Studies on the Indian diaspora in the US can lead one to conclude that caste largely vanishes beyond boundaries of India. The story of IIT students suggests otherwise.
In his book, The Fragility of Order, Ajai Sahni writes about former Punjab police chief Kanwar Pal Singh Gill and the security challenges the world faces right now.
Under Indira Gandhi, JNU turned a deep shade of red because of curricula and faculty chosen by Education Minister Syed Nurul Hasan from a pool of pro-CPI teachers.
The Minerva Mills case was as important as the Kesavananda Bharati case. And fighting it was Nani Palkhivala, India’s foremost constitutional litigator.
Salar Jung I was India’s most influential statesman in the 19th century under the Nizam of Hyderabad. The British simply couldn't decide what to gift them.
Our heritage is valuable. And there’s a reason why one of the world’s most successful conservation stories is the Humayun’s Tomb project in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area.
Under this model, battery is provided to EV owners on a subscription basis or lease. With more people open to buying EV cars, the lower upfront cost could likely drive wider acceptance.
The armoured platform is India's first amphibious infantry combat wheeled vehicle. Last year, the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces had procured 90 military trucks from the Tata Group.
How come Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey and Sri Lanka remain constitutional, democratic and stable despite Islam and Buddhism respectively, but Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar don’t?
It’s a die if you do, die if you don’t situation. The Brahmin is the bogeyman in the imagination of the author. Like most left leaning intellectuals, the objective realities of caste in history are twisted endlessly to fit an ideological mould. Facts that embellish the narrative are opportunistically and deliberately left out.
Brahmins in TN have been pushed out the state completely. Why is it so ? because a serf couldn’t enter a temple 1000 years ago ? Most societies on earth historically have are till today more segregated than India – Babylon, the American South, Japan, SE Asia, Europe, the Middle East – every single one of these societies practiced some form of slavery, genocide and conquest. Yet Brahmins are selectively seen as oppressors, how can it be ? A tiny minority with no land in a feudal society oppressed the majority. All this while the creamy layer of so called minorities indulge in grand lifestyles, live in mansions, have cannibalised all means of production by coopting the state to favor them till kingdom that never comes. What an absolute joke this author is.
Just going through the comments section is the poof of this article or the book (The Caste of Merit). The argument in the book is completely new perspective of what happened and provide the glimpse of untold story.
Great example of how to say nothing in 5000 words. Heavy on words, light on facts and reasoning, and no evidence or data presented to support the core premise of the article. Having lived and interacted with highly successful IIT alums in the bay area, I can say with confidence that this is pure nonsense.
Shitty article. Could not even understand one sentence. Is this the level of output that is representative of the collective intellect of the tambram class or caste which is forming it’s own elitist identity in foreign lands?
Like the Jews (Einstein, Newton, etc), Tambrams too are highly intelligent/meritorious .. an established fact ..
nothing to envy not boast of … a genetic phenomenon I guess ..
This is a classic case of intellectual constipation resulting in verbal diarrhea. Absolute lack of clarity on either what the author wants to convey or what she has attempted to convey and some confused perceptions, obviously, unsupported by data take the article beyond comprehension.
“Moving between U.S. and Indian contexts has entailed a balancing act between the marking and unmarking of caste as the basis of achievement. As we have seen, ongoing challenges to upper- caste dominance in India have disrupted settled expectations and produced a more strident defense of merit as caste property. The diaspora, too, is an important weapon in this fight. By showcasing diasporic success as the arrival of the global Indian, upper-caste IITians render the struggle for caste rights into a parochial—even regressive—endeavor”
If someone is criticising this article for being unfair towards upper caste merited in IIT s then they completely misunderstood this confusing and almost unnecessarily twisted stupid article. He is simply stating that people are growing beyond caste outside India and remaining all stupid stuff we knew about caste in India in more “Subrahmanians'” way. He didn’t state a single fact. He just gave statements. Nothing beyond that.
