Tragedy: Indian vs. Indian, Hindu vs. Hindu, Caste vs. Caste

Have you come across the news that I am writing about? It appeared on page 6 of the Chennai Edition of the Indian Express yesterday (June 25). It is absolutely shocking and hard to believe. Some of the details for the report are provided by Evidence, a Madurai (TN) based NGO.

Patchirajan, 48 years old Dalit, had gone to a pump on his motorcycle to put in petrol. Just behind him came a caste Hindu named Muthu from a neighbouring village in a van. He wanted to be served first. But Patchirajan objected since he had arrived ahead of the other. Muthu referred to Patchirajan's caste and abused him and hit him with an iron rod.

That was not the end.

Muthu must have got back into his van quickly and started it because the report says that he rammed the motorcycle with his vehicle. When the Dalit fell off, the van was driven over him. That was the end for Patchirajan. He succumbed to the injuries en route to the hospital. He is survived by his wife, son and daughter.

Muthu has been arrested for wilful murder under the Prevention of Atrocities Act and remanded to police custody. A spokesman of Evidence asserts that in such cases the culprits should be charged under every law which can be applied and not only murder.

One of my most read blog posts is Caste System: Is Kerala still a madhouse? Visiting Kerala a century back Vivekananda Swamy felt that he had wandered into a lunatic asylum. Another relevant blog post of mine is The Caste Wall Story

One feels so sad reading such news. Centuries pass but some people do not allow certain systems to go through necessary changes. If the question ‘What is Karma?’ is asked, they would not know the answer that it is a path to reach Brahman. Are they high caste or low caste?

Corruption is bad, communalism is terrible and campaigning against such evils is really noble. But what about casteism? Chaturvarna was never meant to generate clashes between social divisions. Anyway its rigidity and significance have naturally transformed with the passage of time.  

Is there some true Gandhian around to initiate a crusade? Educate the ‘high caste’ and ‘low caste’ that all of them have equal rights under the laws of India. That is unlikely because of political and other considerations. Counting the potential votes first is what matters to the netas.

But the schools can hopefully do something effective provided there is ample government support ignoring political platforms. Teach the children about Chaturveda objectively, not as part of Hindutva, but as history, as a system that has undergone transformations over the millenniums and would absorb more changes. Today there are Dalits who are not Hindus, even Dalits who are temple priests.

Will the Muslims and Christians go for their guns for teaching “Hinduism” in schools? If some netas feel that they could get political mileage they would tell the people that the subject is part of the cultural history of India and that knowing history is a basis of meaningful life.

Religion, terrorism, and politics

Recently I had a discussion with an eminent CPI (M) think tank. He seemed confident that in the next general elections the Left parties would emerge stronger than they are now. His rationale is simple.

The Muslims are against the US. By pushing the 123 Nuclear Agreement with America, the Congress has alienated the Muslims. Since BJP too is anathema, this minority community is likely to vote for the Left. Combined with this would be the Dalit factor. Generally speaking, the low castes are not happy with the Congress or the high caste dominated BJP. We will have to wait and see how correct this assessment is.

The BJP and the UPA need to rise above petty politics and stand together on issues that affect national security, both internal and external. Any number of stringent laws can be enacted but the important thing is to use the available tools effectively.

The atrocities against minorities by extremists, with or without the support of the politicians, are as bad as the terrorist activities of the fundamentalists. Both the Central and State Governments have failed to tackle the menace.

There are enough provisions in our laws to prevent forced conversions. Attacking churches and eminent educational institutions at random is not the civilized way to handle alleged complaints. They should be reported to the appropriate authorities so that the law can take its course.

It is the duty of the government to ensure that no individual or organization, whether Christian or not, receives foreign funds for illegal activities. It is also the responsibility of the authorities to prevent individuals or organizations from taking the law into their own hands by attacking citizens and disrupting the peace within the country.

The Christianity I know does not tolerate forced conversions. If any missionary does that, he is not only breaking the law of the land but that of the Church as well.

One problem in India is the mushrooming of neo churches, ashrams and god men without any sanctity. They do not, often, conform to accepted or acceptable practices. In many cases, making money seems to be the major objective. This too has to be controlled by the government. There should be effective registration procedures.

The established Churches have clear organizational pattern and strict operational guidelines. Their priests are taught and trained for almost a decade in several relevant fields including philosophy and theology. There may be erring priests like in any society, but by and large they are competent and committed to serving others.

Many people do not seem to realize that Christianity is not a Western religion. And, it has been in India for two thousand years, coexisting smoothly with Hinduism. Monarchs and men much wiser than the troublemakers of today had accepted that symbiosis which proved beneficial for the country.

