Beyond the labels, we're all human beings seeking dignity and respect
The Hidden Truth: How Caste Discrimination Affects Everyone
📅 Published: February 09, 2026 | ⏱️ 8 min read | 📂 Category: Life Insights
📌 In This Blog
We often talk about caste discrimination as if it only flows in one direction. But the reality is more complex, more human, and affects everyone – regardless of which category they belong to.
In this honest reflection, we'll explore:
- How discrimination exists across all caste groups, including general category
- The invisible walls we build without realizing
- Personal stories from different perspectives
- Why this conversation matters for our generation
- How we can move toward genuine equality
Note: This is a sensitive topic. I'm sharing observations and experiences, not to divide but to understand. Everyone's experience is valid.
🎭 The Conversation We Avoid
Let me start with something honest: This is the conversation most of us avoid at family dinners, college canteens, and office cafeterias. We change the topic. We stay silent. We pretend it doesn't exist.
But here's what I've noticed after countless conversations with friends from different backgrounds, communities, and "categories" – caste discrimination doesn't discriminate. It affects everyone. Just differently.
Have you ever noticed how we can discuss poverty, politics, or corruption openly, but the moment caste comes up, the room gets uncomfortable? That discomfort itself tells us something.
🌟 Think About It: When was the last time you had an honest conversation about caste with someone from a different background? Not a debate. Not a political argument. Just a human conversation.
💭 What We Mean by "Discrimination Exists Everywhere"
When I say discrimination exists across all castes, I'm not equating different experiences. I'm saying the poison of casteism has infected everyone – in different ways.
The Experiences of Reserved Categories
Let's start with what's most visible. Students from SC/ST/OBC backgrounds face:
- Constant questioning of merit: "You got this seat only because of reservation." Even when they score 95%, there's an asterisk in people's minds.
- Social exclusion: Not being invited to study groups. Being left out of informal networks that lead to opportunities.
- Stereotype threats: The pressure to prove they "deserve" to be there. The exhaustion of constantly fighting invisible assumptions.
- Identity concealment: I've met brilliant students who hide their surnames, change their profile pictures, avoid mentioning their home villages – just to be judged by their work, not their birth.
Real story: A friend who topped her engineering batch told me she never mentions her rank at family gatherings outside her immediate family. Why? Because the conversation inevitably turns to "reserved category benefits" rather than her 4 years of 18-hour study days.
The Invisible Discrimination General Category Faces
Now here's what's rarely discussed openly: Students from general category also face discrimination. Different discrimination, but real nonetheless:
- Blanket privilege assumptions: "You're general category, you must be rich and privileged." Many general category students come from economically struggling backgrounds but get lumped into stereotypes.
- Merit anxiety: Scoring 95% and not getting a seat while someone with 75% does – regardless of the historical reasons, the personal pain is real.
- Reverse bias in some spaces: In some progressive circles, being general category means your opinions on social issues are automatically dismissed as "coming from privilege."
- Economic struggles ignored: A general category student from a poor family struggling to afford fees, with no scholarships available, facing "but you're privileged" narratives.
- Career limitations in reserved sectors: In government jobs with 50%+ reservation, general category candidates face mathematical disadvantage in opportunities.
Real story: I know someone who scored 97 percentile in a competitive exam, couldn't get into their dream college, works two part-time jobs to fund private college, and gets told they're "privileged" because they're general category. The irony hurts.
Within-Category Discrimination
Here's what's even more complex:
- Among reserved categories: SC vs ST vs OBC hierarchies. "Creamy layer" vs "non-creamy layer" tensions. North Indian Dalit vs South Indian Dalit different experiences.
- Among general category: Upper caste brahmin vs other upper castes. Economic class creating sub-divisions. Regional and linguistic prejudices.
- Religious minorities: Facing discrimination from both majority community and caste-based discrimination within their own religion.
The truth? We've all learned to discriminate. It's just pointed in different directions.
🔍 The Root Problem: The System, Not The People
Here's what I've come to understand: Most people aren't intentionally discriminatory. But we're all trapped in a system designed centuries ago that categorizes human beings.
