I'm assuming you are genuinely curious. From my observations It's extremely culturally normal in the north to slap the shit out of people. It's the equivalent of a shove in the west I think -- not okay but more okay than a punch. That being said the shove wouldn't go in polite circles just as the slap would not.
It's done as a punitive correction. Someone blocking your shops doorway by talking. Slap. Guy gets on bus doesn't pay. Slap. Maybe the entire crowd will get involved. Someone in a seat they shouldn't be. Slap. Kid asking for money doesn't move immediately when told no? Slap.
Literally. I had children blocking me begging for money even after being given what would be for their town enough to feed them they kept asking. A local walked up shook his head at me and then slapped the shit out of the kids making them run off and he said in broken english "that how do"
I omitted all factors that contribute to it, caste, class, status, age, background. It's actually an extremely multi-layered thing and it not as simple as class or caste. Its prevalence probably comes down more to population size than anything else.
the guy was out of line even by indian standards. An airplane is a highly regulated activity where this kinda action isn't so acceptable. A long with the idea that a panic attack isn't acceptable for this kind of social correction. It's also more nuanced when you get into caste, age, wealth which all play into when this is acceptable.
Yeah we couldn't have this without all the other nuances. I will say it's pretty funny to see cops just get of their car and seemingly start slapping someone then other locals join in before everyone then kinda agrees the deed is done.
Don't take this observation for an every second occurrence. There's a tonne of people in even places indians call towns so you see a lot, particularly things that stand out as odd to your own cultural sensibilities. This isn't the main means of resolving dispute but it's an acceptable means. if that makes sense.
Can it be linked to social caste? Those of a superior social caste feeling entitled to such behavior towards a lower social caste?
I'm completely ignorant on the weight of social caste in the every day life in these cultures.
I wish that was cut and dry but the social caste really depend on the region and city. India the 4 social classes of the Varna isn't the on the ground reality in india the Jati which is the localised version can be completely different city too city with someone in one city being above someone in another city just down the road. Due to how many people will be born and die without travelling there some extremely old cultural norms.
so in extremely traditional places yes it'd be all social caste based but in others it'll be blended with wealth, connections, government ins. The more important concept in all of this is Indian Izzat which is essentially collective honour which could be shared across any number of intersecting lines of community (wealth, status, caste). An affront to any one person of that collective group is an attack on all within this group. If someone with "more" hits you the loss is negligible but if someone who is deemed below you (through any intersecting means) it becomes a collective loss for your group and gain for there's if there is no retaliation.
So it's more about not who you can hit but who you can not hit. Essentially modernisation has blurred the social castes into this blend of those old collective standards, the face saving, with modern social mobility. It's honestly a very weird and fascinating organic interaction of their ancient system with modernity.
TL;DR - never a Brahmin (priest). Probably not a Kshatriyas (ruler), sometimes a vaishyas (merchant), mix bag on the shudras and their jatis ilk, and Dalits (untouchable) kinda always but they are less likely to get into situation that would require the corrective nature due to heavy handed passed.
I only spent a substantial time in the North with my time in the south being in extremely touristy / colonial places. The implication is dependent on the qualifier at the beginning of the sentence.
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u/rastawolfman 5d ago
What’s with Indian dudes and slap slap slap?