With frequent news regarding atrocities towards Scheduled
Caste members, honour killings, and the recent suicide of a Dalit student in a
university in Hyderabad, the media constantly reminds us of the presence of
caste discrimination. According to the 2011 Census of India, Scheduled
Castes/Dalits, who, historically, have been the most disadvantaged section of
the community, constitute 20% of Tamil Nadu’s 72 million population.
The Indian Caste system is historically one of the main ways
that socially differentiates people through class, religion, region, tribe, and
language. This closed system of stratification dictates that a person’s social
status is defined by which caste he or she is born into. This became the basis
of unequal access to income.
Traditionally, India has four castes, also called varnas.
The Brahmins, who were priests and scholars, are at the top, followed by the
Kshatriyas who were political rulers and soldiers. Next were ...
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