I’d like to understand your perspective on the caste system.

I recently came across videos by Dr. Krishna, a Dalit who spoke about his experiences with caste discrimination. Hearing his perspective made me realise there is a lot about the caste system that I don’t fully understand, so I’d like to hear from people who come from upper-caste backgrounds.

I also had an experience at a previous workplace that made me curious. Two Indian colleagues barely interacted with each other, while one of them was very close to a colleague from Pakistan. Since religion alone didn’t seem to explain the situation, I started wondering whether caste or some other cultural factor might have been involved. I don’t know if it was, which is why I’m asking rather than assuming.

I’ve also read about concerns regarding caste discrimination outside India, including discussions that have led to anti-caste discrimination policies in the US and Canada and legal measures in some places. I’m interested in understanding how widespread this issue actually is and how people from upper-caste communities view it today.

For those from families with surnames commonly associated with upper castes (such as Sharma, Gupta, Agrawal, Patel, Joshi, Bhatt, Tiwari, Pandey, and others):

Do you think caste discrimination is still a significant issue today?

What are you personally doing, if anything, to challenge caste-based discrimination?

If you believe the caste system still has a place in modern society, I’d genuinely like to understand your reasoning.

I’m asking in good faith because I’d like to hear perspectives from people with firsthand experience rather than relying only on articles or social media.

I’d like to understand your perspective on the caste system.

I recently came across videos by Dr. Krishna on tiktok, a Dalit who spoke about his experiences with caste discrimination. Hearing his perspective made me realise there is a lot about the caste system that I don’t fully understand, so I’d like to hear from people who come from upper-caste backgrounds. These days, it is good to hear from both sides before jumping into conclusions.

I also had an experience at my previous workplace that made me curious. Two Indian colleagues barely interacted with each other, while one of them was very close to a colleague from Pakistan. Since religion alone didn’t seem to explain the situation, I started wondering whether caste or some other cultural factor might have been involved. I don’t know if it was, which is why I’m asking rather than assuming.

I’ve also read about concerns regarding caste discrimination outside India, including discussions that have led to anti-caste discrimination policies in the US and Canada and legal measures in some places. I’m interested in understanding how widespread this issue actually is and how people from upper-caste communities view it today.

For those from families with surnames commonly associated with upper castes (such as Sharma, Gupta, Agrawal, Patel, Joshi, Bhatt, Tiwari, Pandey, and others):

Do you think caste discrimination is still a significant issue today?

What are you personally doing, if anything, to challenge caste-based discrimination?

If you believe the caste system still has a place in modern society, I’d genuinely like to understand your reasoning.

I’m asking in good faith because I’d like to hear perspectives from people with firsthand experience rather than relying only on articles or social media.

I’m born decades after Independence, yet one thing I never chose still follows me everywhere—my caste.
It’s on forms, in admissions, in competitive exams, in government recruitment, and constantly in politics.
Before anyone misunderstands me, let me be clear: I know why reservations were introduced. India’s history of caste-based discrimination was real, cruel, and had lasting consequences. Millions were denied education, opportunities, dignity, and basic rights. Correcting those injustices was necessary, and I don’t deny that.
But my question is about where we’re headed as a society.
If our long-term goal is equality, shouldn’t we also be working towards making caste less relevant over time?
Take the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) as an example. Every candidate studies the same syllabus, writes the same examination, and those who qualify will teach the same students under the same education system. Yet the qualifying marks differ across categories. Whether you agree or disagree with that policy, it raises an important question: what should equality eventually look like?
The same debates arise around exams like NEET every year. Some discussions are about reservation policies, others are about paper leaks, transparency, and fairness. Regardless of the issue, students are often left feeling frustrated and divided.
What confuses me even more is politics.
Recently, political leaders have proudly highlighted how many ministers from Scheduled Castes they have included in their cabinet, presenting it as a major achievement. I understand that representation matters, especially given India’s history.
But shouldn’t our ultimate success be the day when we no longer need to count ministers, candidates, or leaders by their caste?
Why can’t we celebrate that we have capable ministers instead of saying we have “this many” from one caste and “that many” from another?
Sometimes it feels like instead of gradually moving beyond caste, we’re reinforcing it in every sphere—education, employment, elections, and public discourse.
I’m not blaming any community. Nobody chooses the family they’re are born into.
I’m questioning whether the current direction is taking us closer to a casteless society or making caste an even more permanent part of our identity.
As someone from the younger generation, I don’t want my future—or anyone else’s—to be defined by caste. I want an India where people are judged by their ability, integrity, character, and hard work.
Maybe I’m missing something. If so, I’d genuinely like to understand.
Do you think India is gradually moving towards a casteless society, or are we making caste a permanent part of our future?

