Arnav Joshi Week 7

I shall summarize Rasoi ka Kaam/Bathroom ka Kaam by Sonal Sharma. In this reading, the author sheds light onto the caste and gender hierarchy that exists in our society. She explains the concept of purity and polluted with giving reference to its origin. She says that work which is considered as “dirty” is associated with that of the lower caste community by the upper class. The author talks about untouchability and its origin in our society, about how certain activities were differentiated between being “clean” and “dirty” and the social construct of caste hierarchy. Sadly we live in a patriarchal society where women are most oppressed and forced to do menial labour work like cleaning houses etc. 

Domestic workers who clean dirt in homes of the upper-class community are considered “dirty people”. Sonali Sharma also talks about “ghar” and “bahir”. An interesting thing which I found in the text was the author saying that untouchability is not only practised between upper and lower caste communities, but also among the lower caste community itself.