Daily Mirror Part 6 | Nation Above Caste

Daily Mirror Part 6 |A Poisonous Poison

Nation Above Caste: The Global Filter & The Real Identity

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

When you leave India and step onto international soil—

whether for work, studies, travel, or settlement—

something extraordinary happens:

The caste you carried for generations…

suddenly becomes irrelevant.

The world outside India never asks:

Aapka surname kya hai?

Gaon kaunsa?

Kaun jaat se ho?

Kaun si category?

The global world has only one filter:

What can you do?

What skills do you bring?

How do you work with people?

What values define you?

In a single moment, the caste that ruled your identity

inside your own country

turns into nothing more than a forgotten background detail.

1. In the Global World, Caste Has No Currency

Abroad:

Doctors are respected because of expertise

Engineers because of efficiency

Teachers because of contribution

Chefs because of creativity

Drivers because of discipline

Workers because of labour

Artists because of expression

No one cares about your lineage.

They only care about your capability.

You become:

Indian.

Professional.

Colleague.

Friend.

Human.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

For the first time, many Indians taste a pure identity—

an identity without caste.

And here lies a telling irony:

Even in India, foreigners are respected simply as “foreigners.”

No one asks their caste, their surname, their state,

or even their designation.

At some places, religion may be asked out of formality,

but caste is never questioned.

So this global acceptance is not just a foreign experience;

it’s a truth visible in our own land too.

2. The Irony: The World Accepts You, Your Country Tests You

In foreign lands:

A Brahmin washes dishes in a restaurant.

A Rajput works under a South Indian manager.

A Dalit leads a multinational tech team.

An OBC student becomes a university topper.

A tribal youth becomes a celebrated researcher.

And no one raises an eyebrow.

Outside India, people do not measure you

by your ancestors’ occupation—

they measure you

by your present contribution.

The painful irony?

You travel thousands of kilometres

to experience the equality

that your own motherland promised on paper

but struggled to deliver in reality.

Humanity is worshipped everywhere,

the forms may differ—

but the emotion is one.

No hospital, no blood bank, no charity asks:

Aap kis caste ke ho?

They only ask:

Whose life can you save?

3. The Global Filter: What Truly Matters

Outside India, a new filtration begins:

Caste disappears → Character appears.

People evaluate you through:

punctuality

work ethic

honesty

empathy

accountability

communication

reliability

integrity

This is the real filtration—

the one our society should have used from the beginning.

In the global world, the only caste is:

“Are you a good human being?”

No caste certificates needed.

No reservation categories applicable.

Only quality matters—

even to those who claim to be superior or inferior back home.

Equality becomes not a privilege—

but a natural expectation.

4. The Identity Shift: From Caste to Culture

Outside India, something remarkable happens:

Your caste identity dissolves,

but your cultural identity strengthens.

You proudly say:

“I am from India.”

“We celebrate Diwali.”

“Our food is full of spices.”

“This is our classical music.”

“Our stories are ancient.”

“Our values are deep.”

Your village becomes nostalgia.

Your caste becomes history.

Your country becomes pride.

Because:

Caste divides.

Culture unites.

Caste labels.

Values define.

And yet, I must acknowledge a truth I witnessed:

Even in Indian villages,

festivals unite people…

but entering “superior zones”

still carries hesitation for many.

But I will never forget Chacha Fateh Mohammad,

who sang bhajans with mandli groups,

performed in temples,

and broke invisible barriers with sheer devotion.

What is natural abroad becomes exceptional here—

and these exceptions are the hope.

And hope didn’t come only from faraway examples.

It came from my own soil.

My own village.

Pravin Dada, a Jamindar,

played cricket with us, laughed with us,

stood with us as a brother — not a caste.

Once, when he invited his friends from a “lower caste” to his home,

an elderly person said:

“Unko pattal utha kar bahar fekne do.”

Pravin Dada stood firm:

“Yeh mere dost hain.

Pattal main fek dunga,

par aapko unki izzat ko chot pahunchane ka

koi adhikaar nahi.”

That day, he didn’t just defend his friends—

he defended humanity.

These are the people who show us

that caste is not broken by speeches,

but by courage.

5. Watching India From Outside: A Mirror of Truth

Only when you leave India

do you truly understand India.

You realise:

our knowledge is world-class

our traditions meaningful

our families emotionally rich

our culture astonishingly diverse

our society extremely talented

…yet burdened by

a poisonous poison

that no longer serves any purpose.

From a distance, caste appears

not like heritage—

but like a limiting illusion.

A shadow

that stops a brilliant nation

from shining at its full potential.

6. My Final Reflection

After witnessing:

root-level untouchability

village-level humiliation

town-level compromises

city-level filtering

state-level sugar-coating

and global-level liberation

…I reached one truth:

Casteism is a poisonous poison.

It kills slowly, silently,

generation after generation—

never questioned at its roots.

But I discovered another truth:

The antidote exists.

And it exists inside us.

Caste disappears the moment we:

travel

learn

collaborate

grow

meet people beyond labels

let go of fear

see the world

see ourselves

Because:

Caste is a human invention.

Dignity is a universal right.

Caste is a boundary.

Identity is infinite.

And the final layer of truth:

The world respects Indians.

But we Indians are still learning

to respect Indians.

This is the journey.

This is the reflection.

This is the reason

this entire series was born.

Conclusion of the Six-Part Series

A Poisonous Poison: Casteism — A Boon or Curse?

A reflective series by Rakesh Kushwaha

These are not just episodes—

they are a mirror for society

and a map for future generations.

Disclaimer:

This reflective series has been written with the sole intention of encouraging understanding, empathy, and social awareness.

The incidents and examples shared are based on personal experiences and observations.

They are not meant to blame, hurt, or demean any individual, caste, community, or group.

The purpose is not to divide but to unite,

not to accuse but to introspect,

not to provoke but to heal.

If any part brings discomfort,

please receive it as a space for reflection —

not as an allegation.

Human dignity is the message.

Humanity is the goal.

— Rakesh Kushwaha

Educator | Writer | Storyteller

Mathivation HUB

“Writing to heal. Writing to awaken.”