The caste system in India is the longest surviving system of slavery which Babasaheb Ambedkar defined as the system of graded inequality. This human inhuman institution is many centuries old. It is a manmade institution that keeps fractions with the political and religious power to smash the oppressed millions into millions of fractions. Indian nation-state was born on 26th January 1950 with the promulgation of the new constitution for the new nation. The foundation of the nation is built on the trinity of principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity which will ensure economic, political, and social justice to the citizens. This process of democratization which will ultimately lead to the economic, social, and political democracy is the heart of the constitution.

The caste is a hydra-headed problem. It is a complex system of slavery and discrimination. Many issues are entwined in this entangled mass of culture, religion, politics, and social ethos. Babasaheb Ambedkar, the founding father of democratic India, wanted to destroy Brahmanism and Bania-ism. The caste system cannot be annihilated unless the people who suffer worst because of this inhuman system become powerful to destroy it. The caste cannot be destroyed unless some power is used to smash it. That power is social, economic, and political power. This leads to a contradiction in terms because as soon as the most affected by the caste system become powerful the system is automatically destroyed. Making the communities at the so-called bottom of the caste system powerful is the realization of economic, social, and political justice. The World Bank paper discussed the importance of social movements in making India a real democracy.

Babasaheb Ambedkar strove hard to put in place many important policies changes to the extent of making the practice of untouchability illegal and punishable. One of the policies that became the part and parcel of the constitution is the reservation policy. This is perhaps the most important public policy that ensured representation of the SCs, STs, and now to a larger extent, the OBCs. There are social policies that also gives some power to them. These policies have played an important role in generating some power, but what is the amount of power required for destroying the caste system is a difficult question. All over India is witnessing the rise of awareness about Babasaheb Ambedkar and surely an intellectual class is emerging which can lead the community and direct it. So there is surely a definite role for the public policies to make the SCs, STs, OBCs, and converted minorities powerful. As a matter of strategy, the more the so-called lowest in the Brahmanical caste system become powerful, the caste system will be weakened to that extent and hence it is important to direct these policy mechanisms to these communities. However as the caste create competition even with the lowest of the lowest, it is difficult to have a policy that would satisfy all. But the policies cannot be perfect, they can be perfected with positive feedback.

The conclusion is that the public policies can be important means to achieve the much-desired end.

But the caste system is a religious problem. Deep down it is tied down to the religious beliefs and religious habits. The question is: Can we legislate the religions?

This is an important question. Can the law abolish caste system? The belief systems are stronger than religions. The Indian nation-state which was born in 1950 with the goal of equal society is still governed by 3000 years old codes of Manu. It is, in reality, the quest for the ideal that the constitution aspires and the reality of Indian society which is the society divided by the caste system. The subquestions would be: Can the equality be legislated? Can liberty? and Can fraternity? The constitution gives the power to legislate in these areas and that is why there are fundamental rights. But if the state that can legislate religions come into being that coming into being of the state so enlightened to legislate Hindu Caste system is itself resolve a lot of issues. So we can also conclude that state can legislate the religions if it desires so.

But what about the social attitudes and social habits. To Babasaheb Ambedkar, one of the definitions of the democracy was an attitude of respect and reverence to the fellow human beings. How can an attitude be legislated? Babasaheb Ambedkar realized that this is possible through Buddhism. Buddhism was not a religious system for Babasaheb Ambedkar. If it was religion in any terms to Babasaheb Ambedkar, it was faith in the realization and reclamation of the human personality, which is the ultimate goal of democracy. Babasaheb Ambedkar found the ultimate generator of liberty, equality, and fraternity in Buddhism. But Buddhism as a religion cannot be forced upon the people, but it is a choice and voluntary commitment to liberty, equality, and fraternity.

In the hands of the social activists, Buddhism can become an important way to further liberty, equality, fraternity within their social revolution. So Buddhism in the Indian social context is not just an identity but also mechanism to create liberty, equality, and fraternity. A nationwide community of the so-called ex-untouchables can emerge which is imbued with these values of liberty, equality, and fraternity. This does not mean that the social activists should forgo the state and state policies. One one hand, it is necessary to build the communities internally, it is also necessary to use the external mechanisms to make the communities powerful.

One of the important conditions for building communities is communication. In fact, the communication is what makes a community. We will have improved the way we communicate with each other. We can use various persuasive skills to convince each other and it can be done respectfully and reverently. The more kindly and respectfully we interact with each other and begin to understand each other, that will a step forward in making the communities powerful. The question if the public policies can annihilate the caste system is still open as the caste system keeps on changing we will have to develop policies and strategies to tackle the new avatars of the caste.

Author – Mangesh Dahiwale, Human Rights Activist

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