A new caste system – Karmenu Duca
Visiting my country after five years in India created curiosity among family and friends. Due to the easy access of social media, people seem to be more knowledgeable about social and cultural issues in India now than when I first visited in 1988. This time, the type of questions I was asked usually started with “Is it true that...?” “Are the people still...?” The Maltese were amazed and intrigued that certain practices are still very much in vogue and that others unfortunately are being lost. But one of the hottest questions this time was: “Is the caste system still very much alive?” I tried to explain that a lot has changed since, say, Gandhi’s time but that there are still marriage announcements every Sunday in The Times of India seeking brides and grooms based on caste, religion, money earned and even shades of skin colour. And there are some Catholic dioceses that, after more than four years, are still without a bishop because one caste would not accept a bishop from another caste. Climbing the social ladder might be a little bit more accessible nowadays than, say, 70 years ago but, still, one will always be reminded of his or her own roots. Shilpa Raj, a South Indian...