By Nagesh Bhushan April 24, 2026 For decades, a comforting refrain has echoed through India's policy corridors and political rallies: "There is no caste, only poverty." The argument, seductive in its simplicity, suggests that once income is equalized, the ancient hierarchies of birth dissolve. If a Dalit farmer and a Brahmin landlord both earn ₹50,000 a year, the logic goes, they stand on equal footing. The state, therefore, should target the poor, not the caste. But a new, sprawling dataset from the southern state of Telangana threatens to shatter this comforting illusion. The Socio, Economic, Educational, Employment, Political and Caste (SEEEPC) Survey 2024 , released by the state's Independent Expert Working Group, does not merely count heads; it dissects the anatomy of inequality with a granularity never before attempted in India. Covering 35 million people across 242 distinct caste groups, the report delivers a stark verdict: Poverty is not casteless. In f...
A single border can contain an entire world. On the map, India appears as one nation. But through the lens of geography and human patterns, it can be “divided” in many different ways — each revealing a new layer of identity. 1. Geography: From the Himalayas in the north to coastal plains in the south, natural boundaries shape regions. 2. Temperature: Harsh winters in the north contrast with tropical heat in the south. 3. Religious Landscape: A mosaic of Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, and more — varying by region. 4. Language Demography: Hundreds of languages and dialects, with major groups like Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, and Telugu. 5. Population Density: Dense urban centers versus vast rural spaces. 6. Regional Climate Patterns: Monsoon-driven rainfall creates sharp contrasts between wet and dry zones. 7. Physical Terrain: Mountains, plateaus, deserts, forests, and river basins — all within one country. 8. Food Preferences: From wheat-based diets in the north to rice-...