Vigorous mixing of ideas and peoples creates the churn required for a society to be dynamic and progress.

If you look at the stock market listings of USA in the 90s and compare it to today, you would barely recognize 50% of the companies.

OTOH, Indian stock market has largely been cornered by a few families.

We need the churn, mixing, and dynamism!!

Seems like “caste” exists in every component of Indian life. Economy, Society, and everything else. Such a primitive mindset..

##There has been a rise of universities like Ashoka, OP Jindal, FLAME aka “rich people universities” over the last decade or so which provides a more relaxed “Western style” academic curriculum.##

Yes, have seen these schools being increasingly opted for especially among the upper middle to rich classes. I still see some wanting to pursue the American dream as an undergrad, but with the heavy fee structure and no clear RoI given the strict visa policy, that option is no longer as feasible as it was about even 10 years ago. I also find many Indians choosing to not go abroad which ties in with the next point you make.

##Like for the Chinese, I expect Indians going abroad for education to decline massively by mid century (and Indian emigration in general), rather relying on domestic institutes which are just as good.##

It’s already in super decline. With many US / UK Univs opening campuses in India and the current geopolitical situation, the decline has only been accelerated. Tbh its awesome to see. I just hope that merit truly starts working for everyone and paves the way for world class universities here.

Anecdotally, a friend who runs a deep tech start-up is increasingly getting requests from US grads for employment opportunities. The OPT that used to be for a year has now become 3 months to search for a job. If you’re unemployed after three months, its tata time! Many have returned and many more will be coming back.

We should not understate how much opposition and vitriol he faced in his life for his advocacy for the under privileged.

Without him, I dont think many communities in India would have been able to express themselves as they do today, even those who would have managed to get education, would have lacked the vocabulary and insight to dissect the problems they face especially if they were from christian or muslim backgrounds

Even on a more serious note – maybe not in the Pashtun, Sindhi, Baloch areas but certainly amongst Punjabis and Mohajirs.

Like I said, these castes are not even unique to Pakistanis or Muslims.

They exist in India too and get affirmative action accordingly.

Let the survey results come out next year (first national caste census since 1931) – we will get a good idea of the different castes overall as well as within religions.

We have many issues with this post but then we saw K rejecting caste as an analytic category so we’re like

Dhurundhar is going to Dhurundhar.

To add to your point, an English education is no longer a language only of the elite and the privileged, but has become an accessible Indian language; with 20% of the population speaking it as a second or third language.

I do believe by the 2050s India will basically become a majorly English speaking country similar to Singapore. The lingua franca of the urban centres will be English.

Of course that will have wider ramifications for the rest of the English speaking world which is majorly white as of now but that is for later.

At least for a substantial proportion of the middle class, a post graduation in a US / UK / Canadian university is a given. Given the Trumpian age we live in, things have definitely gotten more challenging. But hey, India rocks and the changes over the last decade have been transformational.

There has been a rise of universities like Ashoka, OP Jindal, FLAME aka “rich people universities” over the last decade or so which provides a more relaxed “Western style” academic curriculum.

A lot of the rich kids who would go abroad now attend these colleges.

Like for the Chinese, I expect Indians going abroad for education to decline massively by mid century (and Indian emigration in general), rather relying on domestic institutes which are just as good.

At least for a substantial proportion of the middle class, a post graduation in a US / UK / Canadian university is a given. Given the Trumpian age we live in, things have definitely gotten more challenging. But hey, India rocks and the changes over the last decade have been transformational. Spot on comment regarding Gidla’s access to a good education in India. Shows that the system ain’t broken, though the people may be.

Butt – Bhat, Kashmiri Brahmin

Rajput – Kshatriya

Jutt – Agrarian caste/Shudra, comes under OBC in Rajasthan. The Muslim Meos of Mewat who have similarities/links also comes under OBC

Gujjar – Pastoral caste/Shudra, comes under OBC. Muslim Gujjars of J&K come under ST.