Dalits' Harlem moment

Mr Yengde proceeds to reveal the deep-rooted and intricate nature of casteism prevalent in society through a mixture of personal recollections and erudite academic work

Early in the book under review, the writer recollects an incident from his childhood when his grandmother, who used to work as a domestic help, took him to the house of her employers. “One day, a curious 10-year-old, I… followed her to see where she worked. She was mortified… [that] I was there, watching her clean a toilet. I suddenly got the urge to pee.” Initially hesitant to let him use the toilet she had cleaned, Mr Yengde’s grandmother did finally allow him. But, caught in the act both he and his grandmother were subjected to generous abuse by the