Caste System in India ( A comprehensive analysis)

There is no superior caste The beings created by Him were only

divided into castes according to their attributes(Guna).

Shanti parwa, Mahabharata.

Introduction: As we know from our childhood, we define caste of human being in to 4 categories Brahmin, kshatriya , Baishya and Sudra. But in Hindi language “Caste” means “Jati” which means a person belongs to which group or community it defines as per Scriptures. But actually the cast we know it basically means “Varna” which determines from the ability of a person how he works. But that is the harsh truth of all of us that we decided the Caste of a person by their Birth.

Guna means Personality, innate nature and psychological attributes of an Individual. As per Holy book “Mahabharata” Gunas are basically 3 types Tamas, Rajas and Sattva. “Tamas” means Darkness, Destructive and Chaotic; “Rajas” means Passion, Active and Confused; and “Sattva” means Goodness, Constructive and Harmonious.

By default everyone is “Sudra” as “Gunas” are not developed at this stage and the person is unknown about all things and it needs to be taught and nurtured. i.e Vedas suggest a person  Foundation as Sudra and all caste are known as “Dwija Barna” means Second Birth. Example: Sage Vyasa born in Sudra caste by his ability he wrote Epic book “Mahabharata”. Sage Valmiki who was also brought up at Sudra caste and also a Loot but his ability he wrote epic book “Ramayana”.

For Example:

Guna	Brahmin	Kshatriya	Vaishya	Sudra
Rajas	20%	70%	40%	20%
Tamas	10%	20%	25%	70%
Sattva	70%	10%	35%	10%
Quality	Intelligent, Decision maker	Passionate & Aggressive	All Rounder	Laziness

But today in Modern time Society has mixed up “Varna” caste concept (deed Guna based distinction) and “Jati” concept (Type of Tribe & Community). But now it is clear that “Varna is to be determined from Karma and the three Gunas which cannot be determined by looking at the last name.

“Birth is not the cause, my friend;

it is virtues(Gunas) which are the cause of auspiciousness”

Bhagavad Gita

Let us discuss from Indian Context, The system of reservation in India comprises a series of affirmative action measures, taken up by the government of India to uplift the weaker sections of society by getting them into government jobs and higher educational institutions. Constitution recognizes SC, ST and Backward classes (including OBC) as getting the reservation in Indian. This system is unique in India as it was conceived as a temporary measure to bring all the community on one stand.

