Caste System in India

This speaker participated in our 2018 Conference. Learn more about our 2023 conference speakers here.

Friday, May 18 | 3:00pm-3:30pm

Caste discrimination is an age-old problem in India which is spreading to the west as immigrants are taking it along with them. There are many who claim to be of superior birth based on this 2300 yr old practice. They are not satisfied with just feeling superior but discriminate against those born of so-called lower castes. There have been many lynchings and deaths related to this. I have met with prominent geneticists based in India who are aware of this and are interested in starting a project using science to disprove the claims of superiority. By tracing mitochondrial DNA which is transferred from the mother to her offspring, we can trace all our roots back to Africa. After speaking about it for many years, I finally decided to start this project with the aim to prove that our roots belong in Africa and that this caste practice which is only 2300 yrs old should have no place in our current society. It is regressive and dehumanizing. If given the opportunity, I can substantiate my claim about the relevance of DNA testing to tackle this problem. My goal is to see my fellow human beings to accept one another without prejudice of any kind. Caste discrimination among people of India (1.3 billion) and all the expats who are spread all over the world in several million is a huge problem that needs the attention of humanists across the world. This disease is not limited to people of Indian origin, many South Asian communities, as well as African communities, are suffering from this.

Madhvi Potluri

Dr. Madhvi Potluri is a staunch Humanist and human rights advocate, a strong proponent of free speech and free thought. A firm believer in equality among all human beings as well an animal and nature lover. She is philanthropic and altruistic by nature and has been supporting several causes across the globe.

Dr. Madhvi currently holds the position of Secretary-External relations for South Asian Humanist Association. Since it’s inception, she has participated in many humanist activities catering to South Asian diaspora and also presented on behalf of SAHA, at the Indian Humanists training camps conducted in India. By representing SAHA, she built a strong relationship with the Norwegian Humanist Association and Indian Humanists. Dr. Madhvi proudly represented SAHA at IHEU’s annual congress in 2017. Dr. Madhvi has been a regular guest on TORI, a global Internet Radio in Telugu language catering to 7 million expats on Science and Humanism, worldwide.

Dr. Madhvi Potluri lives and practices in Vancouver, BC, Canada along with her husband Dr. Ajay Potluri. Together, they have raised a daughter who is a responsible and highly independent young woman. Dr. Madhvi Potluri is currently working on setting up a new charity to help kids get a basic education in rural India along with her daughter. She can be reached at madhvig@gmail.com.

Dr. Madhvi is part of the core founding leadership team of “Science For Society”. She has been instrumental in providing expertise and thought leadership to promote and popularize science in the third world countries.