Mapping India: The world's largest count
Summary
This BBC documentary explores India’s massive digital census, highlighting its historical roots in British colonial administration and the complex task of counting over 1.4 billion people. A central focus is the return of caste enumeration for the first time in 95 years, examining the social, political, and logistical challenges of categorizing India’s diverse social hierarchy. The episode also investigates how the census captures language, religion, and gender, noting persistent biases in recording women’s labor and the erasure of smaller mother tongues. Experts discuss the implications of…
Topics discussed
Sponsorship and podcast introduction
Introduction to India's digital census
Personal anecdotes from census enumerators
Historical origins of the Indian census
Challenges of counting caste and identity
The 95-year gap in caste data
Complexities of defining and counting caste
Public reactions to the caste question
Personal struggles with caste identity
Standardizing caste data for the new census
Sponsorship break
Household questions and public awareness
Expectations for socio-economic data
Language classification and mother tongues
Religious diversity and the 'other' category
Counting women's work and sex ratios
Challenges in counting disabled and homeless populations
Internal migration and tribal groups
Population growth, urbanization, and fertility trends
Listen ad-free on Castria