Saturday, August 29, 2020

After a Hundred Years of Dravidam...


Annamalai K has joined TN BJP, and emphatically states that BJP will win in TN, and will purge it.


Dravidian Politics began with introduction of Dyarchy via Government of India Act, 1919. The etymological break up of the word 'dyarchy' is 

Di   - two

Arkhia - rule (greek)

Di-archy, as opposed to mono-archy. 

20th century saw the system of monarchy collapse all over the world. Stirrings of this happened right from 1905 Russian revolution. The first world war led to collapse of monarchical systems in both Russia and Germany, leading to formation of the USSR, and the Weimar Republic, respectively. Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler were both dictators, but the clear fact was that power could no longer remain concentrated in a few hands. The British Empire, which brought India under direct rule of the crown only in 1858, was quick to realize that its already excellent stroke of luck in Human history could not last very long. It had been only taking advantage of the disorganized state of a vast region full of "a beastly people with a beastly religion" with a sprinkling of white European men. It only ruled via the existing local power structures. A colonial remote rule is different from a monarch ruling over his/her land. The ratio of population of Britishers to Indians in India during colonial rule was typically 1:3000. They only took advantage of existing power structures, benefiting from the lack of unity, and the incapacity of those weak powers to revolt or break free. 

Dyarchy was one step away from monarchy, and one step towards democracy. Instead of a Mono-archia from London, there was to be an additional 'archia' now. A lower, local one. An elected one. The most important change that introduction of dyarchy implied was - introduction of democratic elections.

The root of the word 'caste' is 'casta', meaning - lineage, in Spanish. Before Dyarchy, it was the Kings and Queens of Britain ruling India, but the various 'casta's of India knew their own history very well. The ones among them which had probable history of having been the rulers of their home regions remembered it very well indeed. As a whole, tamilnadu has not been under an empire of any sort for many centuries now. But, periyar's casta, Balija Naidus, were supposed to have been the Naickers who ruled Tamilagam. British entered India as traders, and other groups had long associations with the British through trade.

Now, Dravidian Politics starts with Dyarchy. Formation of an elected government of sorts. Even though both the franchise, and the powers of the elected politicians were limited, it was a fundamental change. It was that paradigm shift that the British calculated would keep their empire from collapsing like German or Russian empires. But of course it was not just Dyarchy. They had other tricks up their sleeve. Many, many tricks. India was very unlike the lands that the German or Russian empires ruled, and the British had vast knowledge and experience in India. Much more so than Indians themselves. This period also saw the rise of a new consciousness in India. This was the consciousness of another class of elites and middle classes that would agitate for freedom struggle. As can be expected of attitudes and behavior typical of the bourgeois, the freedom struggle of this new consciousness eulogized 'non-violence' and 'non-cooperation'. There was no 'India' at that time. There was no common thing each group could fight for.

So, IMO, Dravidam happened at the confluence of these two forces. One, that clamored against the British, in what way it could. And the other, was the group that sold a certain fisher-village to Sir Francis Day in 1639, and was hugely benefiting from British Trade (Exports, Industry). These are the two main, broad lines. Brahmins in Congress on one hand, and the Elites, the "Sat-Shudras", who tended to be from the castes of Balija Naidus, Nairs, Sengundhar/Kaikolar/Tuluva Mudaliars, Beri/Nattukottai Chettis and elite vellalars, on the other hand.

Ironically, Brahmins were aplenty in British Administration, and Dravidam "fought for" places in Government for non-brahmins. Nobody wonders "If Brahmins/Congress were fighting AGAINST British, they were fighting against the owner of that very government that they were employed in". The Madras Province Swarajya Party (a Branch of the main Congress) refused to form government in 1926 and 1934, despite winning the elections!!! (3rd Communal G.O. for reservations was brought in 1927/28, not in JP rule. Why?)

The Congress Brahmins probably realized that only their jobs would be lost if they quit their government jobs and hit the streets. Nobody would join them. The elites were making huge sums of money through British trade. The chettiars, for instance, were carrying out lucrative trade everywhere in the British Empire. This was the reason why the non-cooperation movement failed, as well. There needed to be a force strong enough to paralyze the empire. The most fundamental ingredient for this jolt to happen was - the feeling of 'swarajya'. Without developing that feeling, it was impossible to gather everybody for the freedom struggle. That simple feeling of Swarajya had to developed as an intellectual abstraction first, then passed on to people. Or rather, people were to be invited onto its boat. It failed to gather momentum because it was led by the bourgeois and a few elites.

