A two-word post on social media by the chief executive of a content marketing company has snowballed into a massive battle of narratives, three days after Anuradha Tiwari posted a photo of herself with the caption, "Brahmin genes."
Amid mounting criticism as well as support on her post, Ms Tiwari posted a follow-up on Friday.
"As expected, a mere mention of word 'Brahmin' triggered many inferior beings. Tells a lot about who real casteists are. UCs get nothing from system – no reservation, no freebies. We earn everything on our own and have every right to be proud of our lineage. So, deal with it," Ms Tiwari said, referring to upper castes as UCs.
While some pointed out her posts were insensitive, others supported her, citing the “unfair” policy of reservation.
On Saturday, she doubled down on her original post.
"Proud Dalit/Muslim/Tribal – Okay. Proud Brahmin – Not okay. There is an entire system working to make Brahmins feel guilty for their very existence. Time to change this narrative. Be an unapologetic Brahmin. Wear it on your sleeve. Let the so-called social justice warriors burn," Ms Tiwari said.
As expected, a mere mention of word 'Brahmin' triggered many inferior beings. Tells a lot about who real casteists are.
UCs get nothing from system – no Reservation, no freebies. We earn everything on our own and have every right to be proud of our lineage. So, deal with it. https://t.co/e1FhC13oVz— Anuradha Tiwari (@talk2anuradha) August 23, 2024
Those who supported her views said they have been made to be silent for a long time, and made to feel "guilty" to express they are Brahmins.
"Agree with many things except considering others as inferior. One can't fight for 'equality' if they consider themselves as 'superior' to others," Vikas Pandey, a software engineer, said.
Another X user, Ashish Arora, said, "Fully support you. We are milked by the government for taxes and in return get nothing."
This morning, Ms Tiwari wrote another post with questions about Brahmins.
"Brahmins today fear revealing their full name. So much hatred has been spread against us. We have been made villains by social justice activists and politicians. We don't harm anyone. We get no help from government. We work hard. Why should we be ashamed of our caste?" she said.
Brahmins today fear revealing their full name. So much hatred has been spread against us.
We have been made villains by social justice activists & politicians.
We don’t harm anyone. We get no help from govt. We work hard. Why should we be ashamed of our caste? #Brahmingenes— Anuradha Tiwari (@talk2anuradha) August 25, 2024
She received support from hundreds of X users who had been commenting on her posts since Thursday.
An X user, Shashank Dubey, replied to Ms Tiwari's post this morning, "They have all been involved in suppressing general castes, particularly Brahmins. Hatred against Brahmins has been spread, and no political leaders or parties have taken a stand against it."
Others, however, pointed at what they called absurdity of her posts.
"It is astonishing to see someone flaunting what they call 'Brahmin genes' as if that equates to superiority. From this post, it seems more like a display of stupidity than anything else. What's even more incredible is the number of unremarkable individuals rallying behind this notion, proudly showcasing their so-called 'Brahmin genes.' Perhaps they should take a moment to reflect on why they remain so mediocre despite their supposedly 'superior heritage'," Deepali Singh, an X user, commented.
Ms Tiwari's original post made on August 22 has so got 5.2 million views.
