Sanskritisation as a concept has been criticised at different levels.…

Sanskritisation as a concept has been criticised at different levels. Which of the following is true in this respect?

A. It erodes the key characteristics of dalit culture and society.

B. It seems to justify a model that rests on inequality and exclusion.

C. It gives rise to anti-brahmanical movements.

D. For exaggerating social mobility or the scope of ‘lower castes’ to move up the social ladder.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → A, B and D only

A. It erodes the key characteristics of dalit culture and society. Correct. Sanskritisation makes the ways of the ‘upper castes’ the model. As a result the worth of the labour the ‘lower castes’ do is degraded and their identities based on work, crafts and knowledge are treated as useless.

B. It seems to justify a model that rests on inequality and exclusion. Correct. By accepting the ways of the ‘upper caste’ as superior, sanskritisation seems to justify beliefs in purity and pollution of groups of people, and so the unequal order itself.

C. It gives rise to anti-brahmanical movements. Incorrect. This is not one of the criticisms of the concept. The anti-Brahminical movement and the regional self-consciousness of the twentieth century moved the other way: several Indian languages even tried to drop Sanskrit words and phrases. It was a separate development, not a fault found in sanskritisation.

D. For exaggerating social mobility or the scope of ‘lower castes’ to move up the social ladder. Correct. Sanskritisation brings only a positional change for some individuals, not a structural change. Inequality continues, even if a few improve their place within it.

NCERT (2025-26): “Sanskritisation … Sanskritisation as a concept has been criticised at different levels.

One, it has been criticised for exaggerating social mobility or the scope of ‘lower castes’ to move up the social ladder. For it leads to no structural change but only positional change of some individuals. In other words inequality continues to persist though some individuals may be able to improve their positions within the unequal structure.
Two, it has been pointed out that the ideology of sanskritisation accepts the ways of the ‘upper caste’ as superior and that of the ‘lower caste’ as inferior. Therefore, the desire to imitate the ‘upper caste’ is seen as natural and desirable.
Third, ‘sanskritisation’ seems to justify a model that rests on inequality and exclusion. It appears to suggest that to believe in pollution and purity of groups of people is justifiable or all right.…
…Fourth, since sanskritisation results in the adoption of upper caste rites and rituals it leads to practices of secluding girls and women, adopting dowry practices instead of bride-price and practising caste discrimination against other groups, etc.
Fifth, the effect of such a trend is that the key characteristics of dalit culture and society are eroded. For example the very worth of labour which ‘lower castes’ do is degraded and rendered ‘shameful’. Identities based on the basis of work, crafts and artisanal abilities, knowledge forms of medicine, ecology, agriculture, animal husbandry, etc., are regarded useless in the industrial era.”