The gated community of caste
2010 June 24
When I posted about this in 2008, I received a few enquiries by people who wanted to live there (clearly they hadn’t read the post properly). From my site stats I see that people are still looking for the place. Now it’s been turning up so regularly in the stats for the past few months, I’m tempted to take the post down. It’s just SO depressing.
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OMG! I am not sure how I missed your 2008 post and THE COMMENTS!!! The world is full of morons. At least I will one day die happy that mostly I am not.
Depressing but not shocking. And that’s even more depressing – that it is not surprising or shocking…
Do you guys really think India has turned a corner and we do not value caste, sects anymore?! You are joking right?
The Brahmin agraharam maybe new and I am sure the instances of Brahmins doing something as a cohesive community are few and far between. But almost all other communities do follow this – they may not get so much publicity, because they do not need it, they have always been following this. Watching out for each other, sticking close together.
I am still not able to wrap my head around as to why you all treating this as a new concept, it surely isn’t. This is what happens here, explicitly or implicitly in whichever sphere of life you take.
I certainly don’t think India has turned a corner here, though many people claim it has. But that doesn’t mean one can’t feel shocked or sad about it.
I know other communities do it too-mentioned it in the 2008 post with reference to Bombay and here with reference to Surat: http://www.likhati.com/2008/12/15/1507/
Definitely depressing:(
These ideas never suceed, india as a whole is far too dynamic for something like this to take root over a large sphere of the population. And then there are those who do not care about all this…
I hope you are right. But in my own city of Mumbai there are many examples of such “exclusive” building societies, each with a superiority complex greater than the next!
I’m from Mumbai too..and there is always in these societies one single family somehow defying norms, staying there (contacts, bribes whatever). 3 Cheers for them!
three cheers indeed, tho WHY does it have to be this convoluted?
Dont get depressed so easily . There are more heartening stories across the length and breadth of India , if you care to look for them .
I once travelled with an old gentleman in the first class compartment from Chennai to Mumbai.Two decades ago.
As I started introducing myself he asked me to stop and said :
Now dont tell me your name . That way I have to tell mine and we have to declare our religions and somehow that will color our interactions for the next 24 hours .Why dont we exchange that information in the last hour of our Journey ?
He went on to enthrall me with his knowledge of Sanskrit , Hindu Philosophy , Mathematics , card tricks and so many other things.
And when it came to taking leave of each other he explained : My name is Thamizuddin.It translates into , a Man of good manners.And I have tried to be one for the past 24 hours.And all my Life.
But I see that you know so little of your own religion , sacred languages etc.Please work on that.And a bit more
I have come across many happenings in my life that pointed the other way- the way leading to conflicts- but I have always strived to be a man of good manners.It is a bit difficult to understand if you are from a minority community . But let me tell you , I am convinced that India gives me my best shot at parity.So I have nothing to regret.
Saying this , this Retired Chief of Signals in the Indian Railways , took leave of me .Leaving me stunned.
So that is why I say look around a bit and you are likely to see great changes.
Let me know if you wnat me to write in more detail about these
That is an interesting story. Do write more.
I remember reading that post. My own landlord talks of his apartment building as having something like “uchh koti” Brahmins… He and his family seem nice, but this pride they have in caste is most befuddling and irritating.
But Hyderabad is a city with such contradictions (perhaps like all cities). It is complex and so is the equation among members of the different communities that live here I would love to do a story given a chance.
I heard a most positive thing from a Hindu colleague about his Muslim neighbours in the old part of the city, with a tinge of nostalgia. This in spite of the recent communal tensions. How wonderful it’d be write on this!
Hope you are fine. Been missing you and your blog.
Many hugs.
you must do some stories about this…
how has your health been? been missing you too. Haven’t had time myself to blog much.
Still recuperating. Joined work. Let’s see how it goes!
Sometimes borrowed husband’s cellphone to see if you wrote new posts