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A Study of Social Mobility, Measure of Class and Prestige in India

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A Study of Social Mobility, Measure of Class and Prestige in India ISSN: 2230-9772 (Print); 2347-5927 (Online) Indian Journal of Applied and Clinical Sociology Volume 5: Issue 2, 2015. HDAWI A Study of Social Mobility, Measure of Class and Prestige in India Dr. Krishna Kant Sharma Email: [email protected]; M: 9504782781 Abstract: The paper examines the social mobility and stratification in India taking into account the Indian philosophical term guna or qualities described in the Sankhya system, believed to work on every matter living or nonliving. The paper also examined the foundations of ancient Indian stratification in terms of Brahmans, Ksatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra. The highest position to Brahmans as a social group may be a matter of self-ascription propagated through an organized propaganda with vested motives. Several ancient texts put Brahmins at the top of social hierarchy did not corroborate with the social systems and practices existing today and in the ancient past or any period of history. In fact, such issues remained thoroughly full of dogmatism, skepticism aimed at cheating and misleading. Moreover, guna or qualities such as Rajas, Tamas and Tamas cannot remain constant in terms of Brahmans, Ksatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra. They kept changing and orienting depending upon mutual interactions between the living world and ecosystem. Therefore, every person witness changes in status in a temporal and spatial manner. Therefore, the social mobility described by sociologists cannot be mere linear always, however, there are all possibilities that social mobility may be erratic, zigzag, and even cyclic because status and power change in a temporal and spatial manner. Key words: Social Mobility; Ancient Indian Social Classification; Measurement of Social Class: Caste and Varna Based Hierarchy Introduction civilization and its several systems are still intact and very much in practice. Therefore, the study of Indian society in Society and Culture in India have been truly magnificent, any retrospective manner cannot be separated from its diversified, and vast. The vastness of society and culture contemporary practices in entirety. lies in its multi ethnicity, religion, language, and intellectual development (Malika, 2007). Development of society and It can be said that traditionally gender did not make any culture in India could be divided into prehistoric to modern issue in most ancient literatures and it has been more used (Bayly, 1999). The culture of modern India is a complex by modern sociologists. It can be attributed to the fact that blend of its historical traditions, influences from the effects women did not write any history and male may have not of colonialism over centuries and current Western culture - preferred to write a history of women. Or there may be a both collaterally and dialectically (Sen, 2005). Social case that gender may not have been any issue in the past or mobility is the movement of social constituents, including may be deliberately ignored by ancient male scholars. individuals or social groups, or any other categories of Anything can be a possibility. In any case, it can be said that people within or between social strata in a society, causing kings and scholars remained part of ancient literatures. change in the social status and hierarchy. Females did become a part of the mythology. So the question does arise that why farmers, laborers, workers, and Vedic society in India considered by several historians as traders did not become any appropriate mention in most of without divisions of roles and there was no development of ancient literatures. The same thing can be said about economy. People were free to select their roles according to Buddhist and Jain literatures. The bulk of social life always their attitudes and attributes and despite patriarchy and a remained evolved around those farmers, labourers, workers, tribal form of governance. There was no caste and Varna and traders. Social life at any stage of human civilization formation as they happened in the post Vedic period never evolved round the kings and scholars, however, they (Sharma R. S., 2005) (Sharma R. S., 1960). The Vedic are prominently mentioned in most literatures. Society appeared to be an egalitarian society. It would be noted that most texts, including Arayanks or Upnishards, The caste system in India has been a more rigid system that Epics, Puranas, and Smriti Granthas were compiled during has been attributed by hierarchy, endogamy, territory, and the post Vedic periods. to great extent biology. In a study of the caste system sociologists should not ignore the distinct biology of the The richness of ancient Indian literature and texts could be different social groups and caste exhibited those biological easy sources for studying and presenting a chronological characteristics also due to endogamy. A lion, tiger, panther, account of social mobility in India. There are sufficient cat, or puma despite belonging to same species did not literatures available to us along with several existing social engage in any sexual act mutually. They must be knowing systems and practices that may enable us a scientific that this would be absurd. They can produce cubs after evaluation and study of the social mobility in India. A social mutual sexual interactions. However, they avoid such change cannot take place overnight and in any case it never things, despite sharing a common territory. Different castes replaces all practices of the ancient past. India is a living Ind. J. of Applied & Clinical Sociology 5 (2), 2015 ISSN: 2230-9772 (Print); 2347-5927 (Online) also come to acquire a distinct biology due to persisting Aryan Group of people or race. There are also different endogamy, profession, and trade. Every caste developed versions about Shudra being not existed and just first some specific practices and systems. They became able to classification being existed and marriages within those three do so despite sharing a common territory. Despite living in social groups were allowed, however, there were certain a same village different caste did have different needs and protocol followed even in case of those marriages. It was objectives. Due to democratization, urbanization different considered necessary because of different upcoming of boys people of different castes came in close contacts despite and girls of those three social classifications leading to a they have to get grouped in the name of caste. Why caste situation different boys and girls possessing different became so important, so much so that now most progressive qualities. However, marriages with Shudra was thoroughly people advocate to abolish the caste system. Many such so rejected. There are all the possibilities that due to fall of called progressive people do engage in inter caste and inter Varna System, dislocation, and migration different castes religious marriages. They may be also exposing or putting emerged in different point of time. the distinct qualities and biology of different castes to a Marriage served as an important institution for both upward dangerous proposition knowingly or unknowingly. It would and downward motilities and allowed among top three cause a disorganization of the society that may lead to fall social groups. Possession of knowledge was preferred in of control and order in the society. It has also resulted in addition to power, wealth, health, and labor. An individual growing conflicts between an urban and rural society, even in possession of knowledge, power, wealth, health, and between people belonging to the same caste and went to labor could enjoy the all-possible virtues of the creation. reside in any urban areas from any rural areas. The Sanskrit regarded as scholarly language and individual traditional value system getting eroded while new values having difficulties in Sanskrit, considered low in status. have not a strong agency to implement them. The There is a mention in Atharvaveda that people should avoid government so far not capacity to regulate such a huge visiting Kasi and Magadha because people’s inabilities population and almost a lost case in any case. In such a living there to properly pronounce Sanskrit. situation breaking or erosion of caste system would further lead to disorganization. Social Mobility caused mainly due to factors such as motivation, achievements, failures, education, skill, If we analyse a caste system before independence or training, migration, industrialization, urbanization, urbanization it would appear that in a village there was legislation, politicization, and modernization. In fact, not almost an egalitarian caste society. There was no any major the entire community or group benefitted because social or economic rankings because income level and movement of some individuals belonging to different social living standard were almost at par with each other. groups. If due to job and political reservation some However, there were rankings in terms of age, gender, and individual become a high rank officer or politician and levels of relationships. This balance started to get eroded acquired knowledge and wealth, therefore it could not apply after people started moving out of the respective villages to the entire group or community. Therefore, social mobility and getting engaged in certain business or employments. is more relevant at the individual level because of the slow There was a marked change in income, living standards, rate of reversible and irreversible movements. status, and power. Perhaps this was the greatest danger before the caste system not the inter caste marriage. Aim and objectives: Preference for a sexual preference or having multiple The basic aim of this paper would be to enrich the available choices could be a reason behind people preferring inter sources on social mobility. It would expedite the descriptive caste or inter region marriages. Such behaviour and possibilities of social mobility in ancient India. Social tendency may be termed as undisciplined and irresponsible, mobility considered as a great tool for establishing a just and that emerged as the root cause of divorce, desertion, and egalitarian society and creation of anomie and therefore domestic violence.
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