#bahujan

Sign this petition and show your solidarity to Yashica Dutt, Dalit writer and activist whose life experiences and immensely personal narratives of caste identity were plagiarized from her memoir, for an episode storyline by the makers of a famous Indian show, "Made in Heaven" without any credit to Dutt.

Worse, when Dutt recognized the similarities between her writing/life and the characters in the show, the makers of the show including famous Bollywood directors Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti humiliated her, issued a formal statement on social media accusing her of seeking attention and spearheaded a hate campaign against her, allied with bigshots of the Hindi film industry, included noted casteist filmmaker Anurag Kashyap.

Caste isn’t limited to our particular South Asian homeland, it migrates, too. Caste is embodied by all of us diasporic South Asians, regardless of ethnic, national, linguistic, religious, sexual, or political affiliation. Thus it is all of our responsibility to interrogate our privilege. For far too long we have watched caste re-emerge and settle in our new geographies. We have shied away from discussing caste in diaspora. And most importantly, we have let this silence allow South Asian diasporic movements to erase caste from their intersectional analysis. But this ends now.

For radical South Asians, this is the moment to include caste into your intersectional analysis. This is the time to begin the long, complicated conversation of  taking caste into account. This is not a conversation that happens at the end of a meeting. This is not where having a Dalit friend gives you a free pass not to recognize your own caste privilege. And if this article makes you feel like this is not meant for you because you are not a Brahmin, then this article is especially for you. For caste has internal, interpersonal and institutional effects. And every caste is implicated in maintaining its hegemony. Yes, every caste. It is only when we actively challenge caste together that we have a chance to end it in our lifetime. But for this to happen, we need to name, see, and reckon it for what it is first.

It is only when we actively challenge caste together that we have a chance to end it in our lifetime.

Most importantly, it does not end just by simply reading this article — you have to commit to wrestle with these ideas and then put what you read into practice.

Dalits, Bahujans, and Adivasis have so far been the only ones to raise the issue of caste. Just because we bear the brunt of the violence of this system it does not mean it is only our problem. Caste is, in fact, a structural problem. Therefore, it needs structural solutions that are grounded in collective and inclusive actions to dismantle it. It is time that those who are Savarna, or Upper-caste, begin to learn to name and own their privilege and take on the burden of educating and dismantling caste in your own families and social networks. For the hardest work is to confront those that are closest and most intimate to you in your personal and professional lives. In fact, this is where really allyship begins. This is the point when complicated conversations begin. It starts when you become the uncomfortable voice laying bare the privilege to the social locations from where caste trickles down from: your friends, family, and professional colleagues. It begins when you break the silence of your own privilege.

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Social hierarchy: The Brahmins established a social hierarchy in which they occupied the topmost position, giving them immense power and control over other communities and perpetuating systems of oppression.

Caste system: Brahmins created and maintained the caste system, which divided society into rigid hierarchies based on birth. This system reinforced Brahmin dominance and enabled them to control the resources and opportunities available to different groups.

Caste-based violence: The Brahmins perpetuated violence against lower caste communities, particularly Dalits, through the caste system, which allowed for institutionalized discrimination and violence.

Marriage practices: The Brahmins established strict rules around marriage and family structures, which helped to perpetuate their social and economic power.

Religious monopoly: Brahmins claimed a monopoly over religious knowledge and practice, which allowed them to control and manipulate the spiritual lives of others. This further reinforced their social and political power.

Religious hegemony: The Brahmins established themselves as the custodians of religious knowledge and texts, giving them significant influence over religious practices and beliefs across South Asia.

Cultural appropriation: The Brahmins appropriated and assimilated elements of indigenous cultures and traditions, erasing the contributions of other communities and further consolidating their power.

Intellectual property: The Brahmins often appropriated the knowledge and intellectual property of other communities, erasing their contributions and further consolidating their own power and influence.

Education: The Brahmins monopolized education, particularly in the pre-colonial period, creating a system that privileged their knowledge and excluded other communities from accessing educational opportunities.

Education: Brahmins controlled access to education and knowledge, which further reinforced their social and economic dominance. They monopolized education and ensured that only members of their own caste could become scholars, priests, and teachers.

Land ownership: Brahmins acquired vast amounts of land through various means, such as gifts from kings or temples, and used their wealth and power to further consolidate their control over society.

Land ownership: The Brahmins, particularly in colonial times, acquired large tracts of land, often through exploitative means, consolidating their economic and political power.

Language and literature: The Brahmins established Sanskrit as the language of knowledge and literature, excluding other languages and literary traditions from the mainstream.

Language dominance: Brahmins promoted the use of Sanskrit, which was the language of the elite and the language of many Hindu religious texts. This gave them further linguistic dominance and helped to consolidate their cultural and political power.

Political influence: The Brahmins have played a significant role in shaping political structures and institutions across South Asia, often to their own advantage.

Systematic exclusion of lower castes from religious and social institutions

Appropriation of land and resources from indigenous communities

Imposition of Sanskrit as the language of power and knowledge, leading to the neglect and suppression of other regional languages and cultures

Establishment of a rigid caste system, with Brahmins at the top and other castes relegated to lower social status and economic opportunities

Monopolization of education and intellectual discourse, leading to the suppression of dissenting voices and alternative knowledge systems

Co-optation of indigenous spiritual practices and beliefs, leading to the marginalization and erasure of non-Brahmin religious traditions

Control over political power and governance through the Brahminization of the state

Promulgation of patriarchal norms and practices, leading to the subjugation and exploitation of women and other gender minorities

Promotion of vegetarianism as a moral and ethical ideal, leading to the marginalization and stigmatization of non-vegetarian communities

Use of violence and coercion to maintain Brahmin hegemony and suppress dissenting voices and movements

Creation of a cultural hegemony that has influenced and shaped the social, political, and economic structures of South Asia for centuries

Control over the production and dissemination of knowledge, leading to the suppression of alternative epistemologies and worldviews

Consolidation of economic power through the control of trade networks and commercial enterprises

Implementation of discriminatory and oppressive laws and practices against lower castes and non-Brahmin communities

Maintenance of a system of inherited privilege and power that has perpetuated Brahmin domination across generations

Control over religious and cultural practices, leading to the erasure and marginalization of non-Brahmin traditions and beliefs

Construction of a narrative of Brahmin superiority and moral authority, leading to the internalization of caste-based discrimination and oppression by non-Brahmin communities

Establishment of a culture of fear and intimidation, leading to the suppression of dissenting voices and the perpetuation of Brahmin hegemony

Appropriation and commercialization of cultural artifacts and practices, leading to the exploitation and erasure of indigenous communities and traditions

“The Casteless Collective is an ensemble music band that essentially, in the words of its co-founder Tenma, comes from the soil of North Madras. Singing songs that talk about the inherent inequalities that exist in Indian society, inequalities that arise out of a rigid caste system that refuses to let people be free, The Casteless Collective’s music is both engaging and disruptive. The band refuses to adhere to the Brahmanical playbook that essentially says that if you belong to the ‘lower caste’, if you are an ‘untouchable’ then you don’t get to have a voice. The Casteless Collective has a voice — a voice that is made up of funeral musicians who learned to play their instruments in a graveyard, Gaana singers who sing about systematic oppression, rappers who talk about inequalities.