Quota of Stereotypes: Overflowing & Unchecked
Nandita Pandey
Executive Presence & Leadership Transformation Coach | Personal Branding Coach | Author | Professional Speaker| Founder: Prismatic Consulting
We’ve all slipped up with an inappropriate remark—maybe even laughed it off. But what if those ‘harmless jokes’ are quietly messing with our professional world?
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Despite all the DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) talks, unconscious biases are deeply ingrained in our daily interactions. It’s fairly common to hear comments like “Abe kitna khati hai” (Oh gosh! How much does she eat?)—a backhanded remark often directed at women who don’t fit the ‘ideal’ shape and size dictated by societal norms. Or “Yaar tu momo banane ke liye hi hai, dimag mat laga” (You are only fit to make momos. Don’t tax your brains over it)—a degrading stereotype targeted at people from the Northeast, reducing their entire identity to a singular cultural reference. Then there’s the infamous “Yeh to Punj hai—chatak hi hoga” (He is a Punjabi—clever and hence not trustworthy), where a whole community is generalized and branded with suspicion.
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And then come the remarks that dismiss people entirely based on caste or affirmative action policies. “Yeh to pakka quotay wala hai” (He’s definitely from the quota category) is often used to undermine someone’s achievements, assuming they didn’t earn their place but were handed it unfairly. Similarly, calling someone “a bag of rice” is a derogatory way of stereotyping individuals from certain communities who have historically benefited from welfare programs, reducing them to mere beneficiaries rather than acknowledging their merit.
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Biases don’t stop at background or appearance. A confident, friendly woman is often labeled as ‘bold’—not in an empowering way, but as a subtle warning that she might be too outspoken, too independent, or too difficult to handle. These labels create invisible barriers, forcing individuals to shrink themselves to fit into ‘acceptable’ molds.
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The problem? These are not just stray remarks. They shape perceptions, influence decisions, and determine professional and social mobility. A recruiter might hesitate before hiring someone from a certain background because of ingrained assumptions. A manager might not give a team member from a particular region a critical project, believing they won’t be ‘serious’ enough. A confident woman might be overlooked for leadership roles simply because she doesn’t conform to the ‘soft-spoken’ stereotype.
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While organizations roll out DEI programs, real change requires dismantling these biases at the grassroots. It’s about challenging those seemingly harmless jokes, questioning ingrained beliefs, and recognizing that diversity isn't just a corporate checklist—it’s about respecting individuality beyond regional and caste labels. Until we do that, DEI will remain a buzzword, and biases will continue to thrive under the guise of tradition, conditioning, or plain old ‘humor.’