Despite being a book series set in a faraway magical Britain, Harry Potter became a cultural mainstay in India. From memes to fan art and online debates, the wizarding world continues to inspire new generations of fans who engage with it in fresh and creative ways. One of the biggest reasons for its lasting popularity is social media, where Indian fans constantly create and share Harry Potter-themed memes, reels, and fan edits. Like many in my generation, my Harry Potter journey began in childhood, watching the movies at six or seven, mesmerized by Hogwarts, moving staircases, and flying broomsticks. At twelve, I picked up the books, and my connection deepened. I devoured each one, memorized spells, and sorted my friends into Hogwarts houses. It became more than a story; it was an identity, shaped by fan theories, midnight movie marathons, and endless debates about Snape’s morality.
Now, as an adult, I no longer wait for my Hogwarts letter, but I see the story differently. What once felt like an escape from reality now feels like a mirror to it, highlighting power, oppression, and resistance. I now recognize that the treatment of Muggle-borns in the wizarding world isn’t just a fictional conflict- it mirrors caste discrimination, racism, and social hierarchies in the real world of India. The treatment of house-elves, the obsession with blood purity, and the Ministry of Magic’s denial of Voldemort’s return all serve as powerful metaphors for labour exploitation, casteism, and bureaucratic failures. Just as in the book, Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh Khan used Bollywood as a lens to explore gender and economic struggles in India, in this article, the wizarding world will be analysed similarly to understand real-life social inequalities.
BLOOD PURITY AND CASTEISM: THE INHERITED CHAINS OF PRIVILEGE
A striking parallel between the Harry Potter universe and real-world inequalities is the obsession with “blood purity.” In the wizarding world, pureblood families like the Malfoys and Carrows believe they are inherently superior to Muggle-borns (or “Mudbloods”), whom they see as undeserving of magical power. This prejudice shapes social hierarchies, limits opportunities, and fuels Voldemort’s rise to power. At its core, it is a system designed to keep power within certain privileged bloodlines, much like casteism in India. Caste is an inherited status that dictates social mobility, access to resources, and the respect an individual receives in society. Historically, privileged castes have controlled education, land, and wealth, while marginalized communities have faced systemic exclusion. Dominant caste groups in India have opposed reservation policies that aim to create opportunities for historically oppressed communities. Both systems rely on exclusion to preserve power, reinforcing deep-rooted social inequalities.
The word “Mudblood,” used to demean Muggle-borns, functions in the same way as many casteist slurs in India. Words like “Chandaal,” “Mlechha,” “Kanjar,” “Bhand,” and “Chhapri” have been used to degrade communities by associating them with impurity, inferiority, or backwardness. These slurs are not just insults as they uphold deep hierarchies and social divisions. For example, “Chhapri”, initially used as a casteist term, has also evolved into a classist slur. Modern social media culture often uses it to mock people with a “cringe” sense of fashion. While the term is now thrown around casually, its underlying function remains the same: to shame people for not fitting into elite, upper-class, or “refined” aesthetics, much like how purebloods ridicule Muggle-borns for not conforming to wizarding norms.
HOUSE ELVES AND THE INVISIBLE LABOUR FORCE
Another overlooked yet deeply significant aspect of the series is the treatment of house-elves, who are magical creatures bound to serve wizards without wages, rights, or recognition. House elves like Dobby, Kreacher, and Winky reveal a painful truth about power dynamics in the wizarding world, as they work tirelessly while being denied basic dignity. Even many progressive characters, like Hermione, struggle to inspire large-scale change by creating S.P.E.W (the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare), as many house-elves have internalized their oppression and see servitude as their fate, which is a tragic effect of general subjugation. What’s even more unsettling is how normalized their oppression is because most wizards, even well-meaning ones like Ron, fail to see a problem with it. This mirrors how many privileged families in India justify and perpetuate caste-based labour and domestic servitude, treating household workers as part of the furniture rather than as individuals with rights.
