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Drumming on discrimination

Caste is, in fact, a structural problem

Mr Krishna gives readers an intimate view of how caste-based discrimination thrives in the world of Karnatik  music
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Mr Krishna gives readers an intimate view of how caste-based discrimination thrives in the world of Karnatik music

Chintan Girish Modi
In a seminal 2015 essay titled “Caste Privilege 101: A Primer for the Privileged” Thenmozhi Soundararajan and Sinthujan Varatharajah wrote, “Dalits, Bahujans, and Adivasis have so far been the only ones to raise the issue of caste. Just because we bear the brunt of the violence of this system, it does not mean it is only our problem. Caste is, in fact, a structural problem. Therefore, it needs structural solutions that are grounded in collective and inclusive actions to dismantle it.” 

The first writer is a Dalit-American transmedia artist, journalist and theorist. The latter is a Dalit Tamil scholar, artist