It only took one minute for South Indian singer and RJ Suchitra to convey what caste capital means and most importantly, to show how invisible it can be if one is ignorant of their privileges.
In a series of interviews, Suchitra, who came to the limelight following the infamous 2017 Suchi Leaks controversy, delved into another round of controversial statements spanning from badmouthing celebrities to making homophobic statements. All of it made headlines too, except for her comments on caste.
In an interview on a YouTube channel called Reflect Lifestyle, she recalled the role her caste played in securing her first singing gig. It was the product of a “Brahmin-Brahmin connection”, she said. She was on a film set when the chance meeting took place with music director Bhardwaj.
“He asked if I was a Brahmin girl. That’s how we ask. It’s okay. It’s a cute thing, I think. He asked me if I knew how to sing. When I said no, he said I should be ashamed. He asked if I learned Carnatic and when I said no, he said I have a good voice and asked if I sing anything. When I said I sing western he asked me to come for an audition the next day,” she said.
Admitting the only reason for her music career is caste and calling it ‘cute’ is a level of ignorance that only the privileged can afford.
Being asked if one is ashamed of not learning Carnatic music despite being a Brahmin is not an innocent question either. Especially when taken in the context of the TM Krishna controversy from two months ago. Vocalist duo Ranjani and Gayathri protested the Madras Music Academy’s decision to confer the Sangeetha Kalanidhi on Krishna alleging that he caused immense damage to the Carnatic music world by bringing caste politics into music.
But all it did was prove Krishna’s point—that caste orthodoxy still existed in the Carnatic music world. And now, Suchitra has strengthened this reality with her off-handed remarks.
It’s time to address the elephant in the room—India is not yet an inclusive society that functions on the principle of equality in opportunity. It just proves that we still need for reservation. A topic that has been debated to death, without proper understanding.
As per the National Crime Records Bureau’s Crime in India report, 57,582 cases were registered for crimes against Scheduled Castes (SCs) in 2022, showing a 13.1 per cent increase compared to the previous year. As per the data, 10,064 cases were registered for crimes against Scheduled Tribes (STs) showing a 14.3 per cent increase from 2021.
A 2020 paper titled, HDI of Dalits and Tribes in India The Distance – Travelled and to be Travelled suggests that there is a significant shortfall in the human development of Dalits compared to non-SC/ST communities across most Indian states/UTs. According to the paper, there was no shortfall in HDI for SCs as against non-SC/STs in Assam, it found a lower shortfall (only 20 per cent) in Kerala and Jammu and Kashmir and a higher shortfall of over 50 per cent in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
Also read: Being Dalit on a dating app. Upper caste men only want to argue over reservation, EWS
Gossip vultures
All the names Suchitra used in her interviews are bigger and more familiar than hers. She talked about the house parties thrown by popular celebrities, the divorce of a celebrity couple and even imitated an actress. The millions of views on her videos are a testament to our interest in other’s lives, especially celebrities—it all just becomes gossip. In this case, Suchitra’s status as an insider in the industry makes it more believable.
Suchitra is not the only ‘insider’ leaking secrets in Tamil Nadu. The views on the interviews of actor Bayilvan Ranganathan are proof. He mostly discusses the lives of celebrity couples in Kollywood.
YouTube journalism and the proliferation of hundreds of ‘gossip’-fuelled channels have only worsened this trend. They’re lining up like vultures, mics extended, hoping to catch the loudest most controversial voice. It doesn’t matter what is said as long as it’s controversial. In the middle of all this noise, we mustn’t let the nuggets of consequence be ignored.
Views are personal.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)