Caste mobility - 3

...There is another way in which an endogamous jati can move up. This also includes a change to higher-level occupation along with a solution to problems of marriage and inter-dining. In this the whole jati moves up the social scale. The Kayasthas have moved a long way from being to near untouchables to be near to twice born. It has been a long difficult and arduous journey achieved with the help of Muslim invaders. The Kayasthas were the court musicians and dancers. The women and girls danced for the ruler and his courtiers. The men played musical instruments while their women danced. Not having their own means to survive they had to depend on the mercy of court and courtiers. It was an occupation of utmost subordination. Their women were more important as the skills of men were secondary to that of dancing. The men held secondary position. Their women danced to please. They were also the targets of exploitation. This exploitation passed from generation to generation. It was not one of the grandly respected occupations especially with the exploitation of women that went with it. In the ancient purity based society their social status was almost insulting. There was no purity to be maintained. Then came Muslim invaders and everything changed for them. At the same time dharma hid itself in unknown places under the onslaught of Muslim invaders. The Muslim rule was god-sent opportunity for them. The heaven changed its mood for the Kayasthas; it became benevolent in the form of Muslim rulers. After all, the Muslim rulers controlled the resources of the kingdom. The pillars, which crushed dharma, provided solid and strong support to Kayasthas. The Kayasthas progressed while dharma suffered under the rulership of idol breaker Muslims. Whose fault it was anyway? The lowly court musicians surviving on their dancing women were destined to become high-rise under the Muslim rule. As it happened, the rulers were predisposed to ruling the people only but somebody was required to do the administrative work. The Muslim rulers wanted all the record to be kept in Persian, the language was not known to people here. One had to know the Persian to gain employment with the rulers. High caste Hindus were generally averse to do the work for Muslim rulers because dharma was suffering. They were also not used to being subordinates. Thus by and large they avoided working for foreign rulers. Like earlier foreign rulers the Muslim were not interested in accepting cultural hegemony and superiority of Brahmans. They believed that worshipping idols was meant for heathen people since idols did not have any real powers. Thus they were disinclined to accept the superiority of heathen people. However they ran short of people to run the administrative. The Brahmans and other high castes were not coming forward to learn the Persian and take up the court work. The lowly Kayasthas grabbed the opportunity with both the hands. They learnt the Persian and took up the court work. The study of Persian spread in the community of Kayasthas and with that the employment with the rulers. They handled the court records first then land records. The land record work was very heavy; heavy enough to give a significant number of Kayasthas work with the court. Then slowly they were elevated to the ministerial jobs which was as good as being Brahmans in Varna dharma. This opportunity could have never been provided to them by the time tested ancient Varna dharma. When British came they got land Zamindari under their rule - it pays to be on the side of rulers. Then they acquired the modern education and got plum jobs with English rulers. Now they are as good as twice born. Some even claim Kshatriya status and get accepted as such...