Varanasi, being one of the most socially diverse cities of India has been moulded over time by the underlying religio-ritual processes. There is a relatively weaker religious association of the Scheduled Castes with the mainstream Hindu society of the city. This is manifested through their inconsequential roles in the religio-ritual practices performed at various temples, influenced by the earlier practice of untouchability. Their negligible numerical strength in the core of the city renders them almost irrelevant in its social, economic, and cultural life.

Epistemically, geography is an inclusive subject. It encompasses the entire observable domain of the earth’s surface, and is practised as part of science, social science, arts as well as technology in universities worldwide. Unfortunately in India, it is mainly taught as a social science discipline in schools.

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has always considered geography as a separate and independent subject in the school. ....