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NEW YORK, U.S.A., October 24, 2004: East Indians immigrating to the U.S. usually bring Hindu caste traditions in some form to America, the land that the article says prides itself on its standard of egalitarianism. The article points out that the economic and religious foundation of the caste system dates back thousands of years to the origin of Hinduism. It originally defined an individual’s accomplishments and divided human society into four possible categories, the Brahman caste of priests and scholars, the Kshatriya caste of warriors and administrators, the merchant and landholding Vaishyas, and the skilled workers and peasants. Interactions between castes was defined with certain protocol. Even a class called the untouchables or dalits emerged. These individuals worked cleaning streets and toilets or at funeral pyres. Eventually the caste system became so rigid that individuals born into a certain family were locked into the caste of that family regardless of their accomplishments. The article says, “After India gained independence from Britain in 1947, the legal forms of caste were abolished, and lower castes began benefiting from favorable quotas for government jobs and college entry. By the mid-1960’s, the social aspects of the system were also slackening among urban and educated sectors of Indian society, precisely the groups that furnished most of the doctors, engineers and other professionals who began coming to the United States under preferences in immigration law.” However as more and more Indians migrated to the U.S., they started seeking companionship with those from similar traditions. All these traditions are defined by caste. Dr. Khandelwal, who supports marrying individuals from the same caste, explains, “The underlying hope is that you have a woman or man from the same caste. That way the marriage supports the family tradition. You are assuring, to the best of your ability, to live through those traditions expressed in food, dress, vocabulary and other things.”



So this is why New York City’s Indian newspapers are often found advertising for prospective mates according to caste. The article explains, “Mostly caste survives here as a kind of tribal bonding, with Indians finding kindred spirits among people who grew up with the same foods and cultural signals. A few castes have formed societies like the Brahmin Samaj of North America, where meditation and yoga are practiced and caste traditions like vegetarianism and periodic fasting are explained to the young.” Pratima Sharma, president of the New Jersey chapter of Brahmin Samaj, says, “Right now my children are living in a mixed-up society. That’s why I went into the brahmin group, because I wanted to give my children the same values.” Pinder Paul, whom the article describes as a spirited 50-year-old Punjabi Sikh, has lived in New York City since 1985 and owns a business with his wife. Paul says, “Our friends who came here from India from the upper classes, they’re supposed to leave this kind of thing behind, but unfortunately they brought it with them.” However, Mr. Paul does belong to a local Dalit group and he would prefer that his children marry Dalits so that they can stay in his community.



HPI adds: In the UK, we’ve been told that the Indian community is starting to use the word “clan” instead of caste.

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