#Caste

[timetravellingkitty]

I saw something on Twitter about how vegetarian (and specifically UC I think) condemning non-vegetarians for eating meat is casteist but I don't see how? I'm genuinely confused, please explain if possible 😭

because upper caste elites have attached moral purity to consuming only vegetarian food and shaming dalit communities for eating meat (especially beef) cause it makes them impure/dirty. dalits and muslims (who also eat beef) are regularly lynched on the mere SUSPICION of eating or handling beef

[metamatar]

i always forget that the vast majority of people on here don't know that hinduism is a uniquely oppressive religion and view it vaguely like some exotic and beautiful brown people spirituality.

no other religion unpersons such a vast swathe of purported adherents textually, maintains practices that make them objects of ritual abjection that are excluded from society thru untouchability, exploits their labour thru customary labour obligations and restrictions on land ownership that increase their material subjection and attempts to deny them even understanding of their own position and the right to organise by making literacy itself an upper caste privilege. and this is all before the hindu fascists even burned down the first mosque and started pogroms and initiatied the process of stripping muslims from citizenship. just because hinduism doesn't have global hegemony never meant that stopped it from violently exercising its hegemony on the subcontinent.

[that-odd-puzzle-piece]

Something that Americans (and also other Western people, but especially Americans) need to understand is how much US hegemony affects non americans, and how much power you guys hold over us.

The only problems we talk about are the ones that the west notices, because all of social media, and honestly, all of power, is held by America and the west. We don't talk about genocides that have been happening for centuries and problems like caste that pervade south Asian and the treatment of indigenous populations in different countries because Americans don't talk about it.

The only reason the world is noticing Palestine is because the west decided to take interest, and the only way Palestine will be free and all these problems will be brought into the world's eye is through the west's (and Americans') continued interest.

Look into these problems, talk about these problems. We wear jeans and watch American shows and eat from American food joints. The kind of soft power you guys hold is unimaginable. Use it.

[nohkalikai]

If you were to ever dip into the book and pay close attention to the recipes — you’d realise that most of them do not need oil. Why is that? Because, Dalits could not afford oil, and that is why we have dishes such as the steamed mutke, which is made out of jowar, garlic and coriander. Instead of oil we used beef fat. Then, there is the famous Maharashtrian dish, the rich puran poli, but the Mangs used to substitute ghee with butter milk for obvious reasons. Reading about some of the other dishes in the book would amuse someone with a sense of irony. For instance, we have been having a sort of blood pudding for ages. Lakuti is essentially cow/buffalo/bullock blood that is generally infused with a fiery masala called yesur and then boiled. We have also been practising ‘nose to tail eating’ for years. In fact, fashi, a dish made out of the epiglottis of a cow/bullock has long been a delicacy among Dalits in Marathwada. I believe foraging is the new trend in the West, and there are restaurants that take great pride in having foraged food as part of their menu. But again, centuries of deprivation made expert foragers out of us — wild leafy vegetables, bee larvae and pumpkin leaves were for a long time a part of our diet.

[enigma-the-mysterious]

Genuine question for the upper caste people in desiblr. Why do you think "caste is in the past"? Everytime I have seen someone confidently proclaiming that caste is a problem of a bygone era it is always a UC. You guys don't live our reality. You guys don't know the first thing about what it is like from our side. So why do you feel comfortable speaking for us? Would you like it if a British person were to proclaim that colonialism wasn't actually so bad? No? Then why is it different for us?

[breadpakodaa]

every day i scroll through the casteism tag on tumblr and it makes me want to cry because like. how can you hate us so much? after killing us, after raping us, after everything, how can you possibly hate us this much? simply because we try to climb up the social ladder. we dream of being your equals? that is our crime?

my great grandmother had to raise four kids on her own in the 50s, because her husband died in a raid. why was he part of the raid? because there was a literal law preventing him from getting a job, getting an education because apparently my people are 'criminal by nature'. but he had to feed his children. so he became what they perceived him as. he turned to crime. the people in my village were lined up and inspected on a daily basis. i can't even begin to imagine what that must have been like.

i grew up on stories of persecution. persecution of my people.you put them through that yet you hate us? simply for wanting social dignity?

