India, Culture and society

IPRI Conference on India, Rio de Janeiro, 28th of August 2008 Marie-Caroline Saglio-Yatzi irs!"#

India is so di$erse, %ith so co of its as +00

an" different ethnic, religious and linguistic

unities, that it is hardl" &ossi'le to s&ea! of its culture and societ", 'etter to s&ea! ulti&licit" of cultures and societies( In the )ifties, *ehru 2 %as &ortra"ing India illion distinct en and %o en, all different one fro the other, all li$ing in a illion &eo&le are toda" o$er

uni$erse of &ersonal thoughts and feelings( ,hose +00 #(#- 'illion-( ,here

a" 'e, ho%e$er, a unit"( As *ehru also said. /I was () fully aware of

the diversities and divisions of Indian life, of classes, castes, religions, races, different degrees of cultural development. Yet I think that a country with a long cultural background and a common outlook of life develops a spirit that is peculiar to it and that is impressed on all its children, however much they may differ among themselves0+( Conse1uentl" this &a&er on Indian culture and societ", in order to catch so e of this di$ersit", consciousl" o&erates a selection in its o'2ect and orientation( ,hat is a rational choice though Indian e3&erience is al ost al%a"s e otional, 'ut ho&efull" this selection %ill offer so e insight into %hat *ehru calls the /&eculiar s&irit0 of India( M" 'een facing ain orientation %ill 'e, according to the the e of this conference, ho% odernit"( 4hat social and cultural challenges has it 'een facing, %hat

&resent da" India, %ith its social structures ta!ing root o$er t%o thousand "ears, has ans%ers has it 'een offering5 *ehru again said. / Ancient India () was a world in itself, a culture and a civili ation which gave shape to all things. !oreign influences poured in and often influenced that culture and were absorbed06( 4hat a'out toda"5
#

Associate Professor, Institut *ational des 7angues et des Ci$ilisations 8rientales 9I*A7C8:, Centre d;<tudes de l;Inde et de l;Asie du Sud 9C*RS-<=<SS:, Paris(
2

Ja%aharlal *ehru 9#88>-#8?+: %as a a2or &olitical leader of the Congress Part", a &i$otal figure in the Indian inde&endence o$e ent and the first Pri e Minister of Inde&endent India 9#>60-#>?+:( "ensus of India - esti ate for March #0, 2008( + *ehru, J( #he $iscovery of India, @elhi, 83ford Ani$ersit" Press, #>+?, #>>B, &( 6>( 6 Ibid. &( ?2

8ur h"&othesis is that India has the $er" ca&acit" %hich gi$es it unit", al%a"s to co e 'ac! to itself. e$en toda" it still &resents a uni1ue t"&e of social structure, the caste s"ste , and culture to the %orld( =ere stands its uni1ue %a" of ans%ering the issues of the odern %orld(

To start with a tale

7et us 'egin %ith a fa ous tale of the %anchatantra, a Sans!rit collection of ani al fa'les in $erse and &rose, %hich is said to ha$e 'een co &osed in the 2nd centur" CC, and that has ins&ired Aeso& and 7a )ontaine( Duoting =indu fa'les or legends is not 2ust an erudite e3ercise for acade ics 'ut rather it is faithful to Indian &o&ular culture, a i3ture of tradition, histor", "th and legend inherited fro the %anchatantra, the &an-indian e&ics such as the &amayana and 'ahabharata and shared '" e$er" Indian, %hoe$er she or he a" 'e, illiterate, li$ing in a re ote $illage or ore than fi$e illions educated in one of the thirt" si3 Indian cities that account for

&ersons( ,his cultural 'ac!ground still e3erts a &o%erful influence on his or her life, and constitutes a cultural h"&hen 'et%een the rural 9B2E of Indian &o&ulation, "ensus ())*: and ur'an India, t%o %orlds di$ided in ter s of de$elo& ent and cultural influence of the 4est( Still, the $illager and the ur'an elite %ill 'oth !no% a'out the fa'le of the SageFs daughter( #he +age,s daughter -nce upon a time there lived a sage on the banks of a river. .e and his wife did not have any children. -ne day when the sage was praying in the middle of the river, an eagle happened to pass by and the eagle dropped a female mouse in the hands of the sage. #he sage found the mouse in his hands on opening his eyes, and took it home to his wife. -n reaching home, he talked to his wife about the mouse and they decided to convert the mouse into a young baby girl. #he sage and his wife began to take care of the girl child and brought her up as their daughter. #he child grew day by day to a beautiful maiden by the age of si/teen. At this age, the sage decided to find a match for the girl. .e and his wife decided that the +un 0od would be an ideal match for their girl.

