a day ago
No concensus? Why counting castes in India is a minefield
No concensus? Why counting castes in India is a minefield
Himanshi Dhawan
TNN
Updated: Jun 7, 2025, 18:52 IST IST
With too many castes, fluid identities and rising demands for representation, the exercise is going to be a fraught affair
Dalit rights activist Suraj Yengde was once asked in an interview if after all his scholarship and travels overseas, did his caste still matter. 'It follows me,' he said, 'like a shadow.'
The government plans to kick off the Census along with caste enumeration from April 1, 2026, a task almost as hard as counting shadows. The decision has been controversial with some reviving the Dalit leader and BSP founder Kanshi Ram's slogan ' jiski jitni sankhya bhari, uski utni hissedari ' (greater the number, greater the share) with the hope that the exercise will finally bring the issue of social justice front and centre in Indian politics.