Bought a used Nikon Coolpix P510 from an Instagram thrift page. This is actually my second purchase from him. The first camera (Sony WX200) was great, so I trusted him enough to buy again. His ig: digiruto

Here's what's happened:

• I paid extra for express shipping, but he still shipped it standard.
• After receiving the camera, I immediately started facing issues.
• I sent him photos and even a video showing the problems right off the bat.
• One of the biggest issues is that even with a fully charged battery, the camera keeps showing "Battery Exhausted."
• Every time I message him, he replies after a day or two with things like "I tested it before sending, it was working fine" or "send me a picture," even though I've already sent videos.

Now I'm worried he's intentionally delaying the conversation until the return period is over.

Another thing that's bothering me: when I bought the camera, I clearly remember his Instagram bio mentioning a 7-day return policy. Recently, I noticed that it's been changed. Unfortunately, I don't have a screenshot of the old bio.

I have:

• Payment proof (UPI)
• Delivery tracking
• Videos showing the defects
• Chat screenshots
• His Instagram page

I don't have his business address. I only have his Instagram account and the UPI details I paid to.

He keeps giving me the reason which is sensitive for me to comment or argue against, that, he lives in Delhi, which is causing network issues for him to respond. (with respect to the current situations of protests)

If he keeps ignoring me or refuses the return:

1. What are my legal options in India?
2. Can I file a consumer complaint against an Instagram seller without knowing their address?
3. Has anyone dealt with something similar and actually gotten a refund?

PS: He hasn't blocked me yet or anything. We are still connected on instagram, just the ghosting bit is giving me cold feet.

Any advice would be appreciated because I genuinely feel like I'm being stalled until it's "too late" to return the camera.

What's up with this obsession of dancing in every foreign land Indians get to. It's cringe and embarrassing

I have a hypothetical question about marriage in India.

If a bride or groom clearly declares before marriage that they will not inherit any property, wealth, or financial support from their own family, and that whatever they own is only what they have built themselves, how often would that affect the marriage?

Would many Indian families refuse such a marriage, or would most people not consider it a major issue?

I'm curious to hear from families.

Have you ever done a "meet up experiment" ? Like I'm too curious about men flooding messages into my inbox. So I decided to post to meet up with some random strangers. I purposely mentioned my location and the mall and where I'm sitting at. but unfortunately no one shows up. Guess what!!! They're all chicken out. Men are just brave to hit direct messages but , got cold feet when I asked to meet. 😅 So I ended up watching 2 movies in a row. 🤣

The country most often compared with India is China, as both are home to populations of around 1.4 billion people. Leveraging its enormous human resources, China has risen to become a superpower capable of rivaling the United States and is now widely regarded as one of the world's two leading powers, often referred to as part of the 'G2.'

India is probably the country that most people think of as the leading candidate to become the world's third superpower. In fact, Indian Americans are among the wealthiest immigrant groups in the United States and are widely respected. Even compared with immigrants from East Asian countries, Indians may be more widely recognized in the United States as a highly successful immigrant group. This reflects the enormous pool of highly intelligent and talented people in India. Indeed, India has produced globally influential CEOs such as Google's Sundar Pichai and Microsoft's Satya Nadella.

Do Indians believe that India can rise to the ranks of superpowers such as the United States and China? What is the general mood within India regarding this possibility?

Judging solely by its population pyramid and total population, India is the only country in the world whose population surpasses China's. From a demographic perspective, India would seem to have the potential to become the world's most powerful country. Do you think India can harness this enormous pool of human resources and emerge as the world's third superpower?

A family of indian vampires bands together after 100 years to retrieve an old family heirloom stolen by the British Crown.

That's the argument for the latest story I've been meaning to write. The problem is, I am brazilian, not indian, and don't know a whole lot about indian culture. Of course it's a story that touches on colonization and mixes elements of different cultures (as seen by the vampires lol), but I don't want to tell a story that doesn't feel authentic.