+o the sage prayed for the +un 0od to appear, and once he appeared, asked him to marry his daughter but his daughter said, 1+orry2 I cannot marry the +un 0od because he is very intense and I will be reduced to ashes in his heat and light.3 #he sage was displeased and asked the +un 0od to suggest a possible groom. #he +un 0od suggested the name of the 4ord of the "louds, for the cloud can easily stop the rays of the sun. #he sage then prayed for the 4ord of the "louds and once he appeared he took him to his daughter. #he daughter, once again, decided not to accept him as her groom. +he said, 1I do not want to marry a person as dark as him. 'oreover, I am afraid of the thunder he produces1. #he sage was de5ected once again and asked the 4ord of the "louds for a suitable groom. #he 4ord of the "louds suggested, 16hy don,t you try the 4ord of the 6ind, for he can easily blow me away1. #he sage then prayed for the 4ord of the 6ind. -n the appearance of the 6ind 0od, he took him to his daughter. .is daughter re5ected the groom saying that she could not marry such a feeble person like the 6ind 0od who is always on the move. $e5ected once again the sage asked the 6ind 0od for a suggestion. #he 6ind 0od suggested the 4ord of the 'ountain which was rock solid and stopped the wind easily. +o the sage then went to the 'ountain 4ord and re7uested him to marry his daughter. 8ut the daughter once again re5ected the 'ountain 4ord saying that he was too cold9 hearted for her to marry and re7uested the sage to find somebody softer. #he 'ountain 0od then suggested a mouse to him, because the mouse is soft and yet can easily make holes in the mountain. #his time the daughter was happy and agreed to marry a he9mouse. +o the sage said, 14ook at what the destiny had to offer you. You started as a mouse, and were destined to marry a mouse in the end. +o be it1. .e then converted her back to a she9 mouse and got her married to a he9mouse. India, li!e this aiden, has ta!en an" faces, has had an" &artners, lo$ed or ouse( ,he oral of this

hated, 'ut has al%a"s co e 'ac! to itself, and in its face-to-face %ith histor", it has al%a"s sho%n a uni1ue %a" out, so eti es as cle$er as a fa'le is not so uch that destin" cannot 'e changed, 'ut ore that, %hate$er its

eta or&hosis and a&&earances, the heroine !ee&s her integrit"(

,his &a&er %ill e3a ines, 'oth fro re1uire ents of the &resent ti e(

the 'roader sociological $ie% to a

ore

restricted one, ho% s&ecific Indian social structures ha$e 'een a'le to ada&t to the

)irstl" %e %ill 1uestion the *ation at large( As %e ha$e 'een sa"ing, the &o&ulation of India is so di$erse that it has challenged the ca&acit" of the Modern State to handle the coha'itation of the nu erous different ethnic, religious and linguistic co unities( Secondl", %e %ill e3a ine the hierarchical social structure, so 'e%ildering for 4esterners, that is the caste s"ste %hich, as a co &osite social structure, is uni1ue to odern Indian setting( India, and %e %ill tr" to understand ho% it has ada&ted in the &atriarchal, that %e %ill find a third uni1ue

)inall", it is at the root of the social life that is in the fa il", traditionall" 2oint and odel of ada&ta'ilit" of India

Giving unity to diversity

India is a osaic of linguistic co unities %ith hundreds of s&o!en languages ostl" s&o!en in *orthern and dialects 'elonging to four linguistics fa ilies 9Indo-<uro&ean language, %ith its Sans!rit roots, %hich has sha&ed =indi -the official language India, @ra$idian languages, such as ,a il, %hich &redo inate in the southern States, as %ell as &oc!ets of Austro-Asiatic and ,i'eto-Cur an languages:( It is i &ortant to re ind oursel$es that the &resent ad inistrati$e di$ision of the 28 States of the )ederation of India %as initiall" deter ined in the )ifties, after a contro$ersial de'ate, on linguistic criteria( India is also a religious and a =indu Musli "riad of others osaic, %ith Musli s, Christian, Si!hs, inorit" %hich a!es u& #2,6 E unit" is far inorities 9Cuddhist, Jain, Parse, Je%, etc(: coe3isting %ith the illions &eo&le, a!es India the third

a2orit" 982E of the &o&ulation:( ,he Musli

of the national &o&ulation, therefore o$er a #60

countr" in the %orld, a fact often o$erloo!ed( ,he Christian co

less i &ortant de ogra&hicall" 92,-E: 'ut &oliticall" significant ( ,his di$ersit" has 'een re&resented as a huge challenge for national cohesion and for de ocrac"( Indeed, an" linguistic andGor religious inorities ha$e 'een, and still inorit" grou& is a2or ende ic ore autono " are, fighting for recognition, and the s&o!en language or religion of a a &o%erful $ector for clai ing autono " or se&aratis ( ,he t%o conflicts in odern India illustrate this challenge. the Si!h de and for

in Pun2a' and the ne$er-ending conflict of the Hash ir region, o&&osing Indian Musli s of India to the Indian Io$ern ent since Inde&endence 9#>+B:( =o% has odern India 'een a'le to ans%er the intricate 1uestion of its national inorities5 =o% to define an Indian identit" %hich %ould 'e osaic5 In other %ords, %ho is an Indian5 &eriod and the

