After Hima Das became the first Indian woman to win a gold at the World Under-20 Athletics Championships in Finland last week, she has constantly been in the news for all the right reasons. However, Indian internet users are interested to know about Hima for a different reason altogether.
Caste more important to us
After Hima Das' name, 'Hima Das caste' has become the second most searched topic about her on Google, reported TOI.
After screenshots of this surfaced on social media, Twitter users reacted and lashed out at this caste-centred mentality of people.
While some people called India a "sad country", some expressed disappointment and called such people 'shameless'.
India is a sad sad country. A young athlete #HimaDas wins India's first gold medal at the World Junior Athletics Championships and what do her countrymen search for in Google. Her caste! Fucking Pathetic! #HimaDasGoldenGirl
— Dem 101 (@duxFortisIndia) July 16, 2018
Since indians are busy searching for the caste details of famous indian personalities, soon google will open a seperate browser for caste search, only for indians, that too with Aadhaar number.#casteseekingindians #GoogleAssistant#HimaDas pic.twitter.com/BYjvxh4Owa
— Nidheesh (@thenidheesh) July 15, 2018
One of the users referred to a similar incident which had happened after PV Sindhu had won a silver medal at the Rio Olympics. The tweet read, "Even in 21st century India casteism is so deeply penetrated in our veins. Not only shameful but disheartening."
Read Also: AFI Apologises To Hima Das After Tweet Sparks Ire
India's Golden Girl
The sprinter bagged the first position in the women's 400m final race in the World Junior Athletics and garnered applause and appreciation from everybody. The 18-year-old, who is from Dhing village in Assam, covered the distance in just 51.46 seconds.
Following her feat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Seeing her passionately search for the Tricolour immediately after winning and getting emotional while singing the National Anthem touched me deeply. I was extremely moved."
"Which Indian wont have tears of joy on seeing this. It gives new energy and encouragement to 1.24 million Indians. I congratulate her for making the country proud," he added.
It's high time we started appreciating a person's worth by his/her work, not caste.
Read Also: Shaming Hima Das For Poor English Reeks Of Our Elitist Mindset
Kriti Dwivedi is an intern with SheThePeople.Tv