Fundamental Social Institutions of India — sociology STD 11 Arts — Question
Gujarat BoardEnglish MediumSTD 11 ArtssociologyFundamental Social Institutions of India5 Marks
Question
Discuss the characteristics of the caste.
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Answer
Caste-Institution A Distinctive Characteristic of Indian Society Even today, caste is seen as an important social force in various spheres of Indian social life.
The tensions of a subtle and intricate caste-institution are woven into almost every sphere of social life of Hindus.
There are more than $3000$ castes and sub-castes in India.
Caste means:
According to Dhruve, Hindu society is divided into different groups.
The levels of social prestige of the groups and the area of interaction vary.
Relationships between different castes are regulated by the concepts of purity and impurity.
Usually the practice of sitting and eating together is within the special caste.
MN Srinivasa states, "Caste is a group with a tradition of hereditary intermarriage and usually living in one place."
Caste characteristics:
Dhruve has outlined the basic features of caste to explain the traditional caste form of India.
$(1)$ Division of Hindu society into different continents:
Hindu society has not been an integral community since ancient times.
Each caste of Hindu society exists as a separate and independent social unit.
Different castes divide Hindu society in India into different sections.
The caste organization is maintained by each caste under the control of its own distinctive and independent caste panchayat village and city caste commission.
Every member of the caste has to abide by the assumption prepared by the caste commission.
The Punch boycotts financial penalties against those who violate these rules or standards.
The work of resolving inter-caste quarrels, economic problems, marriage or divorce issues was done by the leadership of the caste commission.
Each caste has its own distinct culture.
Each caste exists as an independent social unit.
$(2)$ Coticrum:
In India, there is a definite plan for the superiority of all castes.
The standards and values determining the status of the caste were vague and uncertain if the Brahmins always remained at the top in the hierarchy of heights.
In particular, the lack of clarity about the status of the middle castes is a significant feature of the Indian caste system.
Casteism expresses the formation of social strata.
Inferior people give birth to inferior offspring and, thus, propagate their inferiority. Inferior people give birth to inferior offspring and, thus, propagate their inferiority.
$(3)$ Restrictions on eating and social behavior:
Eating and other social activities can be kept with which caste and which caste cannot be kept with.
There are many subtle social norms about it in every caste.
Cooked food can be eaten by a person of the same caste or superior caste.
But one cannot eat with people of lower caste etc. etc ... There are many differences in the customs of different castes in different regions of India in terms of eating relations and social relations.
$(4)$ Civil and religious disabilities and special rights of different castes:
There is a kind of inequality between the lower and upper castes in India about civil and religious rights.
The lower castes were deprived of many kinds of civil and religious rights.
While the higher castes have many privileges in these matters.
Disabilities and privileges existed in many matters like habitation, use of village wells, use of public roads, school-entry, access to temples etc.
For example, if the composition of the villages is according to the caste-based phaliya or pol, then the person of that caste has to stay where his caste resides.
The lower castes lived outside and far from the village and had separate drinking water wells or lakes. So it was also a separate place for their cemeteries.
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