- According to estimates, Dalits make up around 20 per cent of Tamil Nadu’s population. Yet in several districts, caste prejudice thrives.
- This persistence of caste consciousness, many argue, reveals the paradox within the Dravidian movement itself.
- Anti-Brahminism of the Dravidian movement brought power to new groups, but it could not end caste as such. Annihilation of caste is a collective social activity that requires everyone’s participation, including Brahmins.
Indifference tinged with helplessness was writ large on Adi Laxmi’s face as she recounted her life story. A tailor by profession, she lives with her partner and two children in a cramped, single-room house on the outskirts of Thenpalanchi village. |