Caste-based labour in India has long forced Dalits into menial, hazardous jobs like sewage work and manual scavenging, with little chance of escape or fair pay. Millions of domestic workers and bonded labourers face the same reality and are often ostracised, attacked or even murdered for demanding dignity. Most domestic workers are women from marginalized communities. Official estimates count 4.2 million, but the real number may exceed 50 million. Many are paid far below minimum wage and work under harsh conditions. Live-in workers spend 15 hours a day, seven days a week, caring for homes that are not their own. Part-time workers move between multiple jobs, working 8 to 10 hours daily. Some work over 18 hours, with no rest, no rights, and no recognition.
But the question remains: Will those in power recognize this injustice and work to dismantle it, or will they, like most wizards, continue to benefit from an invisible, exploited labour force while pretending it doesn’t exist?
THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC AND THE ILLUSION OF JUSTICE: SYSTEMIC OPPRESSION IN INSTITUTIONS
A chilling aspect of the Potterverse is how the Ministry of Magic, the governing body of the wizarding world, enables oppression. Instead of protecting people, it controls narratives, silences dissent, and preserves the status quo. It denies Voldemort’s return, spreads propaganda through The Daily Prophet, and discredits those who speak the truth. Even before his rise, the Ministry is corrupt, imprisoning innocent people and strictly controlling magical creatures and marginalized groups. The misuse of laws to silence activists, journalists, and students is a real-world parallel. Just as the Ministry brands Harry and Dumbledore as traitors, governments have used sedition laws and anti-terror legislations to jail protesters, students, and activists, destroying their reputations through media trials.
The role of the media as a propaganda tool is also strikingly similar. Mainstream media in India is often accused of biased reporting, sensationalism, and acting as a mouthpiece for those in power. Important issues like violence against women and minorities, corruption, and inequality are frequently buried under divisive debates and distractions, keeping the public from questioning larger systemic problems. A recent example is the “India Got Latent” scandal, which drew widespread media and political outrage. However, the same politicians and news channels remain silent on pressing issues, such as crimes against marginalized communities, women’s safety, human trafficking and many more.
DUMBLEDORE’S ARMY AND YOUTH RESISTANCE: THE POWER OF STUDENT MOVEMENTS
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, when Hogwarts falls under the oppressive rule of Dolores Umbridge, students take matters into their own hands. With the school’s curriculum stripped of practical defense education, Harry, Hermione, and Ron create Dumbledore’s Army (DA), which is a secret student-led resistance group. They train in hidden rooms and prepare to fight against the injustices imposed by the Ministry of Magic. The DA is more than just a rebellious club; it represents the power of young people to resist authoritarian control and take action when institutions fail them. This theme resonates deeply with India’s history of youth-led resistance. Students have played a pivotal role in challenging injustice, from the anti-corruption movement in 2011 to recent movements in 2019-20 like those against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). History and fiction have shown us that youth resistance is often the catalyst for larger societal change.
Like Hogwarts under Umbridge, educational spaces in India have also seen increasing restrictions on student voices. University campuses, once hubs of free thought and political debate, have faced surveillance, bans on protests, and curbs on academic freedom. Dumbledore’s Army reflects the reality of student-led organizations today that resist misinformation, challenge oppressive policies, and demand their right to learn and grow without fear.
These struggles on campus are not isolated; they are part of a broader fight against systemic injustice. The Harry Potter series may be a work of fiction, but the injustices it portrays have undeniable real-world parallels. Just as Voldemort’s ideology thrives on inherited privilege and systemic discrimination, so do real-world structures that continue to deny equal opportunities to millions. Voldemort’s defeat is not just the fall of one villain but the dismantling of an ideology that upheld centuries of oppression. However, one of the most important messages of the series is that resistance matters. Whether it’s Harry defying the Ministry’s propaganda, Hermione advocating for the rights of house-elves, or Dobby choosing freedom at the cost of his life, the books remind us that dismantling foundational injustice requires both individual and collective action. In the real world, too, change does not come from those in power but from those who refuse to accept oppression as the norm, as seen in students protesting discriminatory laws, Dalit activists fighting for dignity, and marginalized communities demanding a voice.
At its core, Harry Potter is a story about power, resistance, and the moral responsibility of those who see injustice to fight against it. But will we be passive observers like most wizards, or will we be part of the resistance like Dumbledore’s Army?
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