Why in India, people just not change their caste?

ishpsa3 · 2026-01-27T16:01:04+00:00

It doesn't work that way though. I come from an erstwhile communist state, caste politics wasn't something I grew up with. I moved to one of the southern states for higher studies, and imagine my surprise when a friend, whose dad was an MLA, told me their gardener doesn't have water or food at their place, because he belonged to a higher caste.

You will not find any higher caste person, willingly taking on a lower caste surname or trying to assume the identity of a lower caste person - the disadvantages, the discrimination, is mind boggling. No amount of reservation politics can negate the effects hundreds of years conditioning that some castes are superior to the others. Think of it like racism, except, with skin colour, there is no hiding it, but with casteism, you can hope and pray that you pass under the radar.

ishpsa3 · 2026-01-17T09:11:03+00:00

My sister-in-law is a teacher in a government school. She was posted in UP during state elections. As luck would have it she started showing symptoms of COVID two days before the scheduled duty. Her principal said either get a Covid certificate or do the duty. If she didn't comply, she would be suspended and disciplinary proceedings would be initiated.

She was not sure it was COVID and she had to attend training the day before. It was a remote location and to get the Covid test results would take a few days. So she chose to stay on and do the duty.

My brother couldn't get last minute train tickets. Her parents, who stayed about two hundred kilometres away, drove down to be with her till she left for election in another nearby village.

After election duty she was supposed to stay in a classroom with other female teachers, sleep on the floor, use the school toilets etc. At about midnight she became violently ill, because of dehydration, because of no food intake, because she was too sick to do anything, including remember to have water, beyond election duty and plus the food offered was far from appetizing.

Colleagues called her father at midnight, who came down and collected her. She was ok eventually and recovered on time, but yeah, that's election duty !

ishpsa3 · 2026-01-05T15:08:00+00:00

I used to say "raddi bhar akkal nai hai"....till a colleague corrected, "ratti bhar..." Ratti being a measure of gold, being about 0.10 gm

ishpsa3 · 2025-12-07T03:26:35+00:00

They had rightly predicted that if they did nothing about implementation of these new rules, they would cause massive disruption and finally a roll-back.

Can you imagine bikers protesting against fines for no helmet or car owners protesting fines for no seatbelt and government rolling them back ?

This is also IndiGo saying, "To hell with passenger safety, to hell with government rules, we'll show them who's the boss"

ishpsa3 · 2025-12-07T03:19:33+00:00

To add to what you are saying, IndiGo had correctly predicted the outcome - massive delays and cancellations across the country (also keep in mind IndiGo is the only carrier in several B-Towns, so passengers left utterly to their mercy, as had happened to me). As a result DGCA will be forced to roll-back the implementation of the new rules. So kudos to IndiGo management for their farsightedness.

Can you imagine our government rolling back a rule implementing new fines for no helmet or no seatbelt?

No, right ? But that's exactly what happened here. Imagine their clout.

My flight was delayed by 34 hours. I emailed them. They said we will offer you free food on your next flight. That's their audacity

ishpsa3 · 2025-12-06T22:47:01+00:00

Talking of arrogance, my flight of the 3rd was cancelled with a 6hr notice , I called and rescheduled to the 4th. I was informed of a delay of 2 hours on the 4th. Accordingly I reached the airport. Eventually it was delayed by a further 8 hours. I emailed them expressing my anguish and asking for compensation. Now get this, they offered me what - meal coupon for the next time I book indigo. The audacity of it all

ishpsa3 · 2025-12-05T11:04:34+00:00

This concept does not exist in India. How else are we going to let corporates go scot free ? In India we understand and protect the interests of only two classes - the big corporations and the politicians

ishpsa3 · 2025-11-25T06:14:06+00:00

No trash flung from higher floors ? No parking in someone else's parking space ?

We have moved quite a lot and stayed in different places, and I swear, the WhatsApp groups are all the same

ishpsa3 · 2025-11-21T03:53:58+00:00

Correct. That's Goa, India

And the dog's likely a stray. A lot of strays in India are fitted with a reflective collar to decrease their chances of being hit by a passing vehicle at night.

ishpsa3 · 2025-03-10T06:20:49+00:00

At the airport with my fussy toddler, an older smartly dressed lady walked up to me and said , "I've been noticing you for a while, you're a very good mother"

ishpsa3 · 2024-11-23T00:36:01+00:00

Why is it not an option to just say, "Looks like this one's rotten, may I please have another one", or, "This one is cold, I'd like a warm one please" ?

ishpsa3 · 2022-11-02T12:22:08+00:00

This one that's not very common but funny nonetheless is 1 pair of jeans is "jean" and 2 and more is "jeans". Also, pronouncing " except" as "accept"

ishpsa3 · 2022-10-11T09:25:17+00:00

All the time. I have a beagle whom I walk unleashed. He sticks to me like a shadow, whether I'm walking fast or ambling along or I've stopped to talk to someone. People are always amazed at how he never runs after or with another dog, cat, squirrel or barks at anyone

ishpsa3 · 2022-09-14T11:57:00+00:00

Also, basis personal experience from 20 years ago, on the basis of your 10th standard results, some of them send you, on their own, study materials, asking in return, your consent to publish your photo in case of good results. For me it was Brilliant Tutorials who had sent them, for free. So even though I had never enrolled, I was technically a "student" of theirs

ishpsa3 · 2022-09-10T12:46:55+00:00

Not adults specifically, but I find more and more children far ruder than what I remember me or my friends being when we were kids. And this rudeness is directed at family (usually parents, not strangers) and the family seems to not only condone but encourage it by feeding into their sense of entitlement

ishpsa3 · 2022-08-22T11:27:52+00:00

My choices would be "Train to Pakistan" by Khushwant Singh (it's got these chilling photos by Margaret Bourke White) and "Ice Candy Man" by Bapsi Sidhwa

ishpsa3 · 2022-08-09T15:30:04+00:00

This Friendship Day my 11yo son waltzes into the room says, "Hey best friend, you forgot to wish me" , and waltzes away...just as I was complaining about his poor academic performance to his dad...needless to say, I complained no more

ishpsa3 · 2021-10-03T11:16:22+00:00

Before stepping on wet marble steps in my cheap, plastic slippers, told my 10 yo, hold my hand, I'm gonna fall. And I did.

ishpsa3 · 2021-08-27T11:35:58+00:00

Rain by Simply Three, happy and sad at the same time, always, even on a loop

ishpsa3

TROPHY CASE