Power is not a difficult or an
unusual concept to be understood. Power as domination, is generally understood
to be recognizable. It is a lived experience for all of us, whether in the form
of exercising it or experiencing it. However, it is argued that while power is
a lived experience, it cannot always be seen. It is not always recognisable as
there are some forms of power which we internalise and normalise, making it a
social fact, which let alone resist, we cannot even recognise.
Sadly, this seems to be the case
for caste in modern urban India. A
generally-held view among young, upper-caste urbanites is that caste is a
problem of rural India. While a general survey would suffice to prove my point,
the voices against caste-based reservations definitely shows this. Going by the
slogans and opinions of the anti-caste-based reservation, it seems that most
are unaware of the very logic behind reservation. They see it as a privilege
being extended to some because they were discriminated centuries back. They see
the reservation as "discriminating" the general category. It is
viewed as "anti-progressive". Infact, reservation has almost become a
joke for many. Recently, Aam Aadmi party had proposed reservation for Delhi
students in Delhi University. Reservation is being seen as a privilege, rather
than as an opportunity for the deprived. It is sad to see these views but the
truth is that, this is the popular view of most of the upper-class urbanites.
It is sad but not shocking that the
rationale behind caste-based reservation is not understood because this again
comes from the dominating section who had not only dominated but is still
dominating. The caste-based domination is not an evil of yesterday, it is going
on. It is the reality of today that still there is a discrimination against
students of backward castes in schools. The report of a mainstream and popular
Newspaper, Times of India, dated 25 June 2009 talked about the discrimination
faced by backward caste students across India. In the report titled "Dalit
kids cannot use school loo but have to clean them", it is stated how not only the students but the teachers also
indulge in caste-based discrimination. They are made to sit on the floor, punished
unnecessarily, forced to clean the classrooms, the toilets, and are refrained
from attending several school programmes. Similarly The Hindu, had released its report titled
"In Perali village, Dalits can't cycle in upper caste areas"
in this very century. These are not the discriminations of the past, but the
realities of today. Upper-caste men raping dalit women is almost a norm in
villages even today.
As about caste being a problem only
of the rural India, these upper-caste, educated urbanites should ask the caste
of the people who come to collect garbage from their house or clean the mess on
the roads, in their schools/colleges and workplaces. According to The report 'Upper castes pose problem
for sanitation in BMC' published in The Hindu dated 27 July 2009, while the upper-caste would be appointed,
they would not clean roads and drains because they felt that it the work of the
lower-castes. The class of sweepers is still largely dominated by the people of
underprivileged or backward castes. This is not all. It is wrong to think that
discrimination happens only in villages. According to the report titled "Suicide
by Dalit students in 4 years" published in The Hindu dated 5 September
2011, 18 students in some premiere educational institutions had committed
suicide in four years because of traumatic experience of caste-based
discrimination. One of the victims, a Dalit student in AIIMS was taunted by
both the faculty and class mates:
“How could Chamars
become doctors? You have come here only because of quota, you cannot go ahead”
This was not a one of its kind
report. There are hundreds of such reports and thousands of unreported stories.
How many of the 'progressive, educated' upper-caste youths do even realise that
their abuses are also caste-based? The abusive words "bhangi",
"chamar", "chuda" are names of some underprivileged castes.
Caste is not just limited to the rural. It is very much present in the urban
areas. Another way to 'see' it is in the institution of marriage. Even today,
inter-caste marriages are a problem. Contrary to the view, honor killing and
the 'milder' forms of abuse and discrimination are not limited to rural areas.
It has been argued that class, not
caste, should be given reservation. Do the urban, educated, upper-caste youth
realise that a large section of the poor comprise of the under-privileged or
backward castes? Caste is not such a social identity. It is tied to political
and economic identity as well. They need opportunities to come up. Reservation
based on caste will ensure them economic liberation and may also lead to their
social liberation. When they will get opportunities to prove themselves, to
break this myth that they are good only for 'menial' tasks, they will be able
to provoke a change in thinking.
I would like to conclude by arguing
that caste is still a reality of the today, whether the urban, upper-caste
people can 'see' it or not. The reason why the urban, upper-caste youth cannot
see it is not because it does not exist, but because they are not affected by
it. Ask a Dalit, what caste is. As about this constant debate of going 'beyond
caste', as Social Scientist Surinder Jodka had rightly pointed out, the beyond
framework seems to be a conspiracy of the upper-caste. We cannot go beyond the
caste because caste still exists and determines the life of a large section of
population".
This article was published on Countercurrents
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