Overview of Caste and Class in India

Two main forms of social stratification-caste and class. Both are the agencies of social mobility and selection. They decide largely the position that a man occupies in society. The range of one's social contracts is almost fixed by one's status in society. Caste is associated above all the cultures of the Indian subcontinent. The term ‘Caste’ itself is not an Indian one, coming from the Portuguese ‘Caste’ meaning, ‘race’ or ‘pure stock’. Indians themselves have no single term for describing the caste system as a whole but a variety of words referring to different aspects of it, the two main ones being varna and Jati The Varna consists of four categories, each ranked differently in terms of social honour. Below these four groupings are the 'untouchables', those in the lowest position of all. The Jati are locally defined groups within which the caste ranks are organized. This paper reflects, overview of caste and class in India.