As a European, it still surprises me that a such society-dividing system like the caste system existed and still partly does, especially given the progress in global human rights and equality across the globe. While it may not be as present and harsh as it was in the short story, I guess that its presence is still lingering around, shaping society in India, especially in the lowest caste. It is a reminder of an ongoing systemic oppression of the ordinary people.
Besides the physical and economic separation, the most enduring aim of the caste system seems to be to erase the identity of the bottom. It distorts their personal stories and identity through shame. The untouchables are not only marginalised, their identities are stripped of as much as their individual names and it places them in the position of an object.