identit" res&ecting all its

all inclusi$e of its linguistic and religious

An ans%er, clai ing to 'e 'ased on the historical inter&retation of the internal &rinci&le of IndiaFs identit", through the so-called Jedic age, Musli Critish rule, has 'een &ro$ided '" J(@( Sar$ar!ar and the =indut$a &undits( In his fa ous &a &hlet?, he defines /=indut$a0 9=induness: as the 'elonging to an ethnical co unit", territoriall" 'ased, and sharing co on =indu religion and $alues. this ethnical nationalis , as o&&osed to a uni$ersal nationalis , is 'ased on the notion of the nation as a culture( In this sense, so eho% dangerous inter&retation for national unit", the Partition of India and Pa!istan %as %ritten in the Indian cultural roots, and the co unalist clashes 'et%een religious grou&s are nothing 'ut e3&ected( As o&&osed to this inter&retation, stands the 'een %ell su odel of a re&u'lican State a'le to odel( ,his idea has

res&ect and &rotect all the identities %ithout i &osing one cultural

arized '" *ehru on the e$e of for alising it in the Constitution, as for

hi , the /dee&0 definition of Indian unit" is defined '" /the widest tolerance of belief and custom, () every variety acknowledged and even encouraged3 B( ,his notion of Indian &ro$er'ial tolerance has a long histor". Asho!a, one of the great Indian e &eror 9-0+ CC K 2-2 CC: e 'raced Cuddhis and in his nu erous edicts as!ed for tolerance ain of all religion of his e &ire( ,his definition of /dee& unit"0 %as &ro oted in the Indian Constitution of the 2?th Januar", #>60, and has 'een translate into &ractice in three original %a"s that %e %ill e3a ine no%( )irstl", '" defining itself not si &l" as laic 'ut as secularist, the Indian State has set u& a %a" of res&ecting and encouraging all inorities e1uall" in the &ro oting of their cultural &ractices( ,%o articles of the )unda ental Rights 9Part - of the Constitution: e3&ress this creed( Article 2> states that / Any section of the citi ens residing in the territory of India or any part thereof having a distinct language, script
? B

Sa$ar!ar, J(@(, .indutva: 6ho is a .indu;, S(S( Sa$ar!ar, Co 'a", #>2-, #>?>( *ehru, J(, Ibid(, &( ?2(

or culture of its own shall have the right to conserve the same3. Article -0 states that /All minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice0( )ollo%ing the $iolence of Partition, these articles %ere funda ental state ents $o%ing to ensure har on" in a %ounded countr"( In ensuring freedo of cult and e1ual res&ect of all religions of India, the /secular State0 endorsed a &rotecti$e role, and o$ertoo! the neutral role of a &urel" laic State, as it directl" interfered in religious &ractices in order to encourage the ( ,his &rotecti$e interference can 'e illustrated '" the +atanic <erses affair in #>88 %hich in fact started not in Iran 'ut in India( Indeed the Indian Io$ern ent conde ned RushdieFs no$el for the alleged 'las&he ous re&resentation of Isla , a fe% 'efore A"atollah Hho einiFs fatwa on the authorFs life( ,he second i &ortant feature of IndiaFs /dee& unit"0 is found in the reference in the Indian Constitution to co unities and not to indi$iduals, there'" underlining a atter of fact, religious identities in India an" $er" s&ecific as&ect of Indian societ"( As a s"ncretic for s 9a =indu Musli it fro onth

are far less a 1uestion of indi$idual creed, incredi'l" di$erse and es&ousing Sant and Cuddha: 'ut

a" %ell 'eing $enerating Ianesh and Shi$a and Jesus, or a ore of collecti$e &ractice 8( ,he central &lace of the

reference to the grou& 'elonging %hich structures Indian identit" shar&l" differentiates 4estern societ" %ith e &hasis on indi$idualis ( ,hirdl", the Indian 2ustice s"ste co &ro$ides, 'esides the unified cri inal and Personal 7a%

ercial la%s, three Personal 7a%s. the =indu Code Cill, the Musli

and the Christian 7a%( In continuation %ith colonial rules, the Indian State has set u& a $er" uni1ue odel of ad inistering 2ustice %hich res&ects different cultural &ractices( It has 'een a co &ro ise as the Constitution of #>60 calls for a Ani1ue Ci$il Code( ,hese Personal 7a%s ha$e also ser$ed as a &olitical tool to redefine social categories( Indeed, the clea$age lies 'et%een the =indus that are su'2ects of the =indu Code, the Musli s, and the Christians( Parado3icall" enough, religious issues of arriage, di$orce, ado&tion, and heritage( inorities as such as the Cuddhists, Jains and Si!hs are 2oined in %ith the =indus in their legal definition, regarding all the

,his thesis is de$elo&ed '" the Indian &hiloso&her R( Charaga$a, 4hat is secularis R( 9ed(:, +ecularism and its "ritics, 83ford Ani$ersit" Press, @elhi, #>>8(

for5, in Charga$a,

,he religious categorization in legal issues concerning fa il" la%, instead of reflecting tolerance, &olitical a" ha$e fa$oured co unalis , and dangerous collecti$e o'ilisation on a religious 'asis, %hich is stirred u& '" =indu nationalists as

