Caste

It does not happen in our kind of societies and families used to be a favourite line with aunties as one grew up. I was reminded of these when during the past 3 months came across a line as many times. That caste based discrimination is not a part of lives of our generation; in other words it does not exist.

Some years back I moved from Vadodara in Gujarat to a village in Sheopur in Madhya Pradesh. It took a few months to understand why the village had 3 tea-stalls and why some colleagues washed their glasses and plates while others did not. As I moved around the landscape – some months later – in course of a project to learn of tribe that was amongst the de-notified tribes I continued to be surprised. In Shivpuri I was told how some of them could not wear dhotis that went below their knees, how their children at schools were regularly beaten by other children. The upper caste male would sleep with the lower caste lady but otherwise would not allow her in the house! There was more and all of it eye opening for someone whose school text books showed the images of 5 panchs sitting under a tree for a panchayat with the man wearing the largest turban being the sarpanch! Few years later during a rainy week in Saiha (Mizoram) I would read of how caste was entrenched in Gujarat; 2 essays in Amita Baviskar’s Waterscapes would remain with me for long! Ketan Mehta too has depicted it brilliantly in the classic Bhavni Bhawai.

Recent years in Hyderabad living not far from an active University Campus and putting in time at alternative spaces and discussion forums helped enhance my understanding of the scenario. Two lines I recall from Hindol Sengupta’s talk on ‘Caste and Entrepreneurship’. First was the drastic increase in sales of chairs after Mayawati took reins of Uttar Pradesh - in other words people were at-least sitting on an equal basis now. The second was that we at-least treat our drivers properly now; other domestic helps are still far behind. This brings me home. A temporary replacement for the aunty who helps us clean vessels conveyed the point clearly. This lady after cleaning the vessels kept one separately and pointed it out as the one she had used! She is regularly cleans vessels but is not allowed to use them! The aunty who comes regularly greets all in the building immediately on seeing them. One day she said people get offended if she does not! Her 5 year old grand-daughter – with beautiful twinkling eyes - too does this. Each time my eyes meet hers I feel ashamed. Of course, the beginning in Hyderabad too!  When we moved to Hyderabad we were refused 3 houses for we were not Brahmins; so much for a city which prides itself as a Hi-Tech city - I recall having wondered then.

And one is reminded of this frequently. One reads a scathing piece on the caste based discrimination in Punjab that shakes up what little one knows of the state. During a recent trek in Himachal Pradesh twice a friend and I were not allowed to enter temples – majestic structures in wood. We also came across a patch of a village that only select people could enter! Recent demonstrations at the University of Hyderabad elucidated a response from a face book friend – “we need to keep our education free from caste and politics”. How if all can it happen one wonders! Why do we love managed and sanitized environments – we want our forests without people and our cities without people who are not well-off; except when they help us at our homes. A friend after watching a television show that discussed issues like these wrote on facebook – “who wants to watch these on a Sunday morning”. The answer to this is that on the other 6 days many of us (including him) are busy in the race (to nowhere)! Was a sad sight recently to see a friend’s daughter talk with disdain and rudeness with the house help; she was polite to others.  All this reminded me of an article that referred to the upper middle class today as living in ghettos akin to that of the British Garrison towns, and being equally aware and sensitive to happenings beyond the ghettos. 

At a recent conclave I attended at Karjat (Maharashtra) a person who had lost his vision in course of his brilliant talk asked how many of us in the audience have friends who could not speak, not see, not hear? No hands went up but a stark message went across. On similar lines how many of us have friends from other castes? How else does one know of other people around us? The only way out is perhaps as Harsh Mander had put; of all children irrespective of their caste, religious and financial background studying together in neighbourhood schools. We need to treat them as equal human beings and question why it is not happening. We need to do more than give our old clothes and the token annual donation. We need to take time out and accept that we are amongst the privileged. Recall coming across a poster that said “If you have food in your fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of the world”.

The aunties then were perhaps aware that they were fooling themselves. I wonder if today we are aware! 

Post on similar lines on a film : Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai