Caste System

Caste systems are hereditary systems of social class with cultural pluralism in many parts of the world. Today, it is most commonly associated with the Indian caste system and the Varna in Hinduism. In a caste society, the assignment of individuals to places in the social hierarchy is decided by social group and cultural heritage. This classification is based on social occupation, endogamy, social culture, social class, and social group. The caste system incorporates the concept of "Matam" (caste respect) which teaches all castes to respect each other. A caste system is one in which a caste's community occupations, traditions, social & multicultural heritage are maintained spiritually and respected.

Vedas and other Indian scriptures speak of 'varna', classification of the human society in general based on 'guna', or personality traits. In "A New History of India," by Stanley Wolpert, "[s]uch a process of expansion, settled agricultural production, and pluralistic integration of new people led to the development of India's uniquely complex system of social organization by occupation, which was mistakenly labelled the caste system by the Portuguese. The 4 main class of occupations (varna) stated in the Rig Vedic were 1. Brahmins (scholars and priests), 2. Kshastriyas (soldier warriors), 3. Vaishyas (merchants, artisans, and cultivators), and 4. Shudras (workers).

There are countless castes (occupations) in India throughout history. Before universal education, as in the rest of the world, job skills were often transferred within families. A occupation or related job that could be categorized into one of the four occupations varnas 1. Brahmins (scholars and priests), 2. Kshastriyas (soldier warriors), 3. Vaishyas (merchants, artisans, and cultivators), and 4. Shudras (workers). The Brahmins primary responsibility & job was to pray for peace, harmony and well being of the whole society. This could include to pray for rain and a successful harvests so the society could exist and be peaceful. They typically had few possessions and relied on others to maintain them. The Kshastriyas or (Solider warriors) responsibility & task in society was to protect others and risk their lives on the battlefield and prevent the society from being attacked by hostile external forces. The Vaishyas & Shudras responsibility & task was to build and perform economic activity so the society exist with their day to day lives. The Vaishyas also had the responsibility of providing jobs to the Shudras so they could exist and have stable & peaceful lives.

A caste, or occupation, association with a profession, or varna, can change with the chosen professions of its members. Caste based respect is where each occupational class community (social group) governs itself and respects the multicultural heritage of other castes without proselytising, interfering or imposing their

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