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New Delhi – During a conversation about her life in ninth grade, Nazmeen, a thin 14-year-old with curled hair, began to sob. “Why did she say that when I still study so hard,” she cried, wiping away her tears. Her teacher, Nazmeen said, told her she would fail the school exam. “Madame has been teasing …

RAMPUR, India — At a public school in this northern Indian village, 8-year-old Dilip Banwasi learns his place. Her third-grade teacher makes her sweep the classroom floor and sit in the back row. At lunchtime, Dilip, a member of a lower social class known as the “rat catcher,” is among the last to be served. …