Caste Matters

by Suraj Yengde

Cross-caste solidarities among Scheduled Castes do not take place owing to the caste dominance of numerically strong sub-castes. Due to this, the left-out Dalits are co-opted by Hindutva forces into their projects of violence. Such groups act vehemently against upwardly mobile Dalit castes because there is a lack of social endosmosis amongst 1200 Dalit castes. Barriers are created through intra-caste marriage prohibitions, together with affixed caste occupations that force oppressed Dalit sub-castes much lower down the socio-economic ladder. The under-represented always feel oppressed and left out. Therefore, to gain legitimacy, they volunteer to not only confront the hegemonic Dalit discourse but also effectively puncture the dominance of the governing classes among Dalits. The various attitudes among Dalits could be effectively typified into four ‘castegories’ that aim to inscribe a contemporary lexicon of Dalitism. These are also overwhelmingly visible in the touchable–oppressive caste structures as they operate on a higher pedestal of immoral hierarchical oppression.