Caste System in India

Do you know all the different jobs people can have. Some people are doctors who help us feel better. Some people are bakers who make yummy cakes. Long, long ago, in a warm place called India, I was born. Hello. I am a very old idea that started around 1500 BCE. I was like a big box with special drawers for everyone. People were put into little groups based on their family's job. If your daddy was a farmer, you would be a farmer, too. I put everyone in their own little spot, in their own little drawer.

For a very, very long time, I was like a rulebook for everyone. My rules were written down in special holy books called the Vedas. I told people what job they would have when they grew up. I also told them who they could share their lunch with and who they could be friends with. I was like a tall, tall ladder. Some people were put on the top steps, and other people were put on the bottom steps. It was not always very kind. It wasn't always fair, because it meant not everyone was treated the same way, and that could make people feel sad.

But guess what. People grew wiser and had a new, kinder idea. They decided my old rules were not the best way for everyone to be happy. A very smart and kind man named Dr. B.R. Ambedkar helped write new rules for India in the year 1950. These new rules are much better. They say that everyone is important. Everyone is equal. It doesn't matter what job your family has. The new rules say that being friends with everybody and playing together is the best idea of all. And that is a very happy thought.