dear freinds, i live in chidambaram where casteism is stll in its malignant form. society is extremely stratified. hierarchies are still matters. marriages are extremely driven by caste terms.
a person migrating from chidambaram to bangalore will harbour ant-uppercaste feeelings and it is natural.
recently one of my nephew got married to his freind in US. they both are tamils but "slightly" different in caste hierarchy.they had their marriage reception here. the bride family refused to attend because of caste rules.
anthropologically talking caste rules are the norm here. a person belonging to a trading community behave like a trader which ever job he is doing. a person belonging to a ritual class behave in ritualistic manner wherever he is positioned and align with his clan irrespective of their cadre in the office. feudal class still have preserved their feudal land lord attitude and the "artist classes perform arts in science department!?!"
the state of the oppressed classes are improving a lot but the psychological gap is too obvious. for example the big temple is visited by very very few of this class. the old inhibitions persist a lot.
as for as iam concerned i never hide my caste ID to anyone and ask others to reveal the same. i think this approach helps everyone to adjust with others cultural characteristics and able to maintain appropriate working social alliance. i think caste system is indian sociology and it has to be understood and properly. this is a form of good neighbourliness.
keralites and bengalees are pathological indians! who move away from indian culture(in this respect). kerala and bengal are products of huge ethnological mix of many races. it is probably artificial and is in a state of volatile. (high suicide rate is a pointer)their example is not altogether to be glorified. i also have been with both of them. it is a kind of psuedo-intellectualism. a person from orissa or jarkhand in my opinion is a more honest indians than the so called elite states.
Hmm so let me see, you want to maintain and Indian "culture" where caste hierarchy is kept in place?I find that quite spooky, to say the least. I would rather get rid of such a "culture" as the Bengalis and Keralites seem to have done. Culture is an evolving thing and has to evolve with the times. It will get irrelevant if it wants to remain anachronistic.
Tradition was usually started by an intelligent, and enterprising person for an eminently practical reason but it soon degenerates into rituals because of the unquestioning adherence to the letter of the observance rather than the spirit. Better to get rid of such "tradition" which doesn't change to keep pace with the time. Speaking for myself, I don't give two hoots what someone's "caste' is and I don't ever feel the need to know. In fact, I would be happy if they could that that "What religion are you" in all those bloody government forms. It is nobody's business but mine. Especially if I don't want to avail any special privileges, I don't see what business it is of the government.
Gandhi, combating caste does not mean at all that we have to be like Bengalis or Keralites.We can do it our own way and still keep our friendly/amicable dispositions. BTW the 'psychological gap' is hardly due to lack of caste barriers there are a multitude of other reasons for that. In Kerala for example the weather has a lot to do with how people feel - constantly humid and raining (It is very similar in Seattle and parts of Canada here too for example).
We can take small steps to combat this huge issue - as Arun said why ask peple on religion? And also please why talk about caste as if it is like the weather, like harmless and normal, in our state? Atleast dare to show some feeling around it...please...