India has a caste system which divides the Hindus into four large groups of Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras. These main castes could be further divided into 3,000 castes and 25,000 sub-castes. This system has been limited the living style, each groups of caste members had a set place to live their whole life. It has limited peoples social rank, imprisoning lower-ranking people from becoming a highly regarded status. Since 1950, after India’s independence from Britain, the constitution had banned discrimination upon caste system, ‘banned discrimination on the basis of caste, and, in an attempt to correct historical injustices and provide a level playing field to the traditionally disadvantaged’ (Soutic, 2017) which allowed lower caste Indians to become the nation’s leaders, for example, KR Naranyanan becoming the nation’s first Dalit president.

But still, after 60 years since the discrimination is banned, an Indian migrant in Canada, Kamesh Ahir, still faces discrimination, ‘’I’m in Canada,” she continues, frustration in her voice. “But the bullshit castes are still here. We live it every day’ (Cheryl, 2013). Business owners who are Dalits are afraid of exposing their background, changing their names, in the fear of customers stopping to patronise with them. Casteism is worse than racism in a way, as there is still discrimination even though they have same colour, language and living standards but faces discrimination. Ahir has a wish that her decedents won’t know what this caste system is.


Sousic, B, 2017, What is India’s Caste system, Available at https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-35650616

Cheryl, C, 2013, India banned the Caste system 60 years ago, but it lives on for many in Metro Vancover, Available at https://theprovince.com/news/racism/india-banned-the-caste-system-60-years-ago-but-it-lives-on-for-many-in-metro-vancouver/wcm/609e4ac9-122c-4141-a676-e274d7f13266