#jati

"Kaun jaat hai, mousi?"

(What's your caste, Aunty?)

The movie Article 15 is based on a true story of the rape-murder of two lower-caste, Dalit girls by a group of upper-caste, intoxicated Brahmins (two of them were policemen). Their crime? They asked for a two-rupee raise in their wages. The investigating police officer, played by Ayushmaan Khurana, an educated, cosmopolitan Brahmin, faces immense resistance, from both within the police force and from outside, to solve the case. Finally, with persistence and integrity, he puts the culprits on dock, changes a few hearts and effects a small change. The final scene of the movie is cute: He and his team ask a road side vendor-lady to feed them rotis. While they wait, he asks, "Kaun jaat hai, mousi?" A passing truck's blaring horn drowns her answer. The movie ends with all of them laughing at her "drowned" reply, probably implying that things are changing.

Of all the atrocities that man inflicted on fellow man, like racism, apartheid, slavery, anti-semitism, religious persecution, colonialism, terrorism, infanticide, subjugation of women, dowry, sati and untouchability, the Hindu caste system (Jati) is probably the oldest of them all - a couple of thousand years old.

Like all of us, I have experienced conflicting attitudes towards the caste system - our social studies text books branding it as a social evil, while relatives and influencers in the society clinging on to their identities like their life depended on it.

My first real recollection on the subject is my grandfather telling me that the four Jatis (castes) were born from various body parts of Brahma. Brahmins were born from his forehead, Kshatriyas were born from his arms, Vaishyas were born from his thighs and the Shudras were born from his feet. The below illustration explains it.

And that was it! When the great Brahma himself had ordained it, who was I to doubt or question? Deep down, I knew something was not right. But I had neither the inclination nor necessity to do anything about it. Life went on. Like a lot of my friends and people of my generation, I was a reluctant Hindu. I just didn't connect with Hinduism. In fact, I didn't connect with religion as such. Till I met Devdutt Pattanaik. I mean, I read his books.

Devdutt Pattanaik is an Indian mythologist and best-selling author. I love the way he represents ancient Indian scriptures, myths, stories, symbols and rituals. One of his many amazing books is a book called Business Sutra - A very Indian approach to management.

In this book, amongst other things, Devdutt presents a perspective on the caste system that blew my mind away. Here goes...

Devdutt says that the four castes - Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras - didn't start of as Jatis, but began as Varnas - literally colors, but actually mindsets.

A human being is called Manushya or Manava, in Sanskrit, primarily because he has a Manas - a mind that can imagine and hence expand. That's how he differs from other creatures. The rest of the creation is content with survival, but man's purpose of existence is expansion, which begins once he has taken care of his survival.

Every man begins with being Brahma - a nascent, limited mind of unlimited potential. His destination is Brahman - a fully expanded, limitless mind. His essential journey is from "Aham Brahmosmi " - "I am Brahma" to "Aham Brahmosmi " - "I am Brahman".

This journey happens in four stages or Varnas. That is, this transition happens vide four distinct mindsets:

1. Shudra-varna: A mindset of unconditional followership - like that of a dog, faithfully following its master, or that of a deer or a sheep, representing a herd mentality. This is a mindset of a new born child or a person who cannot think for himself.

2. Vaishya-varna: A mindset of conditional followership - like that of an elephant who follows the old matriarch only because she knows where the waterholes and pitholes are. This is the mindset of one who thinks only for oneself.

3. Kshatriya-varna: A mindset of conditional leadership - like that of a lion, which will protect the pride, in return for the best share of food and mate. This is also the mindset of one who thinks only for oneself.

4. Brahmin-varna: A mindset of unconditional leadership - like that of a cow, which will yield the milk meant for her calf, generously to the cowherd. This is the mindset of one who thinks for the ecosystem and encourages others to do the same.

When I read this, understood this and internalized this, the ball dropped!

1. I am not a Brahmin, a Kshatriya, a Vaishya or a Shudra because I was born in a particular family. I am one of them because I think like one of them and so I act like one of them. My mindset and hence conduct determines my Varna.

2. When we are born, by default, we are of Shudra-varna. When we grow up, we have a choice. We may expand our minds to have a Brahmin mindset or we may languish with Shudra, Vaishya or Kshatriya mindsets. Like Albus Dumbledore says in Harry Potter, it is our choices that define us.

3. Even during the course of a single day, I tend to think and act differently. Sometimes, I follow, sometimes, I lead, sometimes I am conditional, sometimes I am unconditional, depending on the situation. I move across mindsets and conducts accordingly. So long as I do it consciously, I guess it is all right.

4. My muslim maid, Meher Unnissa, and my son's Christian tuition teacher, Sandhya madam, have one of the most magnanimous, unconditional leadership mindsets I have seen or known. I wouldn't be surprised if Brahmarshi Vishwamitra were to walk down this lane and confuse them for Brahmins of the highest order, not knowing their religious affiliations.

Sometimes I wonder. How did such a phenomenal spiritual concept like Varna become such a rigid, pseudo-religious, self-defeating, social order called Jati? I don't know. May be someday, I will read the Manusmriti and figure it out. May be I won't. Because, as far as I am concerned, I am sorted. I know what a Brahmin really means and how I should think and act to be a real Brahmin - a seeker of Brahman!

Banyak yang nanya soal ini, sejak lama (selain perjodohan, cuma untuk yang satu ini direm). Saya pengen deliver apa yang saya tahu melalui medium yang paling enjoyable dan transformasional.