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Black Coffee in a Coconut Shell: Caste as Lived Experience
Caste, as it is experienced in everyday life, is the pièce de résistance of this book. Thirty-two voices narrate how from childhood to adulthood, caste intruded upon their lives—food, clothes, games, gait, love, marriage and every aspect of one's existence including death. Like the editor Perumal Murugan says, caste is like god, it is omnipresent.
The contributors write about the myriad ways in which they have experienced caste. It may be in the form of forgoing certain kinds of food, or eating food at secluded corners of a household, or drinking tea out of a crushed plastic cup, or drinking black coffee in a coconut shell or water poured from above into a cupped hand. Such experiences may also take the form of forbidden streets, friends disapproved of and love denied. And when one leaves behind the fear of caste while living one's life, there is still death to deal with.
The contributors write about the myriad ways in which they have experienced caste. It may be in the form of forgoing certain kinds of food, or eating food at secluded corners of a household, or drinking tea out of a crushed plastic cup, or drinking black coffee in a coconut shell or water poured from above into a cupped hand. Such experiences may also take the form of forbidden streets, friends disapproved of and love denied. And when one leaves behind the fear of caste while living one's life, there is still death to deal with.
277 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 27, 2023
28 people are currently reading
562 people want to read
About the author
Perumal Murugan
97 books376 followersPrimary profile for this author.
Do NOT merge author profiles in different languages/spelling.
Per GR policy, books published in another language/script should have the name on that book as secondary author, with Perumal Murugan as primary author.
Perumal Murugan is a well-known contemporary Tamil writer and poet. He was written six novels, four collections of short stories and four anthologies of poetry. Three of his novels have been translated into English to wide acclaim: Seasons of the Palm, which was shortlisted for the prestigious Kiriyama Award in 2005, Current Show, and most recently, One Part Woman. He has received awards from the Tamil Nadu government as well as from Katha Books.
Do NOT merge author profiles in different languages/spelling.
Per GR policy, books published in another language/script should have the name on that book as secondary author, with Perumal Murugan as primary author.
Perumal Murugan is a well-known contemporary Tamil writer and poet. He was written six novels, four collections of short stories and four anthologies of poetry. Three of his novels have been translated into English to wide acclaim: Seasons of the Palm, which was shortlisted for the prestigious Kiriyama Award in 2005, Current Show, and most recently, One Part Woman. He has received awards from the Tamil Nadu government as well as from Katha Books.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 19, 2019
"Some say there is caste in the rural areas and not in the urban cities. In the villages, one can feel the force of the wind. Even though the wind loses its force when it hits the buildings in the cities, it is not non-existent in the city streets. Caste is something similar."
— Perumal Murugan
A collection of essays by people from different castes. They tell stories about events where everything is just fine and then—inevitably—someone ruins it by insisting that people may not enjoy each other's company because caste oppression is more important than peace, love, and happiness.
— Perumal Murugan
A collection of essays by people from different castes. They tell stories about events where everything is just fine and then—inevitably—someone ruins it by insisting that people may not enjoy each other's company because caste oppression is more important than peace, love, and happiness.
May 21, 2019
Simply brilliant collection of essays based on the lived experience of the authors. Murugan brings together the recollections of the famous 'Nest' collective consisting of some of the most progressive writers, poets, thinkers and activists in Tamil today. An invaluable collection for those interested in the topic.
January 25, 2025
An extensive collection of essays capturing the different writers’ experiences with caste.
Loved how the essays gave us perspective of caste experiences from writers belonging to upper and lower castes. It was painful to read the type of experiences people of lower castes had to endure. It also gave us a perspective on how the upper caste folks are socially conditioned to uphold their caste values from their childhood.
This book is a wonderful study on how society in Tamil Nadu works and how caste has always been the centre of all interactions between people in general.
The only downside to this book is the lack of diversity when it comes to the authors’ background. As Perumal Murugan mentioned, the essays were written by members of his koodu literary meetings who were mostly teachers and professors from in and around Namakkal. So the experiences are limited to this very circle.
But would highly recommend this book to people who would want to understand how caste affects the lives of people in Tamil Nadu.
Loved how the essays gave us perspective of caste experiences from writers belonging to upper and lower castes. It was painful to read the type of experiences people of lower castes had to endure. It also gave us a perspective on how the upper caste folks are socially conditioned to uphold their caste values from their childhood.
This book is a wonderful study on how society in Tamil Nadu works and how caste has always been the centre of all interactions between people in general.
The only downside to this book is the lack of diversity when it comes to the authors’ background. As Perumal Murugan mentioned, the essays were written by members of his koodu literary meetings who were mostly teachers and professors from in and around Namakkal. So the experiences are limited to this very circle.
