Gurugram: It’s been 18 years since Anuradha Tiwari failed the entrance exam for an electronic engineering course at a government college in Haryana. To her, it was a ‘rejection’ rooted in her “upper caste Brahmin identity”. That ‘sting of rejection,’ visible in her countless anti-reservation posts on social media, has resurfaced with the BJP government’s announcement of a nationwide caste census.
Now, 34-year-old Tiwari is fighting back—this time with pride. She is attracting many like her, who say they are proud Brahmins carrying a similar post-Independence wound. And all those who call themselves General Category (GC) say they are about to face a Mandal 2.0 moment.
“I’ve launched a first-of-its-kind organisation to mobilise Brahmins and other upper castes,” Tiwari said, seated on a sofa in her 1BHK rented apartment in Gurugram. “It’s high time the General Category comes together and asserts itself.”
Tiwari is leading the campaign both online and offline. She is reaching out to entrepreneurs, academicians, and right-wing intellectuals to rally support. Her X account, with 9.8 lakh followers, is filled with posts urging Brahmins and other upper castes to “wake up”.
“Every single General Category must outrightly reject the Caste Census. No ifs, no buts, no excuses. This is about your future — secure it, defend it,” read her recent tweet with 1.8 thousand shares. Her X bio reads: #OneFamilyOneReservation and #BrahminGenes.
Three decades after the implementation of the Mandal Commission in the 1980s, India is once again witnessing the mobilisation of the agdi jaati (forward castes). The last time, the commission faced fierce protests, street violence, and even a case of self-immolation.
Now, the initial rumblings of another upper caste mobilisation have begun. People like Anuradha Tiwari are gaining ground.
Any privileged group doesn’t want to lose their privilege. When social change happens, they will provoke a reaction from those who were at an advantage. But I doubt it will be as bad as Mandal, because now a lot more is known about caste and its inequalities.
Satish Deshpande, sociology professor
She points to the recent caste censuses in Bihar and Telangana. The 2023 Bihar caste census showed that Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) together make up 63.3 per cent of the population, while upper castes stand at 15.52 per cent.
Tiwari’s posts strike a chord with other Brahmins and forward caste people on social media. She claims her DMs are filled with messages of support.
“Because of you, I have been able to assert my Brahmin identity. I used to feel deeply humiliated just for being a Brahmin. I believed we had done terrible things in the past,” read one of the messages she received.
According to sociology professor Satish Deshpande, this mobilisation of Brahmins and upper castes isn’t unexpected.
“Any privileged group doesn’t want to lose their privilege. When social change happens, they will provoke a reaction from those who were at an advantage. But I doubt it will be as bad as Mandal, because now a lot more is known about caste and its inequalities,” Deshpande said.
Tiwari asserts that the caste census announcement is a betrayal by the Narendra Modi government.
“The caste census was never in the BJP’s manifesto. The General Category had always voted for the BJP government. With this announcement, many feel betrayed and disappointed,” she said.
The mobilisation of the privileged
It all started with an X post. On 1 May, following the announcement of the caste census, Anuradha Tiwari wrote a post on X that garnered around 3.6 lakh views. She said she was looking to launch an organisation for ‘General Category rights’.
“General Category is genuinely worried about their future after the caste census announcement… I’ve been receiving several messages from GCs urging to form an organisation or even a political party. So, it’s time we take a step forward,” the post read. It included a poster showing a clenched fist with the text, “Organisation for General Category Rights”.
The post opened the floodgates of upper caste lament and Tiwari’s idea became an instant hit. From PhD scholars to IITians and professionals working in MNCs, forward caste individuals rushed to become a part of what Tiwari calls a “one-of-its-kind” movement.
Since her X post, Tiwari claims to have received 4,000-5,000 private and public messages on X. And people have shown interest in offering free-of-cost services for her organisation.
“Hello. I am Dr Santosh Pandey currently at Varanasi. I was at BGS Bengaluru last year. I will provide free consultations to anyone joining the movement,” a message read.
“This enthusiasm of these upper caste people is what keeps me moving,” Tiwari said.
