Metropolitan Myths: The Enduring Reality of Caste-Based Segregation

The caste system is a social hierarchical structure that originated in India over 3000 years ago and is still relevant in all its barbarity. With India going into its 78^th year of independence, most urban elites claim that the caste system, its rigid practices, and discrimination are events of the past and that they no longer exist in modern-educated India. But statistics speak the contrary, as metropolitan city inhabitants continue to showcase the rural age-old caste discrimination practices like their ancestors but in a modern way.

The caste-based segregation in metropolitan cities is evident with people from marginalized groups such as the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Castes (OBCs) dwelling in slums and chawls.

Only a very minority percentage of the above groups live in the so-called suburban areas. They usually do low-paying jobs like sweeping, cleaning, watchkeeping, and driving and live in tarpaulin sheet settlements with no basic facilities such as sanitation and access to clean water.

While in villages, people of marginalized groups will live in separate areas far away from upper caste settlements, they will not have access to village wells and ponds, won’t be allowed to acquire lands they are farming on, and also be forced to perform specific jobs such as cleaning toilets, tanning, disposing of dead bodies, cleaning menstrual clothes of upper caste women, washing for the upper castes that are inhumane and degradable.

Do both the scenarios from the village and city have any difference? There is no difference in how marginalized groups are caught in the web of caste system. The only difference seen above is a change in the residence. But a change in one’s residence doesn’t change one’s identity, thus making the caste system an indispensable tool in propagating discrimination.

There are also plenty of incidents where city dwellers of marginalized groups weren’t given houses by landlords due to caste prejudices. Most of them are forced to hide their caste identity while house hunting in metropolitan cities. And they are immediately evicted when their surname that reveals their caste is known.

Hiding one’s identity is not just limited to the real estate arena. It extends to all walks of social circles in cities such as workplaces, educational institutions, recreational spaces, peer circles, etc. They fear social exclusion, discrimination, and most importantly the feeling of having one’s entire existence threatened despite studying hard and getting employed in a city due to their caste identity.

We often see news of people not given houses or being evicted due to their non-veg dietary practices. If one looks closely, we can see how the propaganda of vegetarianism in India is more about enforcing caste rigidity and very less about restricting animal cruelty. Through food, they easily identify the caste hidden in the non-veg dishes' aroma, which leads to further marginalization.

In India’s rural spaces every Dalit person, young and old lives with the fear of being humiliated and assaulted anytime as everyone around knows their identity and they must keep their words and actions always in guard. Added to the generational trauma, of not being able to escape the caste ridden poverty cycle.

While in metropolitan cities, the same fear continues in a modern way. They fear their identities being revealed anytime, that will rip them of all their basic human rights that they worked hard to gain. They continue to hear casteist slurs as they work in white-collar jobs, wondering that even the highest degrees and accolades won’t free them from the bondage of caste prejudice.

As society, continues to seep in casteism, metropolitan cities are a glamorous trap that lures you into believing that caste is a thing of the past and that it’s too busy to ask your surname and food choice before a very first human interaction.

- Author Samita Sajeevan, is a second year student of BA Journalism and International Relations at St. Joseph’s University, Bangalore.