Opposing Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya
The Pandit Again
We are glad that Pandit Malaviya is engaging our close attention. The learned Pandit is undertaking vigorous tours while the circus masters are busy with their electioneering campaigns. Our Tamil Nad is undergoing the ceremony of purification by the touch of the holy feet of the bhoo-suras. The cream of the face-born has turned its attention to the so-called masses. Malaviyas, Murthis, Iengars, Iyers and Sastris (generic brahmin caste names – editors) are spending days and nights in their dutiful work ‘for the country’. The words of ‘Swaraj’, ‘independence’, ‘Mother India’ and the like are spread in every atom of the atmosphere. Outbursts of eloquent oratory are ringing in our ears. Bashirs and Sabapathis are playing the Vibishana (1). The very oxygen that is inhaled by us contains cent percent partriotism. The ever wakeful eyes of the ‘Devas’ are riveted to our Tamil Nad, and the Seven Chiranjivis (Immortals) are pouring blessings upon the leaders of the intelligentia.
At one corner, there is our Pandit with his newly learnt queer interpretations of castes and untouchability, with his favourite Sanskrit slogas and quotations from Bhagvat Gita and with his burning anxiety to enthrone the poor God. The Pandit’s caste and temple entry have a meaning of his own, just as Mr. Gandhi’s varnashrama has got his own meaning. The Rama of these two leaders is quite different from the Rama of the world. The great Pandit from the north is solving the temple-entry problem just in the same way as the Saivites are solving it with the help of their Periyapuranam. His surprises at and protests against ‘a movement which is out to destroy caste’ are undergoing severe tests. His plea for the Hindu religion of which he poses to be an ardent advocate, ought to have come a thousand years back and that too, in other countries. The Pandit is learning day by day that fresh versions of Sanskrit sayings, which his memory is so capable of, cannot help him any more. The Pandit is painfully made to realize that South India is no longer the suitable ring for his acrobatic feats. He is finding his work unpleasant but not tedious. For, fortunately there are some people still who are unwilling to lose the opportunity of seeing a new tiger in the zoo. People may hate the tiger’s yawns, but they pay any amount to see a new animal.
At the other corner there are the South India patriots with their crowded programme of active tours and beach-trained oratory. Evidently, the lecture season has come in Tamil Nad. For the next six months and more there will be a busy trade in God and religion. The traders are already at their work, with a big capital behind them. It is rumoured that a long list of the achievements of these patriots is in the course of preparation. The trader knows as a matter of fact, that it is too late to trade on the Hindu Religious Endowments Act. Even in the last elections it did not pay them as much as they expected, hence there will be fresh commodities this year. The Chingleput conference (2) will furnish them with sufficient materials to be misinterpreted and misrepresented to the people, and there is the innocent Justice Party with its proverbial ‘anti-Congress views’, to bear the burden. There is the Self-respect movement to remind them of their long-forgotten God and religion. These facts can be usefully twisted and mended to serve the ‘patriotic’ purposes of the circus masters. If ‘Gandhi-ki-jai’ does not serve them as before, they will try ‘Swami-ki-jai’ or ‘Religion-ki-jai’. There will be not a village where ‘the sin of unsociability’ will not be talked of and there will be not a town where downpours of patriotism will not be showered. Instead of national songs, there will be tried some religious songs this year. If they find it too late to prepare a record of their work in the past, they can safely resort to vituperations on the Justice Party to which can easily be attributed the business of ‘job hunting’. Then the resolutions of the Chingleput conference can be utilized in the name of God and religion, if not the country. Both the Justice Party and the Self-respectors can be mixed up together at least to hoodwink the public and defeat the Justicites in the coming elections. And there are Kalyanasundrams and Varadarajalus who can be cunningly handled for propaganda through the press. It is enough if some more subscribers are promised for the ‘Navasakti’ and the ‘Tamil Nadu’ (3). They will dance to the tunes of the circus masters.
