Writer-director and cartoonist Alok Sharma narrated an incident on X, formerly Twitter, about how he was a victim of casteism in his youth. Sharma was replying to a post by an X user asking other users if they had faced casteism in their lives.
Recalling one such encounter, Sharma said that he was visiting the Durg collectorate office (then in Madhya Pradesh, now Chhattisgarh) along with his father to get his income certificate needed for his sister’s scholarship. He was 14 at the time and hailed from a poor financial background.
“The situation at home was such that without work during the day, there would be no food on the table in the evening,” Sharma wrote.
बहन की स्कॉलरशिप के लिए पापाजी का आय प्रमाणपत्र बनवाने दुर्ग कलेक्टरेट गया था उनके साथ। घर के हालात ऐसे थे कि सुबह काम न हो तो शाम को चूल्हा न जले।
— Alok Sharma (@toonfactory) November 22, 2023
कलेक्टरेट के डिपार्टमेंट का नाम याद नहीं मगर उस पर एक श्रीमान टोपो विराजमान थे, उन्होंने प्रमाणपत्र पर हस्ताक्षर करने से इंकार कर… https://t.co/2BFLwmyEhn
At the collectorate office, Sharma continued, an employee named Topo was seated in a department Sharma could not remember. “He (Topo) refused to sign on the income certificate and started misbehaving with us in a very crass manner,” he wrote.
Sharma wrote that while his father patiently kept listening to the insult, he could not bear it anymore and asked Topo why he was behaving with them in such a way. “Because you are Brahmin,” Topo said according to Sharma.
He further added that he held his father’s hand and left the collectorate office. He said that from that day till he was 20 years old, he supplied chocolates and biscuits to small shops in Bhilai, ran a comics library with his friend and used his hard-earned money to pay for his sister’s education.
“I will always remember this incident but I have no bitterness in my heart for Topo. Had he not been there then I would not have been the way I am,” Sharma wrote.
The cartoonist received an outpouring of support from his followers on X with many expressing anger against the reservation. A user commented, “More power to you Alok! Glad to hear we both hail from Bhilai.”
More power to you, Alok! ?
— Sumit Ramani (@RamaniSumit) November 22, 2023
Glad to learn that we both hail from Bhilai
Another user replied, “Really touched my heart. Facing challenges, hard work and perseverance is the hallmark of a Brahman. Congratulations. That Cappie, I am sure has had lived him Karma. More than anything, thank you so much for your Hindi writeup. Shuddh Hindi with no haqhaq Urdu. A joy to read!”
Really touched my heart. Facing challenges, hard work and perseverance is the hallmark of a Brahman. Congratulations. That Cappie, I am sure has had lived him Karma. More than anything, thank you so much for your Hindi writeup. Shuddh Hindi with no haqhaq Urdu. A joy to read!
— ila g rao (@ilagrao1) November 22, 2023
The post to which Alok Sharma was replying also received several responses from people who had experienced casteism, which included Brahmins too.
Have you faced casteism in your life ?
— Eminent Woke (@WokePandemic) November 22, 2023
If yes what kind and what type of incident?
Reservations victim's can avoid answering ?
A user wrote, “A reserved SC , Senior engineer, didn’t offer me a chair for about more 4 hours inside his cabin, he is sitting in his big chair, I’m standing to discuss about technical specifications. He is big 0 on tech. So is the treatment. He knows very well I’m from the upper class.”
