Not even a few turn an insulting and dehumanising experience into a preface to a quest that inspires generations. Think of Periyar E V Ramasamy, who was denied food in Varanasi because he was not a Brahmin; B R Ambedkar, who was not allowed to touch the water tap in his school premises because he was “untouchable”; Mahatma Gandhi, who was thrown out of a first class carriage in South Africa because he was a non-white.   While it may not be appropriate to suggest an equivalence in these experiences, what brings them together is that each of these luminaries turned the humiliation into a moral resolve and transformative action.  Jyotirao Phule offers another example. At the age of 21, he was humiliated at the wedding of a Brahmin friend despite being an invited guest, because he belonged to the Shudra caste.…