RELIGION, CASTE AND MODERNITY

                      RELIGION, CASTE AND MODERNITY

“Religion and caste”- the two words which determines the peace and prosperity of a nation, its healthy survival and its pace of development. Religion, as it means, is a way of life, to adopt certain predefined notions and follow them to attain the supreme one at the end. Different people follow different religions, totally based on their choice as well as what religion their fore fathers followed. A country, especially one like India where different religions co-exist, it becomes necessary in the pretext that communal harmony and peace should be maintained between different religious communities. History is evidence of the fact that only that countries prosper and grow where there is an atmosphere of universal brotherhood, strong communal peace and a mindset of brotherhood among its citizen. As it is said “Men makes a nation, religion divides it” which is very true as we have seen India break up into parts based on religion differences during the partition of 1947.
Moreover it has now become a powerful tool to be used up by the politicians to create differences among the masses and play their vote bank politics. There always have been a “ Divide and Rule” policy adopted by the foreign invaders such as the British to rule upon a massive land like India, all due to the lack of religious brotherhood and proper mindset of we common people against different religions.

A country united by religion can again be shattered into pieces by the Caste System.  Caste system is such a system which can give us nothing more than inequality and injustice. No one can properly define the benefits of having a caste system which divides people on any basis. It creates differences within a particular religion itself. A person belonging to the upper caste enjoys a superior position in the society whereas people belonging to lower castes suffer from inferior treatment as compared to the upper class peoples. The caste system has even a stronger impact in the rural areas now also, where in certain villages’ lower caste people have to greet the upper class ones, touch their feet and do menial jobs in their houses. The caste system deeply affects one’s pride and prejudice and thus shouldn’t be encouraged at any cost. But again looking at the positive benefits of caste system in the modern contemporary world, it seems that the whole scenario has reversed. The people belonging to lower castes get reservation in educational institutions, government jobs etc. which proves as a boon for them but at the same time proves as a bane to the hardworking and diligent persons belonging to the general class.

Coming to modernization, which has totally changed the concept of religion and caste, and has provided a new meaning to the way of life. The impact of modernization in religion is such that it has taught masses to question their beliefs, their pre-defined notions and tenets of their religion, see them from scientific point of view and accept those notions only after getting valid reasons to do so. As such, the modern generation is discarding the idea of caste system and religious differences. They are trying hard to bring communal stability by walking together with hands in hands and having a common goal to provide peace and prosperity to the nation.

Modernization, as such, when combined with caste system and religion, paves the path for a new era, an era where people will not be fighting with each other due to religious differences, an era where there will be no caste system and one people doesn’t consider any other people as slave or untouchable, an era where our country will prosper and reach the zenith of its power due to the universal brotherhood it will attain, an era where the politicians will not be able to lure common voters based on sensitive religious issues.

All this can only be achieved with modernization, which in true sense should be implemented both by work as well as in our mind. A country will develop only if its masses work together with full force, irrespective of any differences. Again this will need our mentality to be in that way, the way which ignites a sense of brotherhood.

“God created people, People created religion”. It is up to us how we utilize what we created, and if it is utilized in the correct way, then nothing can stop our country from becoming a super power.