Historical Background: 1918 Maharaja of Mysore, getting petition from depressed class for to investigate he appointed Miller committee solve the question of adequate representation of Non-Brahmin community in the services of state. Its root already put forward After WW I, 1914 when the Britain Government considered some constitutional reform to elicit the support of the people in India. In return for support British accepted the policy of Self-governing institution i.e Provincial assembly and Central legislative assembly, this policy is known as "Montague-Chelmsford" reforms and it was added in Government of India Act, 1919. Now the question is that how to identify the depressed class of citizens for this British government appointed SIMON commission to assess the Indian society and suggest reforms. One of the recommendations was the need to safeguard the depressed class by socially and politically. Depressed class demand separate electorate but commission denied but giving reservation of seats. 1923 GOI decided to grant aid school who admitted the depressed classes. B.R Ambedkar demand reserved seats for untouchables in Lagislative Assembly, education and govt. Job. In Nov, 1930 British govt. Convened Round table conference but NIC didn’t participate as busy in Civil disobedience movement against British Government. P.M Macdonald announced the communal award where the separate representation of Muslims, Sikh, Indian Christian ,Anglo Indian ,Dalits.But Gandhi opposed but later changed his position and conceded for all except depressed class as it divide and rule policy of Britisher’s. For this Poona Pact was signed between  Ambedkar & Gandhi on 24 September, 1932 at Yerawada jail in Poona. This pact put milestone as Depressed class got 147 seats in the Provincial Council which promised only 71 seats by Ramsay Mc Donald’s communal award and also got 18% seats in Central Assembly. This Pact finally stamped when 'Government of India Act 1935' Where Reservation of Seats for Depressed Classes was allotted. The 'Government of India Act 1935' replaced the term “Depressed Classes” With “Scheduled Castes”. Then also Depressed Class denied from getting public services but minority enjoyed their rights. After some time Ambedkar become member of Viceroy Executive Council as Labour Minister. He used his position and demanded education and employment rights also. His demand was accepted and become the basis for policy in India when it was framing in the Constitution. Constituent Assembly came into existence in Dec, 1946. Framers want an egalitarian society where Equal Protection is provided to Socially, Educational & Politically backward communities. In minority committee report on representation in proportion of their population. But Assembly rejected the Religion based reservation by Constituent Assembly. Actually these  provisions where temporary for 10 Years after that it should be decided by the Parliament either to renew or to abolish. But finally we got Independent and with this, Article 14, 15 and 16 “Equality as a Policy” for to Protection of SC, ST Community. Apart from this Article 17 Implies Respect & Protection of Civil Rights Act also active, Article 18 Abolition of Title also promote equality of people. Article 25 To 28 Confer Freedom Of Religion. ‘Article 46’ Directs State to take steps to educate weaker section of society. Reservation fix for 10(Ten) Years but it was extended by time to time for political motive. Problems with SC & ST were solved as it was mentioned in our Constitution but problem arise with OBC which was not properly explained In Constituent Assembly. Eg. 15(4) & (5) talks about socially & educationally backward classes and where Article 16 (4) talks about Other Backward Classes(OBC) for giving reservation in Jobs and Education. Originated in 1919 by Political Leaders referred Social & Educational not limited by Caste but it is a wider term which includes depressed class, Aboriginal tribe & OBC. Constitution already says only Socially & Educationally Backward classes of citizens in addition to ST & SC. For this Conflict, 1953 Kelkar Committee was set up which recommended Caste is the basis of Backward Class but it was not accepted by the very government that time. 1963, M.R Balaji Vs State Of Mysore- Court held that Backward should be both Socially as well as Educationally not just Socially Or Educationally. Supreme Court held that Caste can be a relevant factor for determining backwardness but it should not be the only consideration. Also Consider The Factors Like Poverty, Habitation & Occupation. 1979, Mandal Commission which chairman is B P Mandal recommended 27% reservation in central & state services, Public Undertaking & Educational Institutions. Recommendation implemented in 1993. But as on 2008 still a backlog of 28,670 OBC Vacancies in Government Job in India. Constitution also gives Special Protection under Fundamental Rights. 77^th Constitutional Amendment Act:- popularly known as Mandal Case  “Indra Sawhney Vs Union Of India (1993)” judgement, Court held that implementation of reservation of OBC in Central Jobs, exclude Creamy Layer from OBC and also restrict above 50% Reservation without including backlog.

Vashishtha Narayan Singh, A mathematical genius who challenged Einstein's Theory

Vashishtha_Narayan_Singh: He was born on 2 April 1946 to Lal Bahadur Singh, a police constable, and Lahaso Devi in the Basantpur village, Bhojpur district, Bihar, India. Narayan Singh was a Child Prodigy. He completes his primary and secondary education from Netarhat Residential School, and he received his college education from Patna Science College. He received recognition as a student when he was allowed by Patna University to appear BSc and MSc within a specified time because of his intellectuality.

Singh joined the University of California, Berkeley in 1965 and received a PhD in Reproducing Kernels and Operators with a Cyclic Vector (Cycle Vector Space Theory) in 1969 under doctoral advisor John L. Kelley.

After receiving his PhD, Singh joined the University of Washington at Seattle as an assistant professor, and then returned to India in 1974 to teach at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur. Later he was appointed as a faculty at the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata.

Singh was diagnosed with schizophrenia in the early 1970s.

During_NASA_Apollo_Mission: It is said that at the time of launch of Apollo, all the devices stopped working but Vashishtha Narayan started calculating. The computer malfunctioned for 30 to 35 seconds. After which he did a mathematical calculation. When the computer got fixed, his calculations and computer’s calculations were exactly the same.

