Answer

Introduction

Caste, though constitutionally outlawed as a basis of discrimination, continues to influence social behaviour and group identity in India. Urbanization, education, and professional mobility were expected to weaken caste hierarchies, yet social attitudes and networks often reproduce caste consciousness in new forms.

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Arguments Showing Persistence of Caste Consciousness

• Marriage Choices Reflecting Enduring Caste Identity: Urban education and modern lifestyles have not erased caste boundaries in marriage. Matrimonial sites and family alliances continue to prioritize caste compatibility over personal choice.
• Subtle Bias in Professional and Institutional Spaces: Workplace hierarchies often mirror social ones. Studies (CSDS, 2018) show upper-caste dominance in academia, media, and bureaucracy, indicating persistence of privilege despite formal equality.
• Social and Residential Segregation in Cities: Urban housing and hostels reveal hidden exclusion, with people preferring neighbourhoods of similar caste backgrounds, limiting genuine social integration.
• Caste Assertion in Digital and Public Discourse: Social media has become a new arena for caste pride and identity mobilization, creating solidarity for some groups but also deepening digital polarization along caste lines.

Arguments Showing Erosion or Transformation of Caste Consciousness

• Merit and Performance Redefining Social Status: Corporate, start-up, and government institutions increasingly emphasize skill and productivity over caste, reducing traditional hierarchies in urban workspaces.
• Professional Collaboration Diluting Social Boundaries: Shared work goals and collective organizational identity promote cooperation beyond caste lines, fostering interdependence and professional solidarity.
• Urban Mobility Encouraging Social Mixing: Migration and city life weaken community surveillance, allowing individuals to form diverse networks and redefine identity independent of caste affiliations.
• Assertion and Empowerment of Marginalized Groups: Educational mobility and affirmative action have empowered Dalit and OBC professionals to assert dignity and challenge caste-based exclusion within elite institutions.

Conclusion

Despite constitutional guarantees under Articles 14, 15, 16, and 17, caste consciousness endures in subtle forms. True social equality demands not only legal safeguards but also attitudinal change and the realization of Dr. Ambedkar’s vision of constitutional morality in everyday life.

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