Indian culture is largely based on the caste system that has been in place for hundreds of years. This caste system has prevented real progress in India due to its narrow beliefs. The caste system has been present in multiple cultures, but the caste system in India has been the one that has had the greatest impact on modern society or even remained in place. The Indian caste system is unique to their culture as it is called “Jati” system and is based on the morals, values ​​and social structure of the culture. “Although tribes and religious distinctions also exist in other societies, what distinguishes India is the prevalence of the caste system.” (Gupta, 410) Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay The Indian “Jati” system consists of four “Varnas”, four social categories or classes. The first or highest class of society, the category recognized as the most elite, is called “Brahman”. This class is primarily composed of “…priests whose rituals and sacrifices alone could ensure the proper functioning of the world.” (Strayer, 159) The next class or varna were the Kshatriyas whose main function was to "...protect and govern society". (Strayer, 159) Third, there was the Vaisya class, who were usually seen as the common people or people. Some were farmers, others were merchants, but this was the last class of respected people. It was also the last class of those considered "twice-born", of pure Aryan descent "...since they experienced not only a physical birth but also a formal initiation into their respective varnas and the status of people of Aryan descent". (Strayer, 159) Finally, they were the Sudras, or as they are better known, the “untouchables”. The Sudras were the lowest of the four social classes and were simply natives of India who lived among those who were forced to serve. “Considered servants of their social superiors, they were not permitted to hear or repeat the Vedas or take part in Aryan rituals. They were so little appreciated that a Brahmin who killed a Sudra was penalized as if he had killed a cat or a dog. (Strayer, 159) This four-tiered social structure was believed to form the body of the god Purusha. This idea impressed the structure classes even more on those living within the Hindu or Jati caste. The Jati played a very important role in the daily lives of the Indian people, due to the fact that most “social distinctions… arose largely on the basis of occupation… Each jati was associated with a particular set of duties , rules, and obligations that defined its members' unique and separate place in the larger society. (Strayer, 161) Even though the outside world has evolved and things like slavery have been outlawed, and men and women are viewed equally, the caste system, although practiced slightly differently, remains in place. In fact, the entire Indian society is doing as a whole and as individuals hold back. They remain in a primitive stage of life, all due to the fact that, generation after generation, they have been taught to believe that they will not get that far in life. These individuals have been taught to fulfill their obligations without asking questions, because if they belong to a respectable caste (of Aryan blood) they will be reborn into the life they hope to have when in reality this is completely false. This same belief can be compared to the times of slavery in America, when owners promised freedom to their slaves after the slave had worked for a certain number of years, only then fordiscover that the master or owner was lying. The exception in the caste system is that the people in it never live long enough to learn that it isn't true, which is one of the many reasons the system has lasted so long. Their beliefs are beyond this world, so their only proof is death, thus making it impossible for anyone on the outside to question their beliefs. Those most affected by the caste system are the Shudras or the untouchables. There are approximately "one hundred and sixty million untouchables who risk violent retaliation if they forget their place". (O'neill, National Geographic Online) The small-minded individuals who uphold Indian society and the structure of the caste system believe that they will be reborn and hope that with rebirth comes a better life, a higher position among others. society perhaps. Untouchables are treated worse than animals and are punished even when they speak repeatedly. In my opinion they are one of the saddest realities in the world. They are human and yet they are despised and hated because they do not belong to a certain lineage. Because they work with their hands they are considered dirty. These realities are what make me hate it when an American teenager doesn't say something is right. Because there are much worse things in the world than many are aware of and one of them is the untouchables. A very sad example of how untouchables are treated is the story of a man named Girdharilal Maurya. He, among the few untouchables who dare to try to create a life for himself and his family. He worked hard as a leather worker, which is what deemed him an untouchable due to the fact that "...Hindu law says that working with animal skins makes him unclean, someone to be shunned and reviled." (O'Neill, National Geographic) One evening, while his wife and daughter were in their small house and Maurya was absent, the men of the village visited him to remind him exactly where he and his family belonged. “They broke his fences, stole his tractor, beat his wife and daughter and burned his house.” (O'Neill, National Geographic)It is men like these who hold Indian society back. The primitive nature with which they force those below them to the bottom of the social ladder is what prevents them from progressing towards a better life. The idea that locals view the use of violence and intimidation tactics as more practical than encouraging the economic stability of anyone in the community is primal at best. Instead of limiting it to a select few, Indians need to open their minds and possibly consider changing the structure of their religion slightly to include those who are considered untouchable, if only to create a working class for the nation . Untouchables should not be treated simply as dirty and homeless animals, they are people, these people have the right to live a healthy and prosperous life as much as the most elite individual living in India. As much as the idea of ​​encouraging violent acts like the one committed against Mr. Maurya may remain, it only reinforces the idea that until a change is made in India, they will remain as they are, living in the same period as their beliefs are developed. If we were to see a change in India, I believe it would be extremely beneficial. If the untouchables were employed and allowed to live a healthy and hardworking life, even at the lower end of the social spectrum India would not be in the pool of its own problems but would be running the race with other countries of the world. There are some areas that are seeing economic growth and social change such as.