10 Book To Understand Caste System In India
1. Annihiliation of Caste
A must read for every Indian to understand the caste system. One should read it to understand what intellectual power house Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was and still remains through his writings. Also, this book becomes all the more interesting because of the annotations provided by S.Anand, which gives you a much better understanding o the context and helps you in understanding the book.
2. Caste Pride - Battles For Equality In Hindu India
Caste Pride – Battles For Equality In Hindu India is a fine work by Manoj Mitta that tracks down the caste system through the lens of law. It captures the legal battles of the Dalits and untouchables for equality. The book s a must read for everyone to understand that how legal battles were fought by Dalits and untouchables to get equal rights in a country who constitution considers every citizen equal before them.
3. Sebastian & Sons
Sebastian and Sons is a meticulously researched book by T.M Krishna, the famous carnatic singer. He beleives that the singers and musicians are celebrated, applauded and loved but know one knows much about how the music instruments are made. The book bring forth the hardwork, artistry, craftsmenship of Mradgam makers, who are usually from lower caste as per Indian caste hierarchy.
4. Republic of Caste
The republic of Caste is a collection of some fine essays by Anand Teltumbde, a human right activist and a professor. The book covers essays on various aspects of Dalit issues be it reservation, education system, violence against Dalits, Dalit protests. There are some insightful and informative essays filled with sharp and logical arguments.
5. Caste Matters
"Caste Matters" is a book by Suraj Yengde. The book takes you through step by step giving you an understanding of what it means to be a Dalit and how you are expected to behave or act in a certain way in front of upper castes. It talks about different categories of Dalits and this section of the book is quite interesting and informative. This tells about the Author’s academic hold on the topic because it not only categorizes Dalits but also criticizes them for the harm, they are doing to the overall Dalit cause.
6. Coming Out As Dalit
Coming Out as Dalit is a personal memoir of Yashica Dutt. The author covers her personal journey and her family background which was very well in terms of education and job. Her grandfather was in a government job, her father was also in a government job and her mother was well educated. But despite all this, there was always a stigma of caste, and since her childhood, she learned to hide her caste and assimilate among her upper-caste friends.
7. Land, Guns, Caste, Woman – The Memoir of a Lapsed Revolutionary This is the heading
"Land, Guns, Caste, Woman – The Memoir of a Lapsed Revolutionary" is a moving and honest account of grassroot activism by Gita Ramaswamy. The author takes the readers through her family background and childhood days to give a perspective where her family belongs in the societal hierarchy.
8. Last Among Equals
"Last Among Equals" important read to understand how development economics works in villages, what are the challenges in implementing it, how the village politics play a role. One will get an understanding about local level of governance and about how MGNREGA works, what are the loopholes and how they are used by the powerful in their favour. And in all this how caste plays its role.
9. Where India Goes
A well-researched and well written book on a subject which many would not consider worth researching and writing. Gives you a new insight about the menace that India is facing and breaks so many myths that people in the urban area have about the open defecation and the reasons behind it. A must-read book for anyone who needs to understand about one of the biggest problems that India is facing right now and how caste plays a role in it.
10. These Seats Are Reserved
Most pepople are aware of the caste because they are made aware of the reservation policy and it is harmful for meritocracy. The book is well-researched, providing the readers with all the information about reservation and how it came into being. How the reservation stand in their present form and whether it is only benefiting a select few among the reserved categories. The book explains constitutional and legal aspects of the reservation policy; and the socio-economic conditions of reserved categories after seventy years of independence and reservation policy.