Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. A census official collects information from a household in Bonda, on the outskirts of Gauhati, India, during the 2011 national ...

India today stands at a defining juncture—poised between a modern future and the pull of its deeply entrenched past. Among the most pressing symbols of this tension is the caste-based reservation ...

Why do people defend social systems that oppress them? Why do the marginalized sometimes work to uphold structures and arrangements that limit their potential? These questions are not just ...

The period of Islamic dominance in India from 1300 to 1600 AD marked a significant shift in caste dynamics. In response, ...

The devotees rushed to collect soil from the ground the man had just walked on, thousands thronging to the front of a venue densely crammed with a quarter of a million people, under stifling heat. But ...

I met Minal at a retreat center in rural England in March 2023, and we became fast friends. We were there to attend a Buddhist course, with six other women from different parts of the world. Over the ...

A recent Supreme Court ruling has brought attention to how deeply embedded the debate over caste reservation is in India’s socio-political fabric. Discussions regarding the merits and drawbacks of the ...

In the 1990s, the Anthropological Survey of India presented a book that summarized seven years of field research on the country’s most backward castes – the volume was titled “Scheduled Castes.” The ...

Why is Christian Science in our name? Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and we’ve always been transparent about that. The church publishes the ...

Why are we asking for donations? Why are we asking for donations? This site is free thanks to our community of supporters. Voluntary donations from readers like you keep our news accessible for ...

For millions across India, a rigid caste system thousands of years old still dictates much of daily life – from social circles to dating pools to job opportunities and schooling. The Indian government ...