[life-spire]

@ vish.px

[curtwilde]

"High Tea at the Kapurs" by Karuna Ezara Parikh

[timetravellingkitty]

you guys do know how caste apartheid works right. you guys know that saying "i did not grow up thinking about caste" is a sign that you're privileged right. that you've never personally experienced or witnessed caste discrimination is a privilege right. and that caste discrimination, whether you like it or not, is still alive in the urban sectors right. it is not a social evil that is either a thing of the past or confined to remote, rural areas, but you know that right

[metamatar]

October 10, 2022

Amit Kumar had everything going for him. After graduating in engineering and landing a decent job, Amit wanted to settle down with his childhood sweetheart Renu. The couple had known each other since Class IX and dreamt of a life together. The only difficulty was that Renu belonged to a Brahmin family and Amit was a Dalit.

With their homes barely a kilometre apart in Garhwa district of Jharkhand, Renu knew her family would never approve of the match. The couple decided to run away and tie the knot in another State. And thus began their tale of unending harassment and tragedy.

The couple married at a temple in Dehradun and got their marriage registered there. They had just about settled down at Paonta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh when, in a midnight raid, the Uttar Pradesh police took away Renu, claiming that she had been abducted. Amit and Renu have not seen or spoken to each other since that fateful night of August 13, 2021.

Amit’s life has been a quagmire of legal battles and dismissed habeas corpus petitions since then. “I fear my wife is no more,” he told The Hindu.

Activists say such tragic situations can be avoided if couples like Amit and Renu are provided safe houses and special protection by the State governments as mandated by the Supreme Court.

According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the number of “honour killings” in the country was 24, 25 and 33 in 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively. Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand topped the list in 2021 and 2020, while Manipur was on top in 2019.

The government in 2021 informed Parliament that there were 145 “honour killing” incidents in the country between 2017 and 2019.

Interestingly, though the NCRB report attributed only 25 deaths to “honour killings” in 2020, it said there were 27 deaths due to casteism and 1,558 due to “illicit relationship”. Similarly, in 2021, 33 deaths were listed under “honour killings”, but 1,544 and 1,532 under “illicit relationship” and “love affairs”, respectively.

So far, only Delhi, Haryana and Punjab have safe houses for inter-faith and inter-religious couples. Kerala has only announced the setting up of a safe house.

In fact, only 21 States have said that they have complied with the Supreme Court directives, which means that they have asked the police officers concerned of a State for strict compliance, according to Dhanak for Humanity, a non-governmental organisation which works with such couples, helping them solemnise their marriages and providing legal support.

The Supreme Court had in 2018 directed that safe houses be set up in every district as well as a special cell in States for couples facing opposition from families and community.

Gaurav Yadav, an engineer from IIT Chennai, said he was working with survivors of “honour crimes” and couples who are in hiding to petition the government for more safe houses across the country.

“Soon we will form an official grouping and petition the government to follow the Supreme Court directives on safe houses and special cells,” Mr. Yadav said, adding that he had organised a convention regarding the same in Delhi recently.

He said though couples had been demanding that safe houses be set up, the State administrations had looked the other way.

An example is of Ravikant Chandrawanshi and Alisha, who had a harrowing time getting married under the Special Marriage Act in Chhattisgarh.

The inter-faith couple at first decided to elope and marry in Bilaspur. However, a lack of support system and security, including finances, saw them return home in Kawardha within four days.

“As my wife’s family were well to do and politically connected, they kept up the pressure on us. Finally, we had to take legal recourse and approached the High Court asking them to direct the State administration to provide the mandated safe house and police protection.

“However, we were informed that there was no safe house and Alisha had to go to a sakhi centre or a women’s safe house,” Mr. Chandravanshi said.

Though the couple approached the highest of authorities, they were not given any police protection either and had to go into hiding for around six months after their marriage.

According to Asif Iqbal of Dhanak for Humanity, most States send the girl to a Nari Niketan after couples approach them. “It is here that the girl is the most insecure as her family mostly approaches her and puts pressure to go back. Many a time, this also leads to what is known as honour killing of the girl”.

Sanjay Sachadev of Love Commandoes, an organisation which rescues and shelters such couples, said, “The need of the hour is safe houses across the country. In almost every case, the police try and send the girl to a women’s shelter and the boy is left to fend for himself.”

A couple who are staying in a Delhi safe house and did not wish to be identified said that they could not have thought of living together had it not been for the security of the safe house.

Mr. Iqbal, whose organisation has helped many couples seek legal recourse to stay together and get married, said that of the distress calls he receives, the most were from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

[downfalldestiny]

If this is not winning, then I don't want to win 💭 !.