One strategy of the British was to isolate the enemies, and focus their attacks on them. As mentioned, they had vast knowledge and experience of the land. The had been drawing big, translucent circles for a long time. It was time to draw smaller, opaquer circles and carry out pin pointed attacks. They realized that the Brahmins of Madras State *had* to be dealt with. Even though Brahmins of Bombay state and Savarnas in Bengal were much more militant in action, there were many other factors which made Madras State special. In Madras, Brahmins were the ones pressing freedom struggle. Plotting against the crown. The British had already been studying and talking and writing about 'casta's for a long time. This was a pan-european phenomenon. Every one studied India and formed theories about Indian society. Dr. Ambedkar already drew from a huge body of colonial writers. 

Madras and Bombay, were the two main centers of Congress Activity. Bombay was the first, main one. And Bal Gangadhar Tilal, the father of the Indian Unrest, was one of the main figures in it. The pin-pointed attack of the British on the enemies of the crown happened in Bombay first and much later, in Madras. Satya Shodak Samaj was started by Jyotirao Phule in 1873. And unlike the Dravidarrrrr Kazhagam, it included Brahmins too. Phule died in 1890, and even in his time, SSS didn't cause much of a practical impact. However, the SSS that Shahu Maharaj took over in 20th century was a totally different one, for a totally different cause. The freedom movement was growing stronger in Bombay. Bombay was the center of the congress. Pin pointed attack. The center, or source for both the Congress, as well as anti-brahmin propaganda, was Bombay. As mentioned, the very purpose of this British project was to attack Brahmins, and weaken them. Individually. Personally. To thwart the congress. The source for the anti-brahmin propaganda in Madras State was Bombay. 

Dyarchy lasted 15 years. GOI Act 1935 brought a provincial government, and this time, the Congress won and formed government. British had to gear up their act. War was also coming. They needed India's support. They sensed that the freedom-organizers sensed that this was their time to pressurize the british. This was around the time Ramasamy Naicker was named "Periyar" by Saminathan Dharmambal Chettiar, in 1938. This "Periyar" would mold politics in Tamilnadu till he died in 1973, and his legacy would live on for 80+ years after this naming event.

These are the larger forces that caused dravidam. The major tectonic plates. Im worried about the minor/micro plates. One hundred years of institutionalized visceral, vitriolic, venomous hatred and propaganda against the brahmins in Tamil Nadu. Let me be clear. I think the Dravidian Movement is unique in world history. In intensity and tenacity of propagandizing about a select bunch of people, and duration.

That hatred was not a natural uprising. It was a deliberate, targeted hatred rising from certain powerful, most powerful quarters of the society. It was institutionalized by them as Dravidian Politics + Propaganda. DK states that in 1910's the Madras United League had brahmin-opposition as its only purpose. They simply wanted to call themselves the 'Non-Brahmin Association'. But, they did not want to give Brahmins so much importance so as to name themselves such. So, they called themselves the 'Madras Dravidian Association' or something. Point is... "Dravidam" is all about Brahmin. Anti-Brahmin, to be precise. Period. Like Sisupala of Mahabharata, they have been consumed by their hatred for the brahmin, and the USP or identity of their politics was simply the institutionalized form of this hatred.

What made me investigate their politics and history was this hatred that I had to encounter wherever i turned my head. The vitriol of hatred that seeps into you no matter how much tightly you close your eyes and ears to it. No matter how much you laugh it off, and sometimes secretly feel pride in being an object of attention, + or - vely. The fact that Brahmins have never been summoned to provide their POV and their answers to the questions, was so by design. It was meant to be so. DK and its ideologues cant afford to encounter actual facts and logic. Their castle would crumble. The castle of dravidam was simply the worldview of those lords in whom the British placed trust. The ones who sold their villages to them, the ones who acted as their trusted bankers wherever they went, the ones who exported leather and textiles to them. That worldview was a very precious thing. There are very few ones who carry that scent. To me, the most important change post dravidam would be the absence of this scent of dravidam, the vitriol of hatred. Absence of the hatred itself, but the very much present, harrowing, and real sense of pain. What I am most scared of is the fact that when we tell our side of the story, the real events, nobody would be interested in them!!! Its already happening. 

Or, it would be a relic of the past. People would detachedly listen to it like listening to a piece of history or some folklore. The vitriol of dravidam was a very real thing, and lasted a hundred years. It roused real hatred in a section of listeners every time the 'parappurai' (big or small) was done. But the explanations and the truth of that hundred years of hate will not 'move' anybody. It wouldnt rouse any emotion. It wouldnt cause anybody (least of all, all tamils. Never) to feel any little feeling of guilt. That's what scares me the most. That one hundred years of pain and hatred would be totally forgotten. Or, given a proxy-label, like having been an "anti-hindu/missionary conspiracy". That's even more dangerous than indifference/ignorance because that seals off any little chance of the real, full story coming out. 


