A random book from the library that shook me a bit

 

The libary in my area has a ‘Lucky day’ selection of some bestsellers that are allowed to be borrowed for 21 days. As I perused them, a book by an unusual name caught my attention and I casually picked it up. Two days later, much to my surprise, this very book was featured in the list of Barack Obama’s favorite books of 2020. I was a bit jolted by that and picked up the book again and looked at it. The cover was underwhelming and its name was Caste: the origin of our discontents. The author was interestingly an American lady which piqued my curiosity. To me, having hailed from India, I kinda’ owned the term - caste. A term that weighs heavily on anyone who knows anything about caste. The term that sends scores of people cringing in shame/denial or for some to laud their superiority over others.  I was indignant.  The term was Indian and how would an African American lady relate to that? How in the world did Mr. Obama put that on his list?

And so I began to read it. Just out of curiosity and almost as a dare to see what this book had I did not already know. Was I in for an awakening! I was quickly humbled and grateful that someone would take time to highlight the atrocities meted out on the subordinate caste by the assumed dominant castes in all parts of the world. 

This author, Isabel Wilkerson,despite never having got my attention before, had my undivided attention for the next several days. Attention grew to respect and then to awe. Now I am dumbstruck by her observations. Her fluency and eloquence in defining the caste system in its three fold definitions floored me. Here is a sample: “Throughout human history, three caste systems have stood out. The tragically accelerated, chilling and officially vanquished caste system of Nazi Germany. The lingering, millennia-long caste system of India. And the shape shifting, unspoken, race based caste pyramid in the United States. Each version relied on stigmatizing those deemed inferior to justify the dehumanization necessary to keep the lowest ranked people at the bottom and to rationalize the protocols of enforcement. A caste system endures because it is often justifies as divine will, originating from cared text or the presumed laws of nature, reinforced throughout the culture nd passed down through the generations” (76).

             Do you see what I mean? What I had imagined in my mind…...the words that died in my throat……..the words I have spoken but might not have spoken them effectively, she vocalized it, with  ease and wisdom. 

If there is one book you’d want to read to understand something about the dominant caste and the subordinate caste and every measure taken to maintain the hierarchy, I plead with you to read this book. In fact, I dare you to read this. But when you pick up this book, I beseech you to check your preconceived notions and your bias at the door. Open this book with an open mind and allow your mind to be watered with some of this author’s insight. Be ready to be taught. No matter how much you think you know, there is always more. I guess the readiness marks our willingness to learn.

To me it was revelatory….the way she touched upon the three kinds of caste systems, the insecurities she points out and the eight pillars of caste and the tact to subdue humans created in the image of God by a system that reminds them where they belong.

I realized I had not known too many facts.

      “The Indian caste system is an elaborate fretwork of thousands of subcastes or jatis, correlated to caste and village, which fall under the four main  varnas, Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra, and the excluded fifth, known as Untouchables or Dalits. It is further complicated by non-Hindus - Muslims, Buddhists and Christians-who are outside the caste system and incorporated themselves into the workings of the country and while eschewing rigid caste may or may not have informal rankings among themselves and in relation to the varnas” (76). As a Christian myself, I could not quite figure out how to react given that caste system plays a viable antagonistic role even among Christians in India. But my gratitude for her findings did not wane. 

Some of the stories took my breath away.  She mentions a Nigerian playwright who stated that there were no blacks in Africa. It is only when an African travels to the US or UK is when they are labelled as one.

Or the time MLK Jr. traveled to India and was introduced to the school children in Kerala as a fellow untouchable all the way from the US.

Or the time, a lady named Miss (yep, you read that right….the father named her Miss because black women were not referred to as Miss, so he named his daughter that!) She states, “I find that white people are fine with me as long as I stay in my place. As long as I  stay in the container ‘we have built for you’”......pointing to a jar with sugar in it. “As soon as I get out of the container…..it is a problem” (56).

There are references to amazing personalities from India like Ambedkar, the activist who fought for equality, a Rajput man who has renounced his high caste position, her own experiences with being subject to humiliating assumptions people make of her based on her skin color.

Finally, with the latest highlights of the BLM movements’ ripple effects, she draws a contrast between the fight over preserving the confederate statutes in the US and the museums set up to honor the holocaust museums in Germany.

“Rather than honor supremacists, with statues on pedastals, Germany, after decades of silence and soul-searching chose to erect memorials to the victims of its aggressions and to the courageous people who resisted the men who inflicted atrocities on human beings. They built a range of museums to preserve the story of the country’s descent into madness” (346).

I have never hesitated to point out the obvious when someone in the US wants to talk about castism in India like it is the worst thing that they had heard of.  Our many conversations starters have been this...where they ask “ Doesn’t India deal with castism?” and every one of those conversions have quickly ended with my response, “Oh my goodness, yes! It does. How can I explain it, it  just like……. racism here in the US”.

 I am guessing, the next time, when a conversation starts off with such awkwardness, I’d just recommend this awesome book that sheds light on everything that we try to turn a blind eye to or even better, nudge them to delve just a bit deeper within and not judge the other corners of the world too quickly.