&art of their electoral strateg"( ,his 'ias has su'se1uentl" led to great &olitical contro$ers", as in the fa ous Shah Cano case>( )inall", '" its challenge to &ro ote and res&ect di$ersit" '" a unified *ation, the Re&u'lic of India has 'een setting u& an a 'iguit", if not a contradiction. though e$er" Indian citizen is recognised as e1ual and has e1ual rights, %hate$er hisGher /religion, race, caste, se/, place of birth 09Constitution:, he or she according to hisGher caste( a" 'enefit fro different differential treat ent and &ri$ilege according to hisGher grou& 'elonging, that is,

Caste, Its twentieth Century Avatar10

Reference to grou& 'elonging, a strong $ector of identit" in India, is a direct reference to its ost original and uni1ue institution, caste( 7et us tr" to define %hat is generall" intended '" /caste0 in sociological literature. it refers to a socio-historical realit" organising the life of =indus, that of a set of endogenous grou&s, generall" endorsing a traditional occu&ation, and integrated into local, hierarchical, ritualised, &olitico-econo ic s"ste s of co-o&eration and interde&endence( ,he 1uestion of caste undou'tedl" 'rings us 'ac! to the &rotean relationshi& 'et%een the caste s"ste and =induis ( ,he 5ati, ter referring to endoga ous descent-grou&s ran!ed '" religious status and occu&ation, is an e &irical social categor". each =indu 'elongs to one of the thousands of local 5ati of India( ,hese 5ati a&&ear to 'e the e3&ression of a s" 'olical order as e3&ressed in ancient 'rah anical te3ts( ,he varna s"ste
>

organises hierarchicall" each

e 'er of =indu societ" into

,his case of a Musli %o an di$orced '" the Musli tala7 &ractice, 'ecause she had no eans to su&&ort herself and her children, a&&roached the courts for securing aintenance fro her hus'and( ,he Su&re e Court of India 9SC: in$o!ed the Code of Cri inal Procedure, %hich a&&lies to e$er"one regardless of caste, creed or religion( It ruled that Shah Cano 'e gi$en aintenance one"( ,he reaction of &rotest of orthodo3 Musli s %ho &ercei$ed in the SC 2udg ent an encroach ent of the Musli Personal 7a% caused the Ra2i$ Iandhi go$ern ent to &ass the Musli 4o en 9Protection of Rights on @i$orce: Act, #>8? %hich diluted the secular 2udg ent of the Su&re e Court( ,his generated tre endous heat in India as it &ro$ed that funda entalist inorities can e3ert &ressure on go$ern ent and 2udicial decisions( #0 ,his title is a reference to the 'oo! of the great Indian sociologist, Srini$as, M(*( 9ed .), "aste, Its #wentieth "entury Avatar, @elhi, Penguin Coo! India, #>>?(

four varna according to its &urit", &rescri'ing its dharma 9dut": and its karma 9action:( ,his ancient s"ste intoucha'les: fro of varna e3cludes all strangers, tri'als or i &ures 9called latter the =indu societ"##(

,he three characteristics of 5ati, the nu erous endoga ous grou&s ran!ed in the larger s" 'olical varna scale, are religious status, occu&ation and endoga ", %hich structure an organicist societ" or /holistic0 according to 7( @u ont, %hich the %hole 9the caste grou& or the societ": is greater than the su eans that of its &arts 9'eing the

indi$iduals or the different caste grou&s:( ,he o$erarching &rinci&le organizing this holistic societ" is, al%a"s follo%ing @u ont, the religious &rinci&le of ritual &urit"#2( ,here has 'een a huge de'ate 'et%een social scientists a'out the faith of the caste s"ste in odern India( ,he assu &tion that it %ould dissol$e and 'e re&laced '" a and an indi$idualistic ethos has 'een a'andoned as o'$iousl" caste class s"ste

'elonging re ains a &ertinent feature of identification and social structure( It raised a ne% 1uestion as to ho% to anal"ze the changes that are nonetheless occurring %ithin the caste s"ste , 'ut also its ca&acit" to ada&t itself to a changing socio-econo ic and &olitical conte3t( =ere again, one has to strongl" differentiate 'et%een ur'an India, %here the religious ran!ing has lost its eaning in e$er"da" social transactions, fro rural India %here the inter-castes relations are still o'ser$ed and infor ed '" the religious ran!ing and the &urit" and i &urit" &rinci&le( )urther ore, caste occu&ation has lost ground, es&eciall" in ur'an India, %here social education and &rofessional career is castes are $ie%ed as functionall" interrelated in a s"ste integration in a hierarchical societ", then disa&&eared, as o'ilit" gained through ore significant than in rural India( Indeed, if contri'uting to the $ertical an" as&ects of castes ha$e alread"

o'ilit" is no longer related to religious status 9sans!ritisation: 'ut to

education and &rofession 9%esternisation#-: theoreticall" o&ened to e$er" Indian( Cut if one can dis iss oneFs caste in e$er" da" life in ur'an India, '" discarding the
##