To be continued...

23 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Brahmins realised they will not get support but dravidas got support because of following reasons.From a historical view Aryas migrated from north.Second Brahmins were divided too.Because many embraced modernity.others wanted gradual constitutional methods.Brahmins had historically supported hierarchy.Fourthly sat shudras would not sacrifice their interests.Vellalas were literary elite while telugus had won the land by arms after pandyas were defeated by muslims.They claimed Bs could not speak for them.

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  3. But brahmanas gained through education.They started passing competitive exams for higher civiL services.They got entry into professional colleges through high grades in schools.Opportunities opened up at all India leveL-civil services exam,IITs,RECs.While dravids turned inward Bs looked to the wide outside worLd.National planning executed infrastructure projects in mining,steel,heavy industry.Bank nationalisation offered new opportunities and then there were successes in software.

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  4. Even without dravida movement Bs would have urbanised.They would have transitioned into a national elite.Since post Gupta period,south has been an intellectual powerful.The standards of southern Bs has been high.And in addition there was internal migration of telugu,kannada and marathi Bs to TN.

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  5. In times of social change,a minority can easily be demonized or stigmatised/vilified.The community than raises the bar to counter the dIscrimination.

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  6. I am not justifying dhadiyans like Ptr thiyagu or lemurs.but there has been discrimination against minorities everywhere.

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  7. Asian Americans children of top achievers face discrimination in California and Harvard because of deliberately slanted policies favouring whites(legacy admissions,extra curricular points) and blacks(affirmative quota)

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  8. Just google.i am attaching few links.https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01112009

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  9. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/05/08/class-notes-harvard-discrimination-californias-shelter-in-place-order-and-more/amp/

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  10. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2020/8/16/doj-yale-admissions-harvard-impact/

    ReplyDelete
  11. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2019/12/18/foia-doj-continues-investigation/

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  12. https://www.google.com/search?q=12%25+jewish+quota&oq=12%25+jewish+quota&aqs=chrome..69i57.11871j0j7&client=ms-android-samsung-ga-rev1&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#ip=1

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  13. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  14. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/harvard-s-jewish-problem

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  15. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.businessinsider.com/the-ivy-leagues-history-of-discriminating-against-jews-2014-12%3famp

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  16. These things happened in US East Coast which we think of as meritocratic and liberal.The British imposed quotas in Madras Presidency.The rise and fall of brahmanas in 20th century is intimately connected with modernity and British intervention.

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  17. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wsj.com/amp/articles/harvards-asian-quotas-repeat-an-ugly-history-11570575962

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  18. Replies
    1. Baaaaah. B.V. Raman wrote about Hitler's chart, "...we can see that the chart is *bristling with* violent tendencies...". India can forget about Independence without Hitler. Mao and Stalin Killed more people than hitler. Hitler's image as the epitome of evil was constructed by the allies.

      Jayashree saranathan wrote highly critically of karunanidhi while doing his chart analysis. But if that hate came because of his Brahmin hate (many Brahmins do it), then that hate must be directed not on Karunanidhi, but on the feeder group of the Dravidian Movement. Chettiar + Mudaliar + Pillai. The most hinduest, or "dharmic" of tamil demons built Dravidian Movement, 'Periyar', and the hundred years of Brahmin hate in TN.

      The personal biases of astrologers, and the popular cults that have been built around people sometimes show in their readings very very starkly, and I believe it is so this time too.

      It has become increasingly important to ask this question in Tamil Nadu. "Are you on the Brahmin side, or BJP side?"

      BJP is the new DMK. The most active groups in TN's RW today are the ex-servicemen of Chettiar-Mudaliar-Pillai movement. It might seem like a good thing that they are on this side now.

      But, the narrative is being twisted, and with it, the history. Annamalai's ilk, Kongu Vellala Goundars actively participated in the Dravidian Movement, and milked a lot of benefits out of it. Now, to outsiders like you and BJP, they are acting like good guys.

      Non-tamils have no idea about tamils and tamil politics. You think its a matter of defeating the bad guys and installing the flag of hindu dharma there or whatever. But the guys who are going to do that are the same guys who kept Dravidian movt and its hate alive. They are coming to you, and your flags because now that movt is 100 yrs old, and has fizzled out. To go deeper into this...

