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Caste has a cost: who profits and who pays?

Ms Meghna asks her class how landless agricultural families survived, and two students answer. Ajay sets out the work and the wages; Mughil, drawing on her grandmother, shows what caste added on top of the poverty.

Credits
Ambedkar King Study CircleGail Omvedt — Source text, “Towards a Marxist Analysis of Caste”
Length
37panels
Published
December 22, 2025
  • Caste discrimination

Every panel carries a transcript of the words drawn inside it, and can be opened full screen. Use the arrow keys to move between panels once one is open.

  1. A rural landscape with a stone windmill and a red barn set in a green field under a blue sky, with a thought bubble floating in the left foreground.
    Panel 1 of 37
    Transcript
    1. ThinksCaste has a cost: who profits and who pays?
  2. A classroom scene. Ms Meghna, a woman with a short dark bob wearing a light-coloured salwar kameez, stands at the right addressing three students seated at desks; a globe and a stack of books sit near the front. A narration banner runs across the top of the panel.
    Panel 2 of 37
    Transcript
    1. CaptionMs Meghna's classes were always thought-provoking
    2. Ms MeghnaAlright- we have now talked about agriculture and agriculture labour. I want you all to now think deeply about the Indian families which were poor and landless. What hardships did they face?
  3. The same classroom. Ms Meghna continues speaking from the right; the three students are still visible at their desks with the globe in the foreground.
    Panel 3 of 37
    Transcript
    1. Ms MeghnaHow did they survive these economic hardships? How did they educate their children? What kinds of work did the women of the household do?
  4. The classroom again. Ms Meghna has moved closer to the students' desks and speaks with a forward lean; a filing cabinet is visible on the right. A narration banner runs across the top.
    Panel 4 of 37
    Transcript
    1. CaptionAnd her assignments were always interesting
    2. Ms MeghnaTalk to your parents and grandparents if possible... read up on the internet, and really put yourselves in the shoes of this farmer family. Tomorrow, each group will select one person who will come prepared with a small presentation on how you think this family lived back then!
  5. Mughil, a teenage girl with a dark bob, blue school shirt, tie, lanyard and pink backpack, walks along a cobbled street past brick shops and a café, looking pensive; a thought bubble rises from her head. A narration banner runs across the top.
    Panel 5 of 37
    Transcript
    1. CaptionMughil was lost in thought on the way back from school that day
    2. ThinksHmmm... That is an intense assignment to work on... and I was hoping I didn't have to present tomorrow sigh...
  6. The classroom the next day. Ajay, a teenage boy with curly dark hair, blue school shirt, tie and lanyard, stands at the front near a world-map board, one hand raised, addressing the class. A narration banner runs across the top.
    Panel 6 of 37
    Transcript
    1. CaptionThe next day, it was time for the presentations. Ajay went first.
    2. AjayThis assignment was really eye-opening for me and my team! We spoke to various family members to try and understand what life would have been like...
  7. Ajay stands before a dark, stormy farm backdrop with a chicken coop and chickens in the foreground, one hand open in explanation and the other at his chest, expression earnest.
    Panel 7 of 37
    Transcript
    1. AjayA poor farmer family then would have really struggled to make ends meet. Our farmer wakes up with the sun- and the women first fetch water from the public well. Then they cooked and got the children ready for school...
  8. Ajay stands in a dark early-morning scene outside a bus shelter, arms at his sides and slightly crossed, expression calm and explanatory.
    Panel 8 of 37
    Transcript
    1. AjayDropping them off at the bus-stop for the first bus, so they get to school on time. Both the men and women then worked hard in the nearby fields till evening...
  9. Ajay stands in front of a row of dark, shuttered low village buildings, hands clasped behind his back, speaking with a steady, matter-of-fact expression.
    Panel 9 of 37
    Transcript
    1. AjayThey mostly found work throughout the year. They found work in various farms by word of mouth- sometimes they had to travel to nearby villages where their land-owning distant relatives lived.
  10. Back in the classroom, Ajay spreads both hands open at his sides in a shrug-like gesture, world-map boards visible behind him, his expression open and slightly hopeful.
    Panel 10 of 37
    Transcript
    1. AjayIt was necessary to work hard throughout the year... and with this sheer hard work, many families did manage to educate their kids so they could have a better future.
  11. Mughil now stands at the front of the classroom near the world-map board, arms folded, expression composed but serious. A narration banner runs across the top.
    Panel 11 of 37
    Transcript
