The Separate Glass: A Study of the Caste System in Pakistan
The caste system in India was created about 1000 years before Christ was born. This system divided the Hindus into categories, the Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the Shudras. These groups were believed to have originated from the Hindu god Brahma, the god of creation. At the top of the hierarchy, pyramids were the Brahmins who, mainly teachers and intellectuals, believed to have come from Brahma’s head. Then came the Kshatriyas, or the warriors and rulers, who supposedly originated from Brahma’s chest. At the third position were the Vaishyas, the traders, who were created from his stomach. At the bottom are the Shudras, who came from Brahma’s feet, and did all the menial jobs. For centuries, the caste system dictated almost every aspect of Hindu religious and social life, with each group occupying a specific place in the society. Rural communities were based on caste, the upper and lower classes living in separate, segregated colonies. In rural areas, while the men in the community shared the hookah, men from lower castes had a separate hookah, which was differented from the the others by a blue fabric tied around the object, highlighting the subtle, and often profound, discrimination against the lower castes. Moreover, water wells were not shared, the upper classes considered it a disgrace to accept anything from the lower classes, and a person could not marry into another caste. Basically, the upper castes were bestowed with numerous privileges while repressing the lower castes. Though unjust, the system remained unchanged for centuries, trapping the people into fixed social slots from which it was impossible to escape. Due to this oppression, many Shudras converted to Christianity, trying to escape from the repression of the social hierarchy they were forced to live in. However, their true identities are not unknown, and though life became a little better, they were still reduced to nothing. They were the ones who did unhygienic jobs involving sanitary problems. Their women were usually employed as maids in households. Even now, the ones who come to clean the gutters or do other sanitary work are usually Christians, and sometimes even Muslims. Due to the unhygienic conditions in which they lived, these people were welcomed with poorly disguised disgust by society. They were ill-favored and denied basic privileges. Their children were unable to gain an education because, due to the pressing need for money, they were forced to work. The living quarters of these people were considered to be the dirtiest and most unhygienic.
Dalit women in Pakistan experienced multiple forms of discrimination as they were discriminated bon the basis of oth gender and caste, makign them vulnerable to social exclusion.They also osten fall victim to sexual abuse, violence and abductions. Some are subjected to kidnapping and forced conversion into Muslim families under the disguise of marriage. The stories shared by the women’s families reveal that religious conversion is a barrier for the women to return to their families and for the legal authorities to take action.
Another example of severe discrimination is in disaster management and relief distribution. The caste population represents them as the poorest of the poor and one of the most marginalized sections of the population. Although the Constitution prohibits discrimination on grounds of caste or socio-economic background, successive governments have done little to eliminate caste-based discrimination. Years of state denial of the issye has agrgavated the discrimination faced by these people, as no government has adopted legislative or legal measures to prevent or rectify the situation. Despite promises in the international forum to address the issue, the government has not yet initiated any action for the promotion and protection of this caste community in the country.
Article 26 of the Constitution states that “In respect to access of places of public entertainment or resort not intended for religious purposes only, there shall be no discrimination against any citizen on the ground of race, religion, caste, sex, residence or palce of birth”.
In its 4th periodic report to the CEDAW committee, the government of Pakistan prioritiizses reducing and eliminating discrimination. In the CEDAW general recommendation 28 on the Core Obligations of State Parties under Article 2 of the Convention, the committee states that protection from discrimination under the convention elso includes discrimination on the grounds of caste. Despite the government’s commitment to eliminate the itnersecting forms of discrimination on grounds of caste and gender, there has been little improvement in the situation of those affected by caste discrimination in Pakistan.
Traditionally, the argument was that Islam teaches equality, so there is no question of caste discrimination in an Islamic state. However, over the past years, a more constructive argument was seen in response to the reviews by the CEDAW committee and the UPR mechanism. While this is a positive development, Pakistan has a long way to go to achieve concrete actions and participation of the affected individuals, especially women from lower castes,
For Dalits, called ‘scavengers’ (choorah) in Pakistan, the notion of ‘untouchability’ is obvious in all spheres of private and public life, as a result of which they live in separate colonies, are served in separate crockery and cannot sit inside with upper castes.
Therefore, In India and Pakistan, the creation of a separate glass for domestic help was introduced. This was for two reasons. The first reason was that due to their unhygienic lifestyle, they were considered dirty and were forbidden to drink and eat from the same glass or plate as their employers. Second, the separate glass indicated that they were from the lower classes, thus not worthy of eating and drinking with the members of the household, establishing the difference between them and the upper class. Basically, the separate glass was, and is, a symbol of superiority over the lower classes. Their hygiene, illiteracy, and the work they did contribute to discrimination in society. About 20 years ago, the glass of domestic help was placed on the meter box outside the house rather than in the kitchen, stating their place in the house.
In our own households, we notice that there is a separate glass for the maid, although she eats on the same plates as us. If questioned, we are told that this is because of the unhygienic work they do. However, in some households, the maids have separate glasses and plates, are sometimes not even allowed to use the furniture and forced to sit on the floor, and are given old, torn and useless clothing labeled as charity. They are given leftover food and required to work at any time their employer wants them to. Upon asking, the reasons given for such treatment is that they are inferior to us and dirtier, thus they are not worthy of the same luxuries. Thus, the servants are treated no better than pets, segregated from the rest of society, a tradition that dates back centuries.