The Caste Divide in Bangalore’s IT Sector: What the Data Tells Us

 In the sleek glass towers of Bangalore—the Silicon Valley of India—the conversation around meritocracy often takes center stage. The IT industry prides itself on being a level playing field, where skills matter more than surnames. But recent and historic data tell a different story, one rooted in centuries of structural inequality.

Who Really Works in Bangalore's IT Sector?

A 2007 study by anthropologist Carol Upadhya revealed that over 70% of IT employees in Bangalore belong to upper caste backgrounds. These include Brahmins, Baniyas, and other forward castes historically privileged in Indian society.

Another report by DNA India (2006) found that 86% of employees in India’s IT and ITES sectors are from upper castes, with Brahmins alone accounting for a disproportionately large chunk of the workforce. This finding was based on industry surveys and internal assessments.

"The industry, it seems, is still dominated by people who have had historical access to English education, elite institutions, and urban networks." — Carol Upadhya

But Who Makes Up Karnataka’s Population?

Compare that with the findings of the Karnataka caste census (2024), and the contrast is staggering.

According to the survey:

• Other Backward Classes (OBCs): 70%

• Scheduled Castes (SCs): 18%

• Scheduled Tribes (STs): 7%

• Muslims: 13%

• Upper castes (including Brahmins, Lingayats, Vokkaligas, etc.): far less than 15%

The data reveals that the overwhelming majority of Karnataka's population comes from historically marginalized communities, yet these groups are massively underrepresented in the IT industry.

Why This Disparity Exists

Several systemic factors drive this divide:

• Access to English-medium education and elite engineering colleges remains skewed towards upper castes.

• Urban networks, referrals, and “soft skills” (coded language, accent, behavior) often gatekeep hiring.

• Major tech companies recruit heavily from the IITs, NITs, and private institutions like BITS Pilani—where marginalized communities are underrepresented due to cost and access barriers.

The Illusion of Meritocracy

The myth that the IT sector is caste-neutral falls apart when you examine recruitment patterns, leadership demographics, and access to opportunity.

The upper caste dominance in tech isn’t just a coincidence—it’s a byproduct of centuries of systemic privilege. If we truly want to build an inclusive digital India, we need to confront this reality, not hide behind the façade of "merit."

What Needs to Change

• Caste-disaggregated diversity data in tech must be made public.

• Companies should set diversity hiring goals that include caste as a metric, not just gender.

• Reservation in private sector jobs—long resisted—needs serious policy discussion.

Conclusion

India cannot build a digital future on the foundations of social exclusion. As tech becomes the backbone of the Indian economy, ensuring caste equity in its workforce is not just a moral imperative—it’s a democratic one.

The numbers don’t lie. The question is: are we willing to act on them?

India's IT Boom: A Triumph or a Neocolonial Legacy?

 

India’s IT Boom: A Triumph or a Neocolonial Legacy?

India’s rise as a global powerhouse in Information Technology (IT) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is often hailed as a success story of modernization and economic prowess. From Bangalore’s gleaming tech parks to Hyderabad’s “Cyberabad,” the sector employs millions, drives GDP growth, and positions India as a digital leader. Yet, beneath this shiny veneer lies an uncomfortable question: Is this industry a genuine triumph of Indian ingenuity, or merely a modern extension of neocolonialism — a system where Western powers continue to extract value from India, albeit through subtler means than the colonial era? This article argues that the IT/BPO sector’s structure, origins, and dynamics reveal a neocolonial footprint.

The Roots: A Legacy of Dependency

The IT/BPO boom didn’t emerge in a vacuum. It traces back to the 1990s, when India’s economic liberalization opened doors to foreign investment. Western multinationals, particularly from the United States and Europe, seized the opportunity to tap India’s vast pool of English-speaking, technically skilled, and — crucially — low-cost labor. Companies like IBM, Accenture, and Infosys thrived by offering software development, customer support, and back-office services to the Global North at a fraction of Western wages.

