wl-6249-Caste Question in Southern Tamil Nadu - Caste Violence in Schools and the Justice Chandru Committee Report

The recent one-man committee report submitted by retired High Court Judge Justice K. Chandru suggests a multifaceted approach to address the deep-rooted problems of caste in educational institutions in Tamil Nadu. Students at both school and college levels engage in various social and public spaces beyond their educational institutions, such as caste organisations in villages, spectacle festivals, and popular culture like cinema. From a Habermasian perspective, these social spaces function as a “public sphere” for caste and as arenas that perpetuate discussions of caste rather than fostering rational-critical debate on societal issues. Consequently, from a Bourdieusian perspective, these spaces reinforce the prevailing “habitus” of caste—deeply ingrained habits, skills, and dispositions shaped by individuals’ life experiences and social environment. While the one-man committee primarily focuses on educational institutions, it overlooks (has limitations to intervene) the other social spaces where students engage. This article explores how these spaces serve as the “public sphere” of caste and how caste is embedded in the “habitus” of school and college students in southern Tamil Nadu. It examines the role of caste symbols and identifiers in south Tamil Nadu, one of the significant recommendations made in the report for their removal, and discusses social spaces, such as caste organisations in villages, spectacle festivals and popular culture like cinema, in reinforcing caste ideology among students and young adults.