On the question of what is to be done with Brahminism….

India is a unique country on the Sociological landscape because it is one of the few countries in the world, along with others in South Asia, that practices institutionalised Feudalism. One of the great mistakes that we as common people make is to assume that Brahminical Feudalism is just simple Racism –  it is not! It is a well-crafted paradigm with its roots in economic enslavement. Before we proceed, it is important to understand economic systems from a Historical perspective.

The first economic systems were what we call Primitive Communism – a system of small groups of people producing and consuming as per their needs only. With increasing social groups, a need for more resources and manpower forced the social groups to start invading and enslaving other groups. Thus, the shift from Primitive Communism to Slavery as the Economic form. The fall of the Roman Empire and the spread of Christianity into Europe made Slavery a crime and inhuman. This is where we see the transition from Slavery to Feudalism – a system in Europe where the church mandated that no land can be owned as it was created by God but the custodians will be the feudal lords and those who work the land, serfs – because God said so the Priestly Class.  What was the difference between Feudalism and Slavery? Only that people could not be bought and sold but their productive output was still owned by their new de facto owners, the Lords.  The French Revolution here changes all this in the most radical way by violently destroying the rule of Kings, Lords and the Church. Thus is ushered in the economic system of Capitalism – where all labour is free to be bought and sold by the seller and buyer’s mutual agreement. We pause at this stage and return to India.

The Indian feudal system is what we call the Caste system today. The four castes: Brahmins (Priests), Kshatriyas (Warriors), Vaishyas (Traders), and Shudras (Laborers). Beyond this were the Ati-Shudras. At the face of it, it looks like just a medieval division of labour but time has shown that it is still a system of Slavery that was enshrined in the Hindu religion sanctified by the Brahmins who called the shots of what the religion was. Logically, one could argue that the Kshatriya would be the caste-in-charge because military power rested with them. This was never to be because of the sway of religion. Hinduism is what Brahmins define it as, not as what the majority decides. And if the Kshatriya had to rule, the people and armies needed the blessing of Religion to enshrine that rule. Thus, despite having Military Might, the warrior class remained servants to the Brahmins – much like a dog remains loyal to its owner despite sharing no equality with him or her. Caste is graded inequality and as you move down the hierarchy you are lower down the order to the point of being untouchable. But Why? Why did the Brahmin mandate this very pointless act? Simple, by degrading a human being, you remove that person’s humanity. By removing the person’s humanity, he is thus a slave and an animal. This is a time tested method used globally, be it the enslavement of Africa or the Nazi holocaust against Jews.

Here we must recall that every Feudal system in the world was destroyed and replaced with Capitalism. Why then did it continue in India? There are many reasons here.

First, there was no violent revolution that seized power – economic, political, and social – from the ruling triad of Brahmins, Warriors and Traders.

Second, the coming of the British was not a social revolution but an Imperialist Economic invasion and the low and subservient Labor suited their Capitalism just fine. Note here that Capitalism freed the European serf but collaborated with Feudalism and Slavery elsewhere in the world seamlessly to continue the legacy economic systems.

Thirdly: The Indian Independence movement, as revolutionary as it was, was not a movement for a complete end to Imperialism and Monarchic rule. Indian Independence simply replaced the British with the Brahmin. This of course was never the objective but the natural consequence of a Indian society that never wanted the end of Feudalism because it suited them not to be equal AND Hinduism blesses it.

Fourth: The Leadership of independent India was not a Socialist leadership – at best it can be defined as a Social Democratic one. What is the difference? A Socialist leadership would have consolidated the masses of India that had fought for India’s independence to further destroy the Hindu Caste System and its hegemony. The Social Democratic leadership by protecting the rights and the rule of the rich Bourgeoisie thus decided that India’s greatest enemy was the Socialists and Communists. Barring some pockets of India, Feudal Social Consciousness prevailed while the Capitalistic Mode of Production was practiced.

One could argue that Capitalism destroyed Feudalism and instituted separation of the church and state in Europe. So perhaps that is what is underway in India today as well? False!

No such change is happening. The change in Europe happened only because the economic and military prowess was seized from the ruling class by a mass revolt. In India, that did not happen so the Brahmins and ruling classes, just converted their Economic wealth into Industry and Property – sanctified as forever theirs by the Indian Republic.

In education, we promote the Brahminical practice of rote learning and not analytical, application based learning, thus creating a population that is still repeating what the Brahmins in power decide that you are good for – case in point, notice how most lower than Brahmin caste captains of industry are all foreign educated?

In Society, marriage is still within the same caste. In housing, people still live in caste based housing. In politics, you will see token to no representation of the working classes and Dalits. Even leaving Hinduism cannot change the stigma of caste as the same rotten system of the Brahmins was so reinforced that it exists there as well.

In summation, Caste, can only be destroyed by seizure of the Economic means of production from the Brahmins and their two servant castes. Here we must also ask whether a simple transition from Caste to a Class based society solves anything as well. Here then we must look at Socialism and Communism to make the final transition from Barbarism to Socialism, from a Society that discriminates based on how much you have to making human intellect and merit the only division, from moving away from the rule of Castes and the Moneyed to the rule of the people….A proletarian democracy!