A perfect approach will always be missing over the controversial topic. But Mr Venkat Manthripragada has done an excellent probe in his article "Who is surviving the caste in India?" Unequivocally he has brought the pearl from the shell to shore by deep sea diving. Certainly we have to be proud for having a person like him to voice the concern in the section of public opinion.

To strengthen his claim further and add few more cosmetic touches I like to annex this as supplementary.

Whatever the situation and whoever brought it, the four varnas were responsible for implementing the caste structure in India. It is not necessary to have varnas to identify the person. A layman can understand with the common sense that a person goes into the sea for fishing is fisherman and the person ruling the country is the King. Anyone can think for a while that why we had a particular category to identify people. It looks strange to me instead of touching the nose directly why we have to take the hand behind our head. I left it to the reader's imagination.

The indigenous civilisation of India known as "Indus Valley Civilisation", which brought pride to India didn't have a bit of evidence to trace the four varnas. Other ancient civilisation of the world prior to Indus Valley like Egypt and Sumarian civilisations etc too didn't have the trace of similar practices. And also it's an amazement to historians that what had happened to the varnas during the dark period that is from the onslaught of Indus Valley Civilisation to the emergence of Vedic period. So this is an unopposed fact that the four varnas were brought during the vedic period for whatever the reasons.

The implemented varnas gained momentum and lived with uninterrupted glory. However the death knell started to the varnas when Moghuls came to rule India. During Moghul's rule there was no places for our Kings and their advisors and hence the two varnas out of four were nailed down. Following the British entry through business encroachment nailed down the relevant varna. Then today due to Industrial revolution lead globalisation created an opportunity to John and Janardhan to swap their jobs the remaining varna too nailed down and laid to rest.

Luckily India became a secular country instead of a religious country by the efforts of great stalwarts after independence gaining the rebirth of varnas was thrashed out.

So at this stage anyone mentioning about varnas is something like a person enjoying the comfortable journey on a high-tech aircraft and explaining the greatness of "Pushpakavimana" to a co-passenger who is happened to be the same nationality of the inventor of the aircraft.

Coming back to the subject, though varnas chapter is over the caste shadow is still alive. The caste is the residue of varnas. Always the residue will pose a serious consequence than prime matter. For example, the two cities of Japan were devasted by atomic bombs during Second World War. But still the effects of atomic rays causing few problems on the new generations. Our case is more than atomic bomb and polluted society since around four to five thousand years. So it is not easy to cleansing. But if we try nothing is impossible according to a say that is "if there is a will there is a way".

The physician opts for surgery if the medicine fails to give result to the patient. Similarly to save the nation from sliding backwards some sort of action is needed. But surely that will happen tomorrow or after hundred years if we believe Carl Marx's theory that "change is the one that never change".

To clean the residue and take the nation to progress something like acid bath or chemical spray is necessary. If the Government willing to take such steps to root out the evils we will certainly take India to a number one position in the world because we have got all the potentials. If that happens then everyone will survive on the bias of economical strength not by the caste. I'm one hundred per cent sure we don't have to worry about who is surviving in India.

S Sankara Subramanian
Melbourne,
Australia

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