,he varna societ", as enunciated in the canonical sacred te3ts of =induis as the &igveda or in the 'anusmriti, categorises the =indus into four categories, &o&ularl" referred to as the /caste s"ste 0( Croadl" s&ea!ing, the four varna 9colours, orders, classes: include, fro the highest status to the lo%est status, Crah ins 9Jedic &oets, &riests, scholars, teachers, lando%ners:, Hhshatri"a 9no'ilit", %arriors, lando%ners:, Jais"a 9;the &eo&le;. traders, agriculturists, &astoralists:, and Sudra 9artisans, %or!ers, ser$ants and household sla$es:( #2 @u ont, 7(, .omo .ierarchicus, Paris, Ialli ard, #>??( #,hese t%o &rinci&les of o'ilit" ha$e 'een theorised '" M(*( Srini$as in the )ifties( Sans!ritisation, the traditional odel of o'ilit" as o&&osed to %esternisation, is the &rocess '" %hich a =indu caste of lo% status odifies its social &ractices, rituals, ideolog", and endorses the ones of a su&erior caste '" status in order to i itate her(

con$entional life, such as

ar!ers of caste origin 9as s&ecific dress, na es, attitudes, etc(:, the caste arriage, 'ased on endoga " and re1uiring the !insfol! &artici&ation( In ar!er for a =indu, regulates arriages

as a the locus of collecti$e identit" strongl" ree erges during i &ortant occasions in this regard, caste is still an i &ortant identit"

and !inshi&, and facilitates reference grou& 'eha$ior, at least in &ri$ate life( ,he enduring i &ortance of caste, as an endoga ous grou&, is %ell illustrated in the arriage %e'site for Indians li$ing a'road %%%(shaadi(co 9that is / arriage dot co 0: in %hich the caste origin of the 'rides and groo s to 'e figure in their &ersonal descri&tion( In ans%ering the 1uestion a'out the future of Indian caste, *( Ja"ara states that

/its religious basis may wane, its systemic rigor may weaken, but it social (kinship) basis will persist, and its group connotation will gain strength0#+( ,o the enduring social 'asis of caste 'elonging %e ha$e to add its &olitical instru entalization 'uilt u& o$er the last centur", %hich has reinforced caste as a a2or social structure in Indian conte &orar" societ"( Indeed, the &olic" of &ositi$e discri ination in fa$or of the 'ac!%ard grou&s has &la"ed an i &ortant role in reinforcing caste consciousness and co unautaris in India( ,his &olic" has its roots in the Critish colonial ad inistration the" %hich reser$ed &olitical safeguards for the so-called @e&ressed Castes, that is the Antoucha'les, %hich the" considered sociall" 'ac!%ard due to the ostracis endured 'ecause of rituall" &olluted status( ,he 1uotas strengthened their access to the sector of education, &u'lic occu&ation and &olitical re&resentation( At Inde&endence, the &rinci&le of &ositi$e discri ination on the 'asis of caste %as &ursued. an" 'enefit fro societ", its e 'er of a 5ati classified as Scheduled Caste 9SC: - that is the &re$ious @e&ressed Caste - can one of the #6E reser$ed seats in educational &u'lic structure and &u'lic ore recent o&ening to the /8ther Cac!%ard Castes0 98CC: in #>>0, %hich atter of fact, the /8ther Cac!%ard Castes0 is not a social categor" ore or less corres&onding to the Sudra 9see note ser$ice( If the necessit" of such a &olic" has not 'een reall" challenged '" the ci$il re&resent nearl" half of the Indian &o&ulation, has lead to a heated and so eti es $iolent de'ate( As a ##: and 'ut a collection of heterogeneous 5ati,

ostl" related to agricultural %or!( ,hese 8CCs are 'enefiting of u& to 2BE of

seat reser$ation in &u'lic ser$ice( ,his &referential &olic" to u&lift 'ac!%ard categories is then defined on caste and not on econo ical class 'ac!%ardness( ,here ha$e 'een
#+

