The caste faultlines in Modi’s India
As India completes 10 years of being governed by the Hindu nationalist BJP, Divya Arya explores the divergent political and religious views of different castes in modern day India.
As India completes 10 years of being governed by the Hindu nationalist BJP, Divya Arya explores the divergent political and religious views of different castes in modern day India.
Despite government led programmes to increase job opportunities and reduced caste based discrimination, inequalities still exist particularly in smaller towns and villages.
In this episode, the ´óÏó´«Ã½â€™s Divya Arya travels across the vast country, from small towns in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra to villages in Rajasthan and Gujarat, meeting Hindus from different castes.
She meets a young Brahman influencer who makes reels about her caste pride, and hears her anger at the government’s positive discrimination policies. Some of these guarantee sought after jobs for people from so called lower classes.
She also meets a man from the lower Dalit caste who has moved away from Hinduism to embrace Buddhism after being accused of killing cows, a sacred animals for Hindus.
Divya meets another Dalit man from the same area who has joined an organisation with close links to the ruling BJP. She asks why someone from the Dalit community would want to join a group that could hold discriminatory views about them.
As India heads towards a general election, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi looks likely to be elected for a third straight term, the varied experiences and motivations of Hindus reveal that age old divisions still exist in the country.
Producer / Presenter: Divya Arya
Last on
More episodes
Previous
Broadcasts
- Fri 5 Apr 2024 03:32GMT´óÏó´«Ã½ World Service
- Fri 5 Apr 2024 12:32GMT´óÏó´«Ã½ World Service except East and Southern Africa, News Internet & West and Central Africa
- Fri 5 Apr 2024 17:32GMT´óÏó´«Ã½ World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Fri 5 Apr 2024 21:32GMT´óÏó´«Ã½ World Service except East and Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa
- Fri 5 Apr 2024 22:32GMT´óÏó´«Ã½ World Service Europe and the Middle East
- Sun 7 Apr 2024 18:32GMT´óÏó´«Ã½ World Service Australasia, South Asia & East Asia only
Podcast
-
Heart and Soul
Personal approaches to religious belief from around the world.