Mon Aug 18 03:00:00 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a summary of the text followed by a news article based on it:

**Summary:**

The article examines the persistence of the caste system in India, particularly focusing on the paradox seen in Tamil Nadu. While there’s a strong anti-caste movement and public condemnation of caste-based violence, private adherence to caste norms and even glorification on social media persist. The author argues that inter-caste marriages, especially in states with relatively empowered Dalit populations, are perceived as a threat to the established hierarchy, leading to honor killings. The article emphasizes that the family is the primary vehicle for transmitting and perpetuating caste beliefs. However, changing lifestyles, especially among urban youth who prioritize individual growth over traditional family obligations, are slowly eroding the family’s role and, consequently, the foundations of the caste system. Tamil Nadu represents this contradiction – a state with both strong anti-caste sentiments and deeply ingrained caste pride. The author concludes that acknowledging and addressing this contradiction, especially through digital engagement and counter-narratives, is crucial for dismantling caste.

**News Article:**

**Tamil Nadu: Caste Contradictions Highlight Shifting Social Landscape in India**

**Chennai, August 18, 2025 (The Hindu)** – A recent analysis of caste dynamics in India, particularly within Tamil Nadu, reveals a complex and paradoxical situation where traditional caste hierarchies are both fiercely resisted and quietly maintained. The article, published today in *The Hindu*, highlights the tension between public condemnation of caste-based violence and the continued prevalence of caste-based discrimination, especially within the family unit and on social media platforms.

Authored by Sivabalan Elangovan, Professor and Head, Dept of Psychiatry, Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute, the analysis points to the rise in inter-caste marriages, particularly in states like Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Kerala, where Dalit communities have experienced increased empowerment, as a catalyst for social tension. These unions, especially between Dalit men and dominant caste women, are viewed as a direct challenge to long-standing caste hierarchies, triggering violent reactions, including honor killings.

“Honour killings occur not where casteism is strongest, but where it is most threatened,” the article states, underscoring the perceived threat to traditional power structures.

While Tamil Nadu boasts a strong anti-caste movement, driven by decades of social justice politics, the author notes a disturbing trend of caste glorification on social media, where anonymity allows individuals to defend caste killings and perpetuate discriminatory views.

The article posits that the primary driver of caste perpetuation is the family. “Caste survives because it is protected and transmitted within the family,” Elangovan writes. Through customs, rituals, and marriage arrangements, caste becomes ingrained in children from a young age.

However, the analysis also points to a potential shift. Growing trends toward individual autonomy, especially among urban youth, are weakening the traditional family structure. With marriage rates declining and new relationship models emerging, the family’s role as the primary vehicle for transmitting caste beliefs is slowly eroding.

“If the family becomes less central in shaping relationships and social norms, caste may lose its strongest and oldest vehicle of survival,” the article explains.

The article concludes on a note of cautious optimism, suggesting that acknowledging and addressing the contradictions within Tamil Nadu, particularly through digital engagement and counter-narratives, is crucial for dismantling caste and fostering a more equitable society.

Read More