Ja"ara , *(, Caste and =induis , in Srini$as, M(*( 9ed(:, -p. "it(

atte &ts to 'etter target the needing &o&ulation '" defining a /crea " la%"er0 9%hich are the actual ter s e &lo"ed: in #>>- %hich has had tre endous &olitical and social conse1uences( ,he &olic" of &ositi$e discri ination a&&ears to 'e the fra e%or! and the le$er of collecti$e the casteis o'ilization a ong the lo% Indian castes #6( Con$ersel", the 1uotas in the &olitical field 9seats s&ecificall" reser$ed for SC: &arado3icall" solidified '" reinforcing the local interests( edia for o$er t%o decades( Recentl", the Congress go$ern ent has ,he de'ate on caste and casteisation of Indian societ" has 'een at the core of the Indian de'ate and 'een &ro&osing in its agenda to e3tend 1uotas for 8CC in Central =igher <ducational Institutions 9including the %orld%ide fa ous Indian Institutes of ,echnolog" and the Indian Institutes of Manage ent:, and in &ri$ate fir s( ,he latter ha$e 'een strongl" o&&osing the last &ro&osal( Cut in A&ril 2008, ,he Su&re e Court u&held the la% enacted '" the Central Io$ern ent in 200? &ro$iding a 1uota of 2B E for candidates 'elonging to the 8CC in Central =igher <ducational Institutions( 4ith this $er" contro$ersial easure, the de'ate on affir ati$e action reached its &ea!( ,his de'ate eritocrac" $s( the ris! of / ediocrities0, the the one instigated after Crazil i &le ented re$ol$es around four &rinci&al issues. the legiti ac" of the uni$ersalistic &olicies 9e1ual treat ent for all: $s( differential actions, &o&ulations( ,his de'ate in not so far fro definition of the 'asis of e3clusion, and finall" the deli itation of the target its ne% 1uota &olic" on the 'asis of race in 200+ in the educational sector( Caste toda" can 'e seen as endoga ous grou&s, %ho share a co s"ste on identit" and

act as interest grou&s in the &olitical arena( ,he ethnicisation and &olitisation of caste is a feature of conte &orar" India, re$ealing once again the &lasticit" of Indian social structures and its ca&acit" to ada&t and resist to changes, literall" as an /a$atar0(

The Hindu family, the home of the world

<$en ore than caste, the Indian fa il" is considered the first constituent unit of

the larger institutions such as castes and other inclusi$e ones( =#he homes of the individuals are in their families0#? and these fa ilies are dee&l" anchored in the $illages( ,he affecti$e relationshi& e$er" Indian entertains %ith its original $illage is
#6

Jaffrelot, C(, Inde : 4a $>mocratie par la "aste, Paris, )a"ard, 2006( ,he e3&ression is fro Stern, R(4, "hanging India, @elhi, Ca 'ridge Ani$ersit" Press, #>>-

#?

dou'ling its relationshi& %ith its fa il" that the %o en ha$e left "oung to 2oin their hus'andsF fa ilies and $illages( 4hate$er hardshi&s %ere faced in the $illage, %hether it is hunger or $iolence of archaic social relations, the ur'an nati$e $illage and co unit", the beradari#B ( odel of the =indu Joint an" igrant !ee&s a strong e otional relationshi& %ith the nati$e $illage( =e tries to return %hene$er he can to his

Acade ics ha$e descri'ed in length the traditional generations li$ing under the sa e roof( All the the %o en are either 'ound '" the co ale

)a il" or undi$ided fa il", as an e3tended fa il" arrange ent, consisting of

e 'ers are 'lood relati$es and all on lineal ascendant

others, %i$es, un arried daughters or %ido%ed relati$es, all

on /sapindaL relationshi&, that is, the co

inclusi$e of the third generation in the line of ascent through the father( ,his fa il", generall" &atrilinear, traditionall" fulfils three functions. sociological, as it is a residential unit of consu &tion 9co ,his last function legiti ates the traditional ensalit":, econo ic 9as the fa il" is a odel of the 2oint fa il", ideologicall" &roducti$e enter&rise, and generall" o%ns culti$a'le land in the $illage: and religious #8( concei$ed to res&ect the 'rah inical orthodo3" of ser$ing the di$ine order. as one of the traditional 'rah in duties is to ta!e care of the ancestors of the lineage, a Crah in needs a son %ho %ill &erfor the cult to ancestors 9sraddha: and '" this tradition he arriage should 'e 'et%een a %ill lin! the li$ing %orld to the dead one( ,he Crah in also needs a daughter to continue to e3&and relations 'et%een $illages, as the %o an and a an 'elonging to the sa e 5ati 'ut to different $illages( other, and her su' ission to

7ea$ing aside the traditional role of the %o an in the traditional Indian fa il", let us 2ust note here her o$erarching function as %ife and asculine &o%er in a generall" &atriarchal structure( 8ne can easil" understand %h" such an institution has 'een at the core of the u&hea$als %hich ha$e 'een sha!ing Indian societ" during the #>th centur" and so forth, %hen the traditional odel has 'een confronted '" the %estern odel of the colonial authorities( ,he s all Cengali, educated intelligentsia, the bhadralok, had tried to
#B

