Daily Mirror Part 2|Raw Poison in the Stem,: 

When Tradition Meets Politics

From the series: “A Poisonous Poison — Casteism: A Boon or Curse? My Reflections”

Opening Thought

If the roots of casteism are silent and underground,

the stem is loud, visible, unapologetic.

Here, casteism doesn’t hide.

It walks in daylight.

It speaks openly.

It punishes quietly.

And sometimes…

it humiliates brutally in front of everyone.

This is Raw Poison —

poison that burns without shame.

A Developed Village… But Not Developed Enough

When you move from a remote village to a semi-developed one,

you expect awareness, growth, and change.

But casteism grows too —

only its style changes.

It becomes less hidden, more organised.

A wound that looks half-dried,

but still infected underneath.

Story 1: The Teacher and the Cup

This incident is carved deeply in my memory.

One day, my father sent me with a teacher from another village

to the house of our village school headmaster.

We were both served tea.

The headmaster smiled, spoke warmly,

showed respect…

Until he asked a “casual” question:

“Aap kis jaati ke hain?”

The teacher, innocent and truthful, answered.

In that moment —

the air changed.

Respect evaporated.

Warmth froze.

Courtesy disappeared.

Then came a sentence that cut through the soul:

“Cup dho kar rakh dena.”

Not please.

Not a request.

A command rooted in centuries of conditioning.

I watched the teacher walk to the tap,

holding the cup as if it carried guilt,

washing it with trembling hands.

A teacher…

a man who shapes society…

reduced to washing his cup because his caste wasn’t “right”.

Something inside me broke that day.

Story 2: The Teacher and the Milk Pot

My friend Ashok Nagar, now a school Principal,

once went to help an old man who asked for some milk.

He agreed with kindness.

But as he approached the spot,

an upper-caste man stopped him:

“Ruk jao!

Alag bartan lekar aao.

Is bartan mein doodh mat do.”

The milk was the same.

The hands were the same.

Only the caste was “different”.

Later, this rigid thinking received a quiet but powerful correction.

A Father’s Wisdom, A Grandfather’s Truth

My upbringing under my father’s guidance shaped my understanding.

Being a teacher himself, he never discriminated between students or parents.

Lower caste or upper caste —

he welcomed everyone with equal warmth, dignity, and humanity.

“Mere pita ji ke liye insaan ki pehchaan uske karam se thi, jaati se nahi.”

For my father, a person’s identity came from their actions, not their caste.

But his openness was not appreciated by many of his colleagues

and some upper-caste friends.

They often questioned his “unusual equality”.

And then came the truth spoken by my grandfather —

firm, calm, and unforgettable:

English Version:

“A person’s worth is shaped by their actions, not their caste.

If you fear who touches the milk pot, pause and think —

how many unseen hands shaped everything you use at home?”

Hindi Version:

“Insaan ki izzat jaati se nahi, uske karam se hoti hai.

Agar tum doodh ke bartan se itna darte ho,

to zara socho — tumhare ghar ka kitna saamaan

kin-kin haathon se hokar aaya hoga.”

Gentle words.

Deep truth.

A mirror to hypocrisy.

Election Season Hypocrisy

During elections, everything magically changes.

Suddenly every caste is “brother”.

Suddenly people who avoid each other

stand together on stages.

Hands that hesitate to touch cups

shake vigorously for votes.

Casteism doesn’t disappear —

it simply pauses

until votes are counted.

Once the microphone turns off,

the old poison flows again.

The Nature of Raw Poison

This level of casteism is:

✔ Bold — spoken openly

✔ Selective — changes with convenience

✔ Public — humiliation happens openly

✔ Inherited — proudly taught to the next generation

✔ Strongest where education should weaken it

Here, casteism is not a ritual.

It becomes a badge of superiority.

Victims often stay silent —

not because they are weak,

but because they are tired of proving their humanity.

Reflection: The Double Standard

The same society that preaches equality

practises discrimination in kitchens.

The same hands that worship God

push away another human.

The same lips that say “Respect elders”

teach children whom NOT to respect.

This is the rawest poison —

morality outside,

cruelty inside.

Closing Thought for Part 2

Raw poison doesn’t hide.

It stares at you

through tea cups,

milk pots,

election speeches,

and seemingly harmless conversations.

It reveals a painful truth:

Casteism survives not due to ignorance,

but due to convenience wrapped as tradition.

Part 2 ends here —

and the journey rises into the next layer,

where casteism takes yet another form.

Disclaimer

These reflections are shared to create awareness,

not to hurt or target any community.

The intention is understanding, not accusation.

The purpose is dialogue, not division.

— Rakesh Kushwaha

Daily Mirror Series

“A Poisonous Poison — Casteism: A Boon or Curse?