India has a much divided society at present. The middle and upper class in Mumbai have taken to many 'western' ways, while in rural areas the old ways still prevail. Slow evolution, but democracy seems to prevail. Religious differences add to the problem.

Although lower caste people are, by the constitution, equal, and some are in government, they are discriminated against by many. The same is true in Japan and some other countries where leather workers, waste collectors and others are beyond the pale.