10 Demerits of Caste System in India

10 Demerits of Caste System in
India
Some of the demerits of Caste System in India are as follows:
If the institution of caste has been of great value to Hinduism, it has

also been responsible for a good many evils. According to P. N. Bose,
“The caste system has acted essentially to impose that attitude of
mind, needed to raise men from savagery but to stop them half way on
progress.” Some of the demerits of the caste system are as follows:
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1. A disintegrating factor:
The caste system has literally split up the Hindu society into hundreds
of hereditary castes and sub-castes and thus encouraged a spirit of
exclusiveness and class- pride, narrowed the outlook and created wide
gulfs between the various sections of the community.
In this way it has stood in the way of national and collective

consciousness and proved to be a disintegrating rather than an
integrating factor.
2. Check on economic and intellectual advancement

and social reforms:
The caste system is a check on economic and intellectual advancement
and a great stumbling block in the way of social reforms, because it
keeps economic and intellectual opportunities confined to a certain
section of the population only and denies them to others.
A sweeper or a cobbler, for example, cannot be permitted to devote

himself to any educational or scientific profession, even when he has
natural aptitude and physical and intellectual equipment for it.
Worthy and capable persons are prevented by caste rigours from
getting their proper and rightful places.
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This inelastic attitude of the system suppresses genius and represses

and curtails individual liberty. It kills all initiative and enterprise of
the members. Much human energy and talent remain untapped by the
community with a consequent loss to its culture and civilization.
Modern democracy has a tendency for leveling down all talents. The
caste system, however, is guilty of just the opposite demerit. It does
not make proper provision for low-born talents or high-born
incompetents.
3. Denies mobility of labour:

In the economic field, the caste system undermines the efficiency of
labour and prevents perfect mobility of labour, capital and productive
effort. As a result, neither are the large scale industries developed nor
are the economic resources of the country exploited to the best
advantage of the people.
4. Exploits lower castes:

The caste system perpetuates exploitation of the economically weaker
and socially inferior castes. It protects the privileged castes and thus it
builds up economic discontent and social prejudices.
The needless multiplication of the castes and the subsequent

inflexibility and rigid social code of each have been causing today
enormous waste of time, money and energy due to series of taboos
(several prohibitions in respect of cooking, eating, drinking, etc).
Then, again, it does not allow the Hindus to adopt newer and better
ways of life and shuts them off from free association with the non-
Hindus and consequently the Hindus have not been able to keep pace
with the progressing world.
5. Imposes hardship on women:

The caste system has inflicted untold hardships on women through its
insistence on practices like child-marriage, prohibition of widow-
remarriage, seclusion of women etc. These have made the life of
women miserable.
6. Perpetuates untouchability:
The caste system has condemned large groups of people to a life of
degradation without any hope of redemption. It has created
untouchability, an evil that has been sapping the very vitals of the
Hindu society. B. R. Ambedkar rightly said, “Untouchability of Hindus
is a rare phenomenon, humanity in any other part of the earth has
never experienced it. There is no such thing in any other society.
Really, the tyranies perpetuated in the name of untouchability are the
black lessons in human culture.” According to Gandhiji,
untouchability is “the hate fullest expression of caste.” Large sections
of people are reduced to the state of virtual slavery.
7. Opposes democracy:
Democracy is based on the principle of equality, fraternity and liberty.
On the other hand, the caste system is based on inequality of status
and opportunities, which often creates conflict and tension in the
society. It acts as an obstacle in the normal and smooth functioning of
democracy.
8. Creates the feeling of casteism:

The caste system has created the feeling of casteism. The members
belonging to a caste carry caste feelings and manifest blind and over-
riding loyalty to their caste ignoring the healthy social standards of
justice, fairplay, equity and brotherhood. The politicians exploit the
feeling of casteism to their advantage at the cost of nation’s interests.
According to Ghurye, “It is the spirit of caste patriotism which
engenders opposition to other castes and creates an unhealthy
atmosphere for the growth of national consciousness.”
9. Results in religious conversion:

The caste system has given scope for religious conversion. The lower
caste people are getting converted into Islam and Christianity due to
the tyranny of the upper castes.
10. Stands in the way of modernization:

The caste system obstructs the process of modernization.
Modernization necessitates a change in outlook and mentality along
with socio-economic development. But the caste system by compelling
an individual to act strictly in accordance with caste norms stands in
the way of modernization.
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Discussed above are some of the shortcomings of the caste system.

Modern Indian intellect is, therefore, burdened with a sense of
contrition over the matter. Passions overwhelmingly carry us to a
position of hostility towards any compromise, and the entire caste
structure has as a result been placed in the docks.
Despite this it cannot be gainsaid that the caste system offers a place
in the society into which any group-racial, social, religious or
occupational can fit in as a cooperating part of the social whole
without sacrificing its own individual identity and distinctive
character. What the caste system provides in India in terms of
integrating disparate forces may have its analogue in other social
contexts, but it remains uniquely effective in the Indian conditions,
without a parallel elsewhere.

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10 Demerits of Caste System in

If the institution of caste has been of great value to Hinduism, it has

In this way it has stood in the way of national and collective

2. Check on economic and intellectual advancement

A sweeper or a cobbler, for example, cannot be permitted to devote

This inelastic attitude of the system suppresses genius and represses

3. Denies mobility of labour:

4. Exploits lower castes:

The needless multiplication of the castes and the subsequent

5. Imposes hardship on women:

8. Creates the feeling of casteism:

9. Results in religious conversion:

10. Stands in the way of modernization:

Discussed above are some of the shortcomings of the caste system.

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