AJANTHA SUBRAMANIAN ?!? What a piece of $$$$ you have written? Totally false. No research done. No substance. Such a low class article. You don’t deserve to write an article. The author is spoiling the website’s credibility. Editor please take a note. Don’t allow half- knowledge people like Ajantha. Totally disgusting article. Yuck.
Brahmins in Tamil Nadu are no more available in the field of medicine and law – because of reservation policy, unaffordable capitation fee and low headroom for meritocracy.
To certain extent, in the light of the history of India, unless one invokes the divine origin theory, as an historical axegency or as a contingent fact, somehow, within the varnavyabasthaa, the upper varnas, especially the Brahmanas & Kshatriyas came to occupy the higher ring of the long history of the Indian social & political heirarchy. If the Indian civilization minus those cultural traits infused into it on account of alien invasions has any value to contribute to the universalisable human values of the rest of the human civilizations, then, as the traditionally determined repository of spiritual, philosophical & other empirical ideas & even knowledge which are to be found in galore, unless one seeks to completely destroy or refused to see any worthwhile value in them, just like the Jews in the west, the Indian Brahmins and those discernible cultural and ideas as their contributions which laid down as the foundations of the said Indian civilization, this upper most of the four castes have to be given their dues. There are serious difficulties in this view which I am aware of. But, good or bad as long as we talk about India and it’s chequered history, with some drastic overhauling of its social-culturally rooted and ontologically retrenched varnavyabasthaa so as to enable it reclaim it’s significant slot in the comity of world civilizations which are till today heavily tilted or even rather dominated by everything western ideas & values, the country has a lot to contribute to the much crises afflicted world. I would like to mind the readers that, if there is anything worthwhile in the ancient wisdom of the country, then, despite their superiority complex the Brahmins of India just like the highly meritorious Jews, can’t be wished away and put them in some in some corner & make them to undergo the retributory punishment for their varna based rigid stratification which is still a reality today. Through out the history of the world, the inter-community or ethnic power struggle & violent conflicts had been been the well documented norms. I am quite confident that, the so called democratic, liberal and secular west & its ideas which control & organise the world today on the political and economic planes are the tips of the ice bergs beneath which there lurks a much more heneous devil, even more devilish than the Indian upper casts. It is this devil which denies climate change as caused by human activities ( anthropogensis) and the rampant destruction of nature in the name of capitalist development. When seen on this light, if the Indian philosophical traditions are brought out minus the present government’s not embracing neoliberalism, and try to propose the great Indian world which is holistic to the world then, the biosphere which is now threatened will have a chance to survive. The Indian caste system can’t be the sole glass through which we should judge the history of Indian civilization. No doubt, it needs to be changed. Meritocracy with or without caste, is a global trend, and this explains as to why , the traditional Indian meritocracy is compatible with neoliberalism or capitalism. Equality, equity, liberty & rights along with justice etc as modern ideals are still distant dreams which are there at all even in the west. The world today is controlled by those who studied in Oxford, Harvard & other elite universities. This explains the triumph of Darwinism. It is here that an overhauled Indian ideas and ideals can only provide the penacea to the ailments of the world caused by the hipocracy of these so called modern secular values which are still in the dark tunnel of double standards. I believe that, if Darwinism is to be transcended, then, the concept of human nature and the inclusive self minus varnavyabasthaa, as it is in the Indian philosophical tradition founded on the ontological concept of oneness of existence, can only provide the much needed model of an non-other-worldly self-transcdence. Somehow this model may help in redefining the above modern values and help mankind to maintain its vital place in the biosphere.
What a confused article – with no facts based arguments, the whole narration is hidden in bombastic booms of long winding English verse:
1. Are we saying, one caste joined together to falsify marks in IIT entrance exams to ensure one caste got the ranks and admission?
2. Are we saying right across all IITs together plotted to have maximum Tambrams? Do we have statistics of language wise, regionwise, castewise breakups of all IIT-ians?
3. Are we saying in an independant country like USA, someone plotted to ensure only Tambrams came up? Can anyone be more ridiculous? Do we have statistics of nationwise imigrant success stories and inside that the Indian language wise distribution and then the Tambrams inside this lot , to justify the article?
