In Hinduism, there were castes. In Ancient India, the orders and roles of the castes were Brahmins, who were powerful religious figures. There are Kshatriyas, who were kings and warriors. Next, there are Vaisyas who were merchants and middle class workers. And then the Shudras, who were laborers and lower class workers. Finally, there are the untouchables or Dalits, who were the slaves. This was acceptable because Hindus believe that everyone is born as a lower caste, and the based on their Karma, the choices they make, they either get a better caste or worse caste.

Picture: http://www.christianpost.com/news/christian-untouchables-dalts-india-hindu-caste-system-nationwide-rally-equal-rights-156556/

In modern India, caste is very different then in Ancient India. Caste is very similar to race in America. Most times it is mentioned in casual conversations it is used in stereotypes. In an elevator conversation, people would say, Brahmins are good at math and listen to classical music. Or Kshatriyas love to party and fight. Where it still is very present is in two things. Marriage and politics. Inter caste marriages are not common, but their frequency is rising. It is very hard to be in an inter caste marriage because your partner is chosen by your parents. In politics, sometimes, caste can change the results of an election. The topic of jobs and education also comes up in caste, but in a different way. Many lower caste people can now get jobs a lot more easily than before, but the high paying jobs are usually held by higher castes. In university applications, there are spots reserved for lower castes. Caste is very similar to race, religion, and gender in the United States.

Picture: http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/india

Proof that caste discrimination is slowly diminishing is Narendra Modi. He was elected to be India's new prime minister. He was born in lower caste roots, and he worked his way to where he is now. He is open about being from a lower caste and some people say that this helped him win the election. He is fighting against caste discrimination and he is being called the Indian Abraham Lincoln. He wants to free the country from unbalance, give more power to the lower castes, and he is committed to doing everything he has claimed.

Picture: http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2016/06/27/full-text-of-narendra-modis-interview-with-arnab-goswami/

The most ruthless and brutal way caste comes up in Indian society is in attacks. There are Hindu Extremist groups who call them selves guardians. They go on night patrols and seek out lower castes. There are many incidents of these extremists attacking lower caste, but a very recent case, on July 11, 2016, four teenage boys were beaten by extremists. The boys were skinning a dead cow. The boys were from lower caste families. The attackers beat them with all sorts of weapons as you can see in the picture. Modi spoke against the cow protectors and said that they used the cows as an excuse to attack people. The police responded by filing a criminal complaint against the leader of this g

Picture: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp /2016/08/08/tide-turns-against-indias-cow-protection-vigilante-squads/?utm_term=.3edb041cf09b

What I have learned is that America and India share a lot with each other. While researching caste, I discovered how it really shares a lot with race. How problems occur, how it comes up in everyday life, and how people treat it. People can learn about how to treat race by knowing about caste. What Prime Minister Modi is doing to solve discriminatory problems could be applied to the United States or other parts of the world.

Picture: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theravada