The process by which a low caste or tribe or other group takes over t…

The correct answer is Option (4) → Sanskritization

Option (1) Westernisation — Incorrect. Westernisation is the change in Indian society and culture brought about by over 150 years of British rule, in technology, institutions, ideology and values. Srinivas suggested that it was the ‘upper castes’ who sought to be westernised, while the ‘lower castes’ sought to be sanskritised.

Option (2) Secularisation — Incorrect. In the modern west, secularisation has usually meant a process of decline in the influence of religion. In India, caste working as a political pressure group rather than within a religious framework is described as the secularisation of caste. Taking over the customs and beliefs of a twice-born caste is a move towards higher ritual status, not a retreat of religion.

Option (3) Modernisation — Incorrect. Modernisation first referred to improvement in technology and production processes, and later to the path of development taken by west Europe and North America. A modern outlook means that local ties give way to universal commitments and that identity is chosen and achieved, not ascribed. Copying the practices of a higher caste is a move within the caste hierarchy, not a change of this kind.

Option (4) Sanskritization — Correct. Sanskritisation, a term coined by M. N. Srinivas, is the process by which a ‘low’ caste or tribe or other group takes over the customs, ritual, beliefs, ideology and style of life of a high, and in particular a ‘twice-born (dwija)’ caste, usually to improve its position in the local caste hierarchy.