What would happen if you woke up one day, and all the knowledge you believed you had about society, power, and identity was turned upside down? Visualize a universe where women hold the highest power in politics and boardrooms throughout Asia, while men are the primary caregivers, responsible for household duties and child-rearing. Consider how domestic workers and farmers exercise more influence than industrialists and tech billionaires. Imagine caste and class hierarchies working in reverse, and the history of the marginalized following a rules-based system. And what would the world look like in a country such as India, which is steeped in traditions, hierarchies, and inherited social orders?
This thought experiment gives us a way of thinking about gender roles, caste systems, and class distinctions that continue to shape social experiences throughout South Asia. When we imagine an upside-down world, we begin to analyze how much of our reality is invented rather than destined—and how it might be reinvented. This kind of reflection asks us to challenge the premises of our lives, engage with our own unconscious stereotypes, and pose the question: what would really make for a fair, equitable, and just society?
Gender Roles Reversed
Let’s first address gender. In this flipped world, India is “run” by women rather than men. Women intervene in political, economic, spiritual, and social realms. The Lok Sabha has a female majority. Chief Ministers are women who drive radical economic reform with compassion and efficiency, while Bollywood’s biggest stars are women in powerful, well-written roles. Men are supporting characters, often ornamental, while matrimonial advertisements seek grooms with “homely and emotionally mature” dispositions who can support strong, career-minded wives. Finally, female saints and spiritual leaders serve as cultural role models for moral and philosophical discourse.
Indian girls are encouraged from a young age to aspire to careers in engineering, entrepreneurship, or politics. They are socialised to be assertive, authoritative, and ambitious. Boys are socialised to fill roles that emphasise care, emotional labour, and domesticity. Boys are rewarded at school for being “docile” and “family-first,” while assertive leadership is celebrated in girls. Popular media reflects and reinforces these norms in children’s books, cartoons, and TV shows—where assertive girls are saviours and nurturing boys take on emotional labour. In these environments, norms of beauty and attractiveness are also reversed. Men are expected to maintain clear skin and lean, ageless bodies into their forties, while women embrace ageing naturally—grey hair and wrinkles—without losing social value. Men’s grooming products, peels, and diet foods are marketed to make them attractive or keep them at home, while women are valued not just for their looks but for their intellect, achievements, and wisdom. This role reversal highlights the fluidity of societal expectations and how harmful it is when they are tethered to gender alone.
Caste and Class: A New Social Hierarchy
Now imagine a society where the Dalit and Adivasi communities—historically the oppressed within India’s caste hierarchy—are now the prominent voices of society. They now lead governments, universities, and global think tanks. Privileged caste groups such as Brahmins—historically the empowered caste—find themselves denied access to elite schools, struggling for job reservations, and even excluded from temple rituals. Cultural narratives are dominated by Dalit festivals, tribal folk tales, and indigenous knowledge systems. In rural India, the manual laborer—the toilet cleaner, the farmer, the domestic worker—now represents the political and economic center of gravity. Their experience within the caste hierarchy is now the fulcrum of national policy. Acts of Parliament are largely populated by individuals from historically marginalized caste groups, and statutory law reflects their cultural needs and values. Practices such as untouchability are now experienced by the upper castes. Temples built by tribal communities become pilgrimage sites for local villagers, while Sanskrit texts are pragmatically disavowed in favor of oral traditions.
Power, Privilege, and Politics Rewritten
Let’s reimagine a world in which dynastic politics ran in reverse. Political legacies would not belong to upper-caste families but would instead be passed from one generation to the next among Dalit and tribal communities. The Nehru-Gandhi family name might not hold much sway; political dynasties might emerge from previously excluded communities, with grassroots activism now enshrined in mainstream governance. National movements led by tribal women and Dalit youth redefine leadership across South Asia. Similarly, in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, or Nepal, the economic elite are fisherfolk, rickshaw pullers, or street vendors whose grassroots movements evolve into fully functioning political parties. Campaigns focus on ecological justice, community ownership, and decentralisation.
Religious hierarchies are also rearranged. The priestly class struggles to gain entry into sacred spaces previously determined by the working class. Sermons and teachings shift from themes of superiority and ritual purity to humility, compassion, and collective healing. State policies prioritise inclusive growth, healthcare, and land redistribution, and urban planning centres the needs of the poor, with housing built by and for migrant workers. This reimagined political landscape illustrates how, when those previously silenced are finally heard, democracy truly operates. But it raises another question: is justice achieved simply by replacing the powerful with the powerless, or do we need to dismantle the hierarchy altogether?
Home and Family Life in Reverse
In the traditional joint family system in India, men now manage the home. They prepare meals for ten, assist the children with assignments, manage emotional meltdowns, and care for elderly parents. Women are the torchbearers, returning late from work or global conferences on mergers, foreign relations, or climate policy as they eat dinner. What was once labelled emotional labour, shouldered by mothers and women for generations, is now claimed with great pride and public recognition by men.
During festivities such as Diwali or Eid, men feverishly cook in the kitchen, organise the exchange of gifts, and clean or decorate the house. Women light diyas or candles when they finally return from corporate boardrooms or political debates. Fathers-in-law regularly discuss recipes with their daughters-in-law while managing marriages, while mothers-in-law take up responsibilities as members of chambers of commerce and leaders of rural development programmes. Men have formed Purush Mandals (formerly Mahila Mandals) to discuss household budgeting, parenting, and emotional health. This reimagining of “work” highlights the invisible labour that sustains families and society.
Social Responses: Reaction and Reflection
Not everyone is comfortable with this shift. In cities such as Delhi, Lahore, and Jakarta, groups protest that they have been “left behind.” Some men demand “equal rights” and the right to work, claiming society ignores their capabilities. Upper-caste groups resist Dalit-led institutions, calling it reverse discrimination. Conservative groups claim these changes threaten tradition and morality.
Such reactions mirror the lived experiences of women, lower castes, and minority groups who have long fought against marginalisation, only to be dismissed as complaining or emotional. The discomfort of the formerly powerful in this reversed world is not punishment; it is perspective—the ability to feel, even briefly, what exclusion means. The question then becomes: do we use that discomfort to recreate old orders or build a new, more equitable society?
The World Turned Upside Down
This fictional world is imperfect. It does not propose a simple reversal of power but demands deeper questions: Who creates power? What creates value? Can any society be just if its positions remain fixed in unchanging hierarchies?
The true solution lies not in reversal but in redistribution and reimagination—where gender, caste, or class do not limit opportunity or dignity. Equity means creating systems where every person flourishes based on character, interest, and humanity, rather than positional privilege. For more such articles by our team visit Her Campus at MUJ and if you want another dose of thought-provoking articles, Mannat Oberoi at HCMUJ is calling your name <3