The Indian Census and the old, scary topic of caste

[pluthra]

http://www.economist.com/node/16319821?story_id=16319821&source=most_commented

Thought it was an interesting. I mean it makes complete sense why they would ask a person to claim what caste they are, but I'm wondering if it is really necessary. Assuming that most of a certain caste stays within the typical job area of that caste, then can't India just work off yearly incomes to understand the population better?

In one of the comments to the this article someone wrote:
"In an Indian website someone mocked the Reservation Raj as follows: Examiners in the High School finals were asked by the Government of India to hand letters to students, a different letter to each caste of students:
1) To the Dalits the letter read: "Thanks for turning up and reporting at the Examination Hall. For that you get a D grade of 40%. You can go home now since you are eligible to enter any university faculty of your choice".
2) To the 'backward castes' the letter said: "Thank you for receiving the Question Paper and holding it in your hands. For that you get a D+ grade of 45%. You can go home now since you qualify to enter any university faculty of your choice."
3) To the 'Other backward caste', the letter said: "Thank you for completing the writing of one page of the answer book. For that you get a 'C' grade of 50%. You can go home now since you qualify to enter any university and any faculty of your choice."
4) To all other so-called 'forward castes', the letter said: "If you cannot answer all the questions correctly and secure a 100% out of each of the examination papers, you may as well go home now, because you are not going to enter any faculty of any university of your choice."
There are a few other amusing versions of this, told in blunt Indian English or Hindlish. All exaggerations but they do show that the Reservation Raj is idiotic."

Sure its exaggerated, but hasn't this been an issue in previous years (not entirely sure I'm just seeing episodes of indian news flash through my head). If you know, then please do share.

But I feel like there's a lot more to this issue that is hidden. Sure, people will try to claim that we're supposed to be equal, but we're not equal so why not face the question, and maybe by answering it eventually it'll lead to a day where they might be all equal, even though that's overly optimistic.

So ya..my thoughts are random at the moment...but if you know anything about Indian politics and this whole caste issue please do tell

 

[COMTONDAJATT]

Certain caste members don't actually stay within their caste job's anymore, haven't for the last few hundred years. Jatts do more than farming, ksatriyas do more business than they do warfare and maybe 5 percent of bhramins are actually priests.

People in many parts of India, even the large cities are still ritually and systematically discriminated against because of their caste/last name. They are denied medical care, aid, jobs and even from being able to worship in temples. Something so deeply ingrained in the psyche and culture of a people cannot be gotten rid of in 60 years. Especially with politicians who USE caste as a way to garner votes and supports (Mayawati).

Reservation quotas were maybe a good idea but the fact is that people and politicians took advantage and of it. Grewals are considered a 'scheduled caste' worthy of quotas, yea thats right, land owning Jatt clan gets quotas. Plenty of other instances all over India where the system has been abused.