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The Casteless Mask

The Casteless Mask

By Kaveri Mathur

Caste in a private higher-education institute appears to be "invisible". Paradoxically, this "casteless" mask is well-practiced by the oppressor castes. A closer look at an elite North-Indian private institution shows how the caste system combined with Brahmanical patriarchy operate on multiple levels–individual, social and systemic–affecting everything from "roti, kapada, makaan" and more.

Student accommodations, food options and preferences, and external appearances are all influenced by casteist and patriarchal biases. Such universities also advertise their advanced research centres and infrastructure, often promoting multidisciplinary studies along with liberal arts.

The Apolitical Facade

The first move from the authoritative administration is to avoid anything to do with politics. Their for-profit status allows them to enforce a policy to remain "apolitical". While they have to abide by the UGC Guidelines, they also have their own strict codes of conduct which guide the hand of authority.

This apolitical-ness seeps through all the layers of the university, with many students ignorant of the cultural capital that they inherit from their homes and schools. Such privileges come in many forms: the ability to access and afford customised and expert help for applications, entrance tests and interviews; social networks, connections and contacts that provide information and opportunities.

The Classroom Space

The policy to remain apolitical permeates into the classroom space limiting what can be taught and what can be expressed. It also affects everyday interactions among students, professors, vendors, staff and the members of the administration. The need to remain "casteless" and "apolitical" is constrictive for departments of humanities and social sciences which are vital to give young students opportunities to learn and grow.

The Ambedkar Jayanti Incident

Leading up to Ambedkar Jayanti, a small group of us encountered the problem of getting permissions for an event that on the surface had to be "apolitical". But can Ambedkar ever be apolitical? For an informal outdoor event, we would not need to answer this question.

On the day of our event, a last minute idea was to put up a small banner with the words "Free Palestine" on the completed display. A rushed poster barely covering 5% of our display surprisingly became our most controversial message. It was met by a loud and lengthy argument with a couple of opposing students who claimed that the display on Ambedkar could be "tolerated" on this Jayanti yet the "unrelated" slogan needed to be removed.

Conclusion

Caste blindness is the pervasive attitude within the private university space. To maintain this casteless mask, the university's Savarna dominated administration and management take every measure necessary. The institution perpetuates the Brahminical hegemony, through their insistence on apoliticalness, their punitive code of conduct, and their elitist admission process.

According to an article by Maktoob Media, students at Ashoka University in Sonepat, Haryana held a protest after their repeated demands were not met, including a caste census of their campus, a fund for an annual Ambedkar Memorial Lecture and cancelling the penalty for late fee-payment. Their protests highlighted the need for caste-based reservation in private universities. Their example signals a move in the right direction for private universities in North India, and calls for strengthening such student-led opposition against the overwhelming and violent ignorance which continues to rise with skyrocketing fees.

Kaveri Mathur

Kaveri Mathur has recently graduated with a B.A. (Research) in English. He is also a growing artist with an interest in languages and linguistics.

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