Who Cares About Caste These Days?

How does one critically comprehend what is part of one’s daily life? For caste is present in all that we do of a day: what we eat, where we live, the work we do, what we own or do not own, the houses we live in, the friends we bring home, the persons we marry… Yet, for many of us, the term ​‘caste’ seldom connotes these things. Rather, we likely link it to reservation, political parties and leaders, merit and inefficiency. In this talk, I draw on what many of us probably know, have seen, or heard of, and equally on ideas and theories to do with the origins and meaning of the caste system. I focus, in particular, on thinkers who were troubled by the caste system and wished to redefine it, and remake it, as also those who wanted to annihilate it. Intended mainly for CFP Students.