From:
The Hindu
HYDERABAD, November 16, 2011
Caste and religion of the tenant come into play
Swathi. V
Never mind the oft-heard, commonplace phrases against casteism and religious bigotry, the much-happening metropolis of Hyderabad still holds venom against ‘the Other'. While those from minority sections at least have a few localities where they can be assured of a rented house, negative answers are the staple for Dailt home-seekers. More discomfiting are the various ways adopted to probe the caste of probable tenants.
What usually begins as the rider ‘Vegetarians Only' scribbled on the rental sign, progresses further into the name, surname, home-town and antecedents of the home seekers till the caste is narrowed upon.
“Restrictions in terms of diet are often a ruse. If the prospective tenant has an upper caste tag to his name, he will be given the house despite his diet.
The sign is put up only to keep Dalits off,” says Mallepally Lakshmaiah, a noted Dalit journalist, who found himself in many such situations.
The same is vouched by many from the oppressed communities. Upmarket and cosmopolitan localities such as Hitec City and Madhapur are not an exception; though the usual claim is that increased commercialisation of space dilutes traditional barriers.
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FULL TEXT AT: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article2632355.ece
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