Small Castes are not

Caste Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultural ...

s, they are

Profession A profession is a field of Work (human activity), work that has been successfully ''professionalized''. It can be defined as a disciplined group of individuals, ''Professional, professionals'', who adhere to ethical standards and who hold the ...

s. After the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

, the British occupied the whole

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India ...

. They introduced a new policy of

divide and rule Divide and rule policy ( la, divide et impera), or divide and conquer, in politics and sociology is gaining and maintaining power divisively. Historically, this strategy was used in many different ways by empires seeking to expand their ter ...

to sustain their occupation in this region{{Citation needed, date=January 2012. According to this policy, society was divided into two parts, i.e. agricultural and non-agricultural castes. The skilled and educated persons of the community were designated as small castes, or non-agricultural castes. Their real castes were removed from the records and the profession was avowed as their caste.

Feudal system

This was a

feudal system Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structur ...

made to keep the youth of society away from learning such skills. According to this system the skilled persons became slaves to the feudal landlords and the agricultural castes, who were rewarded with lands and territories as they were loyal to Britain rather than their own people. The assets of these skilled persons were seized or awarded to feudal Chiefs and their relatives. The people belonging to these castes were deprived of some rights like government jobs, sale and purchase of property (exceeding a particular limit), education, etc. Due to this act the respectable became the most reviled in the society. Their profession became their caste for more than two centuries. So the title of small caste was given by the British to the skilled persons of the society belonging to the major castes of the society.

After independence

Although the British left after 1947, this plant is rooted so deep that it has had bitter effects till now. It is supposed to be the major cause of division in Pakistani society. But after Independence from the British and

Dogra The Dogras or Dogra people, are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group in India and Pakistan consisting of the Dogri language speakers. They live predominantly in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, and in adjoining areas of Punjab, Himac ...

Rules the AJK Government has changed this policy by announcing equal rights. Members of these Castes were also allowed to enlist with their real caste.

List of small castes

The following Castes were included in Small Castes: *Tarhan:

Carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters tra ...

s *Qamyar: Potters *Lowar: Will forge *Kassaï: Butchers *Mirassi: Travelling musicians,

troubadours A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a '' trobairi ...

*Mautchi:

Shoemaker Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or cobblers (also known as ''cordwainers''). In the 18th century, dozens or even hundreds of masters, journeymen a ...

s **Tobi: Launderers *Darzi:

Dressmaker A dressmaker, also known as a seamstress, is a person who makes custom clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and evening gowns. Dressmakers were historically known as mantua-makers, and are also known as a modiste or fabrician. Notab ...

s *Jalaye: Tisserands *Lahari: Dyers *Mashqi: Water carriers *Teli: Oil Tycoons *Balwalai: Messengers *Naï: Hairdressers; they are also able to make small operations, they circumcise the newborn ones and are cooks during the festivals and the marriages

References

Caste system in India