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Emergence of a New Caste System

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Caste is an integral part of identity for any regular Indian. While we are mostly aware about its present connotations, the origins of caste system is still shrouded in mystery. Most of us have been fed this theory that caste emerged from the varna system as mentioned in the Rigveda . We are also told how the original varna system was not based on birth, rather it was rooted in occupation i.e. the learned scholars became Brahmins , the warriors were the Kshatriyas , the businessmen became Vaishyas and the service class came to be called the Shudras . Later this system gradually transformed into one based on birth. However, any curious mind would wonder how exactly did this transformation take place?  In course of reading some sociology I came across a very interesting explanation for this by an Indian sociologist Andre Beteille. In this blog I will write about how this transformation took place and how we may be witnessing the same phenomenon all over again with the evolution of new
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Love and Dating in the times of Socialism and Capitalism

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Karl Marx had said that the economic system of any society shapes the functioning of the society. I never realized the depth of this very simple statement until I came across this theory on 'Plastic Love' by sociologist Anthony Giddens. Love is seemingly a private affair, it is highly individual and we would not expect how the type of economic system we live in i.e socialist or capitalist would affect it. However, our economic lifestyle does shape how we see our relationships. LOVE AND DATING YESTERDAY Let us understand with a very simple example. Just a few decades back ( probably the time most of our parents got married ) India was a socialist country. With the economy nationalized there was always a dearth of products. There were years of waiting time if you wanted a car or a telephone connection. Thus due to this shortage, the social culture was such that people preferred to repair their broken stuff rather than wait to buy a new one. We still witness such tendencies in our
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UPSC Interview Experience

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 The following are the excerpts from my interview for UPSC Civil Services Examination 2020. It was held on 26th August 2021 at 1400 hrs. The interview board was chaired by Mr. R N Choubey (IAS , former secretary ministry of power ). Chairman: hello Amit , please make yourself comfortable. Remember you don't need to feel any pressure , the best efficiency of an individual comes when he is the happiest. So I want you to be happy throughout. We are here to know you and not to question you like in  a police interrogation. In case you don't know any answer simply say so. We do not expect you to know all the answers. So if you are ready can we start? (I nodded) He pointed to member 1 to start asking the questions. Member 1 ( male,  seemed already annoyed by facial expressions ) M1: If you were to serve in any other state other than your home state which would you choose? Me: Sir since I come from an army background I am comfortable to serve in any state as I have already lived across
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Sexual Violence and Patriarchy

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Rape is a fate worse than death. Consider carefully the term 'rape' and its implications. Would anyone ever say that rape is acceptable? From the most complacent patriarch to the angriest feminist , all  would declare rape to be a terrible crime. But the apparent consensus is mythical as the reasons behind arriving at this opinion are diametrically opposite. For patriarchal forces , rape is evil because it is a crime against the honor of the family , whereas feminists denounce rape because it is a crime against the autonomy and bodily integrity of a woman. This difference in understanding rape naturally leads differential proposals to fight rape. In the patriarchal perspective , rape is a fate worse than death ; there is no normal life possible for a raped woman. Thus the way to avoid rape is to lock woman up in homes , within the family , under patriarchal controls. In this understanding the raped woman is responsible for the crime against her as she 'dared to cross the la
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Myth busting : Privatisation of PSUs

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 India has now been independent for about 73 years , yet the fears of a capitalistic colonial past haunts us. It is because of such past that for about 44 years since independence we followed a socialist model of governance. While a balance of payment crisis did allow us to switch to a more capitalistic economy , the ideas is socialism still run deep in our heads. It is because of such unconscious tilt towards socialism that even after 30 years of private sector catapulting India to global heights , we come on streets against the privatisation of Public Sector Undertakings (PSU). In this blog I try to defend the idea of privatisation our PSUs. I will also try to address all the major arguments against such privatisation which have taken the form of myths creating demons of private sector. Myths addressed - 1. Privatisation will reduce employment opportunities. 2. Selling of PSUs is like selling of family silver and will lead to losses for government in the long run. 3. Only loss making
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The General Theory of Nepotism

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If we had elections for the most popular words used by people , then certainly 'Nepotism' would come out all guns blazing as the front runner for the last few months. Nepotism literally means favoritism i.e when the personal preference overpowers merit in positions of public influence. Today I put forward a general theory based on the writings of Karl Marx , Max Weber and Andre Beteille to explain - 1. Why does nepotism exist? 2.  How does it develop and what are the various stages through which it grows? 3. How nepotism transformed the varna system into a caste system.. 4. Nepotism today and the beginning of a new caste system. Analysis In this blog , I will initially state a theory in abstract and then take the examples of Politics , Bollywood and Professions to substantiate the theory.  The Theory of Nepotism The most visible form of Nepotism can be seen in public life. Also our public life is invariably linked to the economic activities that we participate in. Hence the
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How has religion survived in a world obsessed with Logic?

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Today the world order is characterised by logic and rational thinking. All our decisions are based on our own choice after assessing competing theories given by experts.Even on simplest of issues like what are the most fashionable clothes to what are the best moral values we get numerable choices to choose from based on varying logics.  However , it is interesting to note that even in this world driven by logic , religion has stood like a solid  rock withstanding all attacks from science. Hence, one must wonder that with the arrival of democracies when the intellectuals had written off religion as a thing of the past we see the influence of religion in the most modern societies. In USA , abortion is an issue , in Europe the Pope still has authority while in middle east the 'modern' Israel calls itself a Jewish state. Communism as a political system challenged religion and we all know what happened to USSR. The following blog is based on the writings of Anthony Giddens from UK w
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Mythbusting Jawaharlal Nehru

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The need for this blog too comes from the conversations that I have had with people around me who seem to have a very negative image of Jawaharlal Nehru. This image is based on several myths that have been propagated over the years as an attack on Congress ( the political party ). While I do not support this Congress , I support the Indian Congress which had the support of Indians from all the spectrum of ideologies pre-independence. That Congress belongs to the nation and not to some dynasts of a certain Prime Minister.  The aim of this blog is not to defend Congress ( the political party ) or Nehru (the first prime Minister). I write this blog to defend the freedom fighter Jawaharlal Nehru and his contribution to the making of India as a nation. Myths addressed- 1. Nehru became the first PM only because he was preferred by Gandhi. 2. Sardar Patel should have been the first PM of India as he was more popular. 3. Partition happened only because Nehru wanted to be the PM , had Jinnah b
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Busting some Myths about Gandhi

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The inspiration to write this blog comes from several conversations I have had with people around me who are filled with apprehensions about role of Gandhi in the freedom movement. In the year of his 150th birth anniversary let us  bust some common myths that we all may have come across about the ' father of our nation ' Myths Addressed 1. Non violence is a fallacy , it didn't serve any purpose and was a failed and cowardly strategy to seek independence. 2. Gandhi did not win us independence , it was Bhagat Singh , Subash Bose who won independence for India. Gandhi just took credit for it. 3. Gandhi could have saved Bhagat Singh and prevented his hanging. 4. Gandhi had a shady personal life with other women. Analysis Myth 1: The utility of Non Violence Non Violent approach advocated by Gandhi is often termed as cowardly and begging British for mercy. It is often said that the better approach could have been picking up arms and forcefully evicting the British out of India. L
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