But alas, the public are not be so easily bamboozled as before, they have had enough of the South Indian patriotism, and its fire-eating promises. The people know how far the bureaucratic lion has been bearded in its own den; how far the ‘satanic’ British Government has been obstructed from functioning; how far the goal to Swaraj has been reached and how far the Independents are independent of honesty and straight-forwardness. They have seen how far the constructive programme of the Congress has borne results; how far unsociability has gone from the land; and how far they have sincerely attempted to drive away the drink evil. They have seen how far khaddar is feeding the ‘dumb millions’. It is no wonder then, that the ‘patriots’ have hit upon new promises of saving God and religion. ‘Vote for the Congress and protect your gods’, will be the election cry. For, are they not, being bhoo-suras (Gods on earth) bound to help their powerless heads?
‘The Millennium of Swaraj’, these nationalists used to say ‘will be as happy as Ramaraj’. And it is why Mr. Malavia enjoins upon the people to utter the ‘Mahayana’ mantra. Thereby he hopes to get Swaraj which is Ramaraj. And an audience of 10,000 at Kottayam shout out ‘Ravana-ki-jai!’ For they fear that under Ramaraj, they will have to lose the head of a Non-brahmin for the death of every Brahmin child. They fear the restitution of suttee, in the name of chastity. They fear the instalment of varnashrama in the name of religion. They fear more Brahmin Conferences in the name of Sanatana Dharma. They fear more impaling of the Jains and Buddhists by the worshippers of Siva (the God of Love). If under an alien Raj these orthodox bands of religious bigots are left to masquerade in the land and are allowed to use, in season and out of season, the treacherous weapons of God and religion, and thereby threaten the people into submission socially as well as politically, are not the submerged communities justified in dreading the Brahmin Raj, or worse than that, the Raj of the Vibishans?
Let us frankly tell these patriots that the public feel it extremely sickening to hear more of these priggish platitudes. It is no longer possible to hide the nakedness of the Swarajist promises. Let them however try their last trump card but let them only play out the game.
– Revolt, 17 April 1929
Our North Indian Leaders
Pandit Malaviya, in his recent speech at Madras has shown his true colours. Evidently the face-born gentleman has unmasked his real self. The ringmasters of the Madras political circus have brought in another quadruped from the north, which is performing political feats and social somersaults. The tiger from Allahabad is roaring in its brahminic fury. It is uttering half-hatched, self-contradictory ideas to suit the tastes of the threaded humanity of our province.
Our readers are aware that it is usual for the Brahmins of our province, especially of the city of Madras, to bring some great personalities from North India, whenever they find themselves in trying circumstances. They did the same with reference to men like Swami Vivekananda, Bepin Chandra Pal, C.R. Das, Lala Lajapat Rai and others. They are playing the same game with Mr. Gandhi, Motilal Nehru and others. When there is any popular movement which directly affects the superiority of the privileged community, when there is any sign of the upliftment of the down-trodden masses, when the monopolists begin to feel the helplessness of their situation, then, they generally resort to such ingenious methods. Some prominent men of the north are caught hold of and given erroneous information of all matters which are detrimental to the selfish aims of the opportunists.
A few hours stay at Madras is enough to poison the minds of these leaders, who are otherwise sympathetic and large-hearted. Their first speeches at Madras will reflect the hidden Brahminism infused into them. Then, in spite of the Brahmin-guarded tour of these men, they get the scent of the real situation, though not in its entirety. They are sometimes forced by circumstances to come face to face with real facts. Then their last speech in the province will bear quite opposite results. And the ring-masters will be not a little sorry for the cat having been let out of the bag.