What Society Tells Us
From childhood, we absorb messages:
- "Don't marry outside your caste" (coded as "culture")
- "They're different from us" (coded as "values")
- "We're better/worse than them" (coded as "merit" or "victimhood")
- "Stay with your own kind" (coded as "comfort")
And here's the thing – these messages come from everywhere. Movies. Family dinners. WhatsApp forwards. College senior advice. News debates that pit communities against each other.
The Reality We Live
Meanwhile, in reality:
- A general category student and a reserved category student are competing for the same job, both struggling with EMIs.
- Both are being played by politicians who benefit from keeping us divided.
- Both are one medical emergency away from financial crisis.
- Both are trying to build a better life than their parents had.
- Both are way more similar than different.
The cruel irony? While we fight over college seats and job quotas, the truly privileged – those with political connections, inherited wealth, or foreign degrees – watch from the sidelines.
💡 What I've Learned From Listening
I've spent years having uncomfortable conversations with people across the spectrum. Here's what I've learned:
Lesson 1: Everyone's Pain is Real
A student who scores 95% and doesn't get admission – their pain is real.
A student who faces casteist slurs in the hostel – their pain is real.
A poor general category student with no scholarships – their pain is real.
A reserved category student questioned on merit daily – their pain is real.
The mistake we make: Thinking only one type of pain is valid. Pain isn't a competition.
Lesson 2: Historical Context Matters, But So Does Present Reality
Yes, historical oppression created the need for affirmative action. That's factual.
And yes, a general category student struggling today didn't cause that history. That's also factual.
Both can be true. The challenge is creating systems that address historical injustice without creating new injustices.
Lesson 3: We're All Victims of This System
The reservation debate makes us fight over limited opportunities while ignoring the real problem: Why are opportunities so limited?
India has 1000+ medical seats reserved. We fight over them.
But why don't we have 10,000 medical seats? Who benefits from the scarcity?
The system wants us divided. Because divided people don't ask for more seats, better education, or improved public healthcare.
🌱 Small Changes, Big Impact
So what can we actually do? Not policy-level changes (that's for later), but personal-level shifts:
In Your Daily Life:
- 🌅 Question your first thought: When you meet someone, notice if you're making assumptions based on their last name, hometown, or college quota. Catch yourself. Choose differently.
- 💬 Have real conversations: Not debates. Not arguments. Ask: "What's your experience?" and actually listen.
- 🧘 Acknowledge privilege where it exists: If you have it, own it. If you don't, that's valid too. Privilege isn't binary.
In Your Relationships:
- ❤️ Judge people by character, not category: That brilliant classmate? Their merit stands regardless of how they got the seat.
- 🎧 Create safe spaces: Where people can share experiences without judgment. Where pain doesn't need to compete.
- 🤝 Build bridges, not walls: Your roommate from a different background? That's an opportunity to understand, not an enemy to avoid.
In Your Mindset:
- 🎯 Separate system from people: You can critique reservation policy while respecting reserved category individuals. You can support affirmative action while acknowledging general category struggles.
- 🌈 Embrace complexity: Simple "pro" or "anti" stances miss the nuance. Real issues are complicated.
- ✨ Focus on expanding the pie: Instead of fighting over limited seats, demand more quality institutions. Instead of quota wars, demand better public education.
🎯 The Balance We Need
Here's the mature, nuanced position that acknowledges reality:
| What Hurts Us | What Heals Us |
|---|---|
| Denying anyone's lived experience | Listening to all perspectives with empathy |
| Making caste someone's entire identity | Seeing people as individuals first |
| Fighting over limited opportunities | Demanding more opportunities for all |
| Political point-scoring on both sides | Honest dialogue without agenda |
| Generalizing entire communities | Recognizing diversity within every group |
📖 Stories That Teach Us
Story 1: The Hostel Room
Three students sharing a hostel room in IIT. One general category (poor family, father is a clerk), one OBC (middle-class family, father is a teacher), one SC (wealthy family, father is a government officer).
Traditional narratives would categorize them by caste. Reality categorized them by friendship. They studied together, struggled together, got placed together.
The lesson: Caste told us they were different. Shared struggle showed they were the same.
Story 2: The Interview Panel
A company interviewing for engineering positions. The general category candidate spoke fluent English (expensive private school). The reserved category candidate had a regional accent (government school, first generation learner).
The company chose based on "cultural fit" (the English speaker). Then wondered why diversity hiring wasn't working.
