THE CASTE SYSTEM In India we come across a special type of social stratification in the form of castes. The caste system finds its origin in the Spanish word “CASTA” mean people belonging to the same breed. A caste may be defined as a collection of families, bearing a common name, which usually devotes or is associated with specific occupation claiming common descent from a mythical ancestor- human or divine, professing to follow the same professional calling and are regarded by those who are competent to give an opinion as forming single and homogeneous community. The caste system in India draws its origin from Rig Vedic period, when the division of society into the four classes the priest(BRAHAMANA), warrior ( KSHATRIYA), peasant ( VAISHYA) and serf (SHUDRA) – - was regarded as fundamental and divinely ordained. In the caste system, also known as early VARNA VYAVASHTHA, four VARNAS of India developed out of very early Aryan class divisions. The underlying principle of caste stressed the alignment of man with the entity of his group life. In the beginning, the social divisions in India were not hereditary and were only functional divisions. The phrase VARNASHRAMA DHARMA means that Dharma is not same for different groups. But slowly Indian caste system underwent by endogamous unity, with a hierarchical gradation of society, BRAHMANS at the apex, followed by KSHATRIYA and VAISHYA and SHUDRA at the base. The BRAHMINS dominated the social life as well as retained exclusive rights over the ritual performances. The task of KSHATRIYA was to protect people, VAISHYA was to breed cattle, till the earth, pursue trade and lend money and SHUDRA was to serve the other three classes. The PURUSHASUKTA mentions four classes emerging from the different parts of the body of the primeval man – – the BRAHAMANA from the mouth, the KSHATRIYA from shoulders, the VAISHYA from thighs and the SHUDRA from the feet. The principle of inequality is the fundamental principal of the caste system. TRANSFROMATION OF VARNA SYSTEM INTO CASTE SYSTEM: Caste means Jati. It is connected with the Varna system but the two are different. Varna ashrama was a well – conceived social structure and was not of divine origin. It ws not on, hereditary and represented only functional division. Later on , these divisions became more rigid and led to the emergence of caste system. The probable factors which may have contributed [...]
Archive for July, 2007
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PRIVATISATION
July 26th, 2007 
Deepak PRIVATISATION For the last four decades, India has been pursuing a path in which the public sector was expected to be the engine of growth. But now, it is accused to have failed miserably in achieving its goal and so disenchantment is growing. Wire money online to India with Xoom.com for as low as $4.99. THE PRINCIPAL CHARGES AGAINST THE PSU’s: The principal charges against the public sector are: low rate of return on investment, declining contribution to national savings, poor capacity utilization, over-staffing and bureaucratization leading to excessive delays and wastage of scarce resources. Performance of PSU It was stated in various plan documents that PSUs should earn a rate of return of 12 per cent per annum. But gross profit as a percentage of capital employed ranged between 4 to 8 per cent till 1980-81. During the seventh plan period the gross profit was 12 to 13 per cent. This was because the petroleum sector which accounted for 18.4 per cent of capital employed provided 40.5 per cent of total gross profit earned by all public sector undertakings. The performance of all other sectors was well below the targeted level of 12% gross rate of return. The operational efficiency of state government enterprises revealed that they were perennial loss makers. The chief culprits among them’ were: State Electricity Boards, Irrigation Works and Road Transport Corporation. The situation is distressing and is the cumulative result of the poor performance and absence of any remedial action taken to alleviate the situation. The failure of public sector is glaring in respect of savings. After 39 years of planning, the public sector contributes only 8% of the- nation’s saving: that also in part, through heavy taxation and semi-fictitious profits of reserve bank. The remaining 92% of the nation’s saving came from the private sector. The PSUs show a mixed record judged by the criterion of capacity utilization. There are high performates like Indian Oil Corporation, National Textile Corporation and in news-print who can equal any private sector undertaking in terms of efficiency, absorption of advanced technology and even in surplus generation along with a better deal for its employees. There are of course scores of low performates who bring the overall standing of PSUs down. Causes of non-performance: The major problems faced by public sector enterprises could be summed up as under: The freedom for decision-making by PSU managers was extremely limited [...]
INDIAN FOOD: WHAT IS COOKED IN INDIA?
