Why Varna is Not Caste
The Four Varna system of ancient India was originally based upon the idea of an organic social order that remains relevant today. What is called caste today should not be confused with it. The Vedas arose five thousand More...
“Theory V” for Victory
Dharma, which is defined as “that which upholds the truth” cannot be fully viewed from the fragmented and fractured lens of Adharma – simply put as “that which does not uphold the truth”. More...
Varna and Caste: An Analysis-II
[contextly_sidebar id=”zVrg2wTehy85tSbJHmo9zLe6oySrYy9i”] In the previous article, I have shown the difference between the lenient Varna system and the rigid caste system. So, it is sensible to argue More...
Varna and Caste: An Analysis-I
Varna and Caste are controversial issues today. But, this controversy is not so much because of the intrinsic concept, but instead because of what it has grown to become and how it is perceived today by many people. While More...
Does ‘Varna’ provide a religious basis for the present Caste System?
Caste system and its accompanying discrimination and occasional violence have been the bane of Indian society. Even today, incidences of discrimination and violence have been reported from time to time, despite More...
Why is the world so obsessed with India’s caste system?
India’s caste system and ‘untouchability’ have been a matter of profound interest to a large number of social science researchers, historians, and even the general public in modern times. Perceptions of Indian More...
Hinduism and Caste: A Counter Narrative
The media and academic narrative today presents Hindu civilization as a negation of 21st century egalitarian norms. While elements of this description are not entirely incorrect given the hierarchy and exclusion More...
A Postscript To The World Of Varṇa
(Co-authored by Hari Ravikumar) Based on some of the feedback we received for our article on varṇa, we felt that it would be valuable to bring out a few more insights into the idea of varṇa and share some more More...
Exploring the World of Varna
Introduction Varṇa, the system of classification of society into different groups, has been a topic of much controversy, debate, and deliberation. The numerous studies on varṇa fill up whole bookshelves and More...
The caste system is a colonial idea
It was primarily under colonial Christian rule that the caste system as we know it today was defined, shaped and a narrative built around it. It’s time for India to take back the caste narrative in its own hands. More...