Introduction

According to the caste system, people were divided into groups, including Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras. Each group served a different role in society. Brahmins were known as the priestly caste, Kshatriayas were the warriors, Vaishyas were merchants and landowners, and Shudras were the servant class. Group membership was inherited according to birth, and divisions between the groups, even those involving such basic social interactions as interactions in a shop or a nod on the street, were strictly maintained. (Location 252)

The people’s plight was worse than anything she could have imagined, even though she had heard many stories. She encountered poor and unfortunate people everywhere, living alone and starving in dirty, makeshift slums. Many had simply been left to die in the streets, often for no other reason than their lack of social status. (Location 304)