Is nationality the new caste ?

India had a caste system which was looked down upon. Over a period of time concious efforts from a democratically elected goverment, has somewhat blurred the caste lines.

But what has happened to the global caste system? Yes global caste system aka Nationality, has become very strict over a period of time. Nationality is the new caste system - on a global scale.

I know, first thing in your mind is, nationality is not similar to caste concept.
So lets look at, what was caste system anyways, and then try to compare it with Nationality.

• Caste system, to use the classsical definition available on wiki, is "Strict segmentation of society, with the various groups being rigidly defined and membership of them determined by birth." sounds very similar to Nationality. 
• One of the key characteristics of the caste system was "Physical segregation in villages, accompanied by limitations on movement and access, including to religious and educational areas and to basic facilities such as supplies of water." Sounds every bit true for the nationality. 

Nationality is Physical segregation based on birth.

In modern India, as in most of the progressive nations of the world, you are born free. You have freedom of choice. Irrespective of the caste, you are free to choose jobs, educational institutes, area you want to live in, natural wonders you want to visit, religious places you want to go to.

You have every choice in your life - within the physically segregated area called your nation. 

Very similar to the big village of the particular caste, just that the village is big.
The cage is bigger, does not mean you are free.

Even value of human life depends on which nationality you belong to, very similar to caste system. Subconsciously the entire society has accepted it. Life of a US citizen vs a Bangladeshi Citizen - do you see them as same? Check the coverage given by any newspaper for a news related to kidnap/ killing  of these two nationalities and you will realize.

You have freedom within your Samaaj or sub society to marry and had to change the caste of the spouse, if marrying outside the caste - for which you had a big clearance process. Same true for marriage between people from different nationalities.

So you say changing your nationality is possible and changing the caste was not? Think again. religious cleaning process, marriages into higher cast, people faking their castes, did allow people change their castes, though not from lowest to the highest. People in the higher sub caste had this choice.Sounds very similar to process for changing nationality, and granting the new nationality is still very similar to a religious caste change ceremony. Application for immigration from one developed country to another is easier rather than from third world. 

 

Nationality has every bit of the character that the caste system had. Are we mature enough to realize this and grow up from Nationality?

 

Why do we need nationality ?

Life of Pi

Life of Pi.
Dark and opaque subplot.
I am sure, many would prefer not to acknowledge the true story, even if they logically understand that it is the only story plausible.

 So what was the story, as in real chain of events?

Ofcourse the one Pi tells in the end in very few words, as the alternate explanation given by him to the Japanese insurance guys.
Clearly all what Pi narrates about the tiger, hyena and zebra was a lie - euphemisms to the true story.

The true story is that the cook killed the Japanese sailor and Pi's mother. Pi killed the sailor. Pi ate a rat and human flesh, and survived for 227 days in the ocean.
For surviving 227 days, there was no way Pi could have been choosy about what he wants to eat. He had no option but to opt for the custom of the sea - ie survival cannibalism. Pi was to ashamed to openly admit but this was the only way.
Btw Richard Parker was also the name of the sailor in the  1838 novel of Edgar Allan Poe, where Richard Parker suggests to his fellow sailors to use one of them as food for others to survive. They draw lots and Parker gets canibalized in that novel. Btw a real life Richard Parker got cannibalized in 1884, and the name has come to remain closely associated with cannibalism. 

Coming back to Life of Pi, Pi turned cannibal, in the story it was his alter ego ie Richard Parker that killed and ate humans. 
When Pi was on brink of starving to death, he comes across a floating island, that provides him everything that he needs to survive. The island is of the shape of a human. It was a euphemism for a floating corpse. Pi discovers that the corpse that he is eating is that of a cannibal.(he discovers a tooth inside that island ie body)and fears other cannibals near by. He leaves the body once he understands that the water in that island has turned acidic ie the body is decaying. He ties his holy thread as a mark of his respect/ last rites that he can do on the ocean for a body.

 In the hospital, after breaking down over grilling by the Japanese insurance guys who do not believe the tiger story, Pi breaks down and tells Japanese insurance guys- what do you want to hear - you already know it. (Appealing to their logical reasoning) and tells them the truth. Japanese guys find it too dark to report, they would rather report a cock and bull illogical story, rather than a uncomfortable truth.

 "'So tell me, since it makes no factual difference to you and you can't prove the question either way, which story do you prefer? Which is the better story, the story with animals or the story without animals?' Mr. Okamoto: 'That's an interesting question?' Mr. Chiba: 'The story with animals.' Mr. Okamoto: 'Yes. The story with animals is the better story.' Pi Patel: 'Thank you. And so it goes with God.'"
Both the investigators agree that the story with animals is better one. In short they have started believing in miracles. 
The question is essentially do you want to believe an uncomfortable truth Or A soothing lie. A story which narrates a miracle ie an act of God is a soothing lie.
In any case Miracles are a way of putting a garb of respectability on uncomfortable truths. (Virgin mother-?? Must be a miracle... Sita swallowed by earth... Hello...)
 so it goes with God.