The Ghost Taxonomy (2012)

Indian society weaves a complex matrix of inequality. While the usual divisions of caste, religion and language gradually still, income differentiation has stratified citizens into ever-expanding vertical layers. Identity and worth of an individual is marked by his income. A person moves a step above, by money power, only to find several others on top. This vortex has institutionalized income disparity as those on the lowest steps have little space or opportunity to transcend their status. Leftovers of a sumptuous dinner may feed a family and the expenditure incurred over the meal may sustain some family for a year, amount needed to buy one liter milk beats official requirement to cross poverty line. Worse, we have accepted this cruel classification as a natural consequence of growth, an unpardonable insensitivity that may create irreparable fissures in social fabric.