Caste in the classroom
Thanks to the team at Teacher Plus for publishing this in the March 2026 issue.
Meeting the Savarnas by Ravikant Kisana resonated in a manner than not many books do. It reminded me of some of the conversations I had had, took me back to some situations I had been a part of, had me reread some sections, got me talking excitedly about the subject with friends, and make notes.
This is a book school teachers will do good to read. It may help broaden their horizons, and in turn, benefit children in the long run.
I will briefly talk about the book and follow it up with how it can help teachers.
First, the book.
Title: Meet the Savarnas: Indian Millennials Whose Mediocrity Broke Everything
Author: Ravikant Kisana
Publisher: Penguin Random House India
First Published: 2025
Pages: 187
Price: 699/-
This is a book that questions the credibility of the elites by pointing out how deeply entrenched caste, and as a corollary, privilege are in our society. How we have looked at, and continue to look at, privileges as the norm, as our right, or as fate. It talks about how people - public figures of the day - have only underscored the characteristics of caste and does not shy away from taking names. The author is a teacher who has a finger on the pulse of the youth. He brings out personal experiences and angst without beating around the bush and some of the lines hit hard, “We are left watching a youth that is slowly hollowing out from inside, right before our eyes.”
Then, the reasons to read it.
History. “It is a thing of the past,” a friend was fond of saying if caste came up in our conversations; she could not have been more uninformed. Caste continues to be omnipresent in society, and with religion gaining more ground, it has only become more prominent. AI, the darling of the day, too reinforces caste. AI does not discriminate, but the data that is fed to AI is biased, and so are AI’s outputs. And, contrary to what many of us would like to believe, neither education nor urbanization have had any impact on caste. The book puts this across - loud and clear.
Conversation. Schools have begun engaging with gender and sexuality but have stayed away from talking about caste. Caste continues to be a taboo and this has not helped. Schools need to look at caste with empathy and sensitivity, bring it in day-to-day conversations, and act on what they preach. They can learn from the mistakes of the academics and patronizers, and avoid taking the higher ground. This book can play the role of a catalyst or an instigator for schools to open up and engage with caste.
Comfort zone. Increasingly, all of us are keen to stay within our comfort zones; we steer clear of all that can push our boundaries. This book goes beyond nudging, it shakes and troubles us. As G Sampath succinctly conveyed in his review (of the book) in The Hindu, “No reader, whether from above or below the glass floor, can get through these pages without multiple moments of discomfiting self-recognition.” Every once in a while, it will do teachers good to get uncomfortable, to go beyond textbooks and timetables.
Bias. Many a time we assume that teachers are superior human beings, forgetting that they are a part of the same society and carry its DNA. Teachers are human beings, and hence, like others of their species, are biased. A majority of the teachers in our schools (and colleges) are from the upper castes, and this is where it gets tricky! It was not uncommon to hear statements such as, "tum log nahi sudhroge" (you people will not change) or ‘tumhara kuch nahin ho sakta’ (nothing good can become of you) on the educational campus I used to work at. Needless to say, it was the students from the lower castes who bore the brunt of such statements. The book reminds us to be cognisant of the biases we carry. Of the need to introspect.
Privilege. A few years ago, I was chatting with a teacher whose son went to a boarding school, where the annual fee was around 7.5 lakh rupees. She got offended when I referred to the school as "elite". And she taught economics! The author’s observation on privilege are stark, he says of adolescents, “They frequently heard not just from their parents, but also from teachers, family elders and various other adult figures that they’re spoilt and soft.” Friends who teach the well-heeled elsewhere too have raised concerns on this privilege increasingly leading to a steep decline in the intellect and behaviour of the children. The first step perhaps is to recognize and accept the privilege.
Worlds. This book underscores the overlap between caste and class, and brings out how the networks amongst the upper castes (who are a minority in our country) are so intricate and deep-rooted that the lower castes (the majority) can never comprehend. More importantly, it tells us how the upper castes are unaware of the world of the lower castes and vice-versa. One challenge, today, as inequality in society continues to rise, is that of our worlds getting more insular, i.e., we have no idea of worlds other than our own. This book points us to the pitfalls of living on our islands and shows us worlds other than ours.
Mediocrity. This book highlights the mediocrity of the upper castes. It explains how the entire society bears the brunt of this mediocrity, and yet no one is held accountable. Mediocrity as Arthur Conan Doyle stated, "knows nothing higher than itself". On the campus (mentioned above), I observed how schools are no exception; the upper caste used to act with arrogance, an arrogance driven by stupidity and ignorance. They took immense pride in their mediocrity and refused to look beyond. And that is not the only school stuck in this rut.
If nothing else, the book will make teachers aware of the diversity within our society and of the opinions and views different from and similar to theirs.
My earlier pieces touching upon caste
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