Tragic truth about Indian caste system

I frequently get asked in America why India’s caste system, a pre-feudalistic division of labor that assigns one’s line of work at birth, has persisted into the 21st century. I typically answer: the need of the privileged upper castes for cheap labor. But there is an even more tragic explanation, as I discovered during a recent visit to New Delhi while talking to Maya, the dalit or untouchable — the lowest of the four castes — who has serviced my family for 35 years. Maya herself clings to her caste because it still offers her the best possible life in India.

What’s puzzling about the caste system is that it endures without legal force. Unlike slavery, where whites actively relied on authorities to maintain their slave holdings, the caste system is an informal, self-perpetuating institution.

How? Consider Maya’s story.

India on Wheels...

David recently travelled with Wildspace to Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala in South India and to New Delhi in the North. He has shared with us the below sketches capturing in excellent detail some of the numerous modes of transport in India...enjoy

Everest Sky Dive at Syangboche, Nepal

Take the leap and experience a heady free fall over the highest drop zone in the world. Skydiving from an altitude of over 29,000 feet is a thrill you cannot easily express in words. Combine your free falling close to the mighty Himalayan peaks with a trek to the base camp of Everest.

EVEREST SKYDIVE HIGHLIGHTS

• The World's most Elite Skydiving Adventure
• Skydiving in front of Mount Everest (29,035ft - 8848m)
• World Heritage area national park for trekking and skydiving
• Landing on the highest Drop Zone in the world
• Experience a High Altitude jump, with supplementary Oxygen
• Catch yourself live into Air to Air video on each jump
• Be part of an Elite club of International skydivers
• Jump from Switzerland‘s Turbine Pilatus Porter PC 6 aircraft