      Dravidian Movement was simply a pact between the upper shudras Chettiar + Mudaliar + Pillai, and lower shudras Vanniyar + Nadar + Konar + Goundar et al. Most of the ppl on RW/RSS/DMK side today are the lower shudras. They had kept drav movt and its hate alive. You don't know about it. You, India, has absolutely no idea about tamils' hate. Who will answer for that? You think you are defeating the bad guys with good guys on your side.

      The good guys *are* the bad guys. They are acting good to you, today, because today, when the whole country and world is watching, they don't want to embarrass themselves, and also because the drav movt is 100 yrs old, and its energy is fizzling out. The lower shudras were small kids, so they could be managed by the upper ones.

      Today, the lower shudras have grown, and they want more. So, they are trying to free themselves from the upper guys, and jump to another vehicle. They have full rights to. But, tamils as a whole have to answer for what they have been doing, and, they are trying to twist the narrative (and, the history, along with it) and dump their mountains of truth while they jump. That is what im against.

      And pls don't use words like "dharma", etc. That is highly unethical. Calling BJP as the dharmic party and congress as evil. If right goes far right, left gets more space.

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    2. What Sir, did you see what your honest cop did right after entering TN BJP?

      Conducted a sting operation with Mudaliar in order to throw out the Brahmins from TN BJP. What KT Raghavan did is outside the bounds of accepted conservative behavior, but I support KTR at the risk of falling out of favor with the sinless crowd, because there are other forces here at play which people don't see, or talk about. Do you see how low they are capable of stopping. This is literally nothing compared to what Mudaliar/Vellala/Chettiar have been doing in Tamil Country for a hundred years. This is a demoniac crowd.

      Dravidian Movement was started by Madan's caste - Mudaliars, in order to help the British defeat Freedom Struggle of the Congress. The Congress was filled with these mudaliar/chettiar/zamindars when it started. Then, at one point, in early 19th century, Brahmins flocked to Congress, and started to try rallying up support for freedom. So, the British got their friends, the above mentioned zamindars/elites in order to defeat that freedom movt. The mudaliar/chettiar within the congress were working directly opposite to the intentions of the Congress. Tamil Nadu Congress is a full fledged Dravidian Party since 1954. Now, TN BJP is also going to become a full fledged Dravidian Party, and that is not 'Dravidian' in the geographical sense of the word, i.e., 'South Indian'. It is so much more than that. I can't explain enough. Madan Ravichandran's caste built the Dravidian Movement. And he is in BJP, claiming to oppose DMK, and many Brahmtards were praising him for that.

      Kongu Vellala Gounders have been trying to become the dominant guys for quite some time now. I guess right from when Surya's (he is goundar) Agaram Foundation was formed.

      You portrayed Annamalai's entry as a sign that BJP was going to become strong and destroy the evil forces in Tamil Country.

      I told you that that's a wrong way of looking at things. Outsiders like you and Shefali Vaidya think that there is evil, and there is some good. You want to use what you think as good, to destroy evil.

      But in Tamil Country, there is only evil. Each and every caste, especially the topmost castes, and vanniyar, nadar, konar, (i.e., the bulk of today's TN BJP crowd) are the core of that evil. But by claiming to oppose Drav movt today, they simply want to distance themselves from it. They know that outsiders don't know the nuances. They want to portray themselves as good guys in the eyes of India.

      There is no good in tamil country. This is a race of demons. A demoniac, vile race. All tamils approved of Dravidian Movement and its Brahmin hate. That hate lived a hundred years, and lives till today because all tamils approved of it. Annamalai's uncles are still doing that hate from DMK.

      So, I have no other option but to go against BJP. Don't say "success of BJP is success of hinduism". Tamil criminals are using BJP to get rid of the Dravidian 'frame'. All socio-politics of Tamil country happened within that 'frame' for a hundred years, but they won't tell you about all that. That is the tamil world. It's a world in itself, but to outsiders they act as if nothing happened, as if they are the good guys. The outside world from tamil country has got a value system. The more fidelity you have towards 'hindu' religion/culture, the more good you are. But the value system of tamil country has been different. The thing you call 'evil' was existing side by side with that value system of India. In fact, the most hinduest of tamils built Brahmin hate and Dravidian Movement.

      But they are separating the two. Drav/Brahmin hate, and fidelity to Hinduism, and making them opposites of each other. Do you know why?