July 26th, 2007 Deepak INDIAN FOOD: WHAT IS COOKED IN INDIA? Energy rich rice has been the staple food of India since the earliest times. It is easy to cook and blends well with vegetables, pulses and meats. There are three main varieties of rice: the short grained colam rice, used in most of East, West and South India; the long grained Basmati, used mainly in North India, and the parboiled rice used mainly in the coastal regions of South India. There are mainly two recipes – one, Plain Rice and the other, Rice with Potato and Cauliflower. However, you can prepare Pulao with almost all vegetables (carrots, French beans, peas etc.) following the basic method. Pulses: Protein rich pulses are a must in the Indian meal because they offer much of the nutritional material required for the upkeep of our body system at a lower cost – they are substantially cheaper than meats. The word pulses actually include both whole and split pulses like sabat urad (whole black gram), Chana dal (split Bengal gram) with or without skin, lentils like arhar dal (red gram) and dried beans like rajma (kidney beans). Whole pulses and dried beans take considerable time to cook. Hours of open pot cooking are just reduced to mere minutes when cooked in a pressure cooker- the most common way it is cooked in an Indian home. The rich variety of pulses and different methods of preparation give you a wide choice for selecting the recipe suitable to your taste. Because of their distinct flavours and soft textures, pulses can also be used as a base for delicious vegetarian soups. There are recipes which use pulses individually or in combinations, ranging from Chana Dal and Rajma to Panchratan and Ma-ki-Dal. VEGETARIAN DISHES Vegetables are valuable chiefly because of their mineral and vitamin contents, notably Vitamin A and C. However, most of this vitamins and mineral content is lost in the conventional open pot cooking; however, the use of pressure cooker is immensely beneficial vegetables retain their nutritive elements better when pressure cooked. This is because a minimum of water is used and the cooking process is barely a few minutes. In addition the vegetables retain their bright natural colours and rich flavours. Most vegetables tend to cook very fast because of their soft and succulent structure. Hence, follow the timings of the recipes precisely. If you are adapting your own vegetable [...]
WHAT AILS INDIAN SPORTS AND GAMES?
July 26th, 2007 Deepak WHAT AILS INDIAN SPORTS AND GAMES? One of the greatest” degradations that has occurred in our country during the second half of the twentieth century, has been in the field of sports and games. The” only performance of note has been the gold medal in hockey won at the Moscow Olympics in 1980 and the triumph at the 1983 World Cup Cricket Championships in England. But these occasional triumphs do not augur well for the future of Indian sports. A nation of 1.2 billion has not been able to produce a sportsperson or athlete of international standards even after five decades of independence. In today’s new climate of peace, a nation’s achievements in sports are valued far above its arsenal or military might. We have, however, lagged behind in every field in spite of a large potential manpower. What does really ail Indian sports? With a few honourable exceptions like cricket, chess and tennis (where, even at the best of times, our performance has been erratic to say the least), our sportspersons and athletes like the ‘Flying Sikh’ Milkha Singh and the ‘Sprint Queen’ P.T. Usha have failed to find a mention in the international medal tally, in spite of their best efforts and glowing eulogies at home. The chances of our doing well or making a mark in the international arena remain grim till date. At home also, the standard in regional, state-level and national-level games is fast deteriorating. The malady, indeed, is deep rooted. The first and the foremost cause is the poor state of our economy. We cannot spot, nourish and nurture talent even in the initial stages. Whoever hits the spotlight is, by and large, a fluke. He or she has done it on one’s own merit. For instance, our cricket hero Kapil Dev has come up’ against all odds to make a mark in international cricket. Privatisation or sponsorship of the various games and sports is the only answer especially when we cannot spare enough funds for sporting activities in the country. Today, when about less than 25% of our population lives below the poverty line, the nation cannot spare funds from other developmental activities to sponsor sports. In such a scenario, privatisation of sports and games is the only remedy. It is done in the United States and the rest of the developed world. We can also do this if we wish sports [...]
