Read: "‘Caste is the Church’s dirty little secret’"

[Vivek Pinto]

By: Debjani Paul

Published in: mid.day

Date: June 18, 2026

Source:  https://www.mid-day.com/sunday-mid-day/article/author-christina-dhanujas-new-book-dalit-women-and-the-fullness-of-life-delves-into-the-lives-of-dalit-women-in-india-and-more-23635039

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"Author and researcher Christina Dhanuja’s new book (Dalit Women and the Fullness of Life, Penguin Random House India, 2026) centres a group that rarely enters mainstream discourse on caste: Dalit women — their strife, achievements, and joys."

"The book comes at a time when caste is once again a subject of heated public discourse, just weeks after the Supreme Court held that only Hindus, Sikhs or Buddhists can claim the protection of Scheduled Caste (SC) status. It seems to indicate that our lawmakers and judiciary, like a majority of the population, believe there’s no caste inside the Church. And yet, Dhanuja’s book shows just how far from the truth that is. 

'But like all matters of religion in this country, a lot of it happens in isolation. So, I’m not surprised that a majority of the South Asian population, including institutions such as the Supreme Court and the government, are unaware of how caste functions within churches,' says Dhanuja, 'I understand that in some, perhaps rural churches, there are even separate entrances and pews [one for savarnas, and another for marginalised castes].' One of the ways the congregation will keep the divide alive is by integrating it into marriage practices, she adds."