In Nuagaon village of Odisha’s Kendrapara district, Sarmista Sethi’s forlorn figure at the anganwadi centre, ready to cook a meal but with no child willing to eat it, will remain a lasting image of the deeply entrenched caste prejudice prevalent in India. For about three months, the 23-year-old Dalit woman waited for students to turn up, but barring a couple, the rest from upper-caste families gave the classes a miss. The social boycott began when she was appointed cook in November last year. Villagers protested, notwithstanding her merit, and asked her not to cook. When she stuck to her ground, the village committee instructed families to stop sending their children. Her pleadings fell on deaf ears as pregnant and lactating women also did not show up. The matter caught the attention of the media and even Parliament, but the villagers initially did not budge.
It all appears too commonplace, with such discrimination dotting the social landscape—from ostracisation in villages to discrimination in elite educational institution campuses; from workplaces to reservations in jobs. Even Constitutional guarantees have not made much cut. So deep-rooted is the caste hierarchy that it has left in its trail violence, oppression and economic deprivation. Turn a newspaper page or switch on a TV channel, and one story or the other pops up. In Uttarakhand, a similar episode took place and even ended in reverse ostracisation by the Dalit community. Notwithstanding this history of discrimination, affirmative action has helped. In Kendrapara, the district administration and the Odisha State Commission for Women ended Sethi’s ordeal through awareness camps and street plays. Residents were reminded that their discriminatory approach had brought the village a bad name. Kendrapara MP Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda shared a meal cooked by her as a gesture.
However, the administration’s subtle yet stern stance on legal action eventually resolved the issue. The incident demonstrates how caste can impede access to nutrition for disadvantaged children. The anganwadi exists to feed and support those who need it most. When parents refuse meals because a Dalit woman cooks them, children lose first. Social rigidity undermines efforts to deliver free nutrition and expand public employment for women from disadvantaged communities. Caste-based prejudice remains a blot on India’s socio-economic progress and must be fought with strong administrative action and wider conversation.