If traditional media played peek-a-boo while addressing caste, new-age media demands you keep your eyes wide open. As the documentary, The Invisible Other: Caste in Tamil Cinema, states, films often shy away from mentioning the names of castes and misrepresent their clothing, gestures and food as lowly. Thanks to film directors like Pa. Ranjith, Mari Selvaraj and Nagraj Manjule, and the comparatively wider acceptance of caste-based content on OTT platforms (such as Paava Kadhaigal on Netflix), the media have become caste sensitive. With new-age media’s focus on openness and sensitivity, narratives are no longer hiding from the realities of caste.
Another medium that has seamlessly incorporated caste sensitisation is music. From chanting “Cuckoo Cuckoo” to grooving to “Ladai Seekh Le”, the subject of caste, once considered unspeakable, is now a part of global earworms. Popular musicians like Arivu (The Casteless Collective), Sumeet Samos (The-Lit Boy) and Ginni Mahi (of “Danger Chamar” fame) not only rule playlists but also champion anti-caste sentiments. Similarly, musical genres once labelled inferior, like parai attam (to which the Paraiyars owe their name) and gaana (previously sung only at funerals), have been successfully reimagined as honourable art forms in popular culture by Deva, Gana Bala, Buddhar Kalaikuzhu and T. M. Krishna’s revisionist Carnatic songs.
While films and OTT platforms have begun representing caste-based injustices, social media is yet another influential space where caste sensitisation continues to thrive. Popular YouTube channels (National Dastak, Bewajah Society, Comrade Talkies) and podcasts (Mind Your Buffalo by Professor Ravikant K) edutain audiences about anti-casteism through short, engaging videos and episodes. Interestingly, to make their content accessible to wider audiences, creators use vernacular languages and incorporate regional humour. Further, social media has facilitated the networking and diversification of anti-caste activism, as seen in Dalit Human Rights Defenders Network and Neelam Cultural Centre.
Reels and memes on social media significantly amplify anti-caste sentiments and foster asynchronous discussions surrounding caste discrimination. Versatile and multimodal, reels retain the audience’s attention and are shared widely. But nothing beats the impact of memes. By juxtaposing trending templates with thought-provoking content, memes engage audiences both emotionally and cognitively. Transcending space, time and language, memes allow humour and anonymity, making them receptible vehicles for promoting caste sensitisation. Pages like @unsavoury.indian.memes, @bahujan_memes on Instagram and Badass Bahujan Memes on Facebook have numerous followers who are not only regularly sensitised to caste-based issues but also carry forward the sensitisation chain by sharing it across social media.
A recent addition to social media caste sensitisation is digital art. Digital artists such as Siddhesh Gautam (@bakeryprasad), Sumit Kumar (@bakarmax) and Rahee Punyashloka (@artedkar) reimagine caste issues through short, animated sketches, comic strips and surrealist art. Additionally, graphic artists like Samarth use comics as a powerful tool to raise awareness about caste-related topics.
Innovative new-age media formats recalibrate traditional approaches to caste sensitisation by immersing their audience affectively in the process. But there’s a catch: do they actually prompt action? New-age media can be effective in making people aware about social injustices. However, we often see tweets, memes and songs trend for a few months before ultimately fading into oblivion. Sensitisation on caste issues through new-age media should not be a fleeting phenomenon. Rather, it should inspire people to take action in building a casteless society.
Nandhitha Muruganandan is an alumna of the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli. Sathyaraj Venkatesan is a Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli
