Daily Mirror Part 4 |Business Above Caste

 Daily Mirror Part 4 |A Poisonous Poison

Business Above Caste: The Filtered Casteism of Cities & Districts

(Series on Casteism: A Boon or Curse – My Reflections)

The moment you step from a town into a city or district headquarters, something surprising happens:

Casteism does not disappear.

It becomes polished.

It becomes selective.

It becomes convenient.

It becomes smarter.

Cities are not free of caste.

Cities are just better at hiding it behind progress, opportunity, and modern language.

At this level, casteism becomes a filter—

visible only when the right light falls on it.

1. The Dual Identity: Village Name + Surname

In cities, introductions carry two carefully chosen tags:

“Main ___ gaon ka hoon… aur surname ___ hai.”

Because people know these two details will help others decode:

• social standing

• cultural behaviour

• traditional background

• past connections

• potential influence

Rural casteism was loud.

Town-level casteism was gentle.

But in cities, caste is decoded silently — through:

surname, village origin, family reputation.

Even before the first sentence ends, a person’s position in the invisible hierarchy is mentally mapped.

Incident

A teacher, Jai Prakash (name changed), travelled to school daily in an autorickshaw. One day, while talking on the phone, the driver recognised his dialect.

As expected, he asked:

“Village?”

“Surname?”

From the next day, the driver stopped wishing him, but continued greeting other teachers from different states.

A silent shift.

A wordless distancing.

A caste calculation masked behind urban behaviour.

2. Education Spaces: Where the Mask Slips

Schools, colleges, coaching centres—

they all preach equality.

They look progressive.

But caste identity sometimes slips out from the masks of modernity.

Incident

During my Special B.T.C. training, one moment etched itself into my memory.

A trainee named Prem—soft-spoken, hardworking, dignified.

Someone mocked him:

“Tu kaisa hai, Prem?”

(Tu used for dominating someone)

Not affectionately.

Not playfully.

But with that familiar tone of casual superiority.

Prem didn’t stay silent.

Not once.

Not twice.

He responded three times—firmly:

“Tu kaisa hai, Pramod?”

(Pramod, known by his influential surname.)

Later, Prem told me quietly:

“Sir, bahut jhel liya.

Ab aur nahi.

Trainee ho gaye hain — ek baar bolein toh teen baar jawab den.”

That moment taught me:

• education provides degrees

• but dignity is not guaranteed

• surnames still dictate tone

• resistance begins where self-respect awakens

3. Business Logic: Profit Above Prejudice

Cities run on logic, not lineage.

On profit, not parampara.

Shops, malls, markets, transport, industries —

no business asks for caste certificates.

In urban workspaces:

• carpenters work for Brahmins

• plumbers repair homes of Rajputs

• engineers report to younger managers

• supervisors take tea with technicians

• customers judge quality, not caste

Money erases many lines.

But only until you enter someone’s private space.

Business is inclusive.

Families are selective.

Incident

After a meeting, a clerk was supposed to ride with my friend Hariraj (changed name) an in-charge principal.

But the clerk suddenly created a fake “relative emergency” to avoid sitting on the bike of someone from a “lower” caste.

Someone overheard him say:

“Aata-jaata kuch nahi… kahaan se reservation se aa jaate hain.”

(They come from nowhere… reservation brings them here.)

Progress on the surface.

Poison underneath.

4. Workplace Politics: The Modern Form of Old Bias

Corporate offices look diverse.

Government offices look orderly.

Sales teams look mixed.

But caste still finds quiet entry points:

• promotions influenced by comfort circles

• social groups form around language + surname

• lunch breaks reveal subtle groupings

• hiring decisions sometimes favour familiarity

Caste doesn’t dominate here.

It whispers.

Filtered.

Subtle.

But present.

Incident

My friend Prem Pal Banjara was welcomed by his colleagues and often offered food.

But one day, when he placed his homemade food in a shared plate, he was immediately stopped.

Later the person said:

“Main inke ghar ka khana nahi khaa sakta… baahar bana hua chal jaayega.”

(I can’t eat food from his home… but outside food is fine.)

Urban courtesy on the face.

Ancient mindset in the heart.

5. The Emotional Experience: Distance with Respect

In cities, caste wounds are not sharp — they are quiet.

People don’t insult openly.

They don’t discriminate loudly.

They don’t reject clearly.

They simply maintain a respectful distance.

You are respected—

but not included.

You are welcomed—

but not embraced.

You stand inside the circle—

but never at the centre.

Incident

My friend Banvari Lal was invited to a wedding ceremony.

But the departure time was intentionally not shared with him.

The bus left without him.

Later, a common friend pretended concern.

The message was clear.

The exclusion was deliberate.

And the silence was louder than words.

6. My Reflection

Cities taught me a deeper truth:

Casteism doesn’t vanish with development —

it evolves with development.

In rural areas, caste is a tool.

In towns, caste is a habit.

In cities, caste becomes a reference point.

Cities give us:

• opportunity

• exposure

• modernity

• ambition

But they also reveal:

Caste travels with us.

It just changes its clothing.

Yet there is hope.

Because cities also show that skill, talent, and hard work can slowly rise above caste boundaries.

A capable person earns a place that caste could never give—

and can never take away.

To Be Continued…

Disclaimer

This article is based on personal reflections and lived experiences.

The intention is not to target any specific individual, caste, or institution,

but to highlight social patterns for awareness, dialogue, and positive change.

Names, places, and some details may be modified to protect privacy.

— Rakesh Kushwaha

Educator | Writer | Storyteller

Mathivation HUB

“Writing to heal. Writing to awaken.”

Part 5: Language Above Caste – The State-Level Story

Coming soon…