The urban culture is a great social equaliser. A Dalit and an upper caste person can share the living place because they work together in an office or a factory. This explains why the poor must support forces that lead to urbanisation
In the year 1951, 17.29 per cent of India was urban. By 1991, 25.71 per cent turned urban. In other words, within four decades, the country’s urbanisation went up by 8.42 percentage points. By the year 2001, India’s urban population increased to 27.78 per cent and by 2011, it went up to 31.30 per cent. In other words, during 1991-2011, India’s urban population went up by 5.59 percentage points. These figures prove that India’s urbanisation was really slow between 1951 and 2001.
And if we go further in the past we can see that in the year 1901, only 10.83 per cent of India was urban; this became 27.78 per cent by 2001. In other words, during the past one century (1901-2001), India’s urbanisation expanded by 16.95 percentage points.
One remarkable feature of this entire analysis is the strategic significance of the year 1991 that witnessed the onset of India’s liberalisation process. So, naturally it became a reference point for studying and analysing not only the levels of urbanisation in a traditionally rural society like India, but also the extent of social change.
Coming back to the plot, the main idea here is to explain as to how capitalism, democracy and urbanism are inseparable. Urbanism is about anonymity. New entrants to cities lose their social identities. In the case of India, the upper castes can’t flaunt their sacred threads to seek social hegemony in cities. localities with swimming pools are the best places to understand the might of urbanism. Such localities are predominantly inhabited by upper caste people. It is rare to see a swimmer in these localities wearing a sacred thread. And in case one wore that ‘tool of dominance’, that person becomes an object of ridicule.
Coming to the urban localities that have a predominantly lower middle class and mixed caste population, it is easier to find out each others’ caste identities. A person who is a Dalit can’t be asked by the fellow customer to leave the place as it would bring him civic snub.
The predominantly Dalit/lower OBC slum areas are socially egalitarian in nature. The underclass cutting across their caste roots cohabit together. That’s the greatest social revolution urbanism is writing in this country.
More so, civility is associated with civic organisations. The very notion of citizenship relates to civil societies that evolve in cities. Urbanism is about a host of equalities that are unavailable in the countryside to the downtrodden. In an urban setup a Dalit, whatsoever class locality he inhabits, can flaunt his dress that is colourful, ride a bike or horse and enjoy his freedom and equality.
Amazingly, the urban culture is a great social equaliser. A Dalit and an upper caste person can share the living place because they work together in an office or a factory. Urbanism also produces a culture that is class cast and not caste classed.
In urban India, social hierarchies are breaking down. None can determine the caste of a person by looking at his dress. But this is not the case in rural areas or traditional social structures where caste identities still decide the dress code of its members. For instance, come to Rajasthan and you will find how headgears are very much associated with caste identities.
Sources of entertainment also turn common in cities. They are now more film-based or simply electronic. There is no way the upper caste people bring bais (female dancers that also at times worked as sex workers) and the Dalits bring janghiya ka dance (male dancers with bronze bells stitched around their shorts). So, urbanisation actually can be a bigger social equaliser than any other institution.
Not that everything will become great in an urbanised India. Urbanised America still has unsettled race issues. But, compare the situation of Blacks today in the United States to that of America of 1991 or 1951 or 1901, and one can see an impressive improvement in their condition, status and achievements.
The same is true about India as well. Problems will be there for Dalits as the centuries-old problem of casteism can’t be tackled in a decade or so. But that is no licence to prolong the evils of casteism.
All kinds of forces are fighting the evils of casteism. Urbanisation is also a factor against the caste system. Please keep in mind that the might of urbanisation has to be recognised as one of the greatest anti-caste warriors. And anybody opposing it is status quoist.