“What surprised me even more was that this happened in Mumbai. I just never expected someone to ask me something like that in a professional setting.
The numbers are alarmingly high too, at 85 to 90% and above. Because i don’t want this to turn into a generalisation about any particular community, (Also Read: Indian woman moves to Mumbai after 10 years in US, recalls work culture: ‘Overwork is everywhere’ ) “I’m not mentioning the person’s ethnicity or background. Because it genuinely shocked me, i’m just sharing what happened.
Has anyone else had something like this happen during an internship or while working in corporate India? “FYI, I am upper caste. Still, I felt that it shouldn’t happen in such a reputed firm. Read the full story here. The post prompted several users to share their own views and experiences. One user wrote, “This is the conversation most people aren’t ready for: casteism is prevalent in the private sector too, just like it is in the High Court. Another commented, “Weird! Casual curiosity or not, I really don’t see why a manager needs to know an intern’s caste in the first place.”
A lot of earlier studies have indicated that boards of large companies comprising directors, executive directors or equivalent positions belong to the same upper caste, and that preference for these same groups does exist.
If it was about race in European countries, it would’ve been reported to the committee and all,” another person wrote. (Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. After all, it’s within India and the same people are there that you see around cities or villages. Just say ‘Gen’ and brush off the topic. It’s not an appropriate topic, and do not engage for more than two seconds on it. Countering them and all brings a different level of hostility and politics. “The problem with this is no one will report it. It’s still ‘casual banter’ in many daily conversations. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)
A third user said, “Very unfortunately, it’s common in the private sector too. If the incident is repeated and you sense foul play, do report it to HR.” (Also Read: Pune man says think twice before switching jobs after ₹ 1.5–2 lakh salary: ‘Focus on your 5-to-9’ ) Another user shared, “I got asked about caste while renting a home in a new city for a new job.
