caste


BSS student enters National Cadet Corps

Getting ahead in India when you are from a family of beggars and of the untouchable caste is a major achievement. Growing up in a slum with alcoholics, little food and shelter and probably a daily beating or two can either make or break a child. Buddha’s Smile School, in Varanasi, India has produced many more…

Living with stigma in India

‘The higher-caste students tell us that we smell bad,’ one girl said. Another added: ‘The ridicule we face prevents us from coming to school and sitting with higher-caste children.’ These girls from the hamlet of Khalispur, near the city of Varanasi, belong to the Mushara or ‘rat catcher’ community of eastern Uttar Pradesh, India. Despite more…