Caste did not allow me to sit on the chair.
The Indian constitution states that -
“The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on the grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them”.
However, that does not seem to be the reality for Avaiyarkuppam’s Panchayat council leader, Mahalakshmi. She faces discrimination in her workplace on the grounds of caste, despite being a public servant. The Vice president of the Panchayat has subjected her to discrimination, ranging from evading her to work, concealing rightful information, passive threats and more. Starting from the mishandled accounts to opposing her to attend to her work, she was exploited and used by the caste people. Her identity of belonging to the Scheduled Caste(SC) has made her fall prey to the other workers, belonging to Most Backward Classes(MBC).
She explains how the social construct and hierarchy of caste, the ego and power attached to it, has given her oppressors the privilege and authority to misuse their influence and exploit them.
As she awaits a solution for the same issue, she is met by a loss of livelihood and threats from the society around her.
Her strength resides in her powerful words and her vision for a better society. Although being a person who was constantly let down by those around her, she aims to provide better services and create an environment where her power can be put to use, for good.
For more information on this news, visit the embedded video linked on Youtube.
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