Ranjan Gogoi, fearless CJI

46th_CJI_Ranjan_Gogoi

Sattler_of_Century_old_Ayodhya_Dispute

About_Ranjan_Gogoi: Ranjan Gogoi (born 18 November 1954 at Dibrugarh, Assam) is an Indian jurist who served as the 46th Chief Justice of India. His father is Kesab Chandra Gogoi, (an Indian National Congress politician who served as Chief Minister of Assam for two months in 1982). His brother Anjan Gogoi ex-Air Marshal of Indian Air Force.

His_Educational_life:

> He attended Don Bosco school in Dibrugarh

> He then studied at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi graduating with honours in history.

> Then Law degree from Delhi University.

> He also appeared for the UPSC examination so as to keep the wish of his father and even cracked it. But then he told his father politely that in order to keep his wish he cracked the examination and wants to become an Advocate instead.

Brief_Introduction_of_his_Career:

> He enrolled at the bar in 1978, and practiced at the Gauhati High Court, where he was made a Permanent Judge on 28 February 2001.

> He was transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court on 9 September 2010, becoming its Chief Justice on 12 February 2011.

> On 23 April 2012, he was elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court.
> On 3 October 2018, he was appointed as Chief Justice of India, succeeding Dipak Misra.

Important_Verdicts:

1. Ayodhya Dispute: Ranjan Gogoi headed under 5 Judges Constitutional Bench announced the final verdict of Ram Janambhoomi- Babri Masjid case. The 1045 page judgement settled the long- festering dispute.

2. Rafale Deal: The final judgement on Rafale Deal dismissed all the petitions seeking a review of its judgement and upheld the Rafale Deal stating that no irregularities or corruption have been found.

3. Entry of Women at Sabarimala Temple: The case referred to larger 7 Judge bench the pleas to seeking review of the Supreme Court 2018 Judgement which allow women and girls of all ages to enter Kerala’s Sabarimala Temple.

4. CJI office under RTI Act: The Office of the Chief Justice of India is a Constitutional office hence it is termed as Public Authority. The Final Verdict make the CJI accountable to disclose under Right to Information but with “Judicial Independence has to be kept in mind while disclosing information in Public Interest.

5. Government advertisement NO photo of any Ministers except Prime Minister, President and other important Constitutional figures.

6. 7 language under SC publishment: Now the Supreme Court translate its Judgements into all Vernacular languages for the benefit of the Public and litigants across the length and breadth of the Country.

Decoding Life Changing Poem

“Where the Mind is Without Fear”

 by Rabindra Nath Tagore

Where the Mind is Without Fear: About the poem

“Where the mind is Without Fear” by Rabindranath Tagore is one of his vastly read and discussed poems.  It was originally composed in Bengali possibly in 1900 under the title “Prarthana”, meaning prayer. It appeared in the volume called ‘Naibedya’ in 1901. Later in 1911 Tagore himself translated the Bengali poem into English and that translation appeared as poem 35 in his Nobel winning anthology “Gitanjali” (Song Offerings) published by the Indian Society, London in 1912.

So when the poem was written, India was under the British Rule and people were eagerly waiting to get their freedom from the British Rule. The poem is written in the form of a prayer to the God, the Almighty for a true freedom for his country. And thus Tagore reveals his own concept of freedom throughout the poem, Where the Mind is Without Fear.

“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
 Where knowledge is free;
 Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
 By narrow domestic walls;
 Where words come out from the depth of truth;
 Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

 Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way;
 Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
 Where the mind is led forward by thee;
 Into ever-widening thought and action;
 Into that heaven of freedom,
 My Father, let my country awake.

Where the Mind is Without Fear: Line by line Explanation

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

In the very first line, the poet prays to the Almighty that his countrymen should be free from any fear of oppression or forced compulsion. He wishes that everyone in his country has his head held high in dignity. In other words, according to him, in a truly free country every person should be fearless and should have a sense of self dignity.

Where knowledge is free;

In the second line of Where the Mind is Without Fear the poet dreams of a nation where knowledge would be free. Education should not be restricted to the upper class only but everybody should be allowed to acquire knowledge. Not only that, the children should learn freely from the nature and the world around them. They should not be forced memorize some predetermined lessons. And this is Tagore’s typical concept of education.