What we can learn: Discrimination isn't always about quotas. Sometimes it's about who feels "comfortable" to us. That comfort is learned bias.
🚫 The Traps We Fall Into
Trap 1: The Oppression Olympics
Competing over whose suffering is greater. Everyone's pain is valid. This isn't a competition.
→ Instead: Acknowledge multiple forms of discrimination can coexist.
Trap 2: The All or Nothing Thinking
"You're either pro-reservation or anti-social justice." False binary. You can support the goal while questioning the method.
→ Instead: Embrace nuance. Support equality while discussing implementation.
Trap 3: The Personal Attack
Making policy debates personal. "You only say this because you're [caste]." Ad hominem attacks end conversations.
→ Instead: Separate ideas from identity. Attack arguments, not people.
💪 What Our Generation Can Do Differently
Here's what gives me hope: Our generation is different. We're the first truly internet-connected generation. We have friends from different backgrounds. We've seen each other's homes on video calls.
This Week, You Can:
- Have one honest conversation: With someone from a different background. Not to debate, just to understand. Ask: "What's been your experience with caste?" Then listen.
- Check your assumptions: Notice when you make judgments based on surnames, accents, or college quotas. Catch yourself. Choose differently.
- Speak up against casual discrimination: When someone makes a casteist joke. When someone questions merit. When someone generalizes. A simple "That's not cool" works.
This Month, You Can:
- Read perspectives different from yours (not to argue, to understand)
- Question family biases respectfully ("Why do we think that?")
- Build genuine friendships across caste lines
- Support merit-based selection in your sphere of influence
Long Term, We Can:
- Demand more educational institutions (not fewer opportunities, more opportunities)
- Support economic-based affirmative action alongside caste-based
- Vote for leaders who expand opportunities, not those who divide
- Raise the next generation without caste consciousness
🌟 The Future We Can Build
Imagine India where:
- Merit is recognized regardless of background
- Historical injustice is acknowledged and addressed
- Present struggles are validated for everyone
- Opportunities are abundant, not scarce
- People are judged by character, not birth
- Caste becomes as irrelevant as gotra is for most of us today
Utopian? Maybe. But every change starts with individuals choosing differently.
That IIT hostel room I mentioned? Those three friends are now working in the same startup. They still joke about who used to snore louder. Nobody cares about their caste anymore.
That's the future. Not policy documents. Not government schemes. Just humans being humans.
🎯 Key Takeaways
- 💫 Discrimination exists across all caste groups – different forms, all harmful
- 🌱 Everyone's pain deserves acknowledgment – it's not a competition
- ❤️ The system is the problem, not the people – we're all trapped in it differently
- 🎯 We can support equality while discussing better methods – nuance is strength, not weakness
- ✨ Our generation can break this cycle – one conversation, one friendship, one choice at a time
💬 Let's Talk
This is just my perspective, shaped by conversations and observations. I'm still learning. I might be wrong about some things.
I want to hear from you:
- What's been your experience with caste-based discrimination?
- Have you faced assumptions based on your category?
- What do you think would create genuine equality?
- Where do you disagree with what I've written?
Comment below. This conversation needs all voices – reserved, unreserved, and everything in between. 💙
Ground rules for discussion:
- Attack arguments, not people
- Share experiences, not stereotypes
- Listen to understand, not to win
- Assume good faith
📢 Share Your Truth
This conversation can't happen in echo chambers. It needs diverse voices.
Share this if you believe in:
- ✅ Honest conversations over comfortable silences
- ✅ Multiple perspectives over single narratives
- ✅ Understanding over judgment
- ✅ Solutions over blame
📧 More Honest Conversations Like This?
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💭 Reflect & Journal
Take a moment to honestly answer these questions (just for yourself):
- What was my first reaction reading this post? Why?
- Have I ever made assumptions about someone based on their category? What were they?
- What's one bias I'm ready to challenge in myself?
- If I could design a fair system, what would it look like?
Sometimes writing brings clarity we didn't know we needed. 📝
About the Writer
Prafull Ranjan
Observer of Society | Believer in Nuance | Your Fellow Human
I write about the complicated, uncomfortable topics we usually avoid. Not to preach, but to understand. Not to divide, but to bridge. Join me in honest conversations.
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1 Comments
Yes. It's true
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