[bfpnola]

about the ongoing hunger strike to ensure that the historic anti-casteism bill passes in california ^^ wanna support?

if you’re on mobile, go to: https://tinyurl.com/Signsb403

other devices, like laptops: https://www.gov.ca.gov/contact/

—

sample email below from the mobile link, not my own writing:

Subject: Please Sign SB403 (Wahab) to End Caste Discrimination

I am writing to request the governor to sign the historic bill SB403 introduced by State Senator Aisha Wahab, which would end discrimination on the basis of caste. This bill aims to clarify existing California state law and make explicit that discrimination based on caste is illegal by adding caste to ancestry and defining caste in the Civil Rights Act, Fair Employment and Housing Act, and Education Code.

Caste systems are social stratification where each position is characterized by hereditary status, endogamy, and social exclusion. Caste discrimination manifests as workplace discrimination, housing discrimination, gender-based violence, and other physical and psychological forms of violence.

Caste discrimination occurs across industries, including technology, construction, restaurants, and domestic work. In these sectors, caste discrimination has included harassment, bias, wage theft, and even trafficking. Caste is today inextricably intertwined with existing legal protections in state and federal civil rights laws such that discrimination based on one’s caste is effectively discrimination based on the intersection of other protected identities. However, because of the grave discrimination caste-oppressed Californians face, these existing protections must be made explicit.

Caste is a workers rights issues, a women's rights issues, and racial justice issue. It is also a bill that has bipartisan support. That is why we are joined by Asian Law Caucus, Stop AAPI Hate, AAPI Equity Alliance, Tech Equity, Equality Labs, Alphabet Workers Union, Ambedkar Association of North America, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO, Californians for Caste Equity, Hindus for Caste Equity, Jakara Movement, South Asian Network, Sikh Coalition, and Sikh American Legal Defense Fund. Every major legal association is in support of caste equity and the lawfulness to make caste equity explicit. This includes the American Bar Association, South Asian Bar Association, National Asian American Pacific Bar Association, and Asian Law Caucus.

That is why we urge you to make history and sign his bill without hesitation. Justice delayed is justice denied. Let's ensure California opportunity for all by ensuring that ancestry and caste discrimination is explicitly prohibited and make history across the country.

Thank You,

[Name]

—

and if you don’t know what caste is? send in an ask @bfpnola or join our Discord server, link in bio, so we can answer you in real-time!

[100-great-books]

[enigma-the-mysterious]

The thing is, I don't give a fuck as to what the texts say. Maybe the texts advocating for the caste system wasn't actually implemented in ancient times. Maybe ancient Indian society was more fluid than what we perceive it to be. Maybe caste was actually once a societal necessity.

I don't care. I don't give a damn.

What I care about is what is happening today. The people's attitudes. The reality on the ground. The fact that many people believe that they are God's own gift on this earth and weaponise this belief to oppress others. The fact that a Dalit is one of the most oppressed and underprivileged person in this world. The fact that we are suffering. The fact that Dalit women are raped and killed by UC men and no one gives a shit, not even the police. The fact that we are accused of "politicising" every issue, bringing caste "unnecessarily" into everything but when we are raped, murdered or bullied to the point of suicide, suddenly it's not a caste issue anymore. Our suffering and our deaths are suddenly something that happens in a vacuum, divorced of everything.

So dear privileged Savarnas on desiblr, stop your unending debates about whether or not the caste system was as rigid before the British colonial rule and how being called out on your privilege once on the Internet now means you are "oppressed". These arguments matter very little when actual Dalit people are dying right now. Advocate for their basic human rights instead. And for the love of Ma Kali, acknowledge your damn privilege. Maybe you can't see your privilege because it's normalised to the point of invisibility in society, but I promise you, it is there.

Religious freedom is fine. You have a right to practice your religion and customs.

But you don't have the right to trample upon someone else's fundamental rights in the name of practising your "customs". If your customs advocates for the dehumanization of an entire class of people, then I don't give a fuck, your customs deserve to die, they deserve to be destroyed and dismantled.

[vacuouslyfalse]

Indeed, as we shall see more fully in the next chapter, not merely the Portuguese but many early colonial administrations found it useful and necessary to manage Indians through ascriptive corporate organizations. This was true of the Dutch and the early British administration in Sri Lanka, for example. Under British rule, in 1829 the Board of Commissioners recognized that government exaction of compulsory labor-dues had “the effect of perpetuating distinctions of Castes—as long as labour is compulsory the demand for it must be regulated according to caste.”

This, I think, is an incredibly crucial idea. Castes predate and are distinct from colonial systems of control but are co-opted by them because they're so damn useful for extracting value.