Breaking social barriers

Is it possible to use social media to promote trust between communities with a history of violence?

How can social media be used to promote trust between communities with a history of violence? Is it even practical to imagine that a few digital tools will be able to combat the divisive propaganda unleashed by armies of paid trolls? What kind of strategies are being employed by online initiatives that hope to soften the antagonism towards inter-caste and inter-faith relationships? Two new Instagram-based curatorial projects might have some answers to offer.

“Project Anti-Caste, Love” led by actor-artist-activist Jyotsna Siddharth, collects and shares letters written by inter-caste couples, apart from offering relevant book, movie and television show recommendations, and hosting live conversations with scholars. “India Love Pro­ject”, run by journalists Priya Ramani and Samar Halarnkar with writer Niloufer Venkatraman, documents stories of love and marriage “outside the shackles of faith, caste, ethnicity and gender.”

It is difficult to measure their impact because a change of heart cannot be mapped out even with the most rigorous of empirical instruments. Some things must be done with the faith that they are important, and they count. These are sincere attempts to counter the threats spelt out in Maya Mirchandani’s paper Digital Hatred, Real Violence: Majoritarian Radicalisation and Social Media in India (2018) for the Observer Research Foundation, and Laxmi Murthy’s paper The Contagion of Hate in India (2020) for the Association for Progressive Communications.

The first paper notes that communal violence has existed in India for a long time but social media is now being used for electoral gains by amplifying “the speed and force of messages that advocate or condone abuse against minorities and allow incendiary speech to spread like wildfire.” The second paper highlights how the “online mobilisation of hate is facilitated by the algorithms of digital platforms themselves, which mediate what users consume.”

“Project Anti-Caste, Love” and “India Love Project” strive to make a dent in this toxic political environment by providing an alternative view of inter-caste and inter-faith relationships. They demonstrate, through real-life examples and not tired rhetoric, that desire and tenderness cannot be restrained by social structures that police who one is allowed to love. They bust the myth that these couples are anti-national miscreants trying to disrupt law and order.

The anonymous contributor of Letter No.20, featured on the Instagram account of “Project Anti-Caste, Love”, writes, “I know it’s not easy, but I want you to know that I can’t let them win. Your family is not my enemy and neither is your religion. I am not asking you to do anything, but I need to tell you that I have to believe that things will work out for us. I have to, I have to, I have to, because otherwise, not only do I lose you, but also any sense I have of myself.”

This letter, and many others, are mini-revolutions in the intimate lives of the lover and the beloved, because they affirm the sheer intensity of how they feel towards each other, and what they are willing to do in order to protect and nurture it. Even if they have the support of the legal system, and their close friends, they often have to convince, persuade, or even fight with their families in order to continue their relationship or get married. This can be incredibly frustrating.

The Instagram account of “India Love Project” has published Lata Singh’s story about her “Rajput-Bania wedding” with Brahma Nand Gupta. They eloped, knowing that the families would oppose their marriage. She writes, “When my three brothers found out we had married, they filed a case of kidnapping against his family. We spent the next seven years in court until the Supreme Court (Lata Singh vs State of UP) in 2006 ruled that inter-caste marriages were in the national interest and that adult Indians could marry whoever they wanted.”

Such stories hold the power to bring hope to social media users who are in love with people they are forbidden to date because they hail from communities that are considered inappropriate or incompatible. Knowing that others have lived through similar challenges can build their own confidence so that they do not give up or harm themselves. A story that is relatable can help them examine their own situation carefully, and take concrete steps to create the life they envision for themselves and their partner.

As these digital projects widen their reach and open up dialogue about inter-caste and inter-faith relationships, new questions are likely to emerge and complicate our understanding of ground realities. What compromises do these couples make to seek family approval? Do they belong to the same class or professional background? Are they expected to forfeit their inheritance after marriage? Is there a “happily ever after”, or do families pose new obstacles? The answers will be worth the wait.