INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

KOZHIKODE

Society and Business

Submitted by
R Kathiravan
PGP/23/286
The society that we live in proudly boasts the tag “Unity in Diversity.” We witness diversities of
religion, regional, gender, class, and caste. As a democratic country, India considers all its citizens
equal under the constitution. Although equality almost doesn’t seem to exist in the current scenario,
there appears to be a hierarchy. The hierarchy in Indian society is quite evident in the diversities
mentioned above. Castes in our society is a clear example of authority; for centuries, castes have
existed, and it follows a rank structure from upper to lower. With discrimination among people
based on caste and religion in recent times, there is a growing insecurity and fear among the
minorities in the country.

When you want to develop as a society, you should lose the individualism and work as a community
associating all the sections, and this can be achieved only through secularism. Secularism is all about
developing mutual respect for all religions. Minorities of the society have been subjected to Hindu
hegemony, they have been and are victims of state violence. Deprivation of beneficiary job
opportunities, quality education, and low political representation has created a sense of alienation
from the society for these communities. Ignoring the development of minorities deteriorates the
purpose of growing as a society and as a nation.

The joke is on us when the society deludes itself that caste discrimination is a thing of the past when
it lives on. There is a sense of utter shame and disbelief when you come across horrific news about
caste discrimination, but what more are you doing about that. There is no question of it having
disappeared in the society; instead, it has gained a completely different shape. A year ago, I read a
news article about Dalits being denied access to a road to carry the dead; it crushed me. These
inhumane acts of discrimination symbolize the arrogance of the upper caste. The Varna system, the
pyramid conception of castes that ranks Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras in descending
order, this, later on, evolved into many other castes based on the occupation. In rural areas, many
people from lower caste still suffer from discriminatory practices, lack of access to education, and
unemployment among a few others. Though in large cities, the caste influence has been moderated
as a result of caste-based mobilization. Status disparities are found in every society; the old rules of
exclusion are often replaced by more subtle and flexible rules which have similar social effects.

When it comes to diversity, fundamental diversity would be gender diversity. Do women in our
society enjoy the fundamental right of equality? The population of women in India is close to one-
sixth of the world’s women population, although many of them have held high offices, yet a large
portion of women step out of their homes. The dominance of the patriarchy in Indian society has
posed as the major hurdle for women step out of their homes. Women face discrimination even
before they enter the world; oppression begins right from the womb. Rural India comes into the
limelight very often in the cases of female infanticide, although not restricting this to rural India, it is
more prevalent in rural society. In our society, women are assigned primary responsibilities, such as
taking up household work, raising the child, taking care of the family, to name a few. Many instances
of women retreating from their job due to family issues is a phenomenon that we frequently hear;
men withdrawing from their role for the same is a rarity. Glass ceiling is a common sight in the
corporate world, women face artificial barriers like stereotypes which prevent them from progress in
organization to management roles. Sexual harassment for a long time remained a silent threat for
women in the workplace, various movements in the of late has garnered attention regarding this
issue, although women still are not ready to come out open to sharing their grievance fearing
backlashes on their character. The participation of women in politics is vital for them to represent
their degree of equality and freedom. There is a lack of representation and participation of women
in politics is poor sight. Women in politics should concentrate on women issues as these are not a
political problem; rather, these are social issues.

These issues in the society that are prevalent on an everyday basis, which cannot be solved in a
single day rather requires a continuous process with proper planning and a collective effort from
everyone. Diversity issues are subjective to different policies which needs to be scrutinized. Justice in
matters about gender, caste, and religion remains difficult to achieve but is the most desirable for
joint development. I don’t want to fail as a human being looking for a better life without
understanding the ultimatum of a better life; most of us are privileged not to face these issues but
these are the people of our society who share their living with us whose fundamental rights are not
fulfilled.