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Dear Friends in Christ and Fellow Freepers,

I find this very strange and unbelievable what iPod Shuffle had to say about the Caste System in India -- that it is not part of Hinduism and that there is reservation for Low Caste Hindus/Untouchables in Government Jobs as well as at State Universities.

There may be reservation in Government jobs and in State Universities for Low Caste Hindus but often "Upper Caste Hindus" take advantage of these reservations fraudulently by declaring themselves as "Low Caste Hindus" -- thus these unfortunate folks are prevented from taking advantage of reservations meant for them in the first place.

This is because for more than a 1000 years, the Caste system has existed in India. The Caste System definitely existed in India prior to the advent of Christianity and Islam in India.

Christianity did not bring the caste system to India at all.

In many states of India, Low Caste Hindus specially in many parts of South India cannot draw water from Public wells, neither can they eat a meal at a Public Restaurant and most importantly most of them are Landless Laborers throughout the Length and Breadth of India.

"Inter Caste Marriages" are still frowned upon by Upper Caste Hindus and they often end up in the murder of Low Caste Hindus if they marry someone from an Upper Caste Hindu Family specially in backward Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Rajasthan etc.

This is still happening in the 21st Century and has happened on a regular basis for the last 20-30 years or more.

With the most recent incident having taken place in December 2005, January 2006, and February 2006 respectively in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh and two towns in Haryana.

Over the last 20-40 years and more large numbers of "Low Caste Hindus" who are Landless Labourers have been brutally murdered by Upper Caste Hindu LandLords in the States of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, etc.

No one can ever forget the regular massacres of Dalits or Low Caste Hindus which have taken place on a regular basis in Patna, Jehanabad, Gaya, Nalanda and other districts in Central and North Bihar.

Now, when Catholic and other Christian Missionaries have tried to liberate these unfortunate folks from all kinds of bondage they have got a terrible kick in the pants.

It is indeed shameful that in 21st Century India the Caste System still exists.

It is my ardent and earnest Prayer that some day Upper Caste Hindus will be inspired to know that what they are doing is wrong and oppressive and what their forefathers did before them was also wrong.

They can change and must change if India is to call itself a Progressive Democracy in the 21st Century.

At least, they can give these unfortunate folks some kind of basic dignity.

This is a Big reason why Extremist Hindu Groups resent and have a deep hatred against Catholic Missionaries as they are well aware of the Humanitarian work that has been undertaken in the past by all Christian Missionaries as well as what is being done at present.

That is why Dr. Ambedkar-- one of the Leaders that was responsible for writing the Indian Constitution mass converted to Buddhism in the 1930's along with Hundreds and Hundreds of Low Caste Hindus.

He was totally fed up with the oppression that Low Caste Hindus were being subjected to in villages in Marathawada and Vidharba in Maharashtra. So, he took the final step of leaving Hinduism and joining Buddhism.

Even, now in the 21st Century there are Mass Conversions to Buddhism every year in the interiors of the States of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, etc.

It is my prayer that an Indian Version of "Martin Luther King" will rise up from the midst of these oppressed Low Caste Hindus and start a peaceful and non violent movement for their emancipation and basic human rights as well as dignity.

Article from an indian newspaper that shows affirmative action has resulted in quotas of 70%!!!!!

http://www.hinduonnet.com/2005/08/22/stories/2005082210100400.htm

CHENNAI: The all-party meeting convened by the Centre on August 23 and the Education Ministers' meeting on August 27 in New Delhi may, at best, spark a renewed debate on some critical issues affecting higher education in the private sector. Though political consensus in Tamil Nadu cannot be imagined on any key issue of national or State import, there has always been near unanimity on the two critical issues of higher education and the need to protect reservation for the educationally and socially backward classes. It is not without reason that Tamil Nadu has been in the forefront on these key issues. The State offers the highest percentage of reservation of seats in the whole country — a whopping 69 per cent. This includes the statutory reservation for the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and Backward castes, in addition to separate quotas for Most Backward Castes, the physically challenged, sportspersons and wards of freedom fighters, among others. Though there is no constitutional backing for the 69 per cent reservation, successive Governments have ensured that there is no tampering with this percentage. All political parties have urged the Centre to provide constitutional protection for this level of reservation, though there are Supreme Court orders to the effect that it should not exceed 50 per cent. That question is still before the courts, but there is no threat to the 69 per cent reservation. Another reason for Tamil Nadu's leadership in higher education is the proliferation of professional colleges, especially engineering colleges. Over 700 — more than 50 per cent — of the private self-financing engineering colleges function in the four Southern States and the Union Territory of Pondicherry. Tamil Nadu has about 240 of these colleges. The immediate import of the apex court order — providing minority and unaided professional colleges complete freedom in the matter of admissions — is the imminent end to reservation in these colleges. Of the more than 70,000 seats in engineering colleges in the State, about 42,000 were available through the single window system of admissions with a transparent counselling programme; that meant the "quotas" applied to all these seats. But, if the private unaided colleges go out of the single window and the Government cannot insist on its share of seats, hardly 5,000 engineering seats will come under the counselling and quota system. That has been considered the most serious challenge by the political parties here, which are pressing for Central legislation to ensure the quotas and the State Government's say in the matter of admissions and fees. Government sources argue that the private colleges not only want to lower the qualifying mark for admissions, but also do not want to have a merit-based, transparent system of admissions that can stand the scrutiny of law. "They just want to fill up the seats, but you can see the seats going abegging in the single window. Education is on the concurrent list and this Government will not yield its legitimate rights — both in monitoring higher education and supervising admissions, especially in ensuring that the reservation policy is followed," says a senior Government source, adding that Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has already expressed her "strong views" on the matter. Administrators expect both the ruling party and the Opposition to take similar views at the all-party meeting and insist that at the Education Ministers' conference, the State will reiterate its commitment to reservation and a free, fair and transparent system of admissions to all professional courses. There will be no compromise on that. A couple of days ago, rumours were rife that the State Government was thinking of taking over a number of professional colleges, including some Deemed Universities. But educationists and officials stoutly denied the speculation and described it as "a plant by vested interests."