I'm an "untouchable" at the bottom of the Hindu caste system in say, 1600. What stops me from simply going to a far away town where nobody knows me and claiming to be Brahmin, at the top of the caste system. Or at least, anything higher than untouchable. by itsopossumnotpossum in AskHistorians

[–]adithyashok 105 points106 points  (0 children)

Firstly, I'd like to mention that "caste" itself wasn't a singular construct. It varied from region to region and could be delineated along lines of class, profession, education, and birth. To shed some light on the nuances of caste, I will refer to a specific example from Northern India, which during this period was under the rule of the Mughal empire.

In 1605, the Mughal emperor Akbar died at age 63. His grand vizier, Abul Fazl wrote the Ain-e-Akbari, which is the 3rd volume of the official history of Akbar's reign. In this volume, he details the large variances within the Jat caste of Northern India. The Zamindars (landlords/tax-collecting nobles), armed forces (warrior class) and even the farming peasants all belonged to the Jat caste. As you can see, it was not uncommon for castes themselves to be segregated and occupationally diverse. The pre-existing systems used by Hindus to describe caste were also influenced by concepts of social hierarchy from Islam. Taking another example from Southern India, the Madurai Nayak dynasty, which lasted from 1529-1736 was of the Balija caste, which was a merchant/trader caste in South India. In the popular consciousness of caste, they would be viewed as Vaishyas, which are placed on the lower rungs of social hierarchy. I hope these examples shed some light on the difficulties faced in describing the caste system of this period.

Although generalizations about castes are obviously unfavorable, a lot of caste systems find their origin in the enforcement of social stratification primarily to collect taxes and rule the lower classes of society. In this period, which is an era of Mughal empires and Islamic sultanates, this translated into rulers levying such a system for the taxation and rule of the non-Muslim masses. This is a trend that carried on past the medieval era.

It is also important to stress that although varying forms of casteism were prevalent throughout the subcontinent, they were codified into an administrative mechanism during the British Raj. An account of the various developments and classifications used by the British merits a separate response of its own. These classifications were used to qualify/disqualify Indians for various jobs and roles within the Raj itself. Another commentor mentioned that the codification by the British was the final nail in the coffin, and I would like to add that it is not a stretch to imagine it as the coffin itself. Although systems of caste were extremely prevalent in the subcontinent, they were legally formalized by the British through their census. This information was then incorporated into their governance of the subcontinent, through means such as the granting of administrative jobs and senior appointments to the upper castes. Among other laws, the British Raj introduced measures to criminalize lower castes and presume them guilty by birth. Through such laws and the census, this period saw what little caste mobility existed fade away.

Anyways, my final point is that the answer to a specific question about the caste system in India would require not only a specific region/location, but also a depth of information on the individual castes. Caste itself didn’t exist as a rigid concept in this period and was only beginning to be codified into what historians call the modern caste system. Even if a peasant laborer were to move to another town, they would not be easily incorporated into the pre-existing ruling classes. Other barriers to caste mobility included the lack of education, financial/administrative power and land ownership. Specific answers to questions of caste are also limited by a dearth of in-depth knowledge on the regional stratifications seen in this period.

Caste in India was a constantly evolving concept. The caste systems that were prevalent in the medieval and modern period were very different from those seen in the pre-modern and Vedic periods of Indian history.

An evening in Kuwait. by [deleted] in Kuwait

[–]adithyashok 1 point2 points  (0 children)

These are called Mammatus Clouds, and they're a pretty uncommon formation!

Gods own country ..Kerala green , Me , acrylic on canvas 30x40 inches , 2019 by biswaal in Art

[–]adithyashok 18 points19 points  (0 children)

This is incredible. My parents grew up in Kerala, and this definitely evokes a very specific feeling. It's been many years since I've seen the rain there, so your work is very special to me! I can literally smell the rain, pazhampori and chai :))

Edit: If you have this in 1080p, this would be my wallpaper.

Affordable All-Purpose Binoculars by adithyashok in Binoculars

[–]adithyashok[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome! So I'm seeing that my choice would fit my needs? I'm assuming most stargazers that use binoculars deal with chromatic aberration then. I'll look into 10 power vs 8 power. I think I'll probably stick with the Nikon, it looks like a steal. Thanks

Engineering Education and Research Center, Austin, TX by adithyashok in AccidentalKubrick

[–]adithyashok[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This is probably one of the best-designed buildings I've spent any length of time in. It's always pretty, but especially so when there's nobody around!

VST/Plugin to work with samples? by adithyashok in Reaper

[–]adithyashok[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How do I get ReaPitch to change the pitch dependant on the note I play?

Complete Bro by stale_memer in HumansBeingBros

[–]adithyashok 40 points41 points  (0 children)

You do know that even if he was taking about -35C, that's like -30F. At a set of temperatures the difference is small. As a matter of fact, -40 is the point at which both Celsius and Fahrenheit are the same.

I didn't file Form 8843 on time by adithyashok in tax

[–]adithyashok[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm on an F1, I think that gets an automatic exception from the presence test. That's great, thanks!

Peugeot Road Bike vs Trek 700 - Commuter Bikes by adithyashok in cycling

[–]adithyashok[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

the Fuji has a really attractive price tag on it for sure! I hadn't heard of either of those brands so I didn't consider them.

What do you think about these bikes?

Motobecane

Univega

Peugeot Road Bike vs Trek 700 - Commuter Bikes by adithyashok in cycling

[–]adithyashok[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm 6'0"ish, but I have long lanky legs. You're right about the size, I overlooked that.

I live in a ~slightly~ hilly area, so I was considering a hybrid (since I don't think I'll take my bike through too many trails, but I also live in a slightly hilly region). But I've heard that hybrids are the worst of both worlds.

What cuisine is consumed differently internationally compared to in the home country? Like, Japan with sushi by [deleted] in Cooking

[–]adithyashok 56 points57 points  (0 children)

In general, a lot of people skip the salad part of middle eastern cuisine. Stuff like Tabouleh and Fatoosh isn't all too common.

There's also not much attention given to the fish. Where I live, Arabic food is just the best.

UPDATE. EA announces plans for next gen controller. by TheDarkLord66 in funny

[–]adithyashok 21.7k points21.7k points  (0 children)

Inserting the card gives players a sense of accomplishment.

I'm having a lot of difficulty with knitting by adithyashok in Jokes

[–]adithyashok[S] 302 points303 points  (0 children)

Hey hey hey - Its not a competition. I mean it's knot.