IndiaThink

As Riots Flare... Lets Look Deeper

There have been numerous reporting of Hindu riots over the last few weeks, specifically the reports detail Hindu mobs burning Christian homes and churches.   Thus far about 50 people are reported dead and the Wall Street Journal reports that about 7,000 people have moved into refugee camps.

So why are the Hindu's attacking the Christians?  While its interesting to read these reports through the eyes of a Westerner who is surrounded by Christianity every day and think "those poor Christians."  I suggest you open your eyes wider as these stories are not so black and white.

 While India has long been known as a place of refugee for people escaping persecution such as the Tibetans, other parts of the population have an intolerance of outside religions (outside being outside the 85% Hindu population) such as Christianity and Muslims for a variety of reasons.  I have spoken about the Muslim plight in India here. There are very few successful Muslims in India which is not surprising considering that most with means migrated to Pakistan during separation in 1947.  Muslims tend to be viewed from a caste perspective, or system the of Chaturvarna, as part of the lower castes.  Ironically, Christians suffer from this same problem.  Most of them used to be Dalits or other lower castes, but they converted to Christianity to "escape" the caste system.  These are generalizations; there are rich Christians in India as well as Rich Muslims.  But lets be very clear, for the most part Christians of wealth likely started out as higher caste Hindus which means from the beginning that had access to more resources.  

Untouchables are viewed as un-pure so there are cultural traditions set up to keep the purity of the higher castes.  This means different tables if not different rooms entirely, using different drinking glasses, only allowing those of the same caste to wash their used glasses as they are considered contaminated, living down river so their water does not flow into the higher castes' supply, they can not take communion inside a Catholic church (in most situations its just not done anymore in India to avoid the conflict) for fear of sharing the same cup..and so on.  The hold idea is to keep these people at the edge of society in every way possible.  They are not granted land, they are entitled to grow a few things on the community property outside the village as the higher castes in the village realize they need the labor but do not want them to live inside town.  And you get the point....

To escape this plight Dalits attempting to leave this group change their names (last names indicate caste) and attempt to reject Hinduism by joining the Catholic of Buddhist faith.  Hindus view this as "Christians trying to convert our people" according to Jagannath Lenka who was quoted in the Wall Street Journal.  This is a "problem" as the Dalits are a powerful political force because of there sheer volume--its represents 16% of India's population or about 170 million people by today's numbers.  Guess what?  That is HALF the people that live in the United States.

Ironically, the idea of converting to escape the Hindu caste system was started by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar who was one of the leaders working on the Indian Constitution in 1947 after its Independence from Britain.  Babasheb decided to encourage all Dalits to convert to Buddhism after loosing this fights to do away with Chararuvana.  Christian faiths picked up on this movement and sent in leaders to try to evangelize Indians to join their faith quickly there after.

The Hindus want the Dalits and other low castes to stay with the team--to keep working on the government to open up more affirmative action policies and more access to programs.  And the pressure is mounting as higher caste members are eliminating their need for the Dalits with the introduction of technology and the privatization of land ownership.  Dalits are no longer needed as much by society so they are being pushed father to the edges.  As a group, departure is viewed as a weakening team.  Its no wonder that so many Christians have been attacked over the previous weeks.

I have little tolerance for the Catholic Church's efforts in India.  The effort around the Dalits is filled with sappy language about how these people need Jesus and the Catholic's "God."  What the Untouchables really need is access to education where 90% of their group does not drop out because they are needed to work at home or they are heckled out by students after they are forced to clean the toilets.  They need access to skill building and training.  They need the same things that the US needed in 1960's around equal access---instead of being served out the back window with separate glasses they need a seat at the table.  They need for community leaders to not call meetings after dark when Dalit members are not allowed to leave the confines of their community to vote on issues.  Mind you, they hold a very large portion of the respective leader chairs as demanded by the affirmative action mandates, but they can not be used if they can't get to the voting time.  They need a way to build a community of their own, not one under the auspicious of seeking God.  Not a church that still demands separate cemetery plots based on caste or rejects the sharing of a communal cup.  I encourage the Church to find a path that these can be balanced and build templates that whole communities can use instead of building more walls, something India has plenty of already.   

Are Muslims Really Equal to Untouchables?

This article caught my eye while on a plane last week.  Spending an enormous amount of time on planes these days which makes me long for more time to type on this keypad and share my thoughts on all things India. Today’s post looks at Wall Street Journal’s “How a Muslim Tycoon Thrives in India” which I will not even bother to offer up the link to since WSJ is closed off to the world that does not pay for it.  It appears on 9/11/07...a brilliant day to fly to Chicago.

Focus: Muslim Billionaire.
Worth: 17 Billion
Why is this interesting? (Beyond of course our general fascination with the rich?)

And so here we are with some fantastic information around being Muslim in India. Yes this article begins its focus on a very rich man who lives in India who is Muslim. AND, of course we are impressed with this. Great. Thank you WSJ for this information.

