteism
has been the main root of malfunctioning of democratic institutions.

10. Obstacle to Social Progress:

Caste system does not allow changes to be introduced in society. Under

the caste system people are very conservative and traditional. They
believe in customs and traditions and they do not accept changes needed
for social progress,

11. Undemocratic:

The caste system is undemocratic because it denies equal rights to all

irrespective of their caste, creed or colour. Social barriers are erected
specially in the way of lower caste individuals who are not given
opportunity for mental and physical development. Thus, caste system has
been undemocratic and created inequality among the Hindus.

Dr. Radhakrishnan had once remarked: Unfortunately this device to

prevent the social organisation from decay ultimately prevented it from
growing. Hence, in spite of all the savings of the priests, caste is simply a
crystalised social institution which often doing its service is now filling the
atmosphere of India with stink.