Occupational Pattern of Scheduled Castes of Saran District, Bihar

Abstract

The classification of Indian society based on Castes is unique. In India caste determines the interaction between the different social classes. A Hindu belongs to the caste of his or her parents where they remain and it becomes very difficult for anyone to change their caste status. Andre Beteille defines caste as “a small and named group of persons characterized by endogamy, hereditary membership, and a specific style of life which sometimes includes the pursuit by tradition of a particular occupation and is usually associated with a more or less distinct ritual status in a hierarchical system.” A particular group consisting of a number of different castes, known by different names like untouchables, the depressed classes, the backward classes or the Scheduled Castes, has suffered from numerous disabilities due to religious beliefs and practices since time immemorial leading to their wretched condition in the present time. Some of the common features among them are untouchability, segregation, Mass illiteracy, poverty, poor housing conditions, poor quality of life and low level of social mobility.