Evening star., 1947-04-13

AAy aA&o bAtOA W iNAPSsAH~ NASAA
political mastery and racial identity
by the institution which they called
"varna." This word Is today trans
lated as caste" but its original
meaning was color" Caste In India
thus started as q "color line" But
| 1t was enforced not 50 much by civil
law as by religion. The upper castles
were nonopolized by the Aryans.
This was especially true of the
priestly, or Brahmin caste, which
acquired position OF leadership
that 1t has always maintained. The
lower castles consisted Of the subject
Dravidian masses.
The Moslems Invade.
The castles were kept apart by .
system OF religious taboos. Inter
marriage. partaking OF food and
drink, even physical approach. en-
tailed ceremonial defilement. DA-
obedience to these taboos was pun
ished by the terrible penalty OF
"outcasting," whereby the offender
become q "Pariah"-a man Of no
caste, with no rights which even a
low-caste man need respect. Fur
thermore, the Indian religion, Hin
duism, became social rather than
moral In character, concerned
largely with ritual and caste
observances.
A land thus socially atomized and
politically split into many princi-
palities was prone to fall before the
first strong invader. This invader
was Islam. Coming through the
northwestern passes as the Aryans
had done ages before, the Moslems,
in a series of waves, gradually spread
their rule over India. The Moslem
invaders enjoyed two notable ad-
vantages; They were fanatically
united against the HindB, whom
they loathed as worshipers Of idols,
and they made many native con-
verts. The very opposite OF Hindu
ism, Islam, with its doctrine that
all believers are brothers, could not
fail to attract multitudes who. by
conversion to Islam, might rise to
the status of the conquerors. That
Is the chief reason why the Moslems
Of India today number nearly 100,-
600, 0,000-weu over one-flfth Of the
total population.
MoguI Empire Collapsed.
The fiood-tide of Moslem expan-
sion came in the 18th century,
when the so-called Mogul Empire
dominated most of India. Yet even
this conquest was superficial. The
Brahmins, threatened with destruc-
ton, preached Hindu revival; the
Mogul dynasty petered out, and
early in the 18th century the MoguI
Empire collapsed. leaving India a
welter of warning principalities,
Mohammedan and Hindu, fighting
one another for religion, for political
advantage or for sheer lust of
plunder.
Out of this anarchy the British
gradually rose to power; in part by
direct rule, In part by protectorates
over the many native states which
retain their rulers and a large
measure of autonomy. So efficient
and nonpartisan was the British
Raj that the modern nationalist
movement did not arise until the
close of the last century: and even
then 1t was predominantly Hindu
in spirit and purpose, the Brahnin
caste being the driving force. But
this tended to ALLEVIATE the Moslems,
who considered themselves the lords
Of the land since the Mogul conquest
and feared Hindu revival which
would subordinate them to their
hereditary foes. This Brahminical
leadership likewise aroused the
apprehension of the Hindu low
castles, who feared that a Brahmin-
ruled India would deny them the
benefits they had come to enjoy
under British rule Also, even the
Hindu princes disliked the thought
of a theocratic regime that might
sharply curtail their authority.
Self Government Prospects.
Thus, Indian nationalism, as
exemplified by the so-called Con-
gress Party. has been really an
alliance between the Brahmins and
western-educated intellectuals, who
had pooled their ambitions in a
program for jointly ruling India
The low-castes, officially termed
Scheduled Castes," are today WELL
organized and number some 50000,-
600. There are also minor, but
likewise well-organized minorities,
notably the Sikhs, a militant but
heretical outgrowth of Hinduism, to
say nothing of the native Christians,
the Buddhists. and the Parsis.
With such setup, the prospects
of genuinely democratic native
government in India do not appear
bright. Democracy requires agree
ment on fundamentals, willingness
to compromise, and. above all, re-
spect for the basic rights Of minori-
ties. None of these prerequisites
today exist in India. Without spe-
ciflc guarantees of the msst positive
character. the rule of the Brahmin-
dominated Congress Party would be
bitterly opposed by the Moslems,
the low-caste Hindus, most Of the
princes and other elements. On the
other hand, the Congress Party is
adamant against the Moslem idea
! of separate "Pakistan," which
would disrupt the political unity
they so ardently desire.
Unless, therefore, some way is
found to reconcile these historic ir-