Comments on: Caste and Modernity

By: Holy Cow

Holy Cow — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:43:44 +0000

I find the bit about chinaware interesting because my paternal grandmother (who is what would normally be considered an “upper caste” hindu) refused to eat out of chinaware for a long time. Her theory was that that’s the crockery that is used when ‘outsiders’ come over to eat, and one does not know – and here I paraphrase- where their hands and mouths have been !
She started eating out of some chinaware though. But only the one that wasn’t used when guests were visiting and was reserved for the “ghar ke log”

By: C.L.CHUMBER

C.L.CHUMBER — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:04:40 +0000

In 2007 AD , I visited the Mahad tank where Dr. Ambedkar struggled hard to access to the drinking water for all . I noticed that the Mahad tank is easily accesible to every one but its water is not to be drunk ! What is the achievement ?

The constitution drafted under the chairmanship of Dr. Ambedkar allows equality , liberity , fraternity and justice to every Indian citizen but the law enforcing agencies are in the hands of the manuwadis ! What is the achievement ?

IT IS A RAPE WITH THE CONSTITUTION !!!!!

By: ravi

ravi — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:33:44 +0000

is modernity a pure unblemished category while caste is the dirty one.it is funny that after all post modern debates the issue is posed as pure modernity vs impure caste.

By: Andaleeb

Andaleeb — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:15:19 +0000

“As a child I could never understand how the Muslims and the English swallowed such insults from us and did not retaliate. ”

- for the English part, clearly, the writer was a child then. This was the country where the English were looting billions and killing lakhs.English “swallowed” “insults”?

- for understanding the Muslim part, one possibly needs to understand the caste history of Indic Muslims – so better answers for this exists in the dalit samaj of India now and their interaction with higher castes – especially in places where behenji does not rule.North Bihar in general is a good example.Also, one might want to read Ziaudiin Sardar about the nature of the “schism” – between insecurity of converts and perceived loss of power from once-hegemonic groups of the original faith. These fault-lines are almost without fail the most problematic – the ideas of victimhood and betrayal get enmeshed with new fables, but I presume, a trans-generational strain of a dyad-hatred remains.

By: Kumarpushp

Kumarpushp — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:33:17 +0000

One of the my relative was living in Kanpur,One of th e union leader of state bank o fIndia was staying in first floor who belongs to Brahmin caste.one day ,one of dalit fellow had visited union leader house and I believed during lunch period brahmin fellow asked dalit man that you go down stairs and ask your caste fellow to give you utensil to eat food in my house.this was insult for my relative who was staying ground floor so he replied politealy to dalit man that you are wellcome to have lunch in my house but I would not give my utensil to go to brahmin house because it will spoil my utensil.Dalits have to learn how to treat hindu who are practising untouchability.I think dalit fellow belong to the same village from where union leader belongs.time has come 175 million dalits should hit hard to hinduism so hindu would not dare to practice untouchabilty in future.

By: yayaver

yayaver — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:32:50 +0000

India: A country of hypocrites who boasts caste as sign of the diversity…
Good article Shivam. Hindus and Muslim leave thousand years together with joining at upper level and alienated with huge divide at the depth in customs.