Caste raises ugly head in brick units

In a bizarre practice, kiln workers belonging to upper caste are not willing to share rooms with lower caste labourers, let alone use the same kitchen to cook

Karimangar: The world may seem to be a much better place, with all sophistication and development, and authorities may be boasting about high standards of education, but the fact is, absurd practices are still prevalent in rural Telangana, much to the chagrin of civilised society.

In a classic example of ignorance and irrationality, brick kiln labourers of lower castes in Karimnagar district are being subjected to discrimination, by their own counterparts of upper castes. Though these labourers toil day in and day out to make their both ends meet despite caste differences,

when it comes to sharing of kitchen and night’s stay, workers belonging to lower castes have been kept at arm’s length by the so-called upper caste labourers, even as the owners of brick kiln units continuing to exploit them to the maximum. Apparently due to vehement caste sentiments, the labourers are not willing to unite against the injustice being done to them for long time.

Forgetter about kitchen, upper caste labourers do not share even shelters with lower community people. They demand brick kiln owners to set up shelters basing on caste. Upper caste workers are not willing to stay if a lower caste family is allocated shelter in between their makeshift houses.

Keeping it in the mind, the owners of brick kiln units are constructing separate shelters based on caste since the district administration threatened to close down the units if the owners had failed to provide basic facilities including rooms, toilets, bathrooms, drinking water and schools for children of labourers.

Sharing his recent experience with The Hans India, Raju, owner of a brick kiln unit located near Sultanabad, said he had asked six male workers to stay in a room but four of them refused to stay along with remaining two persons stating that the two were lower caste people. Four labourers had been sleeping in a temporary shelter, he said, and added that they would not work if he mounted pressure on them.

Upper caste people did not accept if the roofs of their rooms shared with other castes workers, he informed. Another brick kiln supervisor, Kumar said they would not come forward to help lower caste people if a labour was injured in an accident.

Labourers belonging to different castes such as Patel (Reddy), Pujari of upper caste, Bagh (Goud), Yadava of Backward Classes, Deep, Luchan, Suna and Taria of Schedule Castes and Manji and Jani of Scheduled Tribes migrate to here to work in brick kiln units.

A migrant labour, Damuru, who is working in Garrepalli unit, said upper caste people would not allow lower caste people to stay along with them since it was common practice across the country.