the British formulated the caste schedules
A Hindu organisation in the UK on Friday blamed the British for the caste system in India, saying the ''current adulteration'' of the varnashram system is a result of ''generations of British colonial bureaucracy''.
''It was the British who single-handedly formulated the caste schedules that remain in place today,'' Raj Pandit Sharma, a member of the Hindu Council UK's (HCUK) Executive, said in a report on 'Caste Discrimination'.
The HCUK said it came out with the report to prevent the spread of ''misinformation about Hinduism'' by ''anti-caste propagandists''.
Sharma said the evils manifest in the current form of the caste system could not be ascribed to the Hindu faith.
''The current adulteration of the Hindu varnashram system is a direct result of generations of British colonial bureaucracy,'' he claimed.
The report included quotations from Hindu scripture in support of the concept of egalitarianism and cites many sacred texts - respected by people of all castes - that were written by ''Dalits,'' or ''outcastes'', in an attempt to prove that in Hinduism, caste was never intended to be hereditary.
The report also highlighted the ''hypocrisy'' of those who would criticise caste in India while ignoring Britain's own social divisions. ''There are now record levels of homeless people in the UK, who are analogous with the outcastes of Indian society,'' Sharma said.
He also questioned comparing caste system with apartheid.
''This comparison is as ridiculous as it is untrue, especially given the fact these barbaric systems were born under the shadow of slavery or indentured labour, based on the colour of one's skin, and actually conceived and perpetrated by Europeans, not Hindus.''
''It is no joke to have to ward off concerted misinformation campaigns from UK parliamentarians who really ought to know better,'' Anil Bhanot, HCUK General Secretary, said in his Foreword to the document.
He said he has gone through the difficult process in the hope that it would alert the wider British public to the prejudicial tactics carried out by ''anti-caste propagandists''.
Banot said ''Today, we are putting the record straight. We are also naming and shaming those who spread misinformation about Hinduism and its relationship to caste in an ill-disguised attempt to vilify the Hindu people and cause division within our community.''
The result of several months research by Sharma, the report lifts the lid on rarely-heard Hindu perspectives on a subject assumed by most non-Hindus to be always a gross form of unjust discrimination, an alleged feature of Hinduism so maligned it justifies attempts by Christians to convert Hindus in the UK, in India and elsewhere, the report said.
The report acknowledged and condemned the fact that abuse of varnashram continues in India, despite an official ban on caste discrimination and the introduction of positive discrimination policies to emancipate lower castes, in particular Dalits, or 'untouchables'.
But it questions the existence of caste discrimination in the UK, saying no one should be ''fooled'' by groups making allegations of such discrimination who are seeking government legislation and funds to tackle this ''supposed problem''.
The detailed report challenges assumptions about caste and the claims made by organisations such as CasteWatch UK and the Dalit Solidarity Network UK, concluding that contrary to their assertions and popular belief, caste, as described in the Hindu scriptures, is not determined by birth.[ndtv]
''It was the British who single-handedly formulated the caste schedules that remain in place today,'' Raj Pandit Sharma, a member of the Hindu Council UK's (HCUK) Executive, said in a report on 'Caste Discrimination'.
The HCUK said it came out with the report to prevent the spread of ''misinformation about Hinduism'' by ''anti-caste propagandists''.
Sharma said the evils manifest in the current form of the caste system could not be ascribed to the Hindu faith.
''The current adulteration of the Hindu varnashram system is a direct result of generations of British colonial bureaucracy,'' he claimed.
The report included quotations from Hindu scripture in support of the concept of egalitarianism and cites many sacred texts - respected by people of all castes - that were written by ''Dalits,'' or ''outcastes'', in an attempt to prove that in Hinduism, caste was never intended to be hereditary.
The report also highlighted the ''hypocrisy'' of those who would criticise caste in India while ignoring Britain's own social divisions. ''There are now record levels of homeless people in the UK, who are analogous with the outcastes of Indian society,'' Sharma said.
He also questioned comparing caste system with apartheid.
''This comparison is as ridiculous as it is untrue, especially given the fact these barbaric systems were born under the shadow of slavery or indentured labour, based on the colour of one's skin, and actually conceived and perpetrated by Europeans, not Hindus.''
''It is no joke to have to ward off concerted misinformation campaigns from UK parliamentarians who really ought to know better,'' Anil Bhanot, HCUK General Secretary, said in his Foreword to the document.
He said he has gone through the difficult process in the hope that it would alert the wider British public to the prejudicial tactics carried out by ''anti-caste propagandists''.
Banot said ''Today, we are putting the record straight. We are also naming and shaming those who spread misinformation about Hinduism and its relationship to caste in an ill-disguised attempt to vilify the Hindu people and cause division within our community.''
The result of several months research by Sharma, the report lifts the lid on rarely-heard Hindu perspectives on a subject assumed by most non-Hindus to be always a gross form of unjust discrimination, an alleged feature of Hinduism so maligned it justifies attempts by Christians to convert Hindus in the UK, in India and elsewhere, the report said.
The report acknowledged and condemned the fact that abuse of varnashram continues in India, despite an official ban on caste discrimination and the introduction of positive discrimination policies to emancipate lower castes, in particular Dalits, or 'untouchables'.
But it questions the existence of caste discrimination in the UK, saying no one should be ''fooled'' by groups making allegations of such discrimination who are seeking government legislation and funds to tackle this ''supposed problem''.
The detailed report challenges assumptions about caste and the claims made by organisations such as CasteWatch UK and the Dalit Solidarity Network UK, concluding that contrary to their assertions and popular belief, caste, as described in the Hindu scriptures, is not determined by birth.[ndtv]
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