Daily Times

Sir: The upper-caste-Hindu mindset is in total denial of its existence.The downside of the caste system is that it made the task of invading Muslim armies all the more easy. Since every individual’s role in society was predetermined by his caste, a majority of the people just stood by as the armies of Mahmood Ghaznavi went deeper and deeper into India. It was simply not their job to fight! The caste system was effective probably because it is based on a negative human instinct: hate! Contempt for lower castes, in response, generated hatred for upper castes. It is now, perhaps, affecting India’s economic prospects. It is rather collectively sapping so much of its emotional energy that it has begun to show. Can India rid itself of this albatross?

Badar Moinuddin

Lahore