For those of you who haven't read the book, perhaps some details from it could be a starting point for an exchange about life in India.

I've never been to India, so what I know is just what I read or what people tell me.
Vikram Chandra gives a glossary about Hindi terms at the end of the book, but sometimes other things attract my attention.
For example, p 15: Sartaj could see that from Katekar's OBC point of view, there was justifications enough for his prejudices".

I checked OBC in Wikipedia, and found "Otherwise Backward Classes".

First I thought it might be some joke on Sartaj's part, but it is really official terminology.

"The Other Backward Classes (or OBCs) in India are a group of citizens other than the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes as may be specified by the Central Government in their lists. (...)

Under Article 340 of the Indian Constitution, it is obligatory for the government to promote the welfare of the Other Backward Classes (OBC). "

So, after.. this introduction, here is MY QUESTION.

I understand the need to protect and help these people, and admire the fact that India put it in its constitution, but the terminology "Other Backward Classes" is surprising to me. In the West we would used terms like "underpriviledged" perhaps. Don't they object to being classified as "backward" ?

Thing is this, term has been around from pre-independence era (1947), and it was used to protect people of lower casts (in the casts system, i would suggest reading up on "casts and vernas") but it has no practical meaning now a days, the only benefit people get is the reservations.
The OBC people have special reservations, in common areas like admission in colleges and government jobs. Hence it benefits them to keep this OBC act around. Other wise there is no use for this horrid thing.

[P.S. there are many more such surprising acts in the Indian Constitution (for example being gay in India is illegal) . Which needs some radical re-structuring as there have been no modifications made to it since it came into being in 1950, so literally we here are living by the laws which were made during the chaotic era of 1947 ]

Thanks Gaurav.