[kevhito]

I'm very confused by your comment, and I hope you can clarify. I'm familiar with the colonial/European origin of the "cast system", but having been to India a few times and studied/read a bit, saying that the word has no proper native equivalent (to be blunt) seems both irrelevant and kind of disingenuous. Regardless of the word's origin or colonial reasons, it seems clear that caste-related issues are very visible and very present in India today. Do you agree? You seem to admit as much. But you also seem to downplay the entire existence of caste.

I'm really not familiar with the tribe/clan system in Iraq and Syria. My experience in some other former british and french colonies made it clear how the colonial system benefited from or even created and promoted ethnic rivalries, racism, tribalism -- yes absolutely -- but none of those situations seemed to really be a direct analogue of India's caste system. Do most people in India think of caste pretty much the same way as Americans think of ethnicity or racism?

Maybe you can also talk a bit more about Modi and his "low caste" background, because I've been curious about this myself. How much do you make of his "caste" as part his political identity? Do you see this as a sign that the caste system is dead/irrelevant/never-existed? Or that the low castes have triumphed? Or is he a pawn/token in a bigger game?

[naruvimama]

If one has Anglo-Saxon family names like Smith, Farmer, Clark or the Germanic equivalent like Meyer, Schumacher etc, it is often the profession handed down father to son. In India this is termed the JATTI, and is considered the nearest equivalent of the caste.

If India was the only country where "caste" is a phenomenon, at least we should have a native name for it. People often claim Varna to be the equivalent, but you almost never hear the word "Varna" being used.

The reason is "William Jones", who synthesized the Indian caste system by selectively digging deep into the scriptures.

Caste today is essentially an economic mobility problem and should have a quick death. But by constantly casting it as a social problem people make sure it is kept alive.

The main beneficiaries are 1. Politicians 2. Evangelists 3. Otherwise wealthy Indians who have managed to carve out a quota from the reservation system meant to benefit the backward communities. 4. Used as a stick by the west 5. Naxal and sociologists

Modi unlike Obama isn't a one show man. Nor is he just the face of the party. He has won again and again, and continues to have huge public support. Goes to prove ones caste isn't important to the public.

Caste is also extremely regional, the names are meaningless outside. In the state that I come from TN, the vast majority of the people have gotten rid of the their family names for the last 2-3 generations for the sake of social equality, yet have a 70% reservation.

Understandably JATTI (rather than caste) is significant among the poor because it is their primary social security. So fishermen, metal workers, farmers, weavers etc form a strong community within their profession.

Like a lab rat that has been deliberately infected and the conditions made worse so it can be studied. The "caste system" that should have a natural death, continues to live on thanks to our heros.