[talmr]

I'm Indian and I've heard things like "koncha jaticha" said casually in a professional setting... Meaning which caste are you?

I was born in India and moved here when I was in school. It was shocking to me as well when I heard stuff like this.

[JumpCrisscross]

Ah, I don’t speak much Hindi. Are there terms in English I should look out for? Ones that are meant to be subtle.

[crossroadsguy]

I think that term previous person used is Marathi (I am not a Marathi speaker though).

> Are there terms in English I should look out for?

Not really. But you have more of contexts and where the questioning is going whether it's in a professional or personal setting - the line of inquiry.

If the person is taking a very shallow interest (or a misplaced interest) in knowing where your roots are, who your ancestors were and possibly specifically asking names of your parents or grand parents (maybe profession as well) then you might want to treat it as at least suspicious on these lines.

[saagarjha]

In Hindi I think the term is "jaati" (with the question being the same).

[crossroadsguy]

Yes. Jaati, jaat. "Kul" as well. People often ask "kis kul se ho" - "what lineage you belong to" - it's supposedly a politer way to ask someone's caste.

And in the region, your last name (sorry, it's just a knowledge I picked up while growing up) is endemic to, it's called "jaayat" or "jaait".

> In Hindi I think

I assumed you are either not Indian or not from that region in the North.

Also, what I meant by saying there are not really terms one should look out for is in professional setups, at least these days, caste is not asked openly but indirectly.

[xyzzy_plugh]

"Where are you from?" "Where did your parents live?" "Where were you born?" "What do your parents do?"

I'm not Indian, but have heard these used in a derogatory setting. It's hard to disentangle from casual conversation, but if these questions arise suddenly and unprompted (like the first thing you're asked) it's a flag. Another is being asked a question in a specific dialect to see how you respond.

[aatharuv]

2nd gen Indian American here. I've been working in Silicon Valley since 2004, and have never been quizzed about my caste. And my last name isn't a caste name or even caste associated name. And somewhere between a plurality or majority of my coworkers have been Indian born.

[hirsin]

Same deal here (half), but my last name is noticeably associated (apparently - took me 27 years to learn that). I get someone bringing it up about twice a year I'd say.