It was only after his South Indian visit that Swami Vivekananda observed that the “Brahmin cobra must suck out his own poison, if the patient should survive”. Lajapt Rai came to realise the overbearing importance of social reconstruction only when he was denied admission into the Trivandrum temple. It was only then that he proclaimed that “religion was the real cause of all the abuses of society, that he could find nothing human in the temples; that the Madras presidency is getting suffocated amidst the poisonous atmosphere of religion and God; and that fearless reformers are immediately needed in Madras”. It was only when he was refused entry into the temple at Cape Comerin that Mr. Gandhi understood the A.B.C. of South Indian matters. And his further tours in the Tamil Nad in spite of being guarded by the Chota Gandhi, have brought from his month the irrefutable truth that the “temples are the dens of prostitutes”. More instances of this kind are not wanting. Suffice it to note that those who come form the north give vent to their ideas only when they themselves meet with the opportunity of tasting the bitter truths.
Naturally the Pandit has made his momentous arrival. One of the master-strokes of this brahminic clannishness has been already given out of his recent speech at Madras. He says, “the caste system had existed and would exist in spite of the frantic efforts which are sometimes made to demolish it”. The Allahabad Pandit “is surprised to find in this province a movement which not only wants to demolish caste, but also to demolish God Himself ”. He says, “this new evil creeping into their midst should be nipped in the bud. It is a very difficult task to right a wrong which had existed for a long time”. About the admission to the temples the Pandit says “it might be that there are certain rules in certain temples not to admit certain people beyond a certain place. I can quite understand it, and in such places these rules should be very clearly laid and made known to all, so that there could be no complaint.”
Wise words are these. What else can be expected from a Pandit, and that too a Brahmin Pandit when he is especially surrounded by Varnashramites who take pleasure in fondling child widows? This brings to our memory, a suggestion in the vernacular about the idea of a mischievous wounded monkey which is at the same time also angry and drunken. The Pandit may be unaware of the full significance of the Self-respect movement. But it is no reason why he should blurt out unauthentic matters resulting from misrepresented facts. His surprise at a movement aiming at demolishing caste, is a surprise to us, and will be a surprise to the learned world. If the Pandit only takes some trouble in touring the province more leisurely, we are sure, he will not venture such hasty observations. If he is only patient enough to know that more than a dozen papers are published in the policy of the Self-respect movement, that they command the largest number of subscribers, and that the ‘Kudi Arasu’, the chief organ of the movement is commanding the largest circulation in the presidency, he will not indulge in the empty dream of nipping the movement in its bud. Dear Panditji, it is not a bud; it is a tree whose roots have penetrated to an immeasurable depth, and whose branches have extended to far off Turkey, Russia, Afghanistan, China, Burma and South Africa. Its fragrance is being enjoyed by the youths of the world. And its principles are being inhaled by every free-thinker, truth-seeker and reasoner.
Now to the Pandit’s next remark that the wrong existing for a long time could not be righted. This is certainly an old man’s despair. We should advise the despondent Pandit to stop his tours immediately and perform yagas at the foot of the Himalays, even as his forefathers are said to have done. Let him not spread his poison of despondency in a land where fatalism has already sucked the blood of the people. His remarks about the temples are the real expressions of his brahminic heart. The saviour of Hinduism is at his pitch when he wants specific rules to be laid up for the various castes to enter the temples. Even in that case, we are sorry that the existing temples should be demolished, and new ones built with more number of rooms for each caste of worshippers. We doubt whether the Pandit means it seriously, or simply wants to be true to his salt. But one thing we know, that even if his commonsense repudiates such inhuman customs, his thread across the body will remind him that he is first a Brahmin, and then only a man. It is really a curse to our country that such big heads as Pandit Malaviya sell their heads to an unscrupulous section of humanity. It is high time the Pandit rids himself away from the land of the lotus-eaters and begins to know facts at first hand. Dear Panditji we heartily welcome you in our midst as a guest, but not as a preacher or bashyakar of Hinduism.
– Revolt, 8 May 1929
Pandit Malayviya and Self-respect (By Mr. S. Lakshmirathan, M.A., B.L.)