A great service the Church provides is in uplifting the poor and the underprivileged that have been, in many cases, neglected by society and the elected authorities. It would be a great step forward if the energy and money spent on mobilizing movements against minorities are utilized for the benefit of the underprivileged. Surely, the more fortunate citizens of our society owe that much to the lesser entities who have suffered by the misuse of the caste system for a very, very long time.

We must understand that a country is as strong as its weakest social link.

Ends.

Also see:

History of conversions to Christianity in Kerala – an overview

Kerala: Kudallur Mana and ‘Nazrani Thampuran’

Caste System: Is Kerala still a madhouse?

The Caste Wall Story

Have you been following the ‘caste wall’ case in Uthapuram village near Madurai, Tamil Nadu? According to the media this is what happened: On May 6, the government authorities opened a passage through the wall that separated the Dalit and Pillaimar (higher to Dalits on the caste scale) sections of the village.

In protest the 500 odd Pillaimar families left their homes and moved to live in the open on the nearby hills. They claim that they had built the wall on their patta land for protection after a clash in 1989 which resulted in the death of six people and torching of several houses. They refuse to come back to the village unless the government establishes a full fledged police station there, grants compensation for the houses destroyed in the 1989 clashes and allots them a plot of land to build a temple.

There are several legal, moral and political angles to this stand off. The Pillaimars blame the Marxists for inciting the Dalits. The leftists on the other hand claim that the wall was one of shame that perpetuated untouchability. CPI (M) General Secretary Prakash Karat rushed to the spot to rally the Dalits. The non-Dalit Hindus were quick to support the Pillaimars.

Which group has more votes? Would that be the basis on which the problem is finally sorted out?

Now, a shift of scene from Tamil Nadu to Kerala. My village has never known a caste or religious conflict. The population consists mainly of Hindus (high caste, backward class and scheduled caste) and Christians (high caste and scheduled caste). There are three temples and three churches (all Syrian Christian) within a mile radius of my home.

The first temple belonged to upper caste Hindus of course. With the Temple Entry Proclamation by the Maharaja of Travancore in 1936, lower castes could also enter the temple, but always had to be contented with backseats. The Ezhavas (Backward Class) built a place of worship of their own, in which the Scheduled Caste Pulayas hardly had any role. Well, ten years back the Pulayas built their own temple.

The Catholic Church played it smart. It consecrated the newest church to St. Martin de Porres who is the patron of backward people and announced that it was mainly meant for the Pulaya converts. Well, a couple of them are on the Parish Council. No Latin church, since that community doesn’t have a presence in the area.

Each community now has its own place of worship and thing to do. No need for inter caste clashes. That the Marxists have infiltrated into all these religious places is another matter.

Is this the answer to what seems to the never ending communal/caste conflicts in India? ‘Unity in diversity’?

What do you think?

Ends.

Also see:

Caste System: Is Kerala still a madhouse?

Kumaran, son of Kuruppan

Cross posted to Articles By Abraham Tharakan

Caste System: Is Kerala still a madhouse?

The latest post on Maddy's Ramblings is a thought provoking article Vivekanada's Lunatic Kerala, which prompted me to write this post. About 100 years back Dr. Palpu, an Ezhava (considered to be low caste) brought to the notice of Swami Vivekananda the severity of the caste system in Kerala and the travails the lower classes had to endure because of it. Vivekananda visited Kerala to study the situation and reacted to what he saw. He felt that he had wandered into a lunatic asylum.

Presented below is an image of the caste system that existed, all over India, at that time. I couldn’t get the comments on it translated, but, really, words are not required. The picture tells the story. The author, Deyvid Aleksandr Raffo Setti calls it ‘Structure of the Indian society by castes’. I would have liked to give the caption ‘Indian Social System: Head to foot and below'.

A century has passed since Swami Vivekananda’s visit. Is Kerala still a madhouse? Difficult question to answer. The labels ST/SC (Scheduled Tribe/Scheduled Caste) and OBC (Other Backward Classes) are now worn like medals. None of them would like to be upgraded to the ‘higher caste’ grouping because of the advantage of reservations, other benefits and the bargaining power the present status gives them.

At the same time, one reads reports about cases being filed for addressing a person from the lower class by caste name; it is considered an insult. And, social integration is still far away. The upper castes tolerate the ST/SC and OBC only because there is no alternative.

Has the present system of reservation for the ST/SC, OBC group been truly beneficial in uplifting the downtrodden? That is another story.

Ends.

The images can be enlarged by clicking on them.
Picture of Swami Vivekananda is by Reji Navasree (rejinavasree@yahoo.com) on thermocol, a technique he has developed himself. See A village artist. The image of caste system is from Wikimedia Commons. It is Public Domain.

Also see: History of conversions to Christianity in Kerala – an overview

The Caste Wall Story