Casteless society?

I was of the opinion that there existed but 4 castes in India----Brahmin,Kshatriya,Vaisya and Sudras and was aware of of their sub sects numbering around 10 at the most.

Caste is a skeleton in the cupboard shunned in public by urbane educated people living in cosmopolitan cities,only to be pulled out of the closet to compare horoscopes or whilst giving a advertisement in matrimonial columns for a suitable match ,when a marriage is arranged.

Though acutely aware of the ramifications of caste in Indian society I wasn't prepared for the surprise in store. When on filling a form for State level eligibility test for a blind student I was stunned to see pages upon pages of caste denominations.There were nearly 1400 castes listed!

Going through the never ending list of castes to pinpoint the status of the candidates caste was more arduous than filling 3 copies of the application form.

Those holding the reins of the govt vociferously denounce caste system in one breath but in the same breath add groups and groups of people to a never ending list castes, sub castes , sub sub castes, sub sub sub castes as long as Hanuman's tail.