'How Many' Is Your Caste?

A long­overdue measure to redistribute political power, Karnataka’s caste census is a first in India

- Ajay Sukuraman

A few weeks ago at a seminar on the challenges facing the backward classes, the blunt and plain speaking Siddara­maiah, himself from a shep­herd caste, recited a ‘vacha­na’ to show how deep­rooted the caste menace is: “Iva­narava, ivanarava, ivanar­ava nendu...koodala sang­ ama deva” (Let us not ask who this man is, let us think he is one of us, o lord of Koodala Sangama, make us think he’s a son of your house), following up with a rustic quip that drew peals of laughter: “For 850 years we have been reciting these vachanas. But no sooner would a person have recited it and sat down, someone will ask, ‘nee yaava jathiavana appa?’ (what caste are you?).”

Now, Siddaramaiah is drawing the ire of several communities because of a survey which asked people precisely that question. The caste census has been a disagreeable idea for some, but it became particularly irksome after a data leak in April pegged the population of dominant communities such as the Vokkaligas much lower than it was popularly believed. While the Karnataka Backward Classes Commission dismissed any suggestion of a leak saying it didn’t yet have the final figures, not many are convinced. The commission expects to submit the report in a month or so.