All that I Wanted to Know about Caste System but NOT Afraid to Ask

Is Ambedkar Jayanthi a 'religious holiday' like Sankara Jayanti, Rama Navami or Prophet Maohammad's birthday?

A well read person I know: Sankara's Advaita is an excercise in intellectual acrobatics

All Havyakas follow Shankaracharya of Ramachandrapura

Some Dakshina Kannada Brahmins; Sivalli, Kota, Koteshwara, Kandavara, Sthanika Havyakas are from border between UK & DK. They are subdivided into Havika, Kota, Shivalli, Saklapuri. All Are Smarthas All Havyakas follow Shankaracharya of Ramachandrapura Niyogis tarditionally had secular occupations.

Brahmins form 4 % of Indian population. 'Muslims' are 15-20%. Should Brahmins get a minority status?

Vishwakarmas are also known as Jangid Brahmin

Punjab has the largest number of SCs in India.  Punjab has the most number of Schedule castes-Sikh SCs Brahmins form 4 % of Indian population. 'Muslims' are 15-20%. Should Brahmins get a minority status? Most Brahmins from Andhra are Smartha Veerashaivas(Lingayats) constitute around 15% of the total population in karnataka 70% of the Lingayats belong to to Panchamasali sect West Bengal 99 pc Bengal Muslims now on OBC list.  Trinamool Congress  has decided to include 33 more categories in the OBC list. At present there are 65 communities in the OBC category.  today the cabinet has taken a decision to include 33 more castes and sub-castes into the list which will bring 98 of the identified 143 castes in the state under OBC category,.    Muslims comprise 26 per cent of the electorate of the state. “Previously the reservation for OBC in the state was 7 per cent but it was lifted to 17 per cent in 2010.  sked about the rest 45 c...

MN Srinivas:"The caste system is far from a rigid system. Movement has always been possible".  Srinivas defined sanskritization as a process by which "a low or middle Hindu caste, or tribal or other group...contd.  Sanskritaisation: Contd: changes its customs, ritual ideology, and way of life in the direction of a high and frequently twice-born caste.

Taqiyya is a practice mostly used by Shia Muslims to deny they were muslims to avoid persecution. Also paractised by Sunnis

Patidars can be Hindus and Muslims Gujjars can be both Hindus and Muslims Pampa, 10th cntry kannada poet: "Of all religions Jainism is the best, of all castes the brahmin is the best." He was a Jain & a Brahmin

Sarania Community in Gujarat: Traditionally all the girls are pressed into Prostitution. An NGO has organised a mass marriage for them.  Vadia is the Village of Prostitutes of Sarania Community in Gujarat

EVR Naikar: If sahibs get..& SCs get represntatn in jobs and educn and if rest are monopolised by Brhmns, O Shudra, what will be your future

Food cooked by Marka Brahmins are not accepted by any other caste including Dalits.

Zakir Hussain of Peace TV said that the Hindu Caste system has been mentioned in Vedas. According to Ambedkar, Caste system was mischievously introduced by Brahmins through "Purusha Sukta"

'Janasamudaya Samputa' is book published by Hampi Kannada University. The book lists. It lists 240 communities in Karnataka.

Met an 'Arabhase Gowda' from Coorg. They speak a dialect slightly different from Kannada or Coorgi. My close friend is a Kannada speaking bunt. I met recently a Sajjan Lingayat and a Vegetarian Reddy Lingayat 

Kailasam in Poli Kitty goes out of his way to make Kitty a Brahmin. If Kitty were a Sudra, spirit of the play would have been still intact

In Osmania university , the SC/ST students demanded that they hv a right to be served beef in the mess. They were opposed by ABVP.  To protest against 'Food Fascism', 'Beef Fest' organised by Dalits in Osmania University. Protest by ABVP leads to stabbing. In Ahmedabad Rabadi Community and Patidar community clash. Community elders undertake fat unto death to stop group clash.  Rabadi community in Gujarat is a cattle rearing community Dev S/o Muddegowda controversy: Okkaligas think Muddegowda is a demeaning name Hindu,16jun2009,Davanagere:Sadu Lingayats take out procession in protest against withdrawal of order on Reserevation under 2A