With no clarity and no logic, this article delivers serious credibility issues; may be because it is picked up from a whole book.
Castism was imposed in Tamil soil by the Tamil hating Dravidans who are in fact non Tamils faking a Tamil identity. They are Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi / Urdu origin people settled in Tamil Nadu and have NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with Tamil.
It’s a die if you do, die if you don’t situation. The Brahmin is the bogeyman in the imagination of the author. Like most left leaning intellectuals, the objective realities of caste in history are twisted endlessly to fit an ideological mould. Facts that embellish the narrative are opportunistically and deliberately left out.
Brahmins in TN have been pushed out the state completely. Why is it so ? because a serf couldn’t enter a temple 1000 years ago ? Most societies on earth historically have are till today more segregated than India – Babylon, the American South, Japan, SE Asia, Europe, the Middle East – every single one of these societies practiced some form of slavery, genocide and conquest. Yet Brahmins are selectively seen as oppressors, how can it be ? A tiny minority with no land in a feudal society oppressed the majority. All this while the creamy layer of so called minorities indulge in grand lifestyles, live in mansions, have cannibalised all means of production by coopting the state to favor them till kingdom that never comes. What an absolute joke this author is.
Just going through the comments section is the poof of this article or the book (The Caste of Merit). The argument in the book is completely new perspective of what happened and provide the glimpse of untold story.
Total Garbage – From an IITian
Great example of how to say nothing in 5000 words. Heavy on words, light on facts and reasoning, and no evidence or data presented to support the core premise of the article. Having lived and interacted with highly successful IIT alums in the bay area, I can say with confidence that this is pure nonsense.
Shitty article. Could not even understand one sentence. Is this the level of output that is representative of the collective intellect of the tambram class or caste which is forming it’s own elitist identity in foreign lands?
The author should have clarity what she wants to convey.
what about punjabis, gujarathis, keralites?
Like the Jews (Einstein, Newton, etc), Tambrams too are highly intelligent/meritorious .. an established fact ..
nothing to envy not boast of … a genetic phenomenon I guess ..
This is a classic case of intellectual constipation resulting in verbal diarrhea. Absolute lack of clarity on either what the author wants to convey or what she has attempted to convey and some confused perceptions, obviously, unsupported by data take the article beyond comprehension.
“Moving between U.S. and Indian contexts has entailed a balancing act between the marking and unmarking of caste as the basis of achievement. As we have seen, ongoing challenges to upper- caste dominance in India have disrupted settled expectations and produced a more strident defense of merit as caste property. The diaspora, too, is an important weapon in this fight. By showcasing diasporic success as the arrival of the global Indian, upper-caste IITians render the struggle for caste rights into a parochial—even regressive—endeavor”
If someone is criticising this article for being unfair towards upper caste merited in IIT s then they completely misunderstood this confusing and almost unnecessarily twisted stupid article. He is simply stating that people are growing beyond caste outside India and remaining all stupid stuff we knew about caste in India in more “Subrahmanians'” way. He didn’t state a single fact. He just gave statements. Nothing beyond that.
AJANTHA SUBRAMANIAN ?!? What a piece of $$$$ you have written? Totally false. No research done. No substance. Such a low class article. You don’t deserve to write an article. The author is spoiling the website’s credibility. Editor please take a note. Don’t allow half- knowledge people like Ajantha. Totally disgusting article. Yuck.
Brahmins in Tamil Nadu are no more available in the field of medicine and law – because of reservation policy, unaffordable capitation fee and low headroom for meritocracy.