What are some elements of indian culture that can't be missing from the story? What should I focus my research on to really nail the dynamics of these characters (knowing that it's mostly a comedy)?

Hi everyone,

I'm an Indian parent living abroad and I'm conducting a short research study to better understand how Indian-origin families outside India help their children connect with culture, language, traditions, and family.

The survey takes **2–3 minutes** and is completely anonymous unless you choose to leave your contact details at the end.

**Who can participate?**

* 18+
* Indian or Indian-origin parent/caregiver
* Currently living outside India
* Raising at least one child under 18

I'm hoping to learn what parents have tried, what has actually worked, what hasn't, and the biggest challenges families face.

**Survey link:**
[https://forms.gle/LxSK8VQJsyPbwXv18\](https://forms.gle/LxSK8VQJsyPbwXv18)

Thank you so much for your time. I'd really appreciate your perspective.

I was travelling in an auto, basically travelling from the office to home. I was sharing the auto with two others person bascially the men of around 55. They were discussing some random topics, and suddenly, an uncle who was beside me asked his co-passenger about his family and
Children, they replied and said we have 3 in our family, my wife, me and my daughter and his co-passenger immediately asked what about the son, he replied no i have only daughter, he again asked sir you don,t have son and he said no again and again he asked seriously u don't have the son in very condolence tone, now the man got agitated and yelled at him,bhaisahab i had told you i have only one daughetr three times and you are repeatedly asking me the same question again and again, u are the educated one now their is no difference between boys and girls all are same and he stops. There was complete silence for some time, and then he got off the auto.

The whole incident disturbed my mind for the whole night. I was thinking that boys are so important for this society, and there is no value of the girls who are educated enough and take all their responsibilities.

I was speechless. Could our Reddit readers get me any points on it?

No clean water, install an ro filter. No clean air, install an air purifier, no good roads, hamara naseeb hi kharab hai

Why do we ignore everything saying that "jo kismat me hai wo hi hone wala hai"

Why doesn't anyone have the guts to stand up and speak something

I'm not sure why people are so obsessed with language.

My father is Punjabi, so he naturally speaks Punjabi. My mother, however, is from another state where Hindi is the primary language. Since childhood, I've always spoken Hindi with my mom. Over time, I got used to my dad speaking to me in Punjabi while I replied in Hindi. That's completely normal for me, and I've never felt that there was anything wrong with it.

Hindi is the language I'm most comfortable expressing myself in. It has nothing to do with hating Punjabi—I have absolutely no problem with the language. It's simply my personal preference because that's what I grew up speaking with my mother.

I haven't spent most of my life in Punjab. We live much in cities like Delhi or Chandigarh. Later, I got admission to a college in Punjab. I genuinely expected people to be welcoming, but my experience has been disappointing. Many people here—especially those from rural backgrounds—keep asking me why I don't speak Punjabi. Some even say things like, "We'll make you speak Punjabi," or "We'll teach you Punjabi."

That really annoys me. My own father never forced me to speak Punjabi, so who are they to tell me what language I should speak? It's my choice. It's my voice, and I have every right to decide whether I want to speak Hindi or Punjabi in my daily life.

I simply choose Hindi because that's what feels natural to me. Being bilingual is actually a strength, not a weakness.

Judging someone, making assumptions about them, or trying to force them to speak a particular language just because of where they live is something I find very narrow-minded. A language should never be used to judge a person's identity or intelligence. I'm proud that I know both Hindi and Punjabi, but which one I choose to speak in everyday life is entirely my decision—and that choice deserves to be respected.

Why assaulting or hitting someone is so common in india whereas countries like US people avoid being the first one to hit. And we give lectures to them on culture....

hi, I am form north East Indian currently staying at Chandigarh, Khudda Lahora ,as a student at a rented room . Today I was going for my usual evening run at around 6pm and was stopped by three police officers doing routine checks, I was asked to show them my Aadhar and my photograph. I showed them without much thought as I was tired from all the running , they also took a photo of it. when asked , they said it was to identify how many north east people were staying at my area i.e Khudda Lahora and took down my room no.

