It is not rare to find the Savarna folks conveniently claiming “Caste does not exist anymore”, “It used to be there in the olden days only”, or “The caste system is practiced only in the rural areas.”
However, one of the most celebrated international sporting events of this year - Tokyo Olympics 2020 - was a slap to the faces of the people giving such liberal remarks. From the Gold medalist, ‘Neeraj Chopra’ to the family of the polished Women’s Hockey team’s player ‘Vandana Katariya’ - ‘caste’ was everything on the basis of which the players were judged on.

Several dominant caste groups, from the ‘Marathas’ to the ‘Gujjars’ to the ‘Kshatriyas’, in the name of Neeraj Chopra, started portraying themselves as being the ‘superior’ ones - worsening the already pitiful state of India’s social division.

Likewise, it was revealed that after PV Sindhu’s win - Google Trends showed that ‘PV Sindhu’s caste’ was the most searched question in India. In fact, after her Rio Olympics 2016 win as well, her caste had become a topic of interest for many.

To show their own caste elite, the oppressor castes would go to any extent to earn brownie points. However, when caste-based atrocities take place in the nation, the only question that these people ask is “Why to bring caste into this matter?” which is rather ironic as the occurrence of caste-related crimes is a sociologically researched fact but one’s abilities because of belonging to a certain blood lineage is scientifically fallacious.

The caste groups were shut when Vandana Katariya and her family were being harassed with casteist abuses after the team’s loss against Argentina. This, if you ask me, is not surprising because if they fail to acknowledge the ghastly oppression that their ancestors had been carrying out on the oppressed castes, how can they presently be caring about what happens at a sporting event?

Caste is everywhere, in every crime, in every achievement. One cannot escape the institution of caste which is peculiar to the Indian subcontinent. Being blinded towards it makes you be at the epitome of casteism.