Tag: contemporary issues in indian politics

The Caste system in India has been in prevalence since Vedic times. The caste system is in hierarchical forms in India. With the advancement of the era, the upper caste people started discriminating lower caste people and tortured them in various ways. In British Raj, there were several caste inequalities in vogue. Lower caste people were not allowed to enter premises reserved for higher caste.

Caste hierarchy means a class structure that is determined by the birth. Under this caste hierarchy, some castes are placed at the top and some are at the bottom. In Hinduism, Brahmins are placed at the top and shudras are at the bottom. 

• Periyar, who is popularly called Rousseau of India and Socrates of South East Asia due to Social Reforms.
• He conducted the Self Respect Movement 1925 for upliftment of the downtrodden community and abolition of caste system.
• He advocated for the abolition of untouchability.

The two political leaders who fought against caste inequalities were Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, several social reformers fought to create a new social system based on freedom, equality, brotherhood, human dignity and economic justice. Periyar E.V. Ramasami Naickar was such a social reformer from South India. He is known as a rationalist and the leader of the lower caste movement in South India. He aroused people to realise that all men are equal and that it is the birthright of every individual to enjoy liberty and equality.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) which means Dravidian Progress Federation was founded by C.N Annadurai on 17th September 1949 in Tamil Nadu. It is a state political party in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Union territory of Puducherry. The DMKs ideology includes social democracy, populist and democratic socialism.

Tamil Nadu was the first state in India to introduce the Mid-Day Meal Scheme. The Mid-day Meal Scheme involves the provision of lunch free of cost to school-children on all working days. Its key objectives include: Protecting children from classroom hunger; Increasing school enrolment and attendance; Improved socialisation among children belonging to all castes and Addressing malnutrition, and social empowerment through provision of employment to women.The programme has also helped reduce caste prejudices because both lower and upper caste children in the school eat this meal together.

Sri Narayana Guru, born in Kerala, preached brotherhood for all and fought against the ill effects of the caste system. He led a quiet but significant social revolution and gave the watchwords One Caste, One Religion, One God for all men. 

Jyotirao Govindarao Phule also known as Mahatma Jotiba Phule was a social reformer from Maharashtra. Jotiba Phule and his wife Savitri Bai Phule were pioneers of women's education in India. In 1873 he founded the Satyashodhak Samaj (Truth Seekers Society), which was devoted to securing human rights and social justice for low-caste people.

Savitri Bai Phule was the first headmistress of the country's first school for girls in Pune. The aim was to free girls from social slavery and ignorance. The school was named Bhide School, after the owner of the property, Tatyarao Bhide. He gave some rooms to Mahatma Phule, husband of Savitri Bai, at his Bhide Wada, to start the first school for girls. They faced immense opposition and even abuse, but continued steadfastly amidst adversity, and continued to run the school.