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    3. So that, in order to escape from that 'frame', all they have to do is portray themselves as devout hindus! They don't want to be held accountable for all that they have been doing, if and when it comes out. So, they want to extricate themselves from that frame, after having kept it alive for a century. That's what Aravindhan Neelakandan Pillai is doing, by telling people about this 'Breaking India' bullshit. See how I have tried to dismantle the crackpot Rajiv Malhotra here-> https://thethiravidiantruth.blogspot.com/2021/08/moron-smriti-of-rajiv-malhotra-should.html

      The great evil in Tamil Country was built by those who would be the goodest guys, as per India's value system. The tamil criminals in RW/BJP/RSS today (Aravindhan is in RSS) are evaluating their Drav movt by India's value system knowing very well that it is inapplicable there. Or, is insufficient to explain what was going on there. The value system/frame of India, or 'Hindu/secular' does not have the communicative tools to explain what has been going on in Tamil Country.

      This is exactly what tamil criminals want. They want their one hundred years of hate and malice to just wither away, without noise. They want to appear like good guys in the eyes of India/BJP just because they defend dharma or whatever, and because they voice out against Drav movt.

      India doesn't know who tamils are. I do.

      Kongu vellala goundars are active everywhere. BJP, DMK, ADMK. (If ADMK/DMK put brahmins on pedestal just to send a fake signal, don't be fooled. You don't know this crowd). The last CM from ADMK was a goundar. ADMK was dominated by the kallar+maravar castes. They had an alliance. Goundar's broke that alliance, and sent kallars packing.

      The post of 'General Secretary' is the most important post in Nagarathar-Vellalar (Dravidian) Movement parties/instis. Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar, Annadurai. It has always been held by a Mudaliar/Vellala in its 105 yrs of existence. But, in 2013, K. Anbazhagan Mudaliar fell ill, and a post of Deputy General Secretary was filled, in its place. Subbulakshmi JEgadeesan, a goundar, was the Deputy Gen Sec until recently. The other deputy gen sec's were not so influential. She didn't just do office work. She spread out the 'Dravidian' scent, the 'Dravidian' sociopolitical worldview, which I told you, is a universe more than just a geographical tag.

      In tamil country, all the malice and hate is hidden behind innocuous words and concepts, which are hidden from outsiders.

      In BJP, Rajni was molded for long to be a crowd puller. But prior to election, the Goundars made Rajnikanth to declare that he was never going to come into politics. The tamil demons poured vitriol on Brahmins because it was thougt that Brahmins were behind Rajni, but that was not so. It was the other guys operating him, but making the crowd think that Brhamins were doing it.

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    4. This was because Goundars didnt want votes to go waste to BJP. They wanted to keep the votes to themselves. DMK and ADMK. Now, after elections, when their man, Annamala Kuppsamy has become TN BJP head, they probably wanted to get rid of the pesky Brahmins. So, they have conducted a sting operation like this to send Brahmins packing out of BJP, or to create an impression in the people's mind. Mudaliar/Vellala/Chettiar are mighty good at this. This is what they have been doing for a hundred years. Talking 'about the Brahmins' in their stages. "Brahmins did this to you, did that to you, they are like this, they think this about you" etc etc. This is a demoniac race.

      Seems like Goundars and Mudaliars have a temporary alliance. Im not saying what KT Raghavan did is right, from a moral standpoint, but is it new? Do you what kind of people the current CM's caste, Isai Vellalars, are, and how Chettiar/Mudalar/Balija Naidu used them?

      I can't tell you to support that party, or take that political stance. But I can tell you, "Don't make it hindu vs anti hindu, or good vs evil." It always has been Brahmins vs non-Brahmins in Tamil Country. This is how the uppermost tamils feed Brahmin hate to the entire population.

      And don't say "I support dharma and I oppose malice, wherever it is". Because that is a very fashionable, diplomatic thing to say. Just realize that the value system of tamil country is different from the rest of India. The most 'dharmic people' (in your sense) are also the summit of hate and malice.

      You know what, I'll tell you a secret. Indian religion, philosophy is very rich in its core, but there is no bridge between that core, and our daily life. And that pot of treasure is also caught in a time warp. It is still old. If you let go of it, and study reality very very closely, you will re-arrive at that pot of treasure, and this time, it will be a real thing. We don't have to 'do' hindu. We are hindus by default. What 'anti-hindu' are you talking about, in a nation of 80% hindus? We just have to 'be' hindu. If we go beyond these labels, the 'dharma' will be a real thing. We can create a bridge between that pot of treasure of indian philosophy/dharma, and the present. Instead of being a fossil that that is now, it will become a real thing.

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Pain in the heart 💓

Just thinking about the fact that -  Brahmins in Tamilnadu have absolutely, literally NO CLUE about the 100 years of a most extraordinary ha...

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