varna

Published on 11th September, 2022, in Times of India. A peculiar feature of the internet is finding a vast number of upper caste, mostly Brahmin, men who argue that there was no caste system prevalent in Vedic India. They further state that all talk of the caste system emerges after the British period, or perhaps because of Muslim rule. In other words, before the politically popular “Islamic invasion” of India, there was equality and justice in every village of India, where everyone was treated with respect and dignity. There was no 'untouchability'. However, there is ample historical evidence to show that Indian society, not just ..

WHO IS A HINDU? How ‘breaking India’ started. Published on 7th June, 2020, in Mumbai Mirror. At the heart of Hindutva is the idea that Hinduism is under threat from external and internal forces and they must be countered at any cost. The proponents of Hindutva are wary of Muslims and Christians and Dalits, but ignore how ‘breaking India’ first began 2,000 years ago when Brahmins started popularising the ChaturVarna system, ie the four-fold division of society, mentioned in the Rig Veda. The Rig Veda is a set of hymns that were composed 500 years after the collapse of the Harappan civilisation, around 1,500 BCE, ..