She might make ME feel unclean?
Wed, 2007-10-03 04:50 — Ian Forber-Pratt
Mukesh’s mother comes in and out giving us water and chai. I asked is she would answer some questions and Mukesh translated that she thought I would be unclean if she was in my presence. She felt that it would be insulting to me to be around her. I assured her this was not the case and she sat for a few moments, clearly uncomfortable evidenced by the lack of eye contact and her constant shifting in her seat. She refused to say much even when I did ask her questions through Mukesh, she would move her head side to side as I asked questions and would often answer “ji, ji” and that was all. It was if she agreed and understood that I was talking, but didn’t feel she could/ would/ had to respond. I made her uncomfortable, simply by having the potential to be a higher caste. This type of thought, I’m having issues beginning to fathom.
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Comments
Re: She might make ME feel unclean?
Wow.
Did you try to explain that coming from the United States you don't have castes? And, probably more usefully, both to talk and to try to break the concept of castes a little, that you were almost certainly born into a lower / the lowest caste?
(Not to mention that you've hung out with me, which is below everything, anywhere.)
Re: She might make ME feel unclean?
woah. thats weird that someone would be so uncomfortable like that... that's pretty bad.