The caste system confines individuals to rigid social "boxes" that they are unable to escape or challenge, based solely on the rank assigned to them at birth. Sujatha Gidla’s story prompts reflection on how many talented and accomplished individuals exist among the so-called “untouchables,” individuals who are denied the opportunity to fulfill their potential simply because they were born into the "wrong" caste. Gidla herself would have faced a drastically different life without her unique journey of self-discovery and defiance.
In “Growing Up as an Untouchable” Gidla reveals the distortion of one’s identity and the erasure of one’s sense of self-worth. It becomes essential for her to reclaim this lost sense of self, which she achieves through recounting and understanding the history of her family and herself.