DOI: 10.70650/rvimj.2026v3i3001

  DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.70650/rvimj.2026v3i3001

Abstract: In this article, I investigate the transformative impact of industrialization and the corporate sector on the traditional caste hierarchy in India. I begin by tracing the scriptural origins of the Varna system through the Purusha-Sukta of the Rig Veda, contrasting its ideological rigidity with textual evidence of early social mobility. I argue that the transition from agrarian feudalism to industrial production serves as a catalyst for humanism, as the “standardization” of labour in factories and corporate offices necessitates the abandonment of medieval parochialism. By comparing the industrial advancement of Southern India with the agrarian Gangetic belt, I demonstrate how economic structures directly correlate with the frequency of castebased atrocities. Furthermore, I analyse the role of the modern corporate sector as a social stabilizer, where meritocratic recruitment and global codes of conduct condition inclusive behaviour. However, I conclude with a critique of persistent inequalities, specifically the “parasitic” nature of upper-management ownership and the “digital feudalism” faced by the gig economy’s lower strata, suggesting that while the “machine” has weakened caste, the struggle for true economic equity remains.

Keywords: Varnashrama Dharma, Industrialization, Agrarian Feudalism, Corporate Meritocracy, Social Mobility, Gig Economy.