But would highly recommend this book to people who would want to understand how caste affects the lives of people in Tamil Nadu.
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February 25, 2019As Ambai says in her Translator's notes -dealing with caste and its ways of marking bodies needs more than denying its existence or asserting our own castless status. It needs confrontation and overcoming. This book collates the lived experiences of people and the everyday and deep rooted presence of caste and discrimination in their lives. Each story is hard hitting evidence and we need to listen and learn.
December 4, 2025
It is very easy to deny the existence of caste, and/ or to believe that all that is needed to do away with caste is to deny the existence of caste and to assert our casteless entity. Unfortunately, reality is very different from that ideal. This collection of essays is the brainchild of noted writer Perumal Murugan, who asked various members of the 'Koodu collective' to submit personal essays entitled "Caste and I". The contributors (all of whom wrote in Tamil) span the entire gamut of caste locations. While nearly all the contributors are reasonably well educated and hold important jobs, they have varying experiences regarding caste. Some faced discrimination and oppression, others witnessed people of their caste being the oppressors. Many sought to hide their caste identity- either to avoid discrimination or on principle, and others refused to lie about their caste to gain privileges.
While the experiences were varied, some commonalities emerged from the essays. Caste is a continum and often the more dominant subcastes within the scheduled castes were as guilty of perpetrating oppression as the dominant castes. At least one contributor said that while he often argued against the oppressive system in academic debates, he failed when he had to take a stand against oppression in public. While in Tamil Nadu, students from marginalised castes get a scholarship, the manner in which the money is disbursed eventually leads to greater ostrasication. There are subtle and not so subtle ways in which caste discrimination is practiced- tea stalls, for instance often have different types of glasses which are used for people from different castes. One contributor highlighted how upper caste women were victims of the oppression perpetrated by Brahminical patriarchy. There are many stories of how economic oppression is enforced using the caste system.
This book is essential reading for anyone who believes in social justice.
While the experiences were varied, some commonalities emerged from the essays. Caste is a continum and often the more dominant subcastes within the scheduled castes were as guilty of perpetrating oppression as the dominant castes. At least one contributor said that while he often argued against the oppressive system in academic debates, he failed when he had to take a stand against oppression in public. While in Tamil Nadu, students from marginalised castes get a scholarship, the manner in which the money is disbursed eventually leads to greater ostrasication. There are subtle and not so subtle ways in which caste discrimination is practiced- tea stalls, for instance often have different types of glasses which are used for people from different castes. One contributor highlighted how upper caste women were victims of the oppression perpetrated by Brahminical patriarchy. There are many stories of how economic oppression is enforced using the caste system.
This book is essential reading for anyone who believes in social justice.
December 3, 2023
Disclaimer: I do not have a personal background with caste. I also read the English translation of this book.
The anecdotes presented in this collection of stories about the authors' experiences with caste are important. It is also unique and commendable that this collection contains narratives from both upper and lower case individuals. Some talk about their struggles with caste, and some talk about how they recognize their roles in perpetuating caste. They present caste with the necessary nuance.
However, I have three general problems with this book that presented some challenges.
1) The narratives are somewhat repetitive. Of the 32 authors, only 3 are women. More narratives by women could have brought another range of experiences into the book. The narratives in the book center on caste conflicts in labor, land, school, and marriage. However, they are predominantly from the male perspective. I imagine that women's caste experiences in the workplace and marriage, in particular, are often quite different from that of men.
2) There is no explanation of the castes introduced in each chapter. I understand this book was originally written in Tamil, all the castes are Tamil with a few neighboring groups, and that a Tamil reader would likely have all this knowledge already. However, as an outsider, it would have been extremely helpful to have an introductory section where the castes in the book were listed in order of their hierarchy and perhaps a general, factual blurb about each caste. I was often left confused after reading about each author's view of the Arunthathiyars, Naidus, Nadars, Iyengars, Paraiyars, Gounders, Sakkiliyars, etc., and then wondering how each of these castes were placed in relation to each other and the author's caste.
3) The translation is not quite there. There were times while reading that I couldn't help but think that some of the literary artistry may have been lost in translation. Additionally, there were some incorrect or otherwise awkward word usage choices (like "saloon" instead of "salon" for the place where hair is cut/styled, and "lowered caste" instead of "lower caste," as is the generally accepted convention).
The anecdotes presented in this collection of stories about the authors' experiences with caste are important. It is also unique and commendable that this collection contains narratives from both upper and lower case individuals. Some talk about their struggles with caste, and some talk about how they recognize their roles in perpetuating caste. They present caste with the necessary nuance.
However, I have three general problems with this book that presented some challenges.
