"All of India is a Man"


He was charming.  I wanted a picture of the trees and he happened to be walking and saw me take it and stopped to tease me about how he also needed a picture of me, since I now had one of him.  I smiled; he got his picture.  He was the first person I communicated with on my own in India. We talked for a while about the basics…family, where we’re from, why we’re in Bangalore, etc.  He’s from Tamil Nadu.  Then, he said to me, “But I am not an Indian."  Alright...I’ve only been here a few days, but you sure look like an Indian, and Tamil Nadu is definitely an Indian state... He read the puzzled look on my face.  “You see, I am a Dalit.  I was taught to not even consider myself a citizen of India.”  You’re kidding.  Is this real?  What is he saying to me?  
(sorry it’s backwards)
“Let me tell you how the caste system works.  Picture all of India as a man.  His head is the highest caste, the priests.  His torso is the warrior caste.  His legs are the merchants, and his feet are the servants.  But the soles of his feet are the Dalits, only existing to be trampled.” 
This is starting to make sense.  Now I at least have a picture in my head…but WHY?  Why are things this way?  I could feel anger start to well up inside me.  He once again read my expression.  “But I love my country.  I love my people.  Now I know that I am an Indian and that I have a responsibility to bring change to my community.” How could this man, after experiencing so much injustice, be so much at peace?  Why am I the one upset about how his life is “unfair”?  The conversation went from serious to playful and back to serious.  I learned so much in those twenty minutes.  I asked him if he was married.  Looking back, it was not the most culturally adept thing to do…it caused a lot of nervous laughter and blushing. What a doofus!  He told me that he normally eats two meals a day: breakfast and lunch, but almost never dinner.  I have no concept of what it means to go to bed on an empty stomach.  

there is so much still to learn.  


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