The Big Blind Spot

Caste boundaries still shape social relations in Tamil Nadu-a state long rooted in self-respect politics

- By N.K. Bhoopesh

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.

“Last week, when my son, who studies in Class IX, walked through the temple street wearing sandals, some of the backward-caste youths mocked him. They don’t beat us anymore for such things; that’s the only change I’ve seen in recent times,” she says. Her words carry the weight of resignation rather than anger. The boundaries of caste, though blurred in official narratives, still shape her everyday life.

She lives in a dilapidated Dalit colony near Madurai, comprising 32 rundown homes isolated from the main settlement. “We don’t usually mingle with them,” says Muthu, another colony resident. “Whenever someone dies in their family, we are called to wash the body. Things have changed a little, but we are still not fully accepted among them.” The hesitation in his voice shows how caste boundaries still shape social relations in a state long rooted in self-respect politics.

The experiences of Adi Laxmi, Muthu and many other Dalits raise a stark question about the Dravidian movement. Did its anti-Brahmin push for equality also help intermediate castes entrench their own dominance, leaving Dalit aspirations blocked? Despite decades of reform, caste violence persists in Tamil Nadu. Brutal murders in the name of caste honour continue, leading the state to set up a panel headed by retired judge KN Basha to draft a law against such crimes.

Our visits to several remote villages show that caste identity still shapes everyday life in many places, resisting the egalitarian aims of successive Dravidian governments.