Aastha - Week 1


Aastha Bhardwaj
Reflection Paper 1
February 10, 2020
The Annihilation of Caste by Dr. B.R.Ambedkar

Ambedkar was and still is known for his approach towards ‘annihilation’ of the caste system in the Hindu religion and society, which he believed could come only through systematic social reform. His belief in the social reform system could stem from the fact that he saw and classified caste as a systematic social division in the society. While the concept of social reform as a measure of combating social division could be taken as a simple solution, the density can only be understood with the complexity of the caste system.
The caste system is so deeply ingrained in the fabric that is the Indian society that the morality and values of an entire community are delegitimized based on their caste, they are forced to live on the outskirts of their homeland because the apparent “upper” caste has shunned them from being part of a dignified and humane society.
Another focal point of Ambedkar was that division of people in the base of race where preserving any apparent “purity” becomes a point of defence, however the issue becomes the non-existence of different ‘races’ in the Indian society so the narrative of protection of purity becomes fundamentally flawed and a clear unveiling of the power grab politics of the “upper” caste.
What any analysis of the caste system in Indian would turn up with is the need to de-construct the social hierarchy that has been cultivated over the years within the society. And with the roots delving deep into the societal being, social reform has to start with the people first and by the people not the State.

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