Dr John Mohan Razu
It is a fact and a reality that cannot be denied that caste is the base social structure, operational principle, and functional credo of the Indian society. Caste manifests in all aspects of life and is the logo for many Indians, who are proud of their placements in caste hierarchicus, because they figure in the higher rungs in castestratification that offers them the brand-value. Caste enjoins privilege, status, and identity to those who fall within the brackets of caste. And those who do not fall within the caste schema are called as “Untouchables”.
Caste is systemic and structural, and so, engrained in the psyche of those who are born within the schema of caste. Caste looms at large in the Indian society—urban or rural settings. Caste is gaining momentum even in the 21st Century, in its growth, expansion, and manifestations. The forces of globalization have enabledcaste to move faster to spread its tentacles across the globe.Globalization has facilitated the flight of capital, movement of people and caste across the globe.In this who are the winners and losers?
Those from the dominant castes by virtue of their caste, education and other paraphernaliabecause of and purely due to caste grabbed the opportunities offered by the forces of globalization. Particularly those dominant castes with professional education and skills went for better employment prospects to the countries located in Western Europe and North America. When globalization opened its doors,the dominant castes from India grabbed the opportunities offered by globalization taking plumb jobs in the United States particularly in the Silicon Valley.
Further, those belonging to dominant castes especially the millennial who went to the United States and other European nations did not shed their caste tags prior to take-off, rather carried caste along with them with them along with other baggage. In India it is quite normal that caste is seen travelling on wheels, number plates and in names. We have also heard of the flight of capital across the globe, but now we keep hearing episodes that tell us that there’s flight of caste as well. Many such cases surface.
However, the so-called “Untouchables” with professional qualifications in due course of time went to Europe and the North America assuming that there won’t be any caste discrimination. But, to their surprise caste virus has already been exported and is spreading faster than coronavirus. Hence, we should reckon with a fact that caste is in the DNA of most of Indians. It subtly operates; covertly and overtly manifests.Caste is used as a defensive and offensive shield and mechanism for those belonging to the dominant castes.
Caste is embedded in the psyche of many Indians—surprisingly amongst the millennial even after settling down in places across the oceans. And yet, along with them they carry caste. Changes happening around them and, in the world,haveseldom impacted them.Caste is more diabolical and infectious than coronavirus. It is also a virus and spreads right across freely despite borders, legislations and restrictions.
Another country which is also equally and badly affected is the United States of America not only hit by racial overtones, but also infected with caste, white supremacy, far-right ultra-evangelicalism and racism—all these creating vertical divide amongst the Americans. Along with coronavirus, caste virus has pervaded into the American society because of the casteist Indians. Caste continues to thrive even in America.
Progress in technological advancements and education has not changed the corroded mind-sets of the Indians. They live in the typical medieval caste mind-sets. On the 8th of August, 20, BBC in its Asia Business Report, carried a clipping about Maya Kamble, so-called “Untouchable” who faced a caste slurfrom casteists in her workplace in the U.S.A.The episode has its antecedents.
Over 20 years ago, a student at IIT, Bombay, figured one of his class mate Maya Kamble a so-called “Untouchable” secured admission to the prestigious institution via affirmative action. Decades later, both of them made to the Silicon Valley—Cisco, but Sundar Iyer, carried along with him the casteist DNA. California regulators sued Cisco Systems Inc recently accusing of Sundar Iyer and his colleague discriminating again an Indian-American employee Maya Kamble because she belonged to a so called “Untouchable” rung.
The United States employment law does not specifically bar caste-based discrimination, but California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing contends in the law suit that the Hindu faith lingering caste system is based on protected classes such as religion. The law suit, filed in the Federal Court dos not name the alleged victim. It states that he has been a principal engineer at Cisco’s San Jose head quarters since Oct 2015 and belongs to so-called “Untouchable” community.
Like other large Silicon Valley engineers, Cisco workforce includes thousands of Indian migrants most of whom were born Brahmins or other high castes.Former Cisco engineering managers Sundar Iyer and Ramana Kompella are defendants in the law suit, accuses them of harassment for internally enforcing caste hierarchy. More than 90 percent of the Indian immigrants to the USA are from dominant castes. The Civil Rights Group Equity Labs in a 2018 report cited in the law suit found that 67 percent of Dalits surveyed felt treated unfairly in their workplaces.
Many so-called “Untouchables” said that once a person’s caste was made public, the word spreads rapidly though caste-knit dominant caste network.Caste is the soul regulating principle of those who cling on to caste. Despite living and working in USA, their mind-set is corroded with casteist DNA and so treat their colleagues on the basis of pure and polluted, touchable and untouchable, we and they.
If this is the attitude and behaviour, then the vision of casteless India would increasingly get blurred and remains as utopia—a distant reality. The casteists have already polluted the Indian society with their casteist agenda and slurs. Nonetheless, there are some relentlessly pursuing with a hope of making Indian as casteless. In such a scenario, is annihilation of caste possible?
