Today, India is known as a rapidly growing superpower. But for thousands of years, the caste system has held an oppressive reign over their society, regardless of glittering general improvements. The most affected are those of the Other Backward Classes, or OBCs, and the Dalits, also known as outcasts. These groups, told by the upper castes and years of tradition that they are less-than, make up more than half of the population. The most destructive part of this system is the fact that it is upheld by their moral beliefs and approved by the leadership, prompting the United Nations to call it “the most oppressive social system on the planet.” These people have no hope of breaking the shackles of 3,000 years of history unless a revolution occurs, socially and spiritually.

As little as a few decades ago, those caught in the unforgiving downward spiral of poverty in third-world countries had little means of drastically improving their lives. Lack of knowledge and resources, combined with often corrupt aid, fed a mind-set ruled by oppression and hopelessness, locking communities firmly behind the bars of poverty.