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls;

In the next two lines, the poet emphasizes the unity of not only of his countrymen but also of the entire world. He thinks there should be no division among people based on their caste, creed, color, religion or other baseless superstitions. In other words, prejudices and superstitions should not divide the people in groups and break their unity.

Where words come out from the depth of truth;

In line 5 of Where the Mind is Without Fear, Tagore wants a nation where people are truthful. They should not be superficial and words should come out from the depth of their hearts.

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

In the sixth line of the poem, the poet wants everyone to work hard to reach their goal, and in the long run to reach perfection. . He thinks they should not be tired by working. People should not be lazy and ignoring their work.

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habits;

In line 7, the poet compares ‘reason’ or logical thinking to a “clear stream’ and in the next line compares ‘dead habits’ or superstitious beliefs to a ‘dreary desert’. He wants the stream of reason not to lose its way into the desert of prejudices. In short, people’s thought should be monitored by rational thinking, not by superstition; logic should rule over old baseless beliefs.

Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action;

In line 9 and 10 the poet wishes his countrymen to be progressive and broad-minded. He wants that their minds are “led forward” to “ever-widening thought and action” by the Almighty. In short, we should be open-minded and do something unusual or extraordinary, overcoming the narrowness of mind.

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake

In the final line of the poem, the poet addresses the God as ‘Father’. He asks him to awaken his country into such a ‘heaven of freedom’ where the above conditions meet.

To make it clear, the poet prays to the Almighty (my Father) to raise or lift (awake) his country to such heights where freedom would be realised at its best (a heaven of freedom). In turn, he is actually praying that God awakens his countrymen so that they come out from the darkness of ignorance, prejudices, disunity and all other evils.

Here, a great addition from our reader Ravi Murti suggests that Rabindranath wants to awaken the God within us to free our mind from shackles and bondage. It is not invoking God but using it as metaphor for the higher self within us. This interpretation is beautiful and I can’t resist the urge to add it here.

Finally, In the poem the poet’s message is very clear. If all the people of a nation are not wise enough to lead a happy and peaceful life free from all evils, they cannot enjoy their freedom well. So to the poet, only political freedom is not so important unless you are fearless, self dignified, knowledgeable, truthful, hard-working and broad-minded enough to enjoy it fully.

550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji

The Founder of Sikhism “Guru Nanak” 550^th Birth Anniversary

About Guru Nanak:  Guru Nanak was the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus was born in 1469 at Nanaka Sahib, Punjab, Pakistan. His birth is celebrated as “Guru Nanak Gurpurab” worldwide. His teachings to the people the message of one God set up a unique spiritual, social and Political platform based on equality, fraternity love, goodness and virtue.

About Sikhism: Guru Nanak founded Sikhism during 15^th Century. The Fundamental beliefs of Sikhism articulated in the sacred Scripture “Guru Granth Sahib” include the faith and meditation on the name of the one creator, unity for all humankind, engaging in selfless services, striving for social justice for the benefit and prosperity of all. “Guru Granth Sahib” worshiped as the Supreme Authority of Sikhism and it is considered as 11^th Guru after the death of 10^th Guru Govind Singh, who founded Khalsa, an order of devout warrior-saints and named the “Sri Guru Granth Sahib” as his successor. In this holy book, 974 hymns of Guru Nanak enumerated. Guru Granth Sahib is a collection of verses recorded in Gurmukhi, the teachings of Guru Nanak.

Nanak teachings is understood to be practiced in three ways, a way of popular tradition-

> Vand Chakko- Sharing with others, helping tjose with less whoare in need.

> Kirat Karo- Earning/ living honestly without exploitation or fraud.

> Naam Japna- Mediating on God’s name to control the five weaknesses of human personality. 5 weakness are- Kama (Lust), Krodh (Wrath), Lobh (Greed), Moh (Attachment) and Ahankar (Entitlement). Guru Nanak emphasized on Naam Japna.

