What are the severe problems in India, where Hinduisation is progressing rapidly? - 2022.12.31

//Summary - Level-C2//

India faces significant challenges due to the rapid Hinduisation promoted by the Modi government. Despite being a secular nation, policies emphasizing Hindu themes have weakened diversity. The oppression of Muslims, constitutional amendments, and attacks on mosques raise concerns. Economic growth, led by the IT industry, offers some caste-neutral opportunities, but the caste system persists, contributing to economic inequality. The intertwining of Hinduism and the caste system poses obstacles to progress and social mobility.

A)
1)
This time, I will explain the distortions that are beginning to appear in India, a secular country with the principle of separation of religion and politics due to the Hindu national unification promoted by the Modi government.

2)
India under the Modi government
Hinduisation continues

India's remarkable economic development is often in the news. After the coronavirus pandemic, the GDP growth rate has risen above pre-coronavirus levels. The driving force behind this high growth is the Modi government, which came to power after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a landslide victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

B)
3)
Indeed, the ruling party, the BJP, advocates the supremacy of Hinduism and aims to unite the country through Hinduism. However, India is, first and foremost, a secular nation.

The main principle is the separation of church and state, and diversity is the country's foundation. However, under the Modi government, policies with strong Hindu themes have been pushed through one after another, creating a situation where diversity is being shaken.

4)
What makes Hinduisation possible is the support of the overwhelming majority of Hindus. This is about 80% of the nation or over 1 billion people.

India is the birthplace of Buddhism, but it was destroyed by the expansion of Hinduism and Islam in the 13th century.

5)
There is also a history of Buddhists being converted and made into untouchables, the lowest caste. As the liberation movement grew, hundreds of thousands of untouchables converted to Buddhism after India's independence, and many Buddhists still followed this trend. Still, they comprised less than 1% of the population, more minor than Christians and Sikhs.

C)
6)
Oppression of Muslims continues.
Rise of Hindu nationalism

The current problem is the oppression of Muslims. Muslims comprise over 14% of the country's population or almost 200 million people. Despite this, the Modi government amended the Constitution to strip Kashmir, India's only Muslim-majority region, of its autonomy.

7)
Since then, the state-level oppression of Muslims has continued. Muslims do not eat pigs because they are considered unclean, but they do eat cows. Conversely, cows are considered sacred in Hinduism and are often seen strolling down the street.

D)
8)
Hindus have been campaigning for cow protection since the 19th century.

In recent years, state after state has passed laws banning the slaughter of cows and the sale of beef. Even after the Supreme Court struck down the Beef Ban Act, the law remains in place, allowing beef to be eaten and traded but prohibiting its slaughter.

9)
There are also frequent incidents of extremist Hindus attacking Muslims handling beef. Since 2020, there have been several incidents in which extremist Hindus have attacked mosques and Muslims, raising concerns about the rise of Hindu nationalism.

E)
10)
A caste-neutral profession
Talented young people aspire to work in the IT industry.

The IT industry is one of the drivers of India's economic growth. Behind the rise of the IT industry is the solid upward mobility of young people trying to overcome the Hindu caste system.

11)
In addition to the four statuses, the caste system has detailed classifications that determine what kind of job a person will have. It is said that there are 2,000 to 3,000 types of caste, and they are surprisingly subdivided.

The caste system is hereditary, passed down from generation to generation. Individuals have no choice; their occupation is determined from the beginning, regardless of their qualifications and abilities.

F)
12)
A primary reason why talented young people aspire to the IT industry is that it is a new industry with no caste restrictions. Therefore, there are opportunities for people from middle and lower castes to move up the fixed social ladder.

13)
Young people who want to enter the IT industry flock to the Indian Institutes of Technology from all over India. It has an exceptionally high standard and is considered one of the world's most difficult higher education institutions.

After graduation, many students go to the United States to attend graduate school and then enter the IT industry directly.

G)
14)
American IT giants such as Google, Microsoft, IBM, Adobe and Twitter have boasted a string of Indian-born CEOs in recent years. And the network of high-tech talent from India is spreading around the world.

H)
15)
Economic inequality is fixed.
There are also concerns that economic growth will be hampered.

The Constitution outlawed discrimination based on the caste system in India in 1950. But this does not restrict the caste system itself. Not only is it closely linked to and inseparable from the Hindu faith, but Hindus make up the overwhelming majority of the country, around 80% of the population. Under Prime Minister Modi, Hinduism is growing in strength.

16)
Until now, it has been said that the caste system has the advantage of allowing people from the lower classes to get jobs and earn low wages. However, it perpetuates severe economic inequalities and does nothing to help impoverished people.

There are many negative aspects to a system that divides jobs into smaller sections, and many argue that it hinders economic growth. More and more people are daring to convert to Buddhism or Christianity to escape the bondage of caste.

17)
On the other hand, Hinduism also has various mechanisms to support talented children actively. Two people from the lowest Dalit castes have become presidents outside the caste system, and Prime Minister Modi is said to come from a lower caste who sells chai at railway stations. The search for India's development continues.