Jantar Mantar
July 26th, 2007 Deepak Jantar Mantar The name is derived from yantra, instrument, and mantra, for chanting; hence the ‘the chanting instrument’. It is sometimes said to have been originally yantra mantra, mantra being translated as formula, although there is limited justification for this since in traditional spoken Jaipur language, the locals obfuscate the written ‘Y’ syllable as ‘J’. The observatory consists of fourteen major geometric devices for measuring time, predicting eclipses, tracking stars in their orbits, ascertaining the declinations of planets, and determining the celestial altitudes and related ephemerides. Each is a fixed and ‘focused’ tool. The Samrat Jantar, the largest instrument, is 90 feet high, its shadow carefully plotted to tell the time of day. Its face is angled at 27 degrees, the latitude of Jaipur. The Hindu chhatri (small domed cupola) on top is used as a platform for announcing eclipses and the arrival of monsoons. Built of local stone and marble, each instrument carries an astronomical scale, generally marked on the marble inner lining; bronze tablets, all extraordinarily accurate, were also employed. Thoroughly restored in 1901, the Jantar Mantar was declared a national monument in 1948. An excursion through Jai Singh’s Jantar is the singular one of walking through solid geometry and encountering a collective weapons system designed to probe the heavens The instruments are in most cases huge structures. They are built on a large scale so that accuracy of readings can be obtained. The samrat yantra, for instance, which is a sundial, can be used to tell the time to an accuracy of about two seconds in Jaipur local time. It is considered the largest sundial in the world. Today the main purpose of the observatory is to function as a tourist attraction. The Jantar Mantar is a collection of architectural astronomical instruments, built by Maharaja Jai Singh II at his then new capital of Jaipur between 1727 and 1733. It is modelled after the one that he had built for him at the then Mughal capital of Delhi. He had constructed a total of five such labs at different locations, including the ones at Delhi and Jaipur. The Jaipur observatory is the largest of these. Jai Singh’s idea was to create a rebirth of practical astronomy among the Indian masses and practicing astronomers. However, the lofty ideals of the Jantar Mantar remained unfulfilled as the country at that time was in chaos and the full potential of [...]
SANGHOL
July 26th, 2007 Deepak SANGHOL Sanghol is a village in tehsil Khamano located in Fatehgarh Sahib District of Punjab. It is also known as Ucha Pind Sanghol. It is about 40 km from Chandigarh on the way to Ludhiana. This place holds a special position on the archeological atlas of India. Excavations at the site have yielded coins and seats related to Nomadic rulers. Toramana and Mahiragula belonging to central Asia. Buddhist stupas was excavated in 1968, but in February 1985 a rich treasure of 117 beautiful caryed stoneslabs, pillars, crossbars, figures and figurines were excavated by the experts of the Directorate of Archaeology, Punjab. Scholars have related them to Kushan Sculptures of the Mathura school of 1st and 2n century A.D. These treasures have since been displayed for art lovers and historians in the museum of sanghol. Places of Interest Site Excavation at village named ‘Ucha Pind Sanghol’. Archeological Museum at Sanghol (district Ludhiana) The ground floor gallery exhibits the most important items of antiquities other than the stone sculptures. The pride of the Sanghol Museum, the stone sculptures, are displayed in the upper gallery. The antiquities in the ground floor gallery have been arranged chronologically to highlight the development of socio-cultural and religious facts of the regional manifestations of the heritage of Punjab. Apart from the actual objects, a large number of charts, graphs, photographs, maps, and drawings have been displayed to supplement the viewing of the actual objects. Each of the items is given a label disclosing its identification and chronological placement. The methodology has been as per the latest display techniques followed in museums of the type. At the entry point has been displayed a Master Chart containing a brief history and important details of Sanghol as an archaeological site and of the objects obtained from the place. The earthen-wares are posts and vases of varying sizes. Large size bricks or tiles with deep marks of 3 fingers have been found at the place. Other articles include grinding-stone, votive tanks and clay seals. A large carved red sand stone trough has also been found at the place. The antiquities accidentally dug out or found from the surface of Sanghol clearly indicate that the site was a flourishing town in early times. Perhaps it was abandoned several times. Hence the great height of the mound and the name Ucha Pind, because it is visible from a long distance. Some of the [...]
