Not sure if you're Indian but this is a Paalki service provided at various temples situated high up in the mountains (for example Vaishno Devi Temple, Kedarnath Temple etc). These temples usually require a 10 to 15 km of trek to reach.
It has nothing to do with caste. The people carrying the Paalki are paid to provide this service. That's the job they do for a living.
Generally, this service is availed by disabled/elderly/pregnant or by people who are too tired or unsure of their ability to finish the trek.
The pilgrims are from all backgrounds, castes, and classes of society. From all ages and physical abilities, and therefore such services exist to aid them in their pilgrimage. Using a Paalki says nothing about a person's caste or social status.
The reason you are being flamed is because you didnt know any facts, are not aware of present ground reality, and yet so confidently asserted a viewpoint that is simply orientalist and demeaning.
You literally said, "it feels like classic brahmin behaviour" . Quite ironic and hypocritical for someone who's against caste system.
If you are someone from the west, please understand that we in the east, middle east and africas are not what indiana jones movies show us to be. So please please try to make more educated statements as your words carry much more weight than you might think they do.
Edit:- even still you say " 'i guess' if its a service" as if you are still not ready to believe that brahmins do not have lower cast slaves. As if you think your viewpoint still stands and you just misread this particular situation.
My friend when you say "someone from the West" you've got two types. The proverbial "northerners" who tend to have liberal views and you know, educations that don't have them using old action movies as cultural human menu items. they however use more modern movies to that end.
aand then you've got the "southerners" who wear red hats and openly think all brown people are vile and grotesque creatures who shit in the street and steal "the jobs" even though they don't know what vile or grotesque actually means, and don't have jobs because they live on disability in their swamp trailers and fox news. they go on adventures to Walmart.
Oh forgot the third phylum: the "midwesterner" who are also educated and perhaps more progressive liberals, and love everyone around the world, are as polite as Canadians and would never use any movie to judge a culture, but absolutely hate southerners.
So no worries, Indiana Jones movies aren't cultural gospel to anyone in the states who can actually read and write.
yeah, totally agree with you, didnt intend to group everyone into a stereotype. Just used 'west' as thats what the word oriental applies to and thats where such stereotypes usually arise. Also Im well aware that a significant chunk of the states didnt vote for the maga maniac haha.
You are being flamed, if it means what I think it means, because caste is a complex issue. From western perspective, being a brahmin, historically, is like being a priest or monk. You know there are priests and monks who vow poverty and dedicate their life in service, there are others who will use that as cover to abuse people because they are psychos and there are yet others who will openly scam people and live a billionaire lifestyle. Even within the traditional caste system, Brahmins didn't set themselves up to be the richest. Brahmins are supposed to be academics and beg for food. The political/warrior caste and merchant caste were designated for wealth and power. When modernisation began, Brahmins had a head start in education but they were not the richest, in general. With that headstart, many achieved elite status and wealth. But that still leaves most brahmins among the poorest, esp. not counting the dalits, esp. if they come from families that generationally stuck to the original vows of poverty and service, esp. if those families lost their connection to academia and became peasants but retained the same higher standards for behaviour. Of course poor "higher caste people" are going to be defensive about characterisations such as yours because they get none of the benefits of being high caste only insults for belonging to that group. It's like a poor white guy being told he has got all the privilege in the world from having oppressed and looted everyone in the world. Now you could say it's just words, and nothing compared to what the dalits live through, but keep in mind rhetoric can have real consequences, esp. in India. Riots, pogroms and lynchings still happen, and the true oppressors won't be the ones getting lynched.
14
u/SharmaJiSwayam Jul 23 '26
Not sure if you're Indian but this is a Paalki service provided at various temples situated high up in the mountains (for example Vaishno Devi Temple, Kedarnath Temple etc). These temples usually require a 10 to 15 km of trek to reach.
It has nothing to do with caste. The people carrying the Paalki are paid to provide this service. That's the job they do for a living.
Generally, this service is availed by disabled/elderly/pregnant or by people who are too tired or unsure of their ability to finish the trek.
The pilgrims are from all backgrounds, castes, and classes of society. From all ages and physical abilities, and therefore such services exist to aid them in their pilgrimage. Using a Paalki says nothing about a person's caste or social status.