8iradari can 'e translated '" fraternit" or grou&s of &airs( It is the 'elonging grou& at the local le$el 9see @u ont, 7(, -p. "it(:( A'out the relationshi&s 'et%een the ur'an igrant and its original $illage, see Racine, J(-7( 9ed(:, 4es Attaches de l?.omme, @nracinement paysan et logi7ues paysannes en Inde du +ud , Paris, <d( de la MS=, #>>+( #8 See 7ardinois, 7(, 7Mordre du onde et lMinstitution fa iliale en Inde, in 4A.istoire de la !amille, CurguiNre, A( O ali(, Paris, Ar and Colin, #>8?(

o$erco e the contradiction 'et%een the t%o

odels, and the status of %o an has 'een ain actors of de ogra&hical,

at the center of the de'ate, as %o en a&&ear to 'e the child

sociological, and econo ical changes( ,he heated de'ate around the fa il" code, fro arriage to the ritual of 'urning %ido%s 9 sati:, infanticide, right to &ro&ert" etc(, has 'een o&&osing refor ists to traditionalists( ,hough this odel and its an" different $ariants#> ha$e 'een &re$ailing in the

re&resentation of traditional India, it is in fact not 1uite re&resentati$e of the social realit"( Indeed, the 2oint fa il" has al%a"s 'een secondar" to the e &irical &re$alence of the nuclear fa il", toda" accounting for ore than 80E of the fa ilies( odified the functions of the

,he econo ic and social transfor ations ha$e traditional

fa il", de&ending on social, econo ic or religious constraints, 'ut so eti es it is the odel that is reinforced( )or e3a &le, the agricultural tenure 'eing ediu size of rural e3&loitation is less than #, 6 ha:, it a" fa$or the &arcelised 9the

&er anence of e3tended fa il" as one o%ning unit e$en if this one ha$e 'een gaining autono "( In the sa e %a", the de&arture fro cou&le is dela"ed due to econo ic constraints( 4o en status has considera'l" changed es&eciall" in ur'an area, %here the" are generall" ore educated, %or! in different sectors and therefore e anci&ate the sel$es &atriarchal odel( ,he confrontation of traditional fa ilial nor s to the tends to create or a%a!e &athological social &roduction such as arriage no% a&&ears as a financial transaction( ulti&lied fro a fe% so e%hat fro the fa il" of a ne%l"-%ed "oung

%estern consu eris

the s&read of the &ractice of do%r", %hich is toda" affecting e$er" caste( Mone" 'eing toda" an i &ortant co &onent of status Since the id eighties, the nu 'er of deaths '" do%r" has

hundreds to thousands, des&ite the fact that this financial transaction has 'een outla%ed since #>?# and that do estic $iolence constitutes a cri inal offence20( ,he ur'an educated %o an is conse1uentl" in a contradictor" &osition, 'oth on the edge of e anci&ation 'ut also still strongl" 'ound to her fa il" and its traditional $alues(

#>

Man" $ariants a" 'e found, as associated fa il" %hen t%o 'rothers and their fa il" li$e together %ithout the &arents, or generation fa il" %hen the son and his fa il" li$e %ith the &arents, and so on( 20 In #>>6, the *ational Cri e Cureau of the Io$ern ent of India re&orted a'out ?,000 do%r" deaths e$er" "ear, a figure %hich has continued to gro%( ,he unofficial esti ates &ut the nu 'er of deaths at 26,000(

4hat is this Indian fa il" then5 ,hough the statistics sho% that it is largel" a nuclear fa il", in an" %a"s it functions as an e3tended fa il"( ,he arriage, generall" intra caste 9endoga ous: is still regulated '" the fa il" and !in grou& and as the &s"choanal"st S( Ha!ar states, ost of Indians gro% u& in a fa il" en$iron ent odel 2#( ,his is noticea'le in the closer to the 2oint fa il" than to the nuclear

organization of its h"'rid conte &orar" for s( )or e3a &le, the houses or a&art ents of related nuclear fa ilies can often 'e s&atiall" $er" close so as to recreate the e3tended fa il" for nu erous occasions K$er" often gathering for organize the relations of authorit". the oldest 2ust needs to see the eal, feasts or a" still cele'rations( In the nuclear fa il" itself, the &rinci&les of age and gender

e 'er has the greatest authorit", the

authorit" of the %o an %ill de&end on the ran! of her hus'and ( ,o 'e con$inced, one oral under&inning of Coll"%ood fa il" fresco 22, such as Babhi9 Bhushie9Babhie90ham, %hich ha$e a tre endous success and &ro2ect an a'solute re$erence to fa il" $alues( ,he fa il", as %ith the caste, a&&ears to 'e another e3a &le of a social structure %hich has ada&ted itself to the re1uire ents of 8ne of the odern ti es( a" lie 'et%een /the ho e and the

ore interesting co &ro ises

%orld0 Kto 1uote the fa ous title of the Cengali &oet R( ,agore. in the &rofessional %orld, the ur'an Indian %ill 'e attached to %a", far fro odern $alues and 'eha$e in a cos o&olitan the consideration a'out 'eing $egetarian or ha$ing to &ractice his

orning pu5a 9ho age to deities:, he %ill surel" a&&reciate a Crazilian &icanha( At ho e, ho%e$er, the sa e &erson %ill res&ect tradition, as his identit" lies in the !ind of %orshi& he &erfor s, of the food he eats, of the clothes he %ears, of the !in grou& he eets( It is interesting to note that in 8aby5i, the ro ance of A'ha @a%esar 9200-: %hich sho%s the e anci&ation of a college girl in @elhi during the *ineties, the "oung heroine is for'idden to %ear 2eans at ho e, and that in the $er" contro$ersial fil Mehta, !ire 92000:, attac!ing one of India;s of @( an" gender-related ta'oos, les'ianis ,

and the &ri$ileges of &atriarch", one of the greatest offences and transgressions of the daughter-in-la% is her daring to %ear a &air of 2eans at ho e(
2# 22