1) The narratives are somewhat repetitive. Of the 32 authors, only 3 are women. More narratives by women could have brought another range of experiences into the book. The narratives in the book center on caste conflicts in labor, land, school, and marriage. However, they are predominantly from the male perspective. I imagine that women's caste experiences in the workplace and marriage, in particular, are often quite different from that of men.
2) There is no explanation of the castes introduced in each chapter. I understand this book was originally written in Tamil, all the castes are Tamil with a few neighboring groups, and that a Tamil reader would likely have all this knowledge already. However, as an outsider, it would have been extremely helpful to have an introductory section where the castes in the book were listed in order of their hierarchy and perhaps a general, factual blurb about each caste. I was often left confused after reading about each author's view of the Arunthathiyars, Naidus, Nadars, Iyengars, Paraiyars, Gounders, Sakkiliyars, etc., and then wondering how each of these castes were placed in relation to each other and the author's caste.
3) The translation is not quite there. There were times while reading that I couldn't help but think that some of the literary artistry may have been lost in translation. Additionally, there were some incorrect or otherwise awkward word usage choices (like "saloon" instead of "salon" for the place where hair is cut/styled, and "lowered caste" instead of "lower caste," as is the generally accepted convention).
May 27, 2019
Caste is one of those things, if you grow up in India, you are bound to have experienced or felt its all encompassing web; that experience or feeling could be in any end of the spectrum depending on which caste you belong to - feeling privileged to absolute rejection. This book is a wonderful effort from Perumal sir and his Koodu in getting everyday people to share about caste. The essays that resulted from people sharing their feelings, experiences, thoughts and lives is what you read in this book.
I have always struggled to explain what caste is - anything I try to say feels incomplete and I am never able to really describe it in its entirety, at-least not in a way I feel justified. This book that has captured the experience of so many people really shows why caste is something beyond a simple definition. One thing for certain and common to all schools of thoughts is that the evil and hate it perpetrates are despicable, and the privilege, honour, pride and comforts it lays on your foot is not earned and deserved. Caste is a tumor that needs to be removed and is not a mere surgical operation, it needs changes in mind-set, it needs changes in approach to life - the only tool we can deploy for it to be out of our lives is unadulterated and unconditional love for all.
I have always struggled to explain what caste is - anything I try to say feels incomplete and I am never able to really describe it in its entirety, at-least not in a way I feel justified. This book that has captured the experience of so many people really shows why caste is something beyond a simple definition. One thing for certain and common to all schools of thoughts is that the evil and hate it perpetrates are despicable, and the privilege, honour, pride and comforts it lays on your foot is not earned and deserved. Caste is a tumor that needs to be removed and is not a mere surgical operation, it needs changes in mind-set, it needs changes in approach to life - the only tool we can deploy for it to be out of our lives is unadulterated and unconditional love for all.
May 10, 2021
4.5/5
"In my experience, I feel caste is like god. There is no difference in villages, cities, mountains or among the educated or uneducated--god is everywhere, so is caste. Is there a day when god is not remembered? Similarly, caste is also remembered every day. There is only one difference. They say that those who have seen god cannot explain what god is and that those who explain have not seen god. But the everyday moments constantly produce before us visuals of caste."
"Anyone can talk, write or opine about caste. However, it does not lose its character and keeps appearing at some level or the other in our life. It is deeply rooted, changing according to the time and environment and spreading its malevolence in many different forms. We survive. So does caste, surviving along with us, doing its work with much greater force."
"In my experience, I feel caste is like god. There is no difference in villages, cities, mountains or among the educated or uneducated--god is everywhere, so is caste. Is there a day when god is not remembered? Similarly, caste is also remembered every day. There is only one difference. They say that those who have seen god cannot explain what god is and that those who explain have not seen god. But the everyday moments constantly produce before us visuals of caste."
"Anyone can talk, write or opine about caste. However, it does not lose its character and keeps appearing at some level or the other in our life. It is deeply rooted, changing according to the time and environment and spreading its malevolence in many different forms. We survive. So does caste, surviving along with us, doing its work with much greater force."
May 16, 2019
I recommend it to everyone. Unique things are told, it surpassed my expectations. I never thought about this topic ever so deeply and it makes me ponder over several things.
This book is based on the caste system. Yes you read it right, if you are thinking that "oh I've read about it in 10th class and know much, no need to read this book" so don't touch the back button! Unlike any other book out there this beauty astounded me with the content it offers.
This book is based on the caste system. Yes you read it right, if you are thinking that "oh I've read about it in 10th class and know much, no need to read this book" so don't touch the back button! Unlike any other book out there this beauty astounded me with the content it offers.
June 17, 2020
Important
July 7, 2025
Really insightful collection of personal essays about caste in Tamil Nadu
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews