The caste system has been in existence for centuries in Asian countries such as India. The system involves placing individuals in occupational groups. The caste system is rooted in religion and is implemented based on labour division. It dictates the occupations an individual can pursue, as well as the kind of social interactions the person may engage in their lifetime. The caste system is only practised in the Hindu religion. The system has an order of hierarchy. Initially, there was no hierarchy but an order based on birth or occupation and personality. However, during the Holi event just before spring, people of Hindu religion get the chance to disregard the caste system and interact without respect to the caste. One can regard the Holi season as the pressure valve that gives the Hindu faithful a chance to forget about the caste system for a few days before the system’s rules come back into force and normalcy returns.
The Holi is a famous event among the Hindu religion faithful that is held during the spring. The event involves celebrations indicating that it is a day of joy, playfulness, music and dance. The event is characterized by the throwing or spraying of colours around. Everyone who takes part in this annual event paints themselves with the colours. They go out on the streets carrying paint containers, gulal buckets- highly pigmented substances in powder form and water guns. The painting is done by anyone on everyone. The old paint the young and the vice versa. Employees also throw the paint at their bosses or top government officials in what is perceived to be a fair game.
Holi is a great opportunity for the people in society who were regarded as the lowest group or rank to interact with the other people. The caste system in the Hindu religion is quite strict where people are expected to respect their senior groups. For instance, people in a lower caste are expected to respect people in a higher caste irrespective of age differences. Holi gives people in low castes the chance to interact with those people whom they may never interact with all year round. The caste system rules are quite unfair in that people at the bottom of the hierarchy cannot interact and learn from those at the top. Holi is that only chance to get close to the top members of the hierarchy and learn from them on various social and economic issues.
The Holi event also provides a rear chance to see a society where equality is practised. The caste system is so strict that it prohibits equality from seeing the light of day. The society stays in a segregated form where only people perceived to be of the same class can interact. Therefore, the Holi enables the society to disregard this segregate trend and mingle. This boosts the esteem of the poor and low level members of the hierarchy. They feel good and proud to interact with their seniors, bosses and politicians. Generally, opinions indicate that the Holi is one of the happiest moments in India for those who are Hindu faithful. Therefore, the Holi is a welcome festival to demonstrate an equal society and forget about the discriminatory pressure in the society.
Holi is also an opportunity for the Hindu faithful to celebrate their religion and other Indian cultures without the restrictions of the caste system. The caste system prohibits interaction between people of various age groups and backgrounds. However, the Holi festival is a chance for these people to celebrate the good times in the Indian religion and society without discrimination. The Holi festival is preceded by a celebration named the recreation of the Prahlad’s saving of the Vishnu. The burning of the Holika is a celebration that signifies the victory of Vishnu. This is an indication of the rich culture of the Hindu community. The Holi festival is a unifying factor in these celebrations as all people of the hierarchy will celebrate together and do the same things. Therefore, the Holi festival does away with the pressure of the caste system for the whole period it lasts as the Hindu community to celebrate its culture.
The caste system has affected the economic progress of many Indians. Those who are regarded to be on the low end of the caste system hierarchy are always restricted in terms of economic progress. These people can rarely access the resources and connections enjoyed by the people on the top of the hierarchy. This has led to many people living in poverty simply because of this unhealthy socio-economic belief. The Holi is a celebration that symbolises the prosperity of good over bad. Therefore, it is an opportunity for the Hindu faithful to get away from the economic tension arising from the restrictions of the caste system.
Several evil and bad things have been attributed to the caste system. For example, the poor are denied access to basic resources that enable them to make economic progress. However, the Holi celebration comes in as a break from these evil activities instigated by the caste system. During the Holi celebrations, people celebrate the prosperity of goodness over evil. They have the chance to stop practising the bad and demonstrate that they are good people and show unity and equality. For those affected by the caste system, they have the chance to enjoy the equality and happiness. The pressure and sadness that engulfs them during the rest of the year is relieved and they can feel appreciated and involved in important issues of religion and society.
However, the Holi event cannot be regarded as the event that does away with the negative impacts of the caste system in the Hindu religion. The event has some disadvantages on the people, which are often overlooked when weighing the benefits of the Holi event. The Holi event lasts for only two days on the Indian calendar just before the spring. This is a very short time for people to witness the fruits of equality. The event comes right in between the prevalence of the casts system. It is just a break from the ever-present caste system. What the Hindu society needs is the end of the caste system and not the Holi event. The Holi does not make Indians any better because immediately after the event, the caste system is back in full force. Therefore, the people who live in poverty remain poor.
Furthermore, the Holi festival has recently been subject to various negative incidents. The colours used to paint each other in the streets have recently been said to cause colour poisoning. This is because of the chemicals contained in the colour. This leads to eye damage, as well as allergic skin reactions. For the rich and other members of the upper caste, they are lucky because they have the resources to seek medical treatment. However, the less privileged will suffer because they will have extra expenses to cope with yet they are already financially strained. Therefore, the Holi can be viewed as a celebration whose impact is not permanent. Even though people enjoy the moments of equality and unity, the aftermath is devastating. The poor remain poorer while the rich continue living comfortably.
Furthermore, the Holi festival is just an event that does provide consolation rather than solutions to the caste system in India. The caste system is a cruel system that has crippled the socioeconomic systems in the Hindu community. There should be radical actions to be taken to do away with the system and promote equality in society. The Holi is an event that masks the real problem rather than expose or solve it. It does not ease any pressure on the socioeconomic setup in the country.
In conclusion, the Holi is regarded as an event that promotes goodness over evil and bad deeds. People of all backgrounds are able to interact comfortably in the streets smeared in colour. This offers break from the devastating caste system that has crippled the caste system in India. People can relate without fear of being segregated. Therefore, the Holi is a pressure valve that saves the people from the caste system for a few days before normalcy returns. All in all, it is an event that gives people of all backgrounds the chance to interact and enjoy as an equal society. However, the event does not give immediate solutions to the problems caused by the caste system. It simply acts as a consolation to these people.
References
Chandra, R. (2005). Identity And Genesis Of Caste System In India. New Delhi: Gyan Books.
Leigh, A. (2003). A Primary Source Guide to India. New Delhi: The Rosen Publishing Group.
Morrill, A. (2009). Easter, Passover, and Other Spring Festivals. New York: Infobase Publishing.
Oman, J. C. (2003). Religious Festivals and Caste System in India During 19th Century. Mumbai: Khama Publishers.
