From the recent article of Aravindan Kannaiyan on Kalaignar Karunanidhi we can understand that Aravindan Kannaiyan didn't get medical seat probably because his father was a doctor and 5 extra marks was granted for students from the families which never had a graduate.
The most important accusation of this article is the hatred Dravidian Politics spewed on Brahmins.Yes, Brahmins were called publicly as Paarpan , Pappathi.If one analyses the movies of Tamil cinema, if there is one community which has been always easily ridiculed it was Brahmin community.No other community had been ridiculed or criticised.Any movie which had to speak about caste system took Brahmins as the representative of Caste system.
In 1990s we had movies which had Gounder or Thevar or a Vanniyar as the protagonist. But in these movies they were not criticised or ridiculed. They were not even portrayed as being casteist,they were all champions of human cause. Only in the movies post 2000 , like that of Subramaniyapuram or Kadhal the caste of the antagonist were easily identifiable.I don't think there was a movie like Shankarabharanam in Tamil which had a Brahmin as the protagonist who is worried about the decline of culture and arts.JKB in Sindhubhairavi movie was not a Brahmin, which could have been portrayed so easily.
All this could be related to Dravidian Politics.Though Brahmins were never physically assaulted there were easier targets for making fun. Their language, dressing, rituals,food were all subjects to ridicule,they being the objects.Tamil Brahmins are migrating in large numbers to foreign countries or neighbouring states.This can't be related directly only with Dravidian politics.
Even first time graduates from families of backward castes or scheduled castes have gone abroad and are in a good positions in their career. But what was the percentage of insecurity which fuelled the migration of Brahmins to other states or foreign countries.Did they feel that they don't belong here anymore.When Tamil Nationalists say Vaduga Vandheri I do feel whether I don't really belong here anymore.Also i do think that then do i belong to some other place.If so where is that place.But the issue is, I don't know from where in Andhra Pradesh my ancestors came and settled down in south arcot districts of Tamilnadu.
Yes, It creates a sense of unbelonging.How can someone quantify what was the element of insecurity and unbelonging the Dravidian politics brought to Brahmins.It is not easier to quantify it.One has to use various sampling methods to come to an understanding of the Tamil Brahmin Migration.
I think Tamil Brahmins saw a breathing space in AIADMK.Of late, most of them have now become strong supporters of BJP. More importantly when Jayalalitha became the General Secretary of AIADMK ,she being an Iyengar they found their representative in her.Aravindan Kannaiyan writes that the last 25 years was ruled alternatively by both parties, so we can't credit Karunanidhi for everything.But what was the important projects of Jayalalitha other than the freebies and Amma Canteen.Tamilnadu government under Jayalalitha was instrumental(!) in creating the shortest possible distance between a common man and an alcohol shop.What was the need for government to run an alcohol shop.But this was not shutdown by Kalaignar in his tenure.Only Pattali Makkal Karachi leader Ramadoss has continuously criticised TASMAC.
Cho Ramaswamy once told in an interview that it is impossible to shut down TASMAC completely anymore.It can only be streamlined.Jayalalitha's regime is entirely responsible for TASMAC.
Can we compare Dravidian Politics to Nazism.Anyone would say no.Tamilnadu has progressed economically under Dravidian regimes.No one was physically assaulted.Comparing two things of varying proportions , just because there is some proportion is not right.
That Regional politics is very important for a state could be understood by the progress of Southern states with Hindi belt states.They had only National politics.A party which won majority of seats in Uttar Pradesh captured power in centre.But how much has Uttar Pradesh progressed.
State Autonomy, Regional identity,reservations for Depressed classes,Industrialization was much important things that Dravidian Politics should be remembered of and Kalaignar Karunanidhi implemented most of the above, started discussions on State Autonomy.Andhra Pradesh grew only after N.T.Ramarao came into politics.He created the element of Telugu pride.
It is a very broader subject and if someone really wants to write about the hatred for Brahmins in Dravidian politics and its impact it needs deeper studies and not just the popular sentiment.
No comments:
Post a Comment