Fiction: Dalit Man Confronts Caste Identity in Upper-Caste Colony

Bhausaheb Kinikar belongs to the Mahar community, which is treated as a lower caste in the story.

He changes his surname because he fears people will judge him.

At first, neighbors in Saraswati Colony treat him normally because they do not know his caste.

When they find out, they stop visiting and inviting him.

Kinikar even avoids his brother because he worries the neighbors will recognize their caste.

Later, he decides to show his identity openly by placing a Buddha idol and Ambedkar’s picture in his home.

During his son’s birthday celebration, he thinks about how caste still follows people everywhere.

He also remembers that education and reservation helped him leave the Mahar settlement and live in the colony.