University study on castes in state

“Caste has played an important role in Indian politics over the years. Since our department focuses on Indian politics,we have been encourging our students to study a few castes in Maharashtra and border areas,” head of the department Dr Yashwant Sumant said.

“Our students have covered a few castes in Maharashtra such as Maratha Sewa Sangh,the Lingayat caste and groups like the Sambhaji Brigade,” added Sumant.

Mostly PhD and MPhil students are working on the project. “We are interested in looking at caste as a social enquiry. We are looking at contemporary location of castes. Caste as a concept has undergone several changes over the years because of reasons like urbanisation. We have also been trying to encourage students to study their own castes as it gives them the opportunity to understand culture better,” said Professor Dr Rajeshwari Deshpande.

The department has also undertaken an indepth analysis of theLok Sabha and Rajya Sabha elections. “We have been working on issues related to democracy. The topic is wide but we are trying to come up with some substantial results,” Dr Deshpande added.