The Caste System
The Indian caste system has been in use for many years. Still today the values of the caste system are held strongly. The Hindu conception of the social order is that people are different, and different people will fit well into different aspects of society. India was divided into 4 classes and one other that did not even fit in the system, the untouchables. The classes were ranked Brahmin, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas and last were the Shudras.
The Harijans or more commonly known as Untouchables were considered outcasts. Untouchables are outcasts—people considered too impure, too polluted, to rank as worthy beings. Prejudice defines their lives, particularly in the rural areas, where nearly three-quarters of India's people live. Untouchables are shunned, insulted, banned from temples and higher caste homes, made to eat and drink from separate utensils in public places, and, in extreme but not uncommon cases, are raped, burned, lynched, and gunned down.
The Harijans or more commonly known as Untouchables were considered outcasts. Untouchables are outcasts—people considered too impure, too polluted, to rank as worthy beings. Prejudice defines their lives, particularly in the rural areas, where nearly three-quarters of India's people live. Untouchables are shunned, insulted, banned from temples and higher caste homes, made to eat and drink from separate utensils in public places, and, in extreme but not uncommon cases, are raped, burned, lynched, and gunned down.