A DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT FORTNIGHTLY 120 ` PRICE OU Y and HY P RA SSUE 4-5, NO. 142-143, 2020 142-143, NO. 4-5, SSUE I G VOL. 20, 20, VOL. GEO THE STATE OF CASTE AND CLASS DYNAMICS THROUGH DIVERSE CASTE PERSPECTIVES &CLA SS IN INDIA CASTE AND CLASS CATEGORIES MUSLI MS OF INDIA I DENTITY AND AGRARIAN CHANGE O N THE MARGINS IN GOD’S OWN CITY CASTE, CLASS AND THE POWER OF WATER I NEQUALITIES IN AcADEMIC SpACES AND NUTRITION CITY AND SEXUALITY G’nY SINCE 2001 A DeVELOPMenT AND geOGRAPHYANDYOU.COM GEOGRAPHY AND YOU ENVIRONMenT FORTnigHTLY VOL. 20 ISSUE 4 & 5 No. 142 & 143 2020 CASTE AND CLASS IN INDIA 10 Understanding Caste and Class: Categories 58 On the Margins in God’s Own City: The Geography and Measurement of the Scheduled Castes in Varanasi R B Bhagat Sarfaraz Alam The caste has been a unique social institution in India. This paper The negligible numerical strength of Scheduled Castes in the core of presents an assessment of class within caste categories based on data the historic city of Varanasi renders them almost irrelevant in its social, from nationally representative sample surveys. economic, and cultural life. 18 Social Diversity, Hierarchy and Cultural 66 Caste, Class and the Power of Water: The Heterogeneity among Muslims of India Socio-Political Ecology of Drinking Water Abdul Shaban in Rural India Muslims have been projected as socially ‘monolithic’ and with the same Sonali Bhatia ‘identity’ of ‘Muslimness’. Muslims in India, however, are as diverse The narrative of a village in Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh finds that caste and as disparate as ‘Hindus’. and class hierarchies effectively influence the decision making on water allocation, use and control over drinking water. 24 Caste and Class in Indian Agriculture M S Jaglan 76 Inequalities in Access to Academic Spaces: The study reviews varying perspectives on the debate of caste and class Experiences of Students from the Socially in Indian agriculture by taking case studies of two villages of Haryana Excluded Groups in Higher Education and Rajasthan. in India Nidhi S Sabharwal 34 Identity and the Political Economy of Improved access to higher education has not resulted in access to Agrarian Change opportunities for disadvantaged groups because higher education Deepak K Mishra institutions are largely under-prepared to respond to diverse learners. In the rural, agrarian economy in India, the market transactions point to the various ways unequal opportunities shape the trajectories of rural 82 City and Sexuality: An Auto-Ethnographic transformation in contemporary India. Storytelling of Caste, Class and Queerness in Delhi 40 The Antiquity and Continuity of the Caste System in Dhiren Borisa India: A Dalit Perspective What makes a city liveable? Often we are situated at various margins Umakant of a city—social, spatial and sexual. This paper uses auto- In order to understand why the caste system survived in India for more ethnographic storytelling of social-sexual differences that produce our than millennia it one needs to revisit factors that have kept this system everyday geographies. alive and see how it is being nurtured even today. 46 The Middle Class as the Class of no Class Amir Ali An attempt to understand some of the ambiguities around what it means to be middle class in India and its influence on Indian politics has been made in this paper. IN CONVERSATION WITH Nandini Sundar Professor of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics, 52 Health & Nutrition in India: A Caste and Delhi University. Class Perspective 73 Tribes: Forgotten Again Rajeshwari The paper reveals that broadly at an all India level, there is an IN BRIEF improvement in health and nutritional outcomes, yet there seems to be 2 Letters; 3 Editor’s Note; 4 Guest Editor’s Note; no change in caste, class and gender intersectionality. 88 Books & Website Expert Panel Rasik Ravindra Sachidanand Sinha B Meenakumari Prithvish Nag Geologist and Professor, CSRD, Former Chairperson, Former Vice Chancellor, Secretary General, Jawaharlal Nehru National Biodiversity MG Kashi Vidyapeeth, 36 IGC, New Delhi. University, New Delhi. Authority, Chennai. Varanasi. Ajit Tyagi K J Ramesh Saraswati Raju B Sengupta Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Former Director Former Professor, CSRD, Former Member Secretary, Former DG, IMD, General, IMD, Jawaharlal Nehru Central Pollution Control New Delhi. New Delhi. University, New Delhi. Board, New Delhi. Vol. 20, Issue 3, No. 141, 2020 | My favourite articles in the Alternative Medicine issue were related to Homoeopathy, primarily because I did not have any knowledge beforehand and the articles were quite insightful and easy to understand. I felt the article on Ayurveda could GEOGRAPHY AND YOU have used more scientific coverage. Siddha system was new to me, as they are not really included in the popular discourse. It would be EDITOR SULAgnA CHAttopAdhYAY interesting to see an issue about the rising popularity of right wing ideology globally and its geopolitical implications.