LAL QUILA: The Red Fort
July 24th, 2007 Deepak LAL QUILA: The Red Fort Originally known as Qila-e-Mualla, Red fort or Lal Qila was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan after he transferred his capital to his newly planned city of Shahjahanabad (Delhi) from Agra in 1638. The foundation stone of this massive citadel was laid in 1639 and it was completed after nine years in 1648. Designed by the Mughal architects Ustad Hamid and Ahmad, Red Fort is an important symbolic monument in India even today. Every year on Independence Day (15th August) the Prime Minister of India hoists the national flag and addresses the nation, from the ramparts of Red fort. Built of red sandstone, the fort has an irregular octagonal shape. Its rampart walls cover a perimeter of 2.41 kilometers and rise to a height of 33.5 meters on the town side and 18 meters on the riverside. The Yamuna River used to flow on the eastern side of the fort when it was built, filling the moat that runs outside the ramparts. The moat was thus a considerable obstacle for an enemy army. However, the moat today remains empty as the river has moved, over 1 kilometer to the east. To the north, a bridge of 900 meters by 550 meters, connects the fort with Salimgarh. It is said that the cost of construction of the whole fort, including the magnificent palaces and other buildings that the fort contains, was around one crore rupees in the Mughal period. However, during the First War of Independence of 1857, the British army occupied Red Fort, and demolished more than 75% of the fort. A number of palaces and other structures were razed and massive barracks for soldiers were constructed inside the fort, thereby diminishing the overall elegance and beauty of this imposing stronghold. Though much has changed after 1857, the remaining structures in the fort still reflect the zenith of technical excellence of the craftsmen of Mughal times. Until recently the Indian army was stationed within Red Fort but now the Archaeological Survey of India maintains the entire complex. The remaining palaces lie along the eastern side of the fort, with two three-storeyed main gateways located at the center of the western and southern walls. These gates are known as Lahore Gate and Delhi Gate. There are three other entrances on other sides but they are now closed and entry through them is restricted. Lahore Gate: [...]
EXTERNAL DEBT
July 24th, 2007 Deepak EXTERNAL DEBT Government of India borrowed heavily during the 1980S to finance the current account-deficit which kept on rising steadily. In 1990, the year of the so-called Gulf Crisis, over 51 % of the current account balance came to be financed by commercial borrowings (26%) and NRI deposits (35%). Total external debt (EDT) outstanding (as reported in World Bank’s World Debt Tables) increased from $ 20.6 billion in 1980 to $ 71.6 billion in 1991 – a 248% increase as against a GDP real growth of71 % during the period. If we go by the figures of the Ministry of Finance which includes the defence debt, EDT goes to $ 81.9 billion in 1991 and to $ 85.4 billion by the end of March 1993. Put in rupee terms, the burden of debt has mounted thanks to devaluation from Rs.1.1Iakh crore in 1991 to Rs.2.66Iakh crore by March 1993 -a 142 percent increase in two years. In terms of ratio of total debt to GDP it was a growth from 14 per cent in 1980 to nearly 38 per cent in 1991. $132.1 billion (30 June 2006 est.) Wire money online to India with Xoom.com for as low as $4.99. The rate of growth is tremendous. To derive comfort from the EDT / GNP ratios of neighboring countries like Pakistan (50%), Bangladesh (56%), Sri Lanka (72.6%) or extreme cases like Mozambique (426%) or Tanzania (250.8%) for 1991 is irrelevant especially when we note that China’s ratio was only 16.4 per cent in 1991 and fell to 16% in 1992. The increase in the magnitude of debt may be seen along with the changing profile of the structure of debt. Concessional finance which was as high as 87 per cent of total debt in 1970 has declined to 42 per cent in 1991. Loans from transnational banks, NRI deposits and IBRD loans (mostly with variable interest rates) constitute the major share of debt in recent periods. Debt Trap Debt per se is not an evil for any country especially when it is prudently managed and productively used. But it becomes a heavy burden when it falls into a growing debt trap and becomes pathologically dependent on debt for survival and growth. A country may be said to be in a debt trap when the total payment for debt services (IDS) (amortisation plus interest charges) exceeds the gross disbursements of loans flowing [...]
