Indians, especially the young, urban, globe-trotting sort, are regularly asked whether caste is still relevant in their lives. They usually struggle to answer because it doesn't seem like caste matters, primarily because they are not asked about it. Anyone paying attention though will realise how that clearly comes from a place of privilege.
Being able to say that caste doesn't matter in a country where it can dictate how prosperous you are at birth, what school you go to, who you get married to and where you're allowed to live is, in the most ironic way possible, the best proof of its continuing relevance. A close look will reflect that most of the people who say this sort of thing tend to be upper caste.
Haribabu Thilakar, the Chief Operating Officer of a tech company in Hyderabad, has found a much simpler way to illustrate this: Through a short story on Quora. His response to a question asking, "In practice, how does India's caste system work in the 21st century?", has now been seen by more than 98,000 people and has been upvoted almost 6,000 times. Without lecturing or jargon, what Thilakar actually manages to do is respond directly to the question, of how the caste system works, in practice.
A few excerpts from the short post are below, although you should really go read the whole thing.
As everything from housing concerns to electoral politics will remind you, caste is very much still a reality everywhere in India, even in "urban areas." It can determine what food you're able to eat, whether you're able to get a job and even whether you can continue to live and love freely. Thilakar's Quora post is a nice little reminder for those who don't feel its effects constantly, to simply check their privilege.
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Being able to say that caste doesn't matter in a country where it can dictate how prosperous you are at birth, what school you go to, who you get married to and where you're allowed to live is, in the most ironic way possible, the best proof of its continuing relevance. A close look will reflect that most of the people who say this sort of thing tend to be upper caste.
Haribabu Thilakar, the Chief Operating Officer of a tech company in Hyderabad, has found a much simpler way to illustrate this: Through a short story on Quora. His response to a question asking, "In practice, how does India's caste system work in the 21st century?", has now been seen by more than 98,000 people and has been upvoted almost 6,000 times. Without lecturing or jargon, what Thilakar actually manages to do is respond directly to the question, of how the caste system works, in practice.
A few excerpts from the short post are below, although you should really go read the whole thing.
Shikha glanced uneasily at the man standing next to her in the elevator. Just a week before, there had been a long thread in their apartment community group on Facebook. The general consensus had been that the main elevators should be used only by residents and their visitors. The maids, gardeners, drivers, security guards, delivery boys, and all support staff were to be instructed to use only the service lift. This man was probably a driver in one of the apartments. Some people just didn't keep their drivers in check. Shikha made a mental note to start another thread in the group.
(...)
She noticed the slight chip on the rim of the cup the maid served her tea in. It was from an old set. Some of the cups were already broken. Perhaps she should give it to the maid? They had separate utensils for their live-in maid. It was more hygienic that way. One of her friends once claimed it was ironical that it was hygienic enough for the maid to wash their utensils, but not to eat out of them. That damned female. She was always the NGO types.
(...)
Later that night, after her husband was asleep, she logged into her favorite website – Quora. There was a question, clearly crying for a strong answer. “In practice, how does India's caste system work in the 21st century?”
“The caste system is almost non-existent, at least in urban areas…,” she began answering with total conviction.
As everything from housing concerns to electoral politics will remind you, caste is very much still a reality everywhere in India, even in "urban areas." It can determine what food you're able to eat, whether you're able to get a job and even whether you can continue to live and love freely. Thilakar's Quora post is a nice little reminder for those who don't feel its effects constantly, to simply check their privilege.