    1. CaptionMughil was to present next. She had assumed that she wouldn't have much more to add after Ajay... but she was surprised that that was NOT the case
    2. MughilI think Ajay painted an excellent picture of life back then... But there were some details that my grandmother had mentioned that I want to talk about.
  12. Mughil stands in a sun-scorched sandy landscape; behind her a low circular brick well sits in dry earth amid windswept leaves, with a dark wall looming in the background. Her hands are on her hips, expression firm.
    Panel 12 of 37
    Transcript
    1. MughilMy grandmother said the women of the house used to wake up veryyyy early- because they had to fetch water from a faraway place. Because women from their street did not have access to the "public" well
  13. A rainy outdoor scene. In the background, a woman in a sari and a boy and girl in school uniform huddle at a bus-stop sign, a red exclamation mark above them, as a bus speeds past without stopping. Mughil stands in the foreground watching, her expression sad and resolute. Sound-effect lettering reading "BEEP! BEEP!" appears on the right.
    Panel 13 of 37
    Transcript
    1. MughilThe women then had to go to work after getting the kids ready, along with the men. But my uncles and aunts could not catch a bus to school- the goverment bus did not stop at the assigned bus stop at their street...
  14. Mughil stands alone on a barren, grey rocky plateau under a pale blue sky, arms at her sides, looking down with a sombre expression.
    Panel 14 of 37
    Transcript
    1. MughilIt was apparently a huge struggle especially for the women, to even get to school.
  15. Mughil stands in the foreground facing outward, expression steady, while a large crowd of dark silhouetted figures holding placards fills the background beside a bus-stop sign.
    Panel 15 of 37
    Transcript
    1. MughilIt took almost 10 years of people protesting for a bus to stop!
  16. Back in the classroom, Mughil stands at the front near the world-map board, arms at her sides, expression subdued as she continues her presentation.
    Panel 16 of 37
    Transcript
    1. MughilWork was not always available throughout the year. It was hard to collectively bargain for better wages- that could mean no-one calls you for work!
  17. A stark graphic panel. A huge dark silhouetted hand points accusingly from the upper-left, its arm casting a shadow across a white background filled with speed lines. Mughil stands to the right of the pointing hand, arms at her sides, expression grave.
    Panel 17 of 37
    Transcript
    1. MughilSometimes, during the off-season, some workers had to migrate to nearby towns in search of work... and sometimes- there were restrictions on what work these men and women could and could not do!
  18. Mughil stands inside a dark industrial textile mill; iron staircases and a large wooden drive-wheel are visible behind her. A bold red exclamation mark stands between her and the machinery. Her expression is troubled.
    Panel 18 of 37
    Transcript
    1. MughilOne of my mother's uncles got a job in a textile mill in the city. Which meant better pay-until he went to work, and he was not allowed to spin yarn.
  19. Mughil stands on a pavement outside iron gates topped with pointed spikes, smoke rising from chimneys behind the fence. A red prohibition sign stands to her left. Her face is set, expression grim.
    Panel 19 of 37
    Transcript
    1. MughilHe had also tried to work in the government grain market, but was disallowed to handle the grains- all because he was "impure"
  20. Mughil, in a blue uniform and lanyard, stands before a railyard scene with freight cars, a rubbish bin and black bin bags in the background, her expression somber as she narrates.
    Panel 20 of 37
    Transcript
    1. MughilFinally- he found he was able to work only in a railyard. Which was more difficult work for less pay.
  21. Close-up of Mughil's face, her eyes wide and her expression earnest as she continues speaking.
    Panel 21 of 37
    Transcript
    1. MughilIt really seemed like even to work hard, they had to go the extra mile-for water, to school, to work, to even dream of a better future. And indeed to fight for one.
  22. Mughil stands in a classroom or office beside a framed world map on the wall, one hand raised in a gesturing motion, with stacks of books on the desk beside her.
    Panel 22 of 37
    Transcript
    1. MughilWhile economic hardships affect many Indians, it also seems like the means to overcome these hardships are also not equally available for everyone...
  23. Mughil stands in the same classroom setting, gesturing with one hand while a world map and a bubble-chart infographic are visible on the wall behind her.
    Panel 23 of 37
    Transcript
    1. MughilSo while we focus on class inequalities in India- isn't it also important to focus on caste inequalities, in tandem?
  24. Mughil and Ajay, both in blue uniforms, sit side by side on a bench in front of a chain-link fence and basketball court at lunchtime; Ajay speaks, turned toward Mughil.
    Panel 24 of 37
    Transcript
    1. CaptionMughil and Ajay had a chance to chat during lunch break that day