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‘Made to feel like oppressors’
On 10 May, Tiwari flew from Goa to meet a group of IITians in Delhi. The graduates had first reached out to her on X. A conference call followed, and soon, a meeting was planned at the SDA market.
The topic of discussion: How even institutions such as IITs are suffering because of reservations.
Among the participants was Aman Singh, a Kshatriya Rajput from Bihar who graduated from IIT Delhi in 2014. He had spent several years in Kota and made two attempts at JEE.
Singh claimed that on his first day at IIT Delhi, a student from the Meena community told him about knowing the professors “very well”. “When I asked how, he said he had been on campus the previous year for a special coaching programme exclusively for SC/ST/OBC students.”
Singh said he was shocked to hear this. “I had burnt the midnight oil to reach here. And here was someone who got a year of coaching inside IIT Delhi, just because of his caste.”
Singh claimed that the individual belonged to a family of government employees. “He was not unprivileged. I was. I was tutoring students off campus to pay my fees.”
So when Tiwari posted about launching an organisation for Brahmins and upper castes, Singh was among the first to reach out.
Now, half a dozen IITians have joined the initiative. The organisation is set to be registered in the first week of June and it’s the IITian volunteers who are working on the website.
“The idea is simple: We are creating a platform—one that offers jobs, internships, courses, and career help to underprivileged GC youth. If the government won’t support them, we will,” said 32-year-old Singh, who now heads a department in a Fintech firm.
For upper caste working professionals like Singh, their beliefs also shape the partners they choose. Singh wants someone who shares his views.
“I can never marry an SC/ST,” he said. “Whenever I speak to them, they see me as an oppressor. Such a relationship is not possible.”
For Dalit influencer Lakshya, who makes well-researched Reels on caste inequality on Instagram, Tiwari’s opposition to reservations is deeply myopic.
“General Caste solidarity has always existed. It’s not new. But people like Tiwari only see reservation as the root of all problems and lack broader influence. They are like, ‘If we aren’t affected by caste, nobody else is’,” Lakshya told ThePrint.
Tiwari has an archive of messages and testimonies from followers who say things like “Brahmins are now an oppressed group” and “Brahmins are forced to hide their identity”.
“There was a time when SC/ST communities would conceal their caste. Now, it’s happening with General Category folks, especially Brahmins,” she said.
“They’re made to feel like cruel oppressors,” she added.
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Inherited pride
Anuradha Tiwari’s conviction—first for Brahmins and later for the broader upper castes—is a product of her upbringing. Her grandfather’s stories and her father’s constant reminders of her “Brahmin genes” laid the foundation for her beliefs. Her grandfather, a priest, would tell her bedtime stories that celebrated the valour of Brahmins. The hero who featured most often in these tales was Parshuram.
“My grandfather would tell us that we need to carry wisdom and knowledge like Parshuram,” Tiwari said.
In Hindu mythology, Parshuram, a Brahmin and the sixth avatar of Vishnu, is both a warrior and a sage. However, social reformers and anti-caste thinkers like Jyotirao Phule viewed him as a symbol of Brahmanical tyranny. For Tiwari, though, there exists a broader agenda to “malign Parshuram” and “discredit everything Brahmin”.
A daughter of a security guard, Tiwari moved from Uttar Pradesh to the National Capital Region at a young age. She calls herself a “poor Brahmin who rose to the middle class through hard work and education”. Her father, KK Tiwari, said that his daughter’s valour in her fight against caste-based reservations comes from her Brahmin genes.
“Brahmins have never accepted anyone’s charity. We have always progressed through hard work. And I have taught my daughter the same. Our genes—these Brahmin genes—are deeply tied to study and discipline,” said the 69-year-old.
Brahmins have been turned into villains. And it is the result of electoral politics. There is not much difference between the BJP and Congress now.
Anuradha Tiwari, influencer
KK Tiwari added that he had never taken much interest in caste but changed his stance after the Mandal Commission, due to which he had been “left behind”.
Aman Singh echoed this view. Although he didn’t experience the Mandal Commission years, he said he was deeply impacted by the suicide of upper caste students in Kota.
