Caste has always been the bedrock of Indian society since the early records of the Gupta empire in the 4th century. In the passage of time the system has seen several changes where some castes rose in social standing while some even degraded to become the most downtrodden sections of the society.
While we face the goal of smart cities, modern infrastructure, standardised living, a norm of the society that remains common is the focus on caste.
The study is based on villages and the main city of Ghaziabad. The region boasts itself to be the most developed part of the nation however even today the dogmatic belief on castes guides major decisions of the common households.
Bhovapur village of Ghaziabad is commonly referred to as a village of Jats. However, we found that there are only 20 households belonging to the Jat community. Majority of the population of the village is of Dalits.
On asking why the village is not called a village of Dalits, the gentry said it would “lower the prestige of the village and its inhabitants.” Even the gram pradhan is Dalit but still the dogmatic beliefs of superficial superiority continue to exist.
The effect of the 73rd amendment act seems to be restricted in the sense that a person from so-called low caste can become the pradhan but the deep rooted mentality of superiority based on caste lives inside us.
Castes and jobs or say occupations are interconnected too. Most of the safai karamcharis of Nagar Nigam Ghaziabad are Dalits. Even now, manual scavenging is a widely accepted practice despite the passing of stringent laws. Even today, major dairy related tasks are carried out by castes, Yadavs and Gurjars. Why is it so?
One must question the deep ingrained stereotypes. And the prestige attached to one’s own caste. It is this prestige that tends to divide people and create tensions in the society.
This notion has resulted in ghettoisation of the town of Ghaziabad. Where even streets are divided on the basis of castes. In some parts of Ghaziabad, areas are divided on the basis of castes. Harsaon is an area of Yadavs, Bamheta is of Gurjars, several areas named as Valmiki Nagar are dominated by Dalits. This ghettoisation furthers the divide and creates a feeling of aloofness.
In some of the societies in Raj Nagar extension, the inhabitants even check the caste of domestic helpers, and in case they are found to be so-called “untouchables”, they are not allowed to work. The worrying trend is that it has been normalised and nobody seems to question it.
However, the condition in some areas has improved because of composite living and apartment culture. In areas like Raj Nagar Extension, people from across caste groups live together and thus lower the hierarchical aspects related to caste. This change in attitude occurs because of economic upgradation and educational advancement as both upper and lower castes have almost equal economic strength.
Even the entry of modern travel options like the metro has created some form of equality. Moreover, in several posh areas of the town, there has been inclusion of castes.