    2. AjayI found your presentation great! And... it addressed something which I hadn't thought about- even when there are economic hardships, not everyone is affected in the same way, are they. In India- even when poor- not everyone is poor in the same way!
  25. Mughil and Ajay face each other against a background scattered with colourful question marks in teal, coral, yellow and white; Mughil looks attentive, Ajay looks pensive.
    Panel 25 of 37
    Transcript
    1. AjayIt's ofcourse not the same thing- but reminded me of the time when I was a new student in my old school and I didn't have any friends- and I fell ill for a week. I really could not cope, and the teachers were all upset I missed so many classes.
  26. Mughil and Ajay sit on the bench by the basketball court, both smiling as Ajay continues his story.
    Panel 26 of 37
    Transcript
    1. AjayFast-forward to now- my cousin also studies here, and I have so many friends- this time when I had to take a week off, it was just so much easier to catch up.
  27. Mughil and Ajay sit facing each other against an abstract teal background criss-crossed with diagonal white lines, both smiling.
    Panel 27 of 37
    Transcript
    1. AjayEven if the situations were similar-my access to friends and teachers and resources made so much difference.
  28. Mughil and Ajay sit on the bench by the basketball court; Mughil smiles and speaks while Ajay listens attentively.
    Panel 28 of 37
    Transcript
    1. MughilOhh haha that is an interesting analogy yes! Access in our country is determined basically by one’s caste... And caste doesn’t seem to only show up in ‘culture’ or marriage. It seems to dictate the very worth of one’s labour...
  29. Mughil and Ajay sit on the bench by the basketball court; Mughil looks thoughtful as she speaks and Ajay listens.
    Panel 29 of 37
    Transcript
    1. MughilYou know what? Thinking about all this has also... made me understand some of parents’ mmm anxieties better.
  30. Mughil and Ajay sit against a purple spotlit background; between them a silhouette of a person playing drums is illuminated in the spotlight, evoking the music school Mughil mentions; Ajay looks contemplative.
    Panel 30 of 37
    Transcript
    1. MughilOnce I had joked that maybe I would skip college and go to a music school. And my mother seemed to tense at that. “It’s not because you shouldn’t, or that we cannot afford it” she had said.
  31. Mughil (with a laptop) and Ajay sit across a table from each other; between them are a vintage film camera on a tripod, a typewriter, a microphone and a camera, illustrating the journalism career under discussion.
    Panel 31 of 37
    Transcript
    1. MughilOr when my sister was considering being a journalist. “It would just be hard career choice, as we don’t have the right connections...”
  32. Mughil and Ajay sit facing each other against a dark brown background; large dark shadow hands reach in from all sides around them, while Mughil speaks with a slight smile and Ajay looks downcast.
    Panel 32 of 37
    Transcript
    1. MughilOr the time when my mom had been so reluctant to ask for a promotion at her job as she was worried it would cause “drama at the workplace”
  33. Mughil and Ajay sit against a deep blue background with radiating speed lines; Mughil speaks with a smile and Ajay listens with a slight smile.
    Panel 33 of 37
    Transcript
    1. MughilI do not want to be anxious or scared... back then I was just annoyed at all of these reactions, but now I can see...
  34. Mughil and Ajay sit against the blue radiating background; between them, small illustrations of Alice and the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland depict the two figures running, visualising Mughil's analogy.
    Panel 34 of 37
    Transcript
    1. MughilWhy the constant fear of having to walk the extra mile can turn to these anxieties. As the Red Queen from Alice’s story says- it can be super hard to keep running if it takes all the running you can do to just keep in the same place-
  35. Mughil and Ajay sit against the blue radiating background, both smiling as Mughil makes her concluding argument.
    Panel 35 of 37
    Transcript
    1. MughilWhich is why a clear analysis of ourselves, and the systems which operate our lives, is so crucial! Only then can we all work together towards systemic change.
  36. A text card on a dark indigo textured background, with a white rectangle containing the source credit in black text.
    Panel 36 of 37
    Transcript
    1. CaptionInspired from “Towards a Marxist Analysis of Caste” by Gail Omvedt
  37. A text card on a dark indigo textured background, with a white rectangle containing a paper excerpt in black text.
    Panel 37 of 37
    Transcript
    1. CaptionAn excerpt from the paper: “These [caste] factors are not simply ‘cultural’ but part of this family’s relation to the means of production- that is its class position; and the main objective material base for the ability of the rich landlords to disrupt the unity of Maratha and Dalit labourers”

First published at https://akscusa.squarespace.com/comics.