Some things
never change…
  Change is the only thing that is constant. But
some things never change insists Ms. Anumeha
Verma an alumnus of GCC, MS in
Communication (Batch 2006-08) based in
Bangalore. They defy the nature’s law to
become old and obsolete with time. Mindset of
people is a prominent member of this category
barring some exceptions. At least her
experience in certain matters shows the same.
  I was still in school, a year away from
completing my board exams when I went to
visit one of my classmates. As soon as the
introductions were over, the lady of the house
enquired ‘What is your title?’ My poor friend had
not seen the benefit of introducing me by my full
name and had erroneously stuck to they first
names.
Even before answering her I had anticipated her
next question and it came as per my prediction,
‘What is your caste?’ She did not need to question
me about my religion as it was apparent from my
 
name.
In India the religion of a person is pretty
much known by his or her name. A la Veena
will be a Hindu, Samuel will be Christian,
Fatima a Muslim and Manpreet a Sikh.
Though I confess that these days it has
become a tardy bit difficult with many people
forgetting their religious obligations while
christening their child. This causes another
question to be added in between tile and
caste: What is your religion?
Well, so much so for the lady who asked
me these questions years ago. Not that it was
the first time I had come across it. I could
understand her predicament. After all she
had to be sure that her daughter was
consorting with the people of the right
religion and in that too, with those of the
right caste.
After some years, when I landed in the
cosmopolitan city of Bangalore, I ran across a
similar question. This time it was phrased
more politely, ‘Hope you don’t mind
my question, but I wanted to
know to which caste do
you belong.’ As a
 

 

matter of fact, I did mind and this time I
made my feelings of disgust known but it did
not go down very well with the perpetrator of
the question.
Conversations are not the only avenue for
this question. Strange enough for a country
that calls itself secular, the question has been
institutionalized. Several of the forms filled
for examinations and jobs ask you to
mention your religion.
I can understand the logic behind
questions on your belonging to Scheduled
Caste, OBC of Scheduled Tribe so that the
benefits go to the right person. But I fail to
decipher the logic behind exhibiting whether
I am a Hindu, or a Muslim, or a Christian or
Sikh for that matter. Does it affect my
capabilities in any way?
I fail to grasp its significance the same way
I fail to understand the need to know
someone’s caste before developing a rapport
with the person. No one ever asks if you have
a criminal background, or are you into drugs.
These are considered to be taboo questions.
However, you are questioned about your
caste without batting an eyelash. It is very
much acceptable. Often I have wondered
whether it is mere curiosity to know the way
of life of other people that propels them to
enquire into caste and religious backgrounds
or there is something more.
But the more I think, the more
improbable it seems. It is not about
satisfying any natural curiosity. It
is more like a screening process, a
step to determine whether we
approve of the person standing in
front of us. It has continued for
generations and I can see it has a very
bright future. After all, there are some things
that never change even when there is a dire
need for them to change for the better