Our conversations about humanity are largely centered on the idea of body and soul. But if look around, what get to see is nothing but identities – some self-defined and some enforced. In the sea of humanity, identity seems to be the omnipresent social tag.
In order to understand the issue of caste it is important that we zoom out a bit and discuss the legacy and context of caste oppression. Human history, and present, seems to suggest that the casteism is more of a rule than being an exception.
I grew up in an environment where the idea of caste and religion did not seem to exist. My idea of India was the India that our course books of civics and history talked about. I was totally unaware that a rude shock was waiting for me.