Very confused writing ..same thing is repeated
To certain extent, in the light of the history of India, unless one invokes the divine origin theory, as an historical axegency or as a contingent fact, somehow, within the varnavyabasthaa, the upper varnas, especially the Brahmanas & Kshatriyas came to occupy the higher ring of the long history of the Indian social & political heirarchy. If the Indian civilization minus those cultural traits infused into it on account of alien invasions has any value to contribute to the universalisable human values of the rest of the human civilizations, then, as the traditionally determined repository of spiritual, philosophical & other empirical ideas & even knowledge which are to be found in galore, unless one seeks to completely destroy or refused to see any worthwhile value in them, just like the Jews in the west, the Indian Brahmins and those discernible cultural and ideas as their contributions which laid down as the foundations of the said Indian civilization, this upper most of the four castes have to be given their dues. There are serious difficulties in this view which I am aware of. But, good or bad as long as we talk about India and it’s chequered history, with some drastic overhauling of its social-culturally rooted and ontologically retrenched varnavyabasthaa so as to enable it reclaim it’s significant slot in the comity of world civilizations which are till today heavily tilted or even rather dominated by everything western ideas & values, the country has a lot to contribute to the much crises afflicted world. I would like to mind the readers that, if there is anything worthwhile in the ancient wisdom of the country, then, despite their superiority complex the Brahmins of India just like the highly meritorious Jews, can’t be wished away and put them in some in some corner & make them to undergo the retributory punishment for their varna based rigid stratification which is still a reality today. Through out the history of the world, the inter-community or ethnic power struggle & violent conflicts had been been the well documented norms. I am quite confident that, the so called democratic, liberal and secular west & its ideas which control & organise the world today on the political and economic planes are the tips of the ice bergs beneath which there lurks a much more heneous devil, even more devilish than the Indian upper casts. It is this devil which denies climate change as caused by human activities ( anthropogensis) and the rampant destruction of nature in the name of capitalist development. When seen on this light, if the Indian philosophical traditions are brought out minus the present government’s not embracing neoliberalism, and try to propose the great Indian world which is holistic to the world then, the biosphere which is now threatened will have a chance to survive. The Indian caste system can’t be the sole glass through which we should judge the history of Indian civilization. No doubt, it needs to be changed. Meritocracy with or without caste, is a global trend, and this explains as to why , the traditional Indian meritocracy is compatible with neoliberalism or capitalism. Equality, equity, liberty & rights along with justice etc as modern ideals are still distant dreams which are there at all even in the west. The world today is controlled by those who studied in Oxford, Harvard & other elite universities. This explains the triumph of Darwinism. It is here that an overhauled Indian ideas and ideals can only provide the penacea to the ailments of the world caused by the hipocracy of these so called modern secular values which are still in the dark tunnel of double standards. I believe that, if Darwinism is to be transcended, then, the concept of human nature and the inclusive self minus varnavyabasthaa, as it is in the Indian philosophical tradition founded on the ontological concept of oneness of existence, can only provide the much needed model of an non-other-worldly self-transcdence. Somehow this model may help in redefining the above modern values and help mankind to maintain its vital place in the biosphere.
An article with zero substance.
Asinine . A lazy attempt to justify pre conceived ideas by misusing long limo words.
Looks like I am not the only one who didn’t understand.
What a confused article – with no facts based arguments, the whole narration is hidden in bombastic booms of long winding English verse:
1. Are we saying, one caste joined together to falsify marks in IIT entrance exams to ensure one caste got the ranks and admission?
2. Are we saying right across all IITs together plotted to have maximum Tambrams? Do we have statistics of language wise, regionwise, castewise breakups of all IIT-ians?
3. Are we saying in an independant country like USA, someone plotted to ensure only Tambrams came up? Can anyone be more ridiculous? Do we have statistics of nationwise imigrant success stories and inside that the Indian language wise distribution and then the Tambrams inside this lot , to justify the article?
With no clarity and no logic, this article delivers serious credibility issues; may be because it is picked up from a whole book.
Castism was imposed in Tamil soil by the Tamil hating Dravidans who are in fact non Tamils faking a Tamil identity. They are Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi / Urdu origin people settled in Tamil Nadu and have NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with Tamil.
Ada paavi
Wow, so many words, but zero sense! This is a collection of ramblimg sentences in multiple permutations of the words like caste, IIT, merit and caste.