People all over the world are very good at stamping. This one thing we as human beings have perfected over time beautifully and have diligently followed it too. We stamp people with stereotypes, with religions, castes, nationality and any other label or brand you can think of. Have you ever visited a shop that makes stamps illegally? They keep stamps in groups depending upon their purpose. Like stamps for government offices, stamps for private offices and several other such groups divided in various boxes. That's what we have done over ages, divided ourselves into various boxes and slowly and slowly the walls of the boxes have grown so high that either we no longer wish to see outside the box or we are unable to if we want.
As you might have guessed today’s topic is about the walls created by caste. When a child is born it just that a child, it has no religion, caste, nationality etc. How can it have, it has just arrived into this branded and stamped world. Even before the child understands anything it starts hearing words like religion, castes etc. Parents specifically say that people of those castes are not good, you should not mingle with them, and these people are below our class, you cannot marry that girl or guy as they are not from our caste and the list goes on
My focus here is specifically intercaste marriages. People say that marriages are made in heaven, they why parents and society get all worked up when the marriage does not suit their criteria of class, caste etc. The moment parents come to know that their son and daughter have chosen an intercaste partner, all sorts of emotional drama starts. All of a sudden the desire to please society becomes more important that the happiness of the son/ daughter. Sometimes the couple succeeds in changing the mindset of the parents but in most of the cases they aren't able to, which leaves them with only two choices - forget their love or elope. Both the choices are difficult as in both the cases they end up losing someone close to them either parents or their love.
One thing that boggles my mind is that why only in marriages the caste becomes so important. It has been proves scientifically that genetics of the future generation become weaker if the marriage happens within the same caste or community. TO keep the genetics strong it is important that marriages happen between people of different castes, or places. It keeps the future genes strong and healthy. But the narrow mind of the society can't understand or accept this fact. How can it when it practices honor killing if a couple has married against the wishes of the parents and society
These practices sicken me deeply. One of the biggest reasons for these is the attachment of ego with the marriage event. So much ego is involved in the entire process that sometimes I feel marriage is being done for the guy and the girl or for the society. Because of the ego I feel that caste becomes an impenetrable barrier when it comes to marriage.
This society and we as individuals need to understand that Intercaste relationships are necessary for better future generations. Who are we do differentiate and discriminate on the basis of caste when the same blood flows in all of us. And more importantly who are we to separate to people in love, especially when the only issue is caste and rest everything is ok.
I know for anyone reading it will easy to agree, but actual test comes when it happens to our own kids or in our own family. If we can agree to "I" relationship at that time we have done our service in improving one of many sins of the society.
Let’s be the part of this tough decision and be the SOLUTION.
