Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>This chapter explores caste and community-based notions and assertions, and examines how they shape and are shaped by ideas of secularism. Caste-based inequality was among the most pressing concerns for the builders of the post-colonial ‘modern’ India. The state introduced affirmative action in the form of the ‘quota system’. In the school, there is a thriving debate around this policy of affirmative action. The arguments of both the proponents and opponents of the quota system reflect on their understanding of what secularism is and what it means to be secular. The chapter also argues that while the school’s official discourse upholds that there shall be no discrimination on the grounds of caste, this is contested by everyday casteism prevailing in the school culture.</jats:p>