Anirudh- The Story Of A Misread Barrister

Chapter-18 : The Invisible Fences

"Sakha babu, tell me something about this caste system in Bharat. I have an elocution competition at school tomorrow.", Bondita cried as she returned from school and even before parking her bicycle, on spotting me sitting in the front verandah.

She was still panting with exhaustion of cycling. I was very sure that she must have rode as fast as possible, that she must be very hungry and thirsty by now.

"First you come inside and sit for a while. Later, go and take your bath, then we both shall have snacks together. After that, I will prepare you for the elocution.", I spoke taking her bag into my hands and relieving her of the load.

"Okay", she said and went inside hopping while I watched her go, smiling at her speed.

After we finished relishing the tasty snacks made by Sumati ma, we sat down for studying in the hall of Bondita's portion. I went to their house daily for eating. Only during the times when I get too involved in my work, I would ask Ramu kaka, our domestic help, to bring the food to my portion. However, except during the court hours, I generally preferred to eat with ma, since I want to give her company and bring her out of loneliness.

Leaning my back against one of the pillars in the interior courtyard, I asked her, "What is the topic Bondita?"

She sat at a little distance away facing me with her notebook and pen.

"Caste System in Bharat", she answered.

I let out a deep sigh pondering over the topic, as the scenes of my recent encounter with caste discrimination flashed in front of my eyes. Bringing me out of my thoughts, she questioned, "What is caste, sakha babu?"

"It is the invisible fence that we have created to exclude ourselves from our fellow humans, Bondita."

"Elaborate on that sakha babu."

"Bondita, just like the society created differences between a man and a woman, it also fabricated certain disparities between people doing different jobs. Initially it started off as a measure to easily identify the people engaged in a particular occupation and to preserve the finesse of those occupations. For instance, take the example of our Bihari. It seems, his father, grandfather and great grandfather have also served our family. It's the same with the farmers working on our lands and the dhobi who washes our clothes too. Similarly, the head priest's family has been offering their services at the Durga temple in Tuslipur since ages. Then comes our goldsmith, who made all your jewels. His family has been making jewellery for the women of Roy Chowdhary family since ages. They are carrying forward their occupation from one generation to the other.", I explained.

"Why is it like that, sakha babu?", she asked with a little frown on her face.

"Since it is natural for children to observe their parents as they grow up, there is a greater possibility for them to learn the skill of their parents effectively. So, there couldn't be a better career option for them than to continue the legacy of their family occupation. Let's take the example of our goldsmith and his craft. Do you like the jewellery that kaka has gifted you?"

"I like them a lot. Out of all, I like the one that he gave me on the eve of holi this year. It was a necklace. It looks like a string of beetle leaves.", she expressed with much happiness.

"Good. Our goldsmith really makes unique ornaments with beautiful designs. He has imbibed the talent from his father and tomorrow his son will learn his art, the various techniques that his father employs while making an ornament. Whereas, the dhobi's son may not be able to make a gold ornament, even if he makes one, it may not be as good as the goldsmith. That's why people generally do not take up new occupations.", I reasoned.