Ha!ar, S( O H(, #he Indians, %ortrait of a %eople, Penguin Coo!s India, @elhi, 200?( Coll"%ood 9Co 'a"-=oll"%ood conflating: is the na e gi$en to the Mu 'ai-'ased =indi language fil industr"( ,he" are generall" usicals, %ith songs and dancing, and lo$e interest( ,he &lots are often elodra atic, se&arates lo$ers, $illains, e$il ste&- others, dra atic re$ersals of fortune, etc( Most of the Coll"%ood fil s are ;social o$ies; - eaning 'asicall" clean fare intended for fa il" $ie%ing(

A 1uestion re ains, %hich relates to the Indian elite( Internationalised, trained in the Anited States and returning to the ne% odern to%ns flourishing in India, it is this elite %hich is a&&lauding !ire and reading 8aby5i( If "ou go and %al! do%n the streets of Pune, the 'oo ing cit" of Maharashtra, %here one of the latest erected 'uildings has 'een called )ortaleza, or the streets of Magar&atta cit", its ne% su'ur' erected in a fe% "ears around a S&ecial <cono ic Pone 9S<P: for <lectronic =ard%are and Soft%are, %hich 'oasts a securit" s"ste , a first class college, s&ort grounds, etc( 2-, and if "ou sit do%n on a 'ench %ith a cou&le and their 'o" %ho ha$e 2ust ca e 'ac! fro not see uch of a difference 'et%een their the Anited States after their studies and decided to settle 'ac! here, the" %ill tell "ou that the" do odern cit" and the one the" %ere li$ing in *e% Jerse", and that the" are ha&&" here as the" regain their /roots0( At night, the" %ill tell stories of %anchatantra to their !id( 8n Monda", %hen the "oung e3ecuti$e %ill co e 'ac! to his A erican-li!e consulting office %ith his hair sha$ed, all his colleagues %ill understand that his father has died and that he had &erfor ed the funeral rites, %ithout need to 1uestion(

To end with a tale

,o conclude this &a&er on India culture and societ", it is %orth e &hasizing that India is ans%ering &resent changes through its %ith %esternisation2+( ,%o long-ter India. the first one is the &reoccu&ation a a" 'e odernit" %hich is not to 'e confused tendencies are surel" going to define the future of ore characterised '"

ar!et econo " and its i &act on societ"( Indian

ore concentrated on the le$el of life and

iddle-class, glo'alised culture( C" contrast, the second tendenc" is the escalating

religious consciousness, dangerousl" leading to strengthen &articularis s and religious conflicts( As long as religiosit" re ains in India as a &ri$ate affair, the e$il of co unalis a" 'e a$oided( =o&efull" India and Indians ha$e %inning cards to face the threats included in the tendencies to%ards unifor isation and &articularis ( 7et us return to our fa'le of the &ol" or&hic aiden( It recalls the argu ent of A art"a Sen destro"ing the fallac" a'out the 'elief that an indi$idual &ossesses one and onl" one identit" 26( All indi$iduals
22+ 26

See htt&.GG%%%( agar&attacit"(co ( 8n this isleading confusion, see @as, I(, India Cnbound, *e% Yor!, Alfred A( Hno&f, 200#( Sen, A(, Identity and <iolence: #he Illusion of $estiny, *orton O Co &an", *e% Yor!, 200?(

&ossess the

ulti&le identities( It is &erfectl" &ossi'le to 'e, at the sa e ti e, the &atriarch in societ" and an Indian a'road( Another &erson can 'e a =indu

of a 2oint fa il" at ho e, an e3ecuti$e at %or!, an a ateur of 'ossa no$a, a Cohra in os1ue, a Musli Crah in and si ilar to the for er in other res&ects( ,he 1uestion is %hich of the a'o$e classifications constitute a &ersonFs identit" and %hich not5 If religion, nationalit" and language are greater as&ects of identit", ulti&le identities and identit" shifts for a &o%erful counter argu ent to religious funda entalists clai ing the su&re ac" of a /su&er-identit"0, %hich o$errides all others( ,here, A( Sen de$elo&s a second argu ent against the 'elief that identit" is erel" inherited( Identit" a" 'e &artl" constrained '" an" other identities, as the =economic poverty, social deprivation, political tyranny or cultural authoritarianism3 , 'ut there e3ists considera'le lee%a" in the choice of indi$idual is not 'undled into one single grou& 9caste, religion, nation, etc(:( ,his gi$es s&ace for a d"na ic of de$elo& ent( Ma"'e the cle$er she- ouse should tr" the ountain a$atar, and 'e the Iiant India it loo!s li!e a'road(