For thousands of years, India’s society has been divided into categories based on birth, region, occupation and social duties. India’s “caste” system divides the society into four broad castes, or varnas; Brahmans (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors and rulers), Vaishyas (traders and merchants), and Sudras (peasants and labourers). At the bottom of the hierarchy are the so-called untouchables (Dalits).

India’s independence leader, Mohandas K. Gandhi, saw this situation as very unjust. He worked to defend the rights of lower caste citizens. As a result, India’s 1950 Constitution banned the status known as untouchable. It also includes affirmative action programmes that are designed to improve the status of the lower castes. These programmes are called “reservations”. Since it started, the reservation system has received a mixed response from Indians. Caste discrimination still exists in Indian society and these laws have been controversial.

However, the reservation system has been praised for reducing the gap between the upper and lower castes. It has achieved this by providing increased opportunities in jobs, education and government by reserving places exclusively for lower caste Indians.