"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 a ll of India as a man. His head is the highest caste, the priests. His torso is the warrior caste. His legs are the