4 days ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Battle over caste identity is all about resources and status
Most children in India are taught about the four-fold caste system that emerges in the Vedas. However, in real life, these four categories are not distributed equally across India. In North, South, East, West, or Central India, two extreme groups are evident everywhere: the 'pure' Brahmins on one side and the 'impure' Dalits on the other. But in between, things become rather messy. It is very difficult to define who is a warrior and who is a merchant.
For example, many merchant communities in North India, such as the Maheshwaris, Agarwals, and Khatris, view themselves as warriors who were forced to give up the sword (talwar) and adopt the balance scale (tarazu) in order to protect themselves from the wrath of Parashuram. Similarly, many backward communities, like the Ezhavas of Kerala, are traditionally identified as toddy tappers. Yet, within their own caste groups, they see themselves as warriors who may have served as military recruits in the 15th and 16th centuries to meet the demands of the military labour market.
Rajputs are traditionally considered Kshatriyas, and the Marathas aspire to the same status. However, it is well known that Rajput communities regard Marathas as their inferiors, especially in matters of marriage. The great Maratha Confederacy included many Maratha kings, such as the Scindias, Bhosles, and Gaekwads. However, the Peshwas were Brahmins, and it is well documented that, in the 19th and 20th centuries, the Brahmin community refused to accept the Marathas as Kshatriyas, instead insisting they were Shudras, citing the legend that Parashuram had killed all the Kshatriyas that once existed.
