Caste in urban India is undergoing a structural transformation rather than a total disappearance. While urbanisation promotes secularisation and ritual flexibility, caste identities are being reinvented through modern political and social networks, moving from a "ritual status" to a "secular identity."

Changing and Persistent Dimensions of Caste in Urban India

Evidences of Caste Disappearing or Weakening

1. Occupational Mobility: Urban markets prioritise skills over hereditary roles, breaking the link between jati and profession.

   • Eg: Growth of the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI).

2. Decline in Commensality: Strict food taboos and purity-pollution norms have faded in public spaces.

   • Eg: Caste-neutral dining in office canteens and restaurants.

3. Physical Anonymity: High-density urban living allows individuals to shed ritual identities.

   • Eg: Caste-blind seating in public transport like the Delhi Metro.

4. Legal Empowerment: Strict enforcement of Article 17 (Abolition of Untouchability) and the SC/ST Act deters overt discrimination.

5. Secular Education: Access to modern schooling promotes rationalism and social egalitarianism.

6. Class-Caste Overlap: Economic status often supersedes ritual rank in high-end urban social circles.

7. Public Space Democratisation: Malls and multiplexes act as "caste-neutral" zones of consumption.

Evidences of Caste Persistence and Reinvention

1. Marital Endogamy: Caste remains the primary filter in urban marriage markets despite professional success.

   • Eg: Continued use of "caste filters" on platforms like Shaadi.com.

2. Residential Segregation: Housing choices in cities often reflect caste-based clustering or exclusion.

   • Eg: Denial of rental housing to Dalits in elite urban colonies (documented by Thorat and Attewell).

3. Caste-based Associations: Urban migrants form caste lobbies to navigate urban competition and politics.

   • Eg: Urban wings of Kamma or Patidar associations providing hostel facilities.

4. Labor Market Bias: Informal recruitment through social networks often favors upper-caste candidates.

   • Eg: "Social capital" disparities in MNC entry-level hiring.

5. Digital Casteism: Social media platforms are used to consolidate caste pride and mobilise for reservations.

6. Subaltern Assertion: Growing urban consciousness through cultural symbols and festivals.

   • Eg: Grand celebrations of Ambedkar Jayanti in urban metropolitan centres.

7. Manual Scavenging: Persistence of caste-linked hazardous labor in urban sanitation departments.

8. Political Identity: Caste remains a decisive factor in Urban Local Body elections and ticket distribution.

Way Forward

1. Sensitization Programs: Implementing diversity and inclusion (D&I) modules in corporate and educational sectors.

2. Economic Empowerment: Strengthening the Stand-Up India scheme to bridge the wealth gap between different social groups.

3. Urban Governance: Ensuring inclusive urban planning to prevent the "ghettoization" of marginalised communities.

Transitioning from caste-based identities to Constitutional Morality is essential to achieve SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and foster true social integration in India's growing urban landscape.