The notion that the Indian civilisation has always been inclusive and embracing is false. Conceptually, “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” – meaning “the world is one family” – presents a warped narrative. This inaccurate, rose-tinted view of history conveniently airbrushes centuries of caste discrimination.
Institutionalised by religious doctrine, caste hierarchy has been – and continues to be – a socially accepted norm. For centuries, people deemed to be “higher” in the concocted caste hierarchy – the so-called Chaturvarna system – have used caste as a weapon to exclude certain sections of the society from accessing basic resources.
It is social apartheid, perpetuated over generations. People deemed to be “lower” in the caste hierarchy have consistently been discriminated upon. For centuries, their touch was considered to be “polluting”– they were called “untouchables” and treated as such. They were not allowed to walk on the streets – their shadow was considered to be “contaminating.”
They were denied entry into temples and places of religious worship, prohibited from learning the Vedas, Upanishads and other Hindu scriptures. Those who tried to defy the conventions and learn the Vedas had to bear the brunt. Their tongues were “cut off to protect the sacred scriptures from being polluted.” They were forbidden from listening to the Hindu scriptures – those who dared to do so had hot wax poured through their ears.
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