HYDERABAD, November 16, 2011
Caste and religion of the tenant come into play
Swathi. V
Never mind the oft-heard, commonplace phrases against casteism and
religious bigotry, the much-happening metropolis of Hyderabad still
holds venom against 'the Other'. While those from minority sections at
least have a few localities where they can be assured of a rented
house, negative answers are the staple for Dailt home-seekers. More
discomfiting are the various ways adopted to probe the caste of
probable tenants.
What usually begins as the rider 'Vegetarians Only' scribbled on the
rental sign, progresses further into the name, surname, home-town and
antecedents of the home seekers till the caste is narrowed upon.
"Restrictions in terms of diet are often a ruse. If the prospective
tenant has an upper caste tag to his name, he will be given the house
despite his diet.
The sign is put up only to keep Dalits off," says Mallepally
Lakshmaiah, a noted Dalit journalist, who found himself in many such
situations.
The same is vouched by many from the oppressed communities. Upmarket
and cosmopolitan localities such as Hitec City and Madhapur are not an
exception; though the usual claim is that increased commercialisation
of space dilutes traditional barriers.
"I was spurned by at least 12 landlords in Gachibowli-Madhapur
vicinity apparently due to my caste. Majority among them directly
enquired about my caste, while a few others said they would prefer
vegetarians. It proved to be a Herculean task for me to obtain a
house," says P. Sudhakar (name changed), a scholar from University of
Hyderabad.
Sly enquiries
Query about caste is not always the first and direct one. If the name
or surname of the prospective tenant denotes nothing, sly enquiries
are made about his or her dietary habits.
Those admitting to the guilt of being non-vegetarian should be ready
to field a direct question about caste.
Bachelors have it a little easier, as they usually hire accommodation
in groups of assorted identities. However, this may not be the case
always.
"I had harrowing experiences during my search for house. An
upper-caste landlord in Alkapuri invited us inside the house, and
offered coffee before accepting the rent in advance. But once he came
to know of our caste, he began to sound evasive. He first said his
wife had to be consulted, and asked us to wait. Next day, we went only
to receive the money back, that too from outside the main-gate," says
N. Srihari Madiga, preparing for his Civils exam.
Humiliating experience
He recalls many such instances of humiliation, not only from upper
castes, but also from those belonging to BC sections.
Faith begets a blunter refusal. Muslims are more often than not
ghettoised to specific localities, whereas for Christians it gets more
difficult if they are also Dalits.
"I encountered many refusals during house-hunting due to
discrimination based on my faith. People seemingly willing to rent out
hearing my fluent Telugu, would come up with all kinds of excuses
after knowing my name. Some bluntly said they didn't want Muslims,"
recalled Syed Mohiuddin, a media professional.
Md. Esa, a real estate agent, says in his career he has encountered
many instances of landlords refusing to rent their premises out for
Muslims, as also Sikhs.
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