Upper castes pick up brooms to bloom in UP

Rahul Upadhyaya, 26, a Brahmin and a post-graduate in Hindi, had dreamt of becoming a teacher. That didn’t happen. Today, he works as a sweeper in Musawali village in Etah district, 200 km west of Lucknow.

Updated on: Jun 17, 2009, 01:25:12 IST

Hindustan Times | By Brajendra K Parashar, Kanshiram Nagar

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Rahul Upadhyaya, 26, a Brahmin and a post-graduate in Hindi, had dreamt of becoming a teacher. That didn’t happen. Today, he works as a sweeper in Musawali village in Etah district, 200 km west of Lucknow.

His salary: Rs 7,000 per month, still a large sum in rural UP. “And my job is secure,” he said.

Sanjay Singh Rajput, 25, a Lodh, a dominant backward caste, is a BSc (Hons).

Till a few months ago, he was working for a computer vendor in Gurgaon as a testing engineer.

But now, he has swapped his IT tools for a broom. He sweeps streets and cleans drains in the Hanspur village in Kanshiram Nagar district, 220 km west of Lucknow, for a living.

Upadhyaya and Rajput are not alone. Thousands of Brahmins, Thakurs, Banias, Kayasths, Lodhs, Yadavs and Muslims are taking up jobs as sweepers and sanitation workers that were traditionally done by Dalits.

Call it the meltdown effect. The fear of unemployment is forcing even educated, upper caste and dominant backward caste youth to take up these secure, but menial, jobs.

This trend began when the Mayawati government began recruiting one lakh safai karamcharis (sanitation workers) for villages a few months ago.

Most are not in the least embarrassed at their new vocation. “No work is too small. After all, we are not begging or committing a theft,” said Rajput.

The Mayawati government’s move to recruit upper caste youth to join the sweepers’ workforce can change the entire caste dynamics and social order in UP’s villages.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brajendra K Parashar
Brajendra K Parashar is a Senior Journalist with the Hindustan Times, based in Lucknow, with nearly three decades of experience covering governance, public policy, politics and development in Uttar Pradesh. Over the years, he has reported extensively on key sectors, including energy and renewable power, mobility and transport, road safety, agriculture and allied sectors and issues related to farmers, rural development, taxation under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and public administration. A seasoned political correspondent, Parashar closely tracks the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and has covered every major election in Uttar Pradesh right from three-tier panchayat elections and urban local body polls to Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. He also reports regularly on the proceedings of the Uttar Pradesh Legislature, bureaucracy, governance, policy decisions and administrative developments with focus on their impact on public life. His reporting is known for its strong analytical approach, extensive use of official data. His areas of interests include investigative journalism, long-form political and policy analysis, data-driven reporting, elections and institutional reforms. Parashar holds a postgraduate degree in Political Science with First Division from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), followed by a Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication from the same university. His inclination towards journalism began during his student days, when he regularly contributed letters to editors and articles to newspapers and magazines. In the mid-1990S, his essay, “Should India Switch Over to the Presidential Form Of Government?”, published in Politics India magazine edited by noted constitutional expert Subhash C Kashyap, was adjudged the best entry in a national competition. His work has received professional recognition, including the Hindustan Times Journalist of the Month Award for an impactful series on drinking water issues during the 2010 Lok Sabha election campaign. Originally from Kasganj in western Uttar Pradesh, Parashar is currently based in Lucknow where continues to report on politics, governance and public policy.Read More