Love across the divide: the taboo of inter-caste marriages in India https://www.thetimes.com/world/asia/article/inter-caste-love-rising-honour-killings-prbqmgbh9
Amrit Dhillon is infatuated with what she calls the Hindu Caste system. She has written numerous articles on the subject and portrayed Hinduism in a deeply negative way. Over the years she has written in, The Globe And Mail , The National, Sydney Mirror Herald and the Guardian. She has returned to the topic again in the Times. This time she is talking about how difficult it would be for a low Caste person to marry someone from a higher Caste. She claims that upper Caste Hindus seldom socialise with the low Caste Dalits. They would not invite them for a meal either, she adds.To further demonise Hindus she claims that some in Delhi would not let their children eat school meals prepared by Dalits. She alleges that a Dalit guest was made to eat from a different plate. These are outrageous allegations on a people who have no way of challenging Dhillon.
I have therefore decided to show the mirror to Dhillon. The Dhillon surname is that of high Caste Sikhs. Dhillon being a Sikh should know that Caste discrimination is rampant in her religion. The lower Caste Sikhs are converting to Christianity in their thousands because the discrimination. There are around 65,000 Pastors or missionaries across Punjabs 23 districts. There are 948 Churches in Punjab as of May 5, 2025, a 6.17% increase from 2023.There are a staggering 600 to 700 Churches in Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts and there are 4 to 5 hundred thousand Christians around Amritsar. The top three cities with the most Churches are Jalandhar with 116, Ludhiana 107 and Amritsar with 59 Churches
The majority of converts are from Dalit and tribal groups such as the Mazhabi Sikhs-Balmiki, Sansi, Rai Sikh, (another name for Mazhabi Sikhs) , Bawaria, Bazigar, Barad, Bangala, Gadhile, and Nat. Also included are the Ramdasias and Kabirpanthis.The warrior Nihangs are also part of the Mazhabi Sikhs.
They are not allowed to participate in Punjab’s religious institutions.
Others have found a home in the Ravidass movement which has built its own Gurudwaras. Namdev is another such movement. Radha Saomi sect also has tens of thousands of Dalit devotees. There are many such groups called Deras.
Amrit Dhillon should turn her attention to her own faith and show some humility.
Caste is becoming irrelevant in the Cities of India but there will always be an allegiance to your own type. Just as in UK the middle classes and the working classes tend to have their own distinct lifestyles and mostly marry within their own group.
Nitin Mehta
www.nitinmehta.co.uk
7 April 2026
Recent Comments