“They know they have very little scope. I had to take the examination twice. The rank I got the first time wouldn’t get me into a good IIT. But for the same rank, an SC/ST student would get a top IIT,” he added.
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‘Brahmin genes’
Tiwari rose to fame in August 2024 with a post on X. Holding a coconut in one hand and a red flower tucked behind her ear, she showed off her toned biceps in the photo. “Brahmin genes,” read the caption. Garnering 87 lakh views, the post went viral—and so did the caption.
Brahmin genes 💪 pic.twitter.com/MCcRnviJcY
— Anuradha Tiwari (@talk2anuradha) August 22, 2024
Tiwari also faced a huge backlash on X, she said. But her fellow Brahmins rallied behind her.
“Here, a so-called oppressed individual might label you as a ‘manuwadi’ and accuse you of being casteist simply for identifying as Brahmin, claiming you’re an oppressor due to your background,” a comment on the post read.
Since the post, ‘#BrahminGenes’ has taken on a life of its own. It’s now plastered on car bumpers and bikes, and people have even started printing stickers.
“It made me very happy. I received so many messages from people who had pasted #BrahminGenes stickers on their cars,” Tiwari said.
For Tiwari, the hashtag is about taking pride in her identity. It’s part of a larger wave of caste assertion that’s becoming increasingly visible across India—particularly among the privileged groups. Stickers like ‘Rajput Rocks’, ‘Jaat with Hookah’, or images of flexing Punjabi men are commonly seen on cars and motorbikes, used as symbols of caste pride and power.
“The Brahmin pride and identity was lost. I am reviving it. Brahmins have been turned into villains. And it is the result of electoral politics. There is not much difference between the BJP and Congress now,” she said.
Tiwari sees the fight for reservations as interlinked with criticism of Brahmins. “You cannot talk about reservation without maligning Brahmins. It’s deeply interrelated,” she added.
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A ‘feminist’ Brahmin
Anuradha Tiwari’s icons are Brahmin and upper caste figures such as Swami Vivekananda. She said that Rani Lakshmibai, “a Brahmin woman,” is the source of her strength.
“A bold, level-headed, strong Brahmin woman,” she added.
Tiwari describes herself as a “feminist” who cares deeply about women’s freedom and rights. Her father supports her independence and wants her to marry whenever she chooses. Given the family’s views on caste, the self-professed commitment to women’s freedom presents a dissonance of its own kind.
And what bothers her right now is that not enough Brahmin and upper caste women have reached out to her. Tiwari wants the forward caste women to wake up and lead the movement. And she also has a proposition for the government.
“Do census based on skills, not caste,” she said, sipping her cold coffee.
Tiwari has travelled to around 70-80 countries, and emphasises the importance of women travelling alone. Soon after graduating, she started her own content agency. Today, her company provides content to over 200 healthcare clients, including big names like Apollo and Max. While her family continues to live in Faridabad, she owns a house in Goa.
“I’m able to lead this movement because I’m financially independent,” she said.
Tiwari was in her Goa home when the caste census was announced.
“I was sitting in the big garden of my house,” she said. “I was on the phone with a client for two hours. The moment I hung up, I saw my phone flooded with messages asking me what I thought about the caste census.”
The next thing she did was write a tweet. It was instinctive, impulsive—and it changed everything.
Now, she says her phone rarely stops ringing. Upper-caste people from across the country reach out to her, asking her to speak up for them. Her latest post on X is an attack on the Odisha government’s reservation policy.
In the post, she said that Odisha now has 56 per cent reservation in higher education, which includes people with disabilities and ex-servicemen or their dependents.
“Same state where govt teacher job cutoff was only 2 marks last year. Next time, the cut-off will be ZERO marks,” she wrote.
With the post, she also attached an anonymous screenshot, whose text read: “Hello ma’am. I am from Odisha. My sister got 62 marks but she was not selected. My father is a farmer. My sister feels harassed…”
Tiwari ended the tweet on a dramatic note: “This country is hell-bent on destroying itself!”
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)