Untouchables aren't supposed to hear Brahmin prayers, pollute a Brahmin with their shadow, or share food with a Brahmin :/
Technically speaking, the caste system is abolished in India -- Gandhi spoke out against it, and liberal Indians profess disgust for it. Prejudical hiring practices against Untouchables are illegal.
I understand the reality is a bit more complicated -- analagous to being black in the Deep South. Segregation is officially over, but continues all the same, with occasional waves of violence against those who cross the line.
I don't know if Parsis have any status within Hindu religion, not being Hindu. There's a scene where a Brahmin cringes at being trapped in the shadow of a Parsi girl in Bapsi Sidwha's Cracking India, but it's hard to tell if he's more bothered by her religion or her sex.
The Hindu untouchables in A Fine Balance have no problem working with a Parsi, of course, and her only concerns about having them working in her home (they're her employees) is based more around hygiene than spiritual pollution.
no subject
Technically speaking, the caste system is abolished in India -- Gandhi spoke out against it, and liberal Indians profess disgust for it. Prejudical hiring practices against Untouchables are illegal.
I understand the reality is a bit more complicated -- analagous to being black in the Deep South. Segregation is officially over, but continues all the same, with occasional waves of violence against those who cross the line.
I don't know if Parsis have any status within Hindu religion, not being Hindu. There's a scene where a Brahmin cringes at being trapped in the shadow of a Parsi girl in Bapsi Sidwha's Cracking India, but it's hard to tell if he's more bothered by her religion or her sex.
The Hindu untouchables in A Fine Balance have no problem working with a Parsi, of course, and her only concerns about having them working in her home (they're her employees) is based more around hygiene than spiritual pollution.