My encounters with the system called Caste

First of all, I would like to clarify that this article is not to prescribe anyone about the woes of casteism and how to overcome it because I am not the first one to talk about it and nothing is changed yet and I know very well that I am not the last one too because this is not going to end in near future. I am from the Scheduled Caste community and my father’s brought up and his position as a DSP has always kept me out of this to that extent that I was in a utopia that the so-called advanced society is out of this evil. The recent happenings where the people representatives made a small boy from the scheduled caste to set right his slipper in one case and made a person to carry his slipper in another case shows how this evil has rooted so deeply in the society. Here am sharing my countable experiences with the system.

It was in my childhood when I was not at all aware that such a system exists. I and my family visited our village deity where we rarely go. As usual, I went near the sanctum sanctorum and turned to see my family standing outside. I was confused about why they have stopped in the outer section itself. My grandma was so terrified and was showing signs to me to step out immediately. But I did not give a damn and finished my worship. But when we returned back to our home I came to know that the temple is maintained by a dominant caste so that we should not step in. Literally, I could not understand this discrimination. What was more ridiculous is the punishment given to the people breaking the rules. The father of the offender should touch the feet of the heads of the dominant caste. 

My father who is an atheist and a police officer laughed aloud and encouraged me to repeat if needed and told me that no one can dare to make him do so. But there is the twist in the story. If someone so influential becomes the offender then the dominant caste has a solution that henceforth they will not maintain the temple and will leave the entire responsibility to the subordinate caste. Here is where the irony lies, the so-called subordinate caste is afraid of taking this responsibility and does not want to gain the hatred of the dominant caste. At that time these things were really out of my understanding level but later it made me realize why my father became a strong atheist and why the subordinate castes are remaining in the realm of this social evil. It is the mindset, not only among the dominant caste but even among the subordinate caste.

My second experience was during my college days. My college was filled up with students of a particular caste and that is where I witnessed what caste affinity is. That is the stage when I started realizing the system and also found being in a scheduled community I was never been discriminated so far. When I asked about this with my father I was really shocked by his reply. He laughed and said that open caste discrimination is a crime and that too my father being in a powerful position, no one will dare to do that directly. He also explained how it is being done indirectly. He pointed out to an orderly of his station who is afraid of wearing the uniform and performing duty, always tries to escape by attending to our household tasks. My father asked me that have I ever seen him drinking coffee or eating food in our house. I said no. Then my father explained that the orderly even massage my father’s legs but never intakes even a drop of water from our house because of casteism. Here I realized that position secures us from only direct caste discrimination.

My next experience was during my earlier days of UPSC preparation. I and my friends sat together to fill up the application form. When I filled the column on community one of my friends was baffled to know that I belonged to a scheduled caste. I was even more confused about her reaction. Another friend of mine soon understood the situation and explained to me why they were in shock. She said that there is a preconception that people belonging to scheduled castes will not possess clean habits, will be narrow-minded, will be cunning and coward, and so on. Since I was completely opposite to that they were assuming me to be of so-called higher castes. Seriously? Even in the wildest of my dreams, I had no idea that such a preconception or misconception actually, could exist. But in later days when I heard the same from the people of my community too, I realized that this mindset is both ways and only one section cannot be blamed. I understood the depth of the system by seeing how far the oppressed section too has started believing such ideas.

The above said are milder and indirect forms while the most striking experience was before three years when I applied for mentoring UPSC classes online but later totally forgot about it. One fine day I received a call from an elderly man and as he took his name along with his so-called caste in a dominant way I understood what is going to happen in the next few minutes. Well, he did not disappoint. He was enquiring regarding classes to his daughter and the next immediate question was about my community. I replied and he started being sarcastic about the reservation system. I gave a cool reply about the genesis of the reservation system and he immediately shifted the topic to his terms and conditions. He said that his daughter is a gold medalist in her graduation and he wanted a positive result in the very first attempt because his caste does not know what defeat it seems. He also wanted me to visit his home for the tuition. 

I felt funny imagining what could be the scenario if I accept this offer. A separate back entrance would be allotted for me, will be provided with separate utensils, and more importantly, the house will be washed after every visit of mine. I turned down the offer without a second thought, not because of the above-mentioned stupid reasons which I do not give a damn, but because of my strong principle to not coach such venomous people and placing them in the civil services which they are really undeserving. He even did not mind that this is our first conversation and he felt cool to be authoritative even while conversing with a stranger. I found it so arrogant and ignorant and I was capable enough to give back a fitting reply but I spared him for his age. This incident will always remind me that the stupid man-made system called caste has nothing to do with literacy or illiteracy. Anyone with a foul mindset is easily occupied by this system.


Somewhere I have read that caste is a bedrock of Indian culture and intercaste marriages and commensalism can break it. But no, only the change in the mindset of both the sections can alone eliminate it. Again, it is not a prescription because no one is going to hear, but just a share of thought.

Disclaimer: The pictures are used only for reference. I do not own the copyrights.