A case for caste system

During a recent trip back to my native place Kerala, my cousins and I had a long, passionate discussion about an esoteric topic namely the caste system. The discussion started a series of thought threads in my brain, the outcome I would like to share with the rest of the world.
To the uninitiated, caste system is a form of division of society in terms of the work or activity the person engages in. To draw a parallel we have the class system (upper class, middle class, lower class) in the modern world that divides the society based on the economic status of each individual. The caste system was practised extensively in India and even to this day its tentacles are all prevading in one sense or the other. Academically speaking the caste system is divided into 4 - Brahmins (teachers, priests, scientists etc) , Kshatriyas ( soldiers, administrators, kings etc ) , Vaishayas ( merchants and traders ) and finally the Shudras(artisans, craftsmen, service men etc). The Brahmins pursued a life of intellectual attainment, the Kshatriyas pursued a life of bureaucracy and battle, Vaishyas were merchants and Shudras served the community. In modern times caste system has been touted as one of the most evil systems ever designed that led to mass exploitation of men and increased the luxuries of a few. Worse the assignment of caste was hereditary with the son falling into the same caste as that of the father, with little or no leeway to change. The structure was very rigid and authoritarian and people representation was unheard of.

While I agree with the protagonists of the argument that caste system essentially lead to wide spread exploitation, my conclusions after much deliberation is that the system was not essentially bad and in labelling it as an evil we are refusing to learn valuable lessons it gives us to deal with our lives and our role in the society in general.

One of the primary advantages that I see in the caste system is its division of society based on the activity taken up by men rather than on economic prosperity. There were different yardsticks to measure success in this system compared to the current (class) system where only money is the single yardstick to measure success. A successful brahmin in the caste system would be one who has greatest knowledge of the scriptures, a renowned kshatriya would be a warrior of repute and so on. Having different avenues to develop talent and measure success would inherently render stability to the society and enrich it compared to the current system of focussing only on material attainment as means to success.
Secondly, the caste system is based on the recognition that not all men are born equal and not all men need to have the same rights. This can appear pretty controversial, but in my view I beleive this is the situation that exists in the real world also. It is impossible to compare the talents of a statesman like Churchill or Gandhi to most of the average Joe as it is to compare the scientific genius of Stephen Hawking to a laborer in the fields. According to these men of stature of talent needs to have special rights of their own over the common man if society has to derive the best mileage of their talents. Thus leading a state would be by the person who is fit to lead in this system unlike democracy where sometimes the greatest idiot can appear on world stage on the strength of a misguided electorate. Sometimes we need to be guided by forces who can see far beyond our line of vision and take us to the next level. Caste system has an inherent mechanism to achieve that.
Finally, caste system is based on specialization. Once people move to their caste and their particular occupation, they acquire skills that make them gain greater mastery over their art. These skills are then passed on through generations by virtue of the progeny belonging to the same caste as the parent. Thus you end up with high skilled workforce that can deliver.

Our social environment is constantly evolving. Caste system was one among the different social structures that was invented and discarded later on. Rather than condemn it to the pathways of history, it would be of great value to social reformers and revolutionaries to look at the advantages of this system and use the learnings for a new social structure in the future.
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