Culture of professional colleges failed Dr Payal Tadvi - just as it did me

Bright, well-meaning students convinced me that I didn't deserve to be in my university. I so deeply internalised their narrative that I couldn't fight it within my own self, let alone with them.

The conversations around Dr Payal Tadvi’s suicide, on May 22, 2019, have been quite unsettling. That some have attributed it to work pressure or “cowardliness”, shows a lack of understanding about how caste works or how deeply pervasive it is. I can imagine what could have driven her to end her life – I experienced unapologetic casteism at university too.

I attended one of India’s elite law schools. In