‘Article 15’: Have I Unintentionally Contributed to Casteism?

“Move aside, let him go inside to clean the toilet.” I don’t remember how many times I have heard my mother say this and not said anything. It never occurred to me way back in school and in college, that the remark was directed at a person from a lower caste. I remember when I was about fourteen or fifteen, my next-door neighbour slapped her two-year-old son when he playfully touched the toilet cleaner’s thighs. I witnessed the incident but said nothing. I heard my friend’s mother ask the maid what caste she belonged to before hiring her, and yet, I said nothing.

A few months previously, my aunt, very proudly, told me her housing society has a separate lift for house help. When she showed me the lift, I decided it was time to finally speak out. I told her that it was discriminatory and should not be practiced. She defended herself saying, “This is safe. I don’t want to travel with cleaners in the lift.” To that, I once again said nothing.

Watching ‘Article 15’ was like having these instances fall in place, leaving me wondering why I hadn’t said anything or done anything earlier. I was angry at myself, not for having partaken in discriminating against someone but for not having done enough to stop the same from happening.