Shockingly, advertisements for even a handful of lower rung go­ vernment jobs attract an over­ whelming number of applications, leading at times to the withdrawal of such advertisements. In Sep­ tember 2021, news reports high­ lighted that among 18,000 appli­ cants for some 42 posts (peon, gardener and cook) in the Hima­ chal Pradesh secretariat, there were hundreds of doctorate and other postgraduate applicants. Earlier, in March 2021, more than 27,000 candidates with degrees such as BA, BSc, MA, MSc, MCom, MBA, engineering, etc. had ap­ plied for 13 positions for a peon’s job in the Panipat district court. Likewise, for 62 posts of messen­ gers in the Uttar Pradesh police, in August 2018, there were a total of 93,000 applicants; 3,700 were PhD holders and 50,000 were graduates. This particular job va­ cancy required an education level of Class V and the selection crite­ rion comprised a self­declaration that the candidate knew how to ride a bicycle.

Types of marriages

1. Endogamy refers to marriage within a unit – this could be a kin group, caste, or a group living in the same locality.
2. Exogamy refers to marriage outside the unit.
3. Polygyny is the practice of a man having several wives.
4. Polyandry is the practice of a woman having several husbands.

Eight forms of marriage

Here are the first, fourth, fifth and sixth forms of marriage from the Manusmriti:

First: The gift of a daughter, after dressing her in costly clothes and honouring her with presents of jewels, to a man learned in the Veda whom the father himself invites.
Fourth: The gift of a daughter by the father after he has addressed the couple with the text, “May both of you perform your duties together”, and has shown honour to the bridegroom.
Fifth: When the bridegroom receives a maiden, after having given as much wealth as he can afford to the kinsmen and to the bride herself, according to his own will.
Sixth: The voluntary union of a maiden and her lover ... which springs from desire ...

The wealthy Shudra

This story, based on a Buddhist text in Pali known as the Majjhima Nikaya, is part of a dialogue between a king named Avantiputta and a disciple of the Buddha named Kachchana. While it may not be literally true, it reveals Buddhist attitudes towards varna.

Avantiputta asked Kachchana what he thought about Brahmanas who held that they were the best caste and that all other castes were low; that Brahmanas were a fair caste while all other castes were dark; that only Brahmanas were pure, not non-Brahmanas; that Brahmanas were sons of Brahma, born of his mouth, born of Brahma, formed by Brahma, heirs to Brahma.

Kachchana replied: “What if a Shudra were wealthy ... would another Shudra ...or a Kshatriya or a Brahmana or a Vaishya ... speak politely to him?”
Avantiputta replied that if a Shudra had wealth or corn or gold or silver, he could have as his obedient servant another Shudra to get up earlier than he, to go to rest later, to carry out his orders, to speak politely; or he could even have a Kshatriya or a Brahmana or a Vaishya as his obedient servant.

Kachchana asked: “This being so, are not these four varnas exactly the same?”
Avantiputta conceded that there was no difference amongst the varnas on this count.

Deviancy amplification suggests that deviance in a society is the unintended consequence of police control, over-reaction and labelling by the mass media. This concept has been useful in studies of police reaction to drug abuse, sexual offences, group-based violence and political protests. Made popular by sociologist Howard Becker, ‘Labelling theory’ states that people come to identify and behave in ways that reflect how others label them. The theory suggests that when a person is labelled as a criminal due to a group he/she identifies with, it can cause society to treat the person poorly, which in turn results in the individual becoming deviant.

Some critics argue that there is no direct proof to show that labelling increases deviancy. In trying to correlate labelling and deviance, factors such as differences in socialisation, attitudes, and opportunities that lead to deviance is ignored.

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Emailing Introduction to Sociology - SOC101.pdf

Sanskrit texts use the term kula to designate families and jnati for the larger network of kinfolk. The term vamsha is used for lineage

Difference between Patriliny and Matriliny

Patriliny means tracing descent from father to son, grandson and so on.

Matriliny is the term used when descent is traced through the mother.

The Social differences between men and women were sharpened because of the differences in access to resources.

This paper outlines how caste identities of migrants can influence migration patterns and the benefits attained through migration.

Through narratives from the wives of the migrants who have been left-behind, the paper shows how the relative economic affluence of backward castes in comparison to groups from Most Backward Castes and Scheduled Castes made the process of migration easier and also helped them gain jobs with better pay and benefits.

Overseas migration helped those engaged in caste-based occupations in their villages to shift to other job sectors and improve their economic positions. However, most of them are able to make ends meet only because women from these communities continue to work in caste-based occupations to support the financial needs of their families.

A total of 971 people lost their lives while cleaning sewers or septic tanks since 1993, the year law prohibiting employment of manual scavengers was enacted, according to the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry on Wednesday