The Ten Guru of Sikhism are-

1. Guru Nanak

2. Guru Angad

3. Guru Amar Das

4. Guru Ram Das

5. Guru Arjan

6. Guru Hargovind

7. Guru Har Rai

8. Guru Har Krishan

9. Guru Tegh Bahadur

10. Guru Govind Singh   

About Kartarpur Corridor: It is a border corridor between India and Pakistan which connect the Sikh shrines of Dera Baba Nanak Sahib (Punjab, India) and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib (Punjab, Pakistan). It allows religious devotees from India to visit Pakistan Gurdwara Darbar Sahib from Pakistan- India border without a Visa through Corridor in the river Ravi. It opened on the 550^th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

Abrogation of Article 370

#Abrogating_Article_370&35A_of_Indian_Constitution

#Historical_move  #Scrapping_J&KConstitution

#India_united_for_Peace&Prosperity

#Jammu&Kashmir_and_Ladakh_two_new_Union_Territory_of_India

#28_States&_9_Union_Territory_India

#About_Jammu&Kashmir: Jammu & Kashmir Situated in the far north-west of our country. It is located mostly in the Himalayan mountains and shares borders with the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south. The Line of Control separates Jammu and Kashmir from the Pakistani-administered territories of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan in the west and north respectively, and a Line of Actual Control separates it from the Chinese-administered territory of Aksai Chin in the east.

#Background_history_of_Jammu&Kashmir: Maharaja Hari Singh became the ruler of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in 1925. Jammu and Kashmir had a Muslim majority (77% Muslim by the previous census in 1941). Following the logic of Partition, many people in Pakistan expected that Kashmir would join Pakistan. However, the predominant political movement in the Valley of Kashmir (Jammu and Kashmir National Conference) was secular and was allied with the Indian National Congress since the 1930s. So many in India too had expectations that Kashmir would join India. But On 22 October 1947, rebellious citizens from the western districts of the State and Pushtoon tribesmen from the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan invaded the State, backed by Pakistan. For to save Jammu & Kashmir Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession on 26 October 1947 in return for military aid and assistance, which was accepted by the Governor General the next day which state Dominion of India with three subject Defence, External Affairs and Communication under Indian government. But When India send its military troops the result is India-Pakistan War 1947. The matter was send to United Nations Security Council and they move a resolution and set up United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) to mediate but unfortunately we went for 1965, 1971 and 1999 war with Pakistan.

#What_is_Article370:  Article 370 of the Constitution is a 'temporary provision' which promises to grant autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir and limits Parliament's powers to make laws for the state. The article was drafted in Part XXI of the Constitution: Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions. Included in the Constitution on October 17, 1949, Article 370 exempts J&K from the Indian Constitution (except Article 1 and Article 370 itself) and permits the state to draft its own Constitution.

#What_is_35A: Article 35A stems from Article 370, having been introduced through a Presidential Order in 1954. Article 35A is unique in the sense that it does not appear in the main body of the Constitution — Article 35 is immediately followed by Article 36 — but comes up in Appendix I. Article 35A empowers the J&K legislature to define the state’s permanent residents and their special rights and privileges.

#How_Article_370_removed:

>Article 370 states that it was only temporary and not permanent.

>President can declare that Article 370 ceases to be operative or operates with exceptions and modification.

>However this can be done only on the recommendation of the Constituent Assembly.

>Due to non availability of government in Jammu and Kashmir, it duly signed by Governor of Jammu and Kashmir to put the law come into enforcement.

>In order to control, government divide the state in to Two Union Territory(UT) i.e Jammu & Kashmir(Consist 20 District) and Ladakh(Kargil & Leh).

>It scrapped the Present Jammu and Kashmir Constitution and its statehood.

#Some_other_states_Special_Status:

>371= Maharashtra and Gujarat

>371 A= Nagaland

>371 B= Assam

>371 C= Manipur

>371 D= Andhra Pradesh and Telengana

>371 F= Sikkim

>371 G= Mizoram

>371 H= Arunachal Pradesh

>371 I= Goa

>371 J= Karnataka