Раздел 2: образ жизни, национальный характер, обычаи, традиции (way of life, mentality, customs and traditions) Text 1. South india of today: the caste system

Assignment: Texts 1-5 are dedicated to South India. Translate text 1 into Russian and discuss the social stratification of modern Indian society. Explain the ways of introducing xenonyms into the text.

Although today the caste system is weakened, it still wields considerable power especially in rural areas, where the caste you are born into largely determines your social standing in the community. It can also influence one’s vocational and marriage prospects. Castes are further divided into thousands of jati, groups of ‘families’ or social communities, which are sometimes but not always linked to occupation. Conservative Hindus will only marry someone of the same jati.

Caste is the basic social structure of Hindu society. Living a righteous life and fulfilling your dharma (moral code of behaviour) raises your chances of being born into a higher caste and thus into better circumstances. Hindus are born into one of four varnas (castes): Brahmin (priests and teachers), Kshatriya (warriors), Vaishya (merchants) and Shudra (labourers). The Brahmins were said to have emerged from the mouth of Lord Brahma at the moment of creation, Kshatriyas were said to have come from his arms, Vaiushyas from his thighs and Shudras from his feet.

Traditional South Indian Brahmins live with particularly strict ‘rules’ of lifestyle and behaviour. These include dietary protocols (which dictate a strictly vegetarian regimen and no ‘hot’ foods, such as garlic or chilli), a simple dress code, and a certain social etiquette for every occasion. Historically, Brahmin groups fled to South India to escape oppression by Muslim rulers, who often targeted Brahmins to win the support of lower Hindu castes.

Beneath the four main castes are the Dalits (formerly known as Untoucables), who hold menial jobs such as sweepers and latrine cleaners. Some Dalit leaders, such as the late Dr Ambedkar, sought to change their status by adopting another faith; in his case it was Buddhism. To improve the Dalits’ position, the government reserves considerable numbers of public-sector jobs, parliamentary seats and university places for them. Today these quotas account for almost 50% of sought-after government jobs. The situation varies regionally, as different political leaders chase caste vote-banks by promising to include them in reservations. The reservation system, while generally regarded in a favourable light, has also been criticised for unfairly blocking tertiary and employment opportunities for those who would have otherwise got positions on merit.

At the very bottom of the social heap are the Denotified Tribes. They had been known as the Criminal Tribes until 1952, when a reforming law officially recognised 198 tribes and castes. Many are nomadic or semi-nomadic, forced by the wider community to eke out a living at the fringes.