A Coimbatore-based businessman is determined to enroll his three-and-a-half-year-old daughter in a school that accepts her identity as casteless, with no religious affiliation. Naresh Karthik, who runs a small design firm, was taken aback that every school he approached for admission put the application on hold because he’d left the caste and religion column blank. So, he applied for and received a certificate issued by the Coimbatore North Tashildar declaring that “baby GN Vilma does not belong to any caste or religion.”
“There is a state government order (GO) passed in 1973 and later in 2000 that allows the caste and religion columns to be left blank, but the school authorities have no knowledge of this,” Naresh tells TNM. “The authorities are confused when I show them the GO copies, and insist that they need the details to provide to the government for their statistics on school enrollments and dropouts from different communities. When I asked them to leave me out of the stats or to create a separate category for people like us, they refused.” This is what led him to get a certificate that exempted his child from having to declare her caste and religion.
Before applying for the certificate, Naresh out of curiosity, applied to twenty-two private schools for his daughter’s admission. “Every one of them put the application on hold citing that the caste and religion columns were blank. I’d already decided where I wanted to send my daughter, but I wanted to see what would happen if I left the columns blank on those applications,” he says. Naresh adds that it is unfortunate that schools are unaware of a provision to choose not to declare one’s caste or religion.
“It's not the school authorities’ faults. It is because of our education system that people are unaware of the existence of such provisions,” he further says. But it was also education, Naresh tells TNM, that led him to his anti-caste, atheist ideology. “I do not believe in any religion. I read various holy books, across religions. What I found common to all of them was that they were against women’s rights and autonomy. Caste is a product of religion, a system that says one person is lesser another is higher, based on their birth. How is that fair?” He adds that the writings of Bharathiyaar, Ambedkar and Periyar, and the Thirukural also contributed to strengthening his stance. “If one needs a moral guide and therefore, they turn to religion, I would say the Thirukural provides the same.”
The Coimbatore-based businessman also feels that declaring caste or religious identity is unnecessary except for when someone is applying for affirmative action such as reservation. "I am hoping that by my getting this certificate for my daughter, it spreads awareness about the existence of such a process and it makes it easier for others who want to take a similar approach," he says.
The process of applying for the certificate itself wasn’t hard, Naresh says. “I had to give it in writing that by applying, I am giving up any caste or religion-based reservation for my daughter and that I am aware that the certificate cannot be altered or reversed in the future.” Along with this declaration on stamp paper, Naresh had to submit the child’s birth certificate and Aadhaar details. He received the no caste, no religion certificate in a week’s time. “The process itself was simple, but how many people are aware that such an avenue exists?” he asks. “Also, I run a small trust call Seedreaps that focuses on education for the children of prisoners, juvenile offenders released after completing their sentencing, and child survivors of rape and domestic abuse. Because of this work, I have direct access to the district collector. I was able to send him a message and ask for his help. How many people have the privilege of being able to talk directly to a Collector? Even if they have their number, will a Collector respond to their requests for help?” Naresh adds. “I hope that the certificate for my daughter spreads awareness about the existence of such measures.”
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