In Pre-independence Congress meeting where Gandhi was present, seating arrangement for Lunch was according to caste. This upset EV Ramaswami Naikar, who was a cnogressman. He then started the Dravdian movement Ramaswami Naikar garlanded the idols of Rama & Krishna to drive home the point that nothing bad would befall if we challenge the tradition Buddhism rejected authority of Vedas and Verna system. They focused on ethics

There are 3 divisions among Raju community: Surya vamsa, Chandra Vamsa, & Buruda.  Satyam's Ramalinga Raju belongs to Surya Vamsa Raju community.  one of Ramalinga Raju's family took offence when I unknowingly said a certain well known Raju belonged to their community.  when in fact he belonged to one of the other Raju communties. 

Shashi Tarror: Nayar Yeddy;Banajiga Lingayat SM Krishna: Ananth Kumar: Mulukanadu Brahmin Ambedkar's wife: Brahmin(don't which subsect) Parthiv Patel is a Patidar

Lingayat Swami of Tontadarya Mutt was stoned at allegedly by Shivayoga Mandira president Sanganabasava Swami. Mahanta Shivacharya of Sulaphala Mutt: Shivayoga Mandira had been turned into a centre of casteism by one sect of Lingayats. Shivayoga mandira was founded by the Late Hangal Kumara Swami There are over 100 mathas belonging to specific castes such as Kuruba(Shepherd) etc in Karnataka

TUMKUR: Governor H.R. Bhardwaj on Sunday said that Veerashaivism was different from Hinduism.  Mr. Bhardwaj said: “I am convinced about this. As Union Minister of Law, I ordered(???) that Veerashaivism is different from Hinduism.” I am not making it up, he really said 'ordered' Ramakrishna ashram says they are not hindus. 'Lingayat is not Hindu. Do not mention sub caste in he census.' Mate Mahadevi, Seer of Basava Dharma peetha to Lingayats

Gopinath Munde of BJP demands OBC reservation within Women's reservation TNN Jun 11, 2009, To appease Lingayat comnty Yeddy govt inclded one of the most fwd sub-castes- Sadar Lingayats - undr most bckwrd category

Vajapeyi:" We had to resort to 'Kamandal' (Ram Janmabhumi movement) to counter 'Mandal'(Reservation for backward classes)" TNN Jun 11, 2009, To appease Lingayat comnty Yeddy govt inclded one of the most fwd sub-castes- Sadar Lingayats - undr most bckwrd category

Khap is a group for administering caste based issues of Jats. Popular in Haryana, Punjab, Rajastan. Serva khap is Grand meeting of all Khaps Khaps are in news for awarding and executing death sentence to a couple marrying against khap rules Efforts are on to legalise khap rules. If you could amend constitution against Shabano why not legalise punishments according to Khap rules. Sunni Ulema passes Fatwa against Sania & Shoib living under one roof before wedding

Hajama: Barber Bomman: Brahmin Vadda: Vadda Community Kokke: Gowda Saraswata Brahmin 7(Seven) Gowda Saraswata Brahmin

Barber communities in South India also traditionally play Classical Karnatak Nadaswaram. There are many acclaimed masters of this art. Bangalore Barber community went on a protest demanding that the hair cutting businesses be reserved for barber community only

Kamme are a Kannada speaking Brahman community. They are said to be 'too' proud. "Kammeyo? Hemmeyo?(proud in Kannada)" They claim superiority among other brahmins such as Hoysala karnataka Chitpavans of Maharashtra claim superiority over other brahmins in Maharashtra Tulu Bunts cliam superority over kannada speaking bunts. A Madhwa Brahmin friend:"my father does not eat in a Smartha Brahmin house as they follow Shankaracharya who was a 'Mayavadi'" A certain Lingayat sect do not eat in a Brahmin house Mala & Madiga do not eat together Madhwa Achars claim superiority over Rayas (Raos). Both Claim Superiority over Madhwas of Sri Kanva Mutt Ghurye: There are 18 divisions among Madhwas. All eat together. Only 3 intermarry:Satyabodhas, Rajendratirthas, Raghavendras Madhwas do not read Amarakoshas on Ekadasi as it was written by a Buddhist Madhwas prefer Smarthas in marriage to Madhwas of Kanva Matha. Niyogi Brahmins of Andhra ...

Once I visited a kannada speaking Brahman house in search of an alliance for my sister. I was delighted when we were told.  that although we belonged to a Brahman community, we were still lower than theirs, and as such it was not a match 

Gotul is a co-ed boarding school system for sex education practised by Gond Muria tribe in chattisgarh

Sankethi is the only Brahmin community who traditionally farmed with their own hands. So they are 'Sudra' among Brahmins. 

Mala & Madiga are 2 Dalit communities which are outside the Varna hierarchy. There is a traditional rivalry between the two.  Malas feel Madigas are walking away with a bigger 'reservation' pie. They are demanding for 'reservation with in reservation'

I have not really seen anyone concealing or ignorant of his Jati. Every one knows the Jati that is higher than his and also lower than his. Wikepedia is a well glossed over source for information on communities. You get what each community wants others to perceive them as.  Wikepedia: The information you get is quite different from what you get when you talk to the real people of the community.  Wikepedia: It is like reading a marketing literature of the community. They usually hide sub grouping & hierarchy to promote 'unity' Hats off to Manda Krishna Madiga who wears his Madiga roots as proudly as a 'Trivedi' or a' Chaturvedi' or a 'Sastry' An engineer in a state govt firm:"Everyone knows everyone's caste, but we don't talk about it'

In my talks with people of many communities in India, almost every one quite proudly declares his Jati, but detest the word 'Sudra'. 8 Apr 10

Badaga is a community in Ooty. They have their own dialect called Badaga, that sounds a little like Kannada. I have a Badaga friend, a former colleague

Many Hindus observe fasting, offer prayers in a Mosque and break fast in the evening during Ramadan. Many Hindus have Muslim sounding names such as Hussein named after a Dargah Both Ayesha Siddiqui & Shoib Malik belong to Hanafi school of Islamic law

Every jati has a place in the system where they could make a living by practising a craft. Dalits were thrown outside this system. It is my argument that the exploitation, descrimination and marginalisation of Dalits is not because of the caste system, but not making them a part of the caste system 

The catholic Pope passed an order during the British rule in India that the churches should have a separate mass for Brahman christians. During the portugese rule in Goa, then Pope passed an order that there shloud be separate 'mass' for 'Brahmin Christians'

Basavanna was one of the great people who wanted to build a caste less society. Now Lingayat community he built is full of caste divisions. Banajiga means trader. Yeddy is from this community. I have a friend from this community

Muslims are not a homogeneous community as many believe. There is a caste system among Muslims.  By Caste I don't mean Sunnis & Shias. These are the sects based on religious beliefs. Other sects are Bohra, Ahmadias, Ismailis and others.  Ansarees & Khureshees are considered Lower caste. Khans & Sheiks considered higher caste do not marry in to Ansaree & Khureshee communities.  There are over 30 Sudra communities among Muslims-Agsar Ali Engineer. Mostly Sunnis pray at Darga, a place of worship of the burial place of a Sufi saint.

Met a Sheik Muslim from Bellary. Also met a Sheik Muslim from UP. Sheiks are the largest Muslim community in India.

Met Rajastanis, one belongs to a 'Sagar', another 'Mali' caste. Both are recent immigrants to Bangalore