16th September, 2025 : Caste Sensitisation Workshop at Vidyashilp University

On 16th September 2025, Vidyashilp University hosted a sensitisation workshop under the Jaagruti initiative of Dhwani Legal Trust, led by Ms. Ashwini Obulesh. The session, titled “Is Caste Discrimination a Thing of the Past?”, unpacked caste realities, privilege, and the importance of building safe and inclusive spaces.

The session began by confronting the central question of caste in contemporary India, challenging the assumption that caste discrimination belongs only to history. She highlighted how casteism continues to manifest both in rural and urban contexts—sometimes overtly through practices like exclusion in housing or endogamy, and at other times more covertly, through subtle prejudices in friendships, dining habits, or social interactions.

Participants were presented with data on atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Tribes, underscoring the persistence and seriousness of caste-based violence. This set the stage for discussions on stereotypes, where oppressed communities are often labelled “meritless,” “uncivilised,” or “impure,” further marginalising them in society.

Thereupon, the session turned to the concept of privilege, defined as an imbalance of power that is often invisible to those who hold it. Ms. Obulesh highlighted how caste identity continues to shape access to opportunities, wealth, and leadership roles. The myth of meritocracy was interrogated, with emphasis on how social and structural factors, rather than inherent ability, determine “merit.”

Reservation policies were discussed as a means of ensuring representation and correcting historical exclusion. The session stressed that reservations are not poverty-alleviation schemes but measures of compensatory discrimination, aimed at creating a just and equitable social order.

Another key theme was intersectionality, demonstrating how caste intersects with class, gender, and geography to compound disadvantage. Examples included the layered discrimination faced by Dalit women and the concentration of lower-caste communities in urban ghettos.

The session also drew attention to institutional murders, particularly the rising cases of student suicides in academic institutions linked to caste-based isolation and exclusion. Such incidents were described as systemic failures rather than isolated tragedies.

Finally, the session concluded with a focus on sensitivity and sensitisation. This included changing everyday language to avoid binaries like “upper-lower caste,” adopting terms such as “oppressor-oppressed” or “dominant-marginalised,” and reading anti-discrimination scholarship by thinkers like Ambedkar, Omvedt, and Phule. The speaker closed with a call to create safe spaces—environments where marginalised students can confide, heal, and rebuild identities.

The discussion left participants with a sharper understanding of caste realities and a clear direction: to unlearn, relearn, and actively contribute to building equitable spaces.