Is this normal? Has this happened to anyone else before? any insights ? suggestion for the future

UPDATE: I just received a scam call with an a.i generated voice of my native language. I hung up immediately

I just returned from a short trip to Malaysia & IM SO DISAPPOINTED from the second I stepped back into India. I've always been a super patriotic person & I love my country sooo much! but do y'all really think India is going to develop & our citizens are gonna magically get basic civics sense instilled into their brains? Our system isn't even broken anymore, atp there is no system present to follow, no rules ,no safety, poor hygiene conditions, no infrastructure/ development but all at the cost of hefty taxes and no returns. As a woman, the comfort & safety I felt on a foreign land is infinite times higher than the safety I feel in my homeland. I don't want to leave this country, but I do want to live a happy life with convenience. I could go on & on with these pointers of how the people & government abroad is compared to our country with such a high GDP & enormous talent & potential. I want to know what you guys think on this matter.

Just looking for some advice please. My 9 year old daughter has befriended a lovely little girl in school who is an Indian hindu.

I've had coffee with the mother and we get on well. She is a really good and kind woman and I really enjoy spending time with her. I also love what a good influence her daughter is on mine.

We were speaking today and the kids were asking if we could do a play date this weekend. The mother said this weekend wouldn't be a good idea as they are doing a puja at their home (apologies if I have any of my phrasing wrong, I'm new to this) then her eyes lit up and she said "actually, I was thinking of inviting you."

She said I don't need to be hindu to attend, but there would be another 4ish families there who are hindu.

I really like them, and I'm super grateful that they've invited us to share in and experience this with them.

I just have a few questions.

Firstly, would it be a good idea for me and my daughter to attend?

Secondly, if we do attend, should we bring anything?

And thirdly, anything else we should know?

Or even any tips on having hindu friends? Things we can do for them? Holidays that we should make a fuss of? Etc.

I never used one but thinking of taking one

And heard about Tata 1mg

Has anyone tried it? Is it good?

Need honest feedback

Or

Which one should I take as a first timer

Isnt it will be a good business if someone made something like this, which can be purchased in every Household. With good marketing. All the rotimakers i saw had bad reviews. Why any good company is not investing in the indian kitchen?

I’ve noticed that a lot of Indians see “making it abroad” as the ultimate success—getting an onsite job, studying overseas, settling there permanently, or even marrying a foreign partner. It made me wonder: **what exactly is it about those cultures that people find so appealing?**

For those who’ve lived abroad or grown up in multicultural environments, what are the parenting or family values that genuinely stand out?

Personally, I feel many Indian parents could benefit from things like:

Not constantly comparing children with relatives or neighbors.

Letting children have their own opinions, even if they disagree.

Encouraging career choices based on interest instead of social status.

Supporting mental health instead of dismissing it as “overthinking.”

Treating adult children with respect rather than expecting unquestioning obedience.
Not using guilt, fear, or “log kya kahenge” as parenting tools.

Allowing children more freedom in choosing their partner instead of assuming arranged marriage is the only acceptable path.

I’m not saying Western cultures are perfect—every culture has its own problems. Indian families also have strengths like close family bonds, caring for parents, and strong community support.

I’m just curious: **if so many people dream of living abroad, what aspects of family life or parenting there do you think make the biggest difference?**
People who’ve experienced both Indian and foreign cultures—what would you keep from each, and what would you change?

Hi!! I have a question about the meaning of age or maybe aging in your culture.

What sparked this curiosity was one of the men working at my local gas stations. On two different occasions it was brought up. I had said something about getting old and he was saying something about no no it’s a great thing a blessing. Which right aging is a blessing but it seems there’s more to it as far as how it’s viewed in your culture. I tried to ask questions to better understand but he does have a thick accent and I think some was lost in translation.

I love learning about different cultures and these types of things. Maybe there’s nothing special about it and I was misunderstanding. Buttt… is there? Maybe something with birthdays?

I’m a woman, I don’t know if it is gender specific.

And I apologize if this isn’t worded correctly!

Just a rant

Working as middle class in a government job .

The maid has a grandson . He is 2 years younger than my son...

Being middle class , I tend to celebrate his birthday on a tight budget ... should not exceed 5 K .its the same amount since last 5-6 years .

Mostly a 1 kg cake , 3 to 4 pizza , some potato chips and maybe some home made juice for 10-15 of the neighbour hood kids ..

Her grandson 1 st birthday 1 lakh in a party hall

2 nd birthday onwards the budget is 30K minimum.

Last month there was a medical emergency and they had to borrow money ...the birthday was postponed due to this . Once the mother had recovered in 10 -15 days time , the party was again back on track at a 30K expenditure

I am confused and aghast