BUT, before we chide this Republican centric rag, I am stating right here I am impressed on the WSJ’s ability to see something that looks interesting and look further…….much further. 

For those not familiar with the dispute between Hindus and Muslims in India, I highly recommend grabbing a copy of Ghandi or Earth and and buckling down for the evening on the couch.  Earth is very good at telling the story of "separation." To make a long story short: the birth of Pakistan is the result of a political deal (people like the word compromise here) saying India will be Hindu and by the way --- there is a new nation that will be Muslim. This decision resulted in over a million people being killed. I am sure a lot of them would report being very confused about this, why they were suddenly forced to confront their neighbors as enemies especially in cities like Lahore right on the edge of the partition.

So what does it mean to be Muslim in India? I have met so many victims of partition who are now living in the US and remember moving without anything across the border south or north as being instructed by their religion. What happened to the brightest of these victims who were suddenly forced to choose sides? Most of them left resulting in an intense brain drain in the 50s/60s/70s.  But the WSJ thinks about the Muslim community in regard to India specifically saying “Muslims who abandoned India included large numbers of the most educated and successful. Those remaining after partition have become ‘economically, socially, educationally…India’s most backward community.”

What was astonishing to me was the authors account that “By some economic and social measures, Muslims are even losing out to Dalits, the erstwhile “untouchables” who are at the very bottom of the Hindu caste hierarchy.” “Many Hindu politicians and academics see an urgent need to bridge the economic divide between the Muslim minority and the Hindu majority."  These concerns are so strong that discussions about extending them affirmative action benefits--or in other words setting aside jobs specifically for Muslims in the same way Dalits are provided protection. Remember how important these set aside benefits are to low caste Indians(think riots over having access to them)?

Equal to the status of untouchables?  This is something I have not come across frequently in the past and am eager to learn more about.  Is there a distinct prejudice toward the Muslims as a whole that is alive and well in India? Or were so many Muslims displaced that thought leaders have disappeared leaving them with little direction?  I also am very curious about location for this type of thinking.  You will "see" more Muslims in the north so are these problems mostly found in the south?

 

Caste Struggles Bust in Rajasthan

"The Gujjars, officially classified as an “Other Backward Class” for the purposes of affirmative action set-asides in public sector jobs, want to be included in the list of Scheduled Tribes, which are considered more socially and economically deprived and thus are eligible for more benefits." .....................One way to solve the current standoff, scholars have suggested, would be to draw more specific distinctions between those considered “backward” and those considered less so, or to take a fresh look at those who, as the sociologist on caste, D. L. Sheth, put it, “have ceased to be backward.”

Some will fail to mention the impact that caste continues to have on life in India.  Its struggle may not be apparent to those you would "normally" meet during an average business dinner or engagement, but you will see the other side of the world set up across the street living in tents.  Rajasthan has experienced a series of violent protests around the idea of including an additional caste(Gujjars) into the categories established to assist the lower castes, sending me a strong message that the disparity of India's success is widening. The version we see from our shores looks bright while the reality is much less pleasant.  Some numbers:

India Population:~1 billion

Number of people with formal jobs: 40 million

Number of people paying income taxes: 35 million

Number of people with government jobs: 21 million

Number of people in private sector: 14 million

Number of people employed in information technology, software, back-office processing, and call centers: 1 million

These numbers are from a brilliant book title "In Spite of the Gods" by Edward Luce.  His point is clear: India's economy is booming, but few people are enjoying it.  The rest of the country is struggling with out access to low wage jobs. 

My message: recognize that the caste system is alive and well in the hearts of India.  It may not impact the people you meet in an obvious way, but the system continues to thrive inside organizations who are very well aware of what social circles individuals originated from which will impact your relationships.  It will be rare to see a highly respected "backward caste" member rise up inside an India based business and you should be aware of possible caste differences across teams.   Selecting a leader based on US standards may result in one that has no followers---and therefore is really the wrong choice in this social setting.

The reality of life and death in India

Everyone will tell you, quite honestly and hope, that the caste system is dead. India knows better. Its hard to break a culture of a three thousand year old habit. This morning the tragic death of three Dalits that starved to death is a sorrowful example.

You see castes everywhere in India. From the Dalits who are missing their shoes to the Brahmin young men with thin twine slung diagonally across their chest. Brahmins are the highest caste while the Dalits are in a sense outside of the caste system all together and are quite often shunned into dirty occupations or are begging everywhere for rupees. Some call them untouchables or harijans or musahar. Children of God is the poetic phrase Gandhi used to describe them. Some are very sick, others have children, others have missing arms and legs and others make it out--to success and freedom. But they usually find that their freedom is continually swatted back by higher caste members when origins surface. A great book to read about this aspect of Indian society is "Untouchables: My families Journey out of the Caste System" by Narendra Jadhav