Understanding Caste and Privilege in India: The Glass Floor

What is the Glass Ceiling?

Marilyn Loden created the term “glass ceiling.” It shows how patriarchal societies limit women’s progress.

In theory, a skilled woman should climb the career ladder. But often, she hits an invisible barrier. She sees her male colleagues advance, but she stays stuck. This is the glass ceiling.

The glass ceiling metaphor explains patriarchy’s power in work and social settings. Marginalized groups and racial minorities also use it. They describe cultural elites’ gatekeeping power with it.

The Glass Floor: A New View

When talking about caste and savarnas, think of a “glass floor” instead of a ceiling.

Picture South Asia, especially India, as a cramped basement. Millions live there, struggling and hoping. Above them, a small group called savarnas lives comfortably. They control all the resources.

Savarnas have access to all the switches in the house. They control the lights and water. They argue among themselves about who should control these resources. But below them, millions remain stuck in the basement. They have little hope of rising.

Savarna Awareness

Savarnas know there are people below them. But they don’t fully grasp the scale or conditions of their lives. Numbers lose their impact when they’re too large.

• What does 200 million people mean?
• What does living on Rs 250 per day mean?
• What does raising children on Rs 150 per day mean?

These questions show the disconnect between savarnas and the reality of poverty.

Grasping Poverty

Many have tried to define the poverty line in India. The C Rangarajan Committee suggested Rs 47 per day in urban areas as a viable line. Anyone making less than that is considered poor.

But numbers like Rs 47 per day are hard to understand. They don’t show the true horror of poverty. To make it real, I ask my students to think of the poorest person they’ve seen. We then estimate their daily income. It’s often more than Rs 50 per day.

This exercise shows that the poorest people we imagine may not even be classified as poor by official standards. The scale of poverty is beyond the imagination of many savarnas.

The Time of Savarna Entrepreneurs

From the mid-2000s to the mid-2010s, many savarna entrepreneurs saw opportunities. They wanted to tap into the vast market below the glass floor. They believed that mobile technology could connect them to millions of potential customers.

This was a time of delusion. Entrepreneurs thought that poverty and caste wouldn’t hinder their business plans. They believed that one great idea could change the market and transform India.

The Entrepreneurial Test

Two savarna techies decided to live on Rs 100 per day for a month. They wanted to understand the lives of the average Indian. They moved into a small room in Bangalore and struggled with malnourishment.

They learned about the math of calories, labor, money, and time. They realized that protein was too expensive. They had to rely on cheap carbohydrates. But their test was flawed. They didn’t experience the full reality of poverty.

The True Face of Poverty

Poverty involves more than just limited money. It includes hard manual labor, lack of sanitation, and health risks. Women sanitation workers in Pune reported chronic pains and aches. They self-medicated and limited their water intake, leading to health issues.

Endurance becomes a way of life. Taking rest is seen as a luxury. This mindset is passed down through generations.

After the Test

The techies shared their experiences through media and TED talks. Their story became popular among savarnas. It was seen as an adventure, a tale of mavericks who ventured below the glass floor.

They launched a healthcare app called HealthifyMe. It’s a successful business. But it hasn’t reached the 600 million “masses” they initially targeted.

Excerpted with permission from ‘Meet the Savarnas: Indian Millennials Whose Mediocrity Broke Everything’, Ravikant Kisana, Penguin Random House India.