Has caste lost its relevance in understanding the multi-cultural Indian Society? Elaborate your answer with illustrations. (UPSC 2020)

Castes have lost some older rigidity in India, but they are not irrelevant. In modern India, caste has weakened in occupation and everyday urban interaction, yet it remains powerful in marriage, politics and access to opportunity.

• Weakened: Urbanisation, education and the service economy have reduced ritual control over work. The 103rd Amendment and EWS quota also show growing importance of economic criteria.
• Persisting: Endogamy still dominates; NFHS-5 shows only about 10–11% marriages are inter-caste. Bihar’s caste survey and the Rohini Commission show caste’s continuing political and policy relevance. SCs and STs still face under-representation, lower incomes and atrocities.

Thus, caste is no longer the sole lens to understand multicultural India, but it remains essential because it has transformed rather than disappeared.