LEARNING FOR TODAY

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

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