The caste thread travels overseas

Dr. The Ambedkar Society is a student-led initiative that serves as a vital support center for Dalit students and a forum for critical debate. The society brings together the lived experiences of the oppressed and empowers marginalized communities to lead the fight against systemic injustices of caste, gender and race. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

When Sanjana Choudhary, 23, landed in Oxford to pursue an MA in South Asian history on a prestigious scholarship, it felt like a new beginning. She believed that she could finally be just a student, unencumbered by the heavy marks of caste, class and geography.

Growing up on the outskirts of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, Sanjana soon realized that for most Dalit students, schools were a vulnerable place where opportunities were disproportionately distributed along caste lines. For generations, her family had struggled to secure formal names and surnames; her grandmother, who died recently, was known simply as Chotibai.

Caste discrimination follows Dalit students beyond India’s borders

Dalit students studying abroad hope to escape oppressive caste hierarchies, only to find that the dominant caste diaspora has exported its prejudices to classrooms and social settings across borders, Radheshyam Jadhav reports | Video Credit: The Hindu

Published – 12 Oct 2026 10:09 AM IST