Shishir Thadani

Shishir Thadani has a postgraduate degree from Yale University and an undergraduate degree from New Delhi. He has written several articles on Indian history and contemporary life. In the following viewpoint, Thadani contends that international condemnation of India’s caste system is hypocritical and ineffective. First, the nations critical of India’s caste system are those responsible for perpetuating it during India’s occupation by imperial powers. Second, Thadani argues, if concerned nations really wanted to help the Indian people, they would encourage the poorest Indians to immigrate to their nations where they could make better lives for themselves.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to Thadani, where does caste discrimination tend to be most egregious?
2. What kinds of...