India, May 29 -- A Hyderabad man's recent social media post about hosting a "team lunch" for his house help and driver has sparked a massive online discussion about India's deep-rooted class system. After sharing how difficult it was to convince his staff to break years of social conditioning and sit at his dining table for a simple meal of keema paratha, the post went viral.

"Once in a couple of months, I have a 'team lunch' with my staff, which is my driver and my maid," wrote Hyderabad-based driving instructor and author Naresh.

He recalled how tough it was to get his house help and driver to agree to lunch with him. "Initially, they were so reluctant to sit at the dining table because of years of conditioning! This class system in I...