A news article from BBC News reports on a 32-year-old man named Anoop B. living in Kerala, India 2 months after winning 250m rupees (equivalent to $3.01m) in the government lottery. Although winning the lottery sounds like a dream come true, Anoop’s life was negatively affected. He was consistently asked to give others money, and most people were random strangers that weren’t family. One man sat in his house until Anoop promised to buy him a motorbike, while another group of people begged him to fund their film. Anoop lost many friends and some of his family members because he didn’t give them money. Although he is grateful for this money, he is still wary of taxes and his connections.
When I read this article, I immediately thought of the original caste system that was placed in India. The abundance of people that turned to hate Anoop because of his recent increase in wealth is an example of how there is still so much economic inequality in India, caused by the caste system. A lot of poor people are living in poverty in India, and the fact that the government handed Anoop 250m rupees is economically appalling. Anoop’s friends that turned on him exemplify that there is still a prominent difference between economic (and social) classes today, too. Even though there are different classes in every country, India’s original caste system has left everlasting economic effects on its country.