—NARAYan, Via SENIOR ADVISORS Consumer Feedback AJIT TYAGI RASIK RAVINDra For more details log on to our website www.geographyandyou.com SaraSWATI RAJU LEGAL ADVISOR KRishnendU DAttA I ENJOYED READING THE scientific basis behind THE PREVIOUS EDITION TITLED, issue titled, ‘Alternative Homeopathy.—UPasana Alternative Medicine was COVER PHOTO Medicines’ could not have Das, Via Consumer chock full of insightful, ROYAltY And the coMMoneR chittoRGARH foRT, RAJAsthAN been more well-timed. Feedback excellent articles— BY AnUlekhA While we are grappling ‘Homeopathy: A primer on with COVID-19, without a G’nY HAS BEEN A CONSTANT its applicability’, ‘Quality CORRESPONDENCE/ EDITORIAL OffICE cure in sight, the articles companion for me over the of life: An Ayurvedic 504, bhikAJI CAMA bhAWAN, highlight the importance years. I really appreciate Approach’, ‘Traditional BhikAJI CAMA PLAce, of AYUSH—a gamut of the simple language and healing’ and ‘The Siddha neW delhi - 110066 alternative health care the depth of the content system of medicine’—all Phone: +91-11-46014233; +91-11-26186350 options—in providing presented with every issue. of which are well written, FOR neW SUbscRiptions, preventive health care, I love to read and G’nY has concise and precise. ReneWAls, enQUIRies especially to developing enriched my knowledge Both the interviews were pleAse contAct CIRCULAtion MANAgeR countries such as India on a wide variety of informative. Excellent E-MAil: info@geographyandyou. where health care facilities engaging topics questions were asked com are found wanting in —APARna Singh, Via providing readers sufficient PleAse Visit OUR site AT www.geographyandyou.com many aspects. Alternative Consumer Feedback context and information. foR FURtheR infoRMAtion. medicines promise to Point to be noted though is plug the gaps in health WIDE VARIETY OF ARTICLES, that more scholarly papers ©GEOGRAPHY AND YOU care with their attributes interviews and opinions with criticisms should have All Rights ReseRVed thROUghoUT the WORld. of being inexpensive, on every topic has been been included to make RepRodUction in ANY MAnneR, having negligible side- the defining feature of the information provided PART OR Whole, is PRohibited. effects, being locally, G’nY. The recent issue on balanced. The paper PRINTED, PUBLISHED AND naturally sourced and Alternative Medicine was ‘Criticisms of homeopathy’ OWNED BY DR NARMADESHWAR most importantly, aiming no different. I was amazed could have had more PRASAD. at fundamentally changing to learn about the Siddha empirical evidence, rather unhealthy lifestyles. system of medicine, it than citing journals it PRINTED AT IndiA GRAphic SYsteMS PVT. Besides, some of these indeed was an enlightening could have added Ltd. F-23, OkhlA IndUstRIAL alternative approaches read. I however have subtopics related to why AREA, PHAse-1, form an integral part of reservations about homeopathy is not NEW Delhi - 110020. India’s rich socio-cultural homeopathy and could not getting sufficient traction PUBLISHED FROM heritage. I especially liked agree with the authors. I and reason why LEARning in GeogRAphY, the article—‘Criticisms of would like to read about allopathy medicine HUMAnities, TechnologY And Science (LIGHTS) Homeopathy: Addressed the Covid-19 pandemic in overshadows homeopathic 504, bhikAJI CAMA bhAWAN, through Scientific the coming days.—AniL medicine. BhikAJI CAMA PLAce, Research’ which seeks to GOSWami, Via Consumer —Isaac THOmas, Via neW delhi - 110066. establish the much-needed Feedback Consumer Feedback GeogRAphY And YoU does not TAke ANY ResponsibilitY foR RetURning Unsolicited PUblicAtion MAteRIAL. WRITE Editorial Office: LIGHTS, 501 & 504, Bhikaji Cama Bhawan, Bhikaji Cama Place, New Delhi - 110066. Letters may be edited for clarity and length. Include name, address and telephone. PHONE 011-46014233, 26186350 E-MAIL [email protected] All dispUtes ARE SUBJected to the FACEBOOK http://goo.gl/eIeaH, LINKEDIN http://in.linkedin.com/pub/geography-and-you/5a/b32/b24 WEBSITE www.geographyandyou.com. EXclUsiVE JURisdiction of coMpetent SUBSCRIPTIONS For institutional subscriptions of print copies you may write to [email protected] coURts And foRUMS in Delhi/NEW TO CONTRIBUTE AN ARTICLE: Kindly send the abstract of your article in not more than 200 words to [email protected]. Delhi onlY. The abstract will be reviewed by our peers. Once selected we shall respond for the procurement of full article. The length of the final article may range from 1000 to 1500 words. Please visit our website for publication and peer review policy. The Editorial Advisor. 2 2020 . GEOGRAPHY AND YOU VOL 20, ISSUE 4-5 NO. 142-143 Editor’s note The unblurred lines of antiquity My schooling amidst the dewy greenery of a convent in the east of India rarely allowed the ensconcement of caste identities. Class distinctions? Well one could never escape that. I easily Sulagna recognised the entitled ones—their Chattopadhyay pens, colour pencils, backpacks and Founder-Editor, pencil boxes being objects of intense Geography and You, New Delhi desire. At university, in the arid heat of editor@ north India, the tables however turned.