An op-ed piece from the NY Times? Not what I would consider an authoritative source. The author says caste discrimination is illegal, but goes onto suggest that other than people avoiding discussing the topic, and aside from a few high profile and moderately successful social initiatives, it’s still very much a thing. The piece doesn’t quite support your assertion, e.g.:

> As India transforms, one might expect caste to dissolve and disappear, but that is not happening. Instead, caste is making its presence felt in ways similar to race in modern America: less important now in jobs and education, but vibrantly alive when it comes to two significant societal markers — marriage and politics…

> Inter-caste marriages in India are on the rise but still tend to be the province of the liberal few. For much of the country, with its penchant for arranged marriages and close family ties, caste is still a primary determinant in choosing a spouse…

…and a bit more. Why do you believe caste discrimination isn’t real? That seems like a strong stance.

I think for most part, this is what Indians want to believe. Even the folks on this thread. When I was a kid in school I didn't think the caste system existed in "modern" India because it wasn't something I spent any time thinking about. Caste and religion didn't matter to me in my every day interactions, didn't factor into any decisions I made, therefore it didn't matter to others either. Or so I thought. That's privilege speaking. These things didn't matter to me because I had never suffered because of it. But they do exist, and Indians need to accept that.

Why you might find people being defensive on this thread is that it might feel galling to be talked down to by Americans on this subject. The Indians on this thread, like me, have never thought about caste and yet they’re being told to stop being casteist, to fight casteism etc by people who found out about it 10 minutes ago. For others, being told about casteism makes them feel bad because it’s a reminder that India isn’t as great as it could be, it’s not the land of equality and opportunity that we’d like to believe it is.

Not saying they’re right to feel that way, because we must do our part regardless of what others say. But it just gives you their perspective, so you might understand.

> it’s not the land of equality and opportunity that we’d like to believe it is

yet, right ?

Just so many Indians in the US makes this evident to me

Anyway, nobody likes others shiting on their country, but no need to gaslight or minimize

???

> "the vast majority of high paying jobs are still in the hands of the top three castes."

An Op-Ed in the nytimes is no different than a blog on geocities. Not. Real. Fact.

An opinion article from 2013 is hardly counter evidence.