This mirrors colonial patterns: historically, Britain extracted raw materials like cotton and spices from India, processing them into finished goods for profit. Today, the “raw material” is India’s human capital — programmers, call-center agents, and data analysts — whose labor is exported to serve Western corporations. The profits largely flow back to foreign headquarters or shareholders, leaving India with wages rather than ownership. The parallels are stark: a resource-rich nation harnessed to fuel distant economies.

The Wage Trap: Exploitation in Disguise

Proponents argue that IT/BPO jobs uplift millions, offering middle-class lifestyles in cities like Pune and Chennai. Yet, the wage disparity tells a different story. An Indian software engineer might earn $15,000–$20,000 annually — a fortune locally — while their U.S. counterpart doing similar work commands $80,000–$100,000. This arbitrage is the industry’s backbone, exploiting India’s lower cost of living to maximize Western profits.

Call-center workers face an even bleaker reality. Often working night shifts to align with Western time zones, they endure cultural alienation — adopting American accents, handling irate customers, and suppressing their identities for meager pay. This echoes the colonial labor dynamic, where Indian workers toiled for British overseers, their value measured by obedience and output rather than equity or agency.

Cultural Subservience: A New Raj

Neocolonialism isn’t just economic — it’s cultural. The IT/BPO sector often demands that Indian workers conform to Western norms. Employees are trained to mimic American or British speech patterns, celebrate foreign holidays like Thanksgiving, and cater to clients’ sensibilities, all while sidelining their own cultural rhythms. This mirrors the colonial era’s imposition of English education and Victorian values to “civilize” Indians for administrative roles under the Raj.

The glorification of “global” (read: Western) work culture in India’s tech hubs — open-plan offices, corporate jargon, and Silicon Valley aesthetics — further entrenches this dynamic. Indian firms like TCS and Wipro don’t just serve Western clients; they emulate them, prioritizing their needs over local innovation. The result? A workforce conditioned to see value in external approval rather than self-reliance.

The Outsourcing Paradox: Growth Without Control

India’s IT exports topped $200 billion in 2023, yet the sector remains tethered to foreign demand. When the U.S. economy falters, Indian IT firms feel the ripple effects — layoffs, project freezes, and stock dips. This dependency recalls colonial India’s reliance on British markets for tea and indigo, where local prosperity hinged on imperial whims.

Moreover, the industry’s focus on outsourcing stifles domestic innovation. While India produces software for the world, it lags in creating globally competitive tech giants like Google or Apple. The talent that could build an Indian tech ecosystem is instead funneled into servicing Western needs — coding their platforms, answering their calls, managing their data. It’s a brain drain without passports, where intellectual capital is leased rather than owned.

The Counterargument: Agency and Opportunity

Defenders of the IT/BPO sector argue it’s not neocolonialism but a savvy use of globalization. India leveraged its strengths — education, English proficiency, and cost advantage — to carve a niche in the global economy. The sector has spawned a new middle class, funded infrastructure, and elevated India’s soft power. Firms like Infosys and HCL, they note, are Indian-owned, suggesting agency rather than exploitation.

Yet, this view overlooks the power imbalance. Indian companies may lead execution, but the agenda — what to build, for whom, and at what price — is often set by Western clients. The wealth created is real, but it’s disproportionately concentrated in foreign hands, with India playing a subcontractor role in a global hierarchy.

A Neocolonial Reckoning

India’s IT/BPO sector is undeniably a feat of scale and resilience, lifting millions from poverty and showcasing technical brilliance. But its foundations — low-cost labor, cultural assimilation, and economic dependency — bear the hallmarks of neocolonialism. It’s not the overt domination of the British East India Company, but a subtler extraction of value, where India remains a cog in a Western machine.

Breaking this cycle requires a shift: investing in homegrown innovation, prioritizing domestic needs, and redefining success beyond Western validation. Until then, India’s tech triumph will remain a double-edged sword — a source of pride shadowed by the lingering ghost of colonial exploitation.