I've long argued that urbanisation and economic growth are the best ways to counter caste-based discrimination. (They're no panacea, of course.) People move to cities to reap the benefits of larger economic networks, and it is simply not in their self-interest to discriminate. In my experience, there is a far greater consciousness of caste in rural areas than in cities.
However, this is not the mainstream consensus in India, and Chandra Bhan Prasad is reviled by most Dalit activists, who are happier playing patronage politics and asking for reservations etc. BR Ambedkar, India's first prominent Dalit politician and a dude from Nehru's generation, also believed that urbanisation would ease the problems of Dalits, and argued on this with Gandhi, who had romantic notions of a village economy. -- Amit Varma http://www.indiauncut.com
