At 30, Suraj Yengde has earned multiple degrees. He has done graduate and post-graduate research at the prestigious Harvard University. But when he travels to India, his socio-economic background doesn’t matter. He remains a so called “untouchable.” Yengde is not alone, many lower caste members struggle to break out of the system, even when they create new lives for themselves in the US.

(Suraj Yengde in his neighborhood, encouraging Dalit women to try to continue their education, in spite of institutional barriers. Credit: Phillip Martin/WGBH News)