Why we Indians are so different,
Why we still follow tradition,
In looking for a spouse
Why is horoscope-matching so important,
It is our culture, you say
But it is the caste, silly
Why is love-marriage still taboo
Why is honour-killing still practiced
When all over the world no marriage gets ‘arranged’
It is our tradition, you say
But it is the caste, silly
Why we spend hours cleaning our pooja rooms
But are unwilling to spend minutes to segregate our waste
Why we do not clean our toilets, dirty vessels, and floors
If we are such a developed nation
Why our sewers do not have mechanized cleaners
But there is someone else to do this job, you say
Yes, it is the caste, silly
When you fell sick
I employed a nurse to cook and take care
Instead, you cooked for her!!
She is a little girl, you said
‘How much can she do?’
But, I understand now, it is caste
You could not have possibly eaten food cooked by her
Yes, I see now
We live in two Indias
One developing, progressive, filled with opportunities for the ‘meritorious’
The other underdeveloped, repressive, where there is no escape from the misery
Yes, I see now
Srividya Kartik is a doctor in New Delhi. Reading B.R. Ambedkar’s ‘Annihilation of caste’ has been an eye-opener for her. She can be reached at [email protected]
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