A Nation of Baniyas

The caste system, once deeply rooted in our social fabric, was never just about hierarchy it was about roles. Each group had a purpose. The Brahmins were the keepers of knowledge, the Kshatriyas upheld defence and order, the Vaishyas managed trade, and countless other communities contributed their unique skills to the rhythm of society. It wasn’t perfect many were unfairly confined to demeaning work but it functioned as a structure of shared responsibility. As the country evolved, so did its people. The oppressed sought dignity and new beginnings, and slowly, merit replaced birth as the key to progress.

But merit brought along its own kind of chaos. Generations moved away from their traditional callings, often without the same depth of skill or passion. Everyone wanted to reinvent themselves many, in fact, wanted to be businesspeople. The spirit of enterprise became universal. From teachers to doctors, artists to athletes, the collective dream turned singular: make money. What was once a land of diverse skills and proud craftsmanship began to feel like a marketplace obsessed with profit.

Where are the thinkers, healers, and creators who once defined India’s intellectual and cultural heartbeat? Artists now talk about auction prices, not expression. Writers track sales charts more than ideas. Doctors debate consultation fees before diagnosis. Even teachers talk less about knowledge and more about placements. It’s as if we’ve mistaken wealth for worth.

Our heroes too have been commodified. Cricketers are measured by auction bids, not achievements. Politicians by offshore accounts, not policies. Even art is hoarded as investment, not admired for beauty. Homes, too, have turned into assets to park money rather than spaces to live and grow. Mumbai’s skyline glitters not with ambition but speculation.

There was a time when creation was driven by joy, friendship, or the simple desire to express. Artists painted for friends, writers gifted their books, and generosity not transaction defined value. Love, trust, and work were not priced. They were lived.

Looking around today, it’s easy to see why our ancestors might have believed in dividing duties. Their system, despite its injustices, offered multiple forms of currency wisdom, honour, courage, artistry, empathy. Today, we trade almost exclusively in cash. The diversity of values has collapsed into one pursuit. We’ve replaced a nation of many callings with one calling: business.

We are all, in some way, Banias now merchants of ambition in a world that’s forgotten the worth of everything that can’t be sold.

Inspired by an Article from Pritish Nandy