abstract:"Half-Caste" is a poem by John Agard that looks at people's ideas and usage of the term "half-caste". The poem is taken from Agard's 2005 collection of the same name, in which he explores a range of issues affecting black and mixed-race identity in the UK.
For example, youth and the elders perform, the Brahmans lead the prayers and perform the rituals, and the Bhandaris representing locals of the Kshatriya caste are alone entitled to wear one of the most sacred masks, that of the half-man, half-lion Hindu deity, Narasimha.
"Half a century on, we cannot avoid the conclusion that ENA has produced nothing more than an omnipotent 'caste' capable of only one thing: planning its members' career-paths, " said Jean-Michel Fourgous and Herve Novelli.