FORMS OF MARRIAGES IN INDIA: PAST & PRESENT
July 24th, 2007 Deepak FORMS OF MARRIAGES IN INDIA: PAST & PRESENT Marriage is a universal institution through which a man sustains the continuity of his race and attains sexual satisfaction in a socially recognized manner. That is it provides biological as well as psychological satisfaction. It ensures the survival of the group along with its culture. In earlier times marriage was also a social mechanism designed to create and foster social solidarity. But in contemporary urban society it is highly individualistic and personal. FORMS OF MARRIAGE ON THE BASIS OF NUMBER OF MATES Monogamy:- one husband, one wife Polygamy:- one husband, two or more wives . it is also called Polygyny Polyandry:- one woman:- two or more husbands ON THE BASIS OF GROUPS Endogamy:- Marriage among partners who belong to same group Exogamy :- Marriage is prohibited among partners who belong to same group e.g. Gotra exogamy, Pinda exogamy etc ON THE BASIS OF STATUS Hypergamy(Anuloma): Man marrying a woman belonging to a comparatively lower social stratum Hypogamy (Pratiloma): Woman belonging to higher stratum marrying a man belonging to a comparatively lower social stratum. MARRIAGE AMONG TRIBALS: As far as the marriages among tribal people are concerned, it is regulated by the observance of certain rules of endogamy, exogamy, Hypergamy, preferential mating and prohibited degrees. Thus, a member of Santhal community marries within his tribe but cannot marry within his clan. The PURUKUKIS of Manipur prefer the cross – cousin marriages. Similarly, in some tribes, the younger brother can keep the widow of his elder brother. Thus there are various methods of acquiring mates in Indian tribes. But most of the marriages consist of one husband and one wife. In India, polyandry is practiced among the Todas and Tiyan, of southern India and the Khasias of the sub – Himalayan region. In caste system if a high caste woman marries a low caste man she loses her caste status, which is indicative of a degree of ritual purity. Since we have a patriarchal society, the husband enjoys a superior position as compared to the wife. Up to marriage a girl shares her father’s caste and after marriage her husband’s. A man does not lose his caste or ritual purity by marrying a low caste woman, but his offspring may suffer from partial lowering from his father’s caste status. Thus, to prevent a woman from losing caste “MANU” and other ancient law givers prescribed [...]
BLACK MONEY (PARALLEL ECONOMY)
July 23rd, 2007 Deepak BLACK MONEY (PARALLEL ECONOMY) Black money or unaccounted money circulating in the parallel economy is a big menace to the economy. It is also a cause of big loss in the tax-revenues for the government. As such it needs to be curbed. Its elimination will benefit the economy in more than one way. It will also generate more revenues for the government. Wire money online to India with Xoom.com for as low as $4.99. Black money may be defined as the money that is generated by activities that are kept secret in the sense that these are not reported to the authorities. As such this money is also not accounted to the fiscal authorities i.e., taxes are not paid on this money. Contrasted to this is the white money that is shown in relevant accounts and tax paid, if due. Parallel economy connotes the functioning of an unsanctioned sector in the economy whose objectives run parallel, rather in contradiction with the aroused social objectives. This is variously termed as ‘black economy’, ‘unaccounted economy’, ‘illegal economy’, ‘subterranean economy’, or ‘unsanctioned economy’. The money involved in black/secret transactions or used in parallel economy (i.e., parallel to the legitimate economy) is very large indeed. Very recently the National Institute of Public Finance Policy has estimated that the sum involved is as much as about Rs4O, OOO crores. This constitutes around 20 per cent of the gross domestic product of the economy. This size of the black money has grown fast over the past many years. A recent estimate puts the size of black money at over 50 per cent of GDP (at factor cost) . It is also stated that the annual rate of growth of black money is higher than the annual growth-rate of GDP. The present size of black money is thus very large indeed. Impact of Black Money The circulation of black money has adversely affected the Indian economy in several ways. It would be of interest to study the impact of black money on the Indian economic and social system. i) It leads to the misdirection of precious national resources. A part of black money is kept in a form that contributes nil/Little to productive activities. (ii) It has enormously worsened the income-distribution, and has thereby undermined the fabric of the fixed income salary class finds itself ever be the lower rung of the income-ladder. They pay taxes. [...]