Pandit Malaviya who is touring in South India now has fallen into the same pitfalls and snares that are usually and habitually set up by a certain section of the public who claim for themselves a sort of preordained congenital superiority, based not on reason and merit, but on the accident of birth, and which is tolerated by a people abounding in ignorance and superstition. Fully aware that they can live – if living one may call it – only by booming and bolstering up this belief and keeping the people in their continued misery and ignorance, they pay their unstinted devotion to, and spend their whole energy in an art of mischievous misinterpretation of any movement that is started for the welfare and awakening of the masses, and which would reveal the utter artificiality and woeful worthlessness of this class of people in all their nakedness. This is not the first instance of, nor Panditji is the first visitor to fall a prey to their clever art. Their subtle hypocrisy can be traced through ages long prior to the present day, and many a learned man of deeper insight and broader vision than
Panditji, has been deluded and victimized by them. And we can well say that at no other period of time had they such necessity for the use of their black art of vilification than at present, when the advancing tide of civilization, force of culture, and the radiant rays of the Self-Respect Movement have already begun slowly; but surely and firmly, to penetrate the minds of masses and make each one of them feel and realize the highest Truth that Philosophy can teach, namely that he is That (Tatvamasi) and as such inferior to none in Himself.
By this art of vilification and organized misinterpretation they conspire to impose upon the minds of great and noble men like Panditji, whose minds so far as these vital and local problems are concerned, are a tabula rasa, false ideas and beliefs, which when they are given vent to in public, through their mouths, produce an illusion by their association with these otherwise honest men, and appear as truths in themselves. The production of such an effect is what these men desire and strive for. But they are grievously mistaken. Even the very men who are victimized now, like the Panditji, will be the foremost when they acquire a first hand knowledge of such movements, to condemn in no unequivocal terms, the hypocrisy that originally clouded their intellect and the truths that they subsequently learned. This is what actually happened in the case of a much greater man like Mr. Ghandi who after seeing things for himself compared our temples with the dwelling houses of prostitutes. While any amount of superstition, delusion, falsehood and hypocrisy, even when they are associated directly or indirectly with reputed names that cast a magic spell on the down trodden masses, cannot hide the Truth or cloud the Reality for ever, yet it is to be admitted that “Truth from the lips of these men will prevail with double sway”.
We may well pause to think and reflect, what would befall such villainy then. We may warn them, that it is nothing but Destruction and Sheer Annihilation. That Panditji should say, that “he was surprised to find in this province a movement which not only wanted to demolish caste, but also to demolish God himself ”, would alone suffice to illustrate the colossal dose of poisonous ignorance injected into his mind by these ignoble men; and in the very next sentence, Panditji blurted out the truth by admitting, “he was told that there was a party growing here which did not believe in the existence of God”. We wish to tell the Pandit that nothing which this organized group will do or tell others, will in the least surprise us as it has surprised him. We only request that these honest visitors, if they have any faith in the maxim, “That there is no religion higher than Truth”, will come in personal touch with these movements and learn things for themselves.
– Revolt, 8 May 1929
Panditji’s Propaganda (By Mr. K.M. Balasubramanian)
Ever since the learned Pandit Malaviya set his foot on the South Indian soil, he has been most vociferously proclaiming from the raised daises the untold advantages of our time-worn caste system and its impossibility of destruction at any time in the future. Evidently he is engaged in the vain task of turning down the surging tide of organized opposition to this most appalling and suicidal system of caste carried on throughout the length and breadth of this part of the Peninsula. Undoubtedly he is the best fitted person for bolstering up the fast tottering edifice of this antiquated caste system, but alas, even a Pandit Malaviya is incapable of that.
In his recent speech delivered on the 9th May at the Kottayam S.N.D.P. Conference, the Panditji is reported to have said that “the idea of destroying caste was an idle one”. I fear the learned lecturer is “born a century too late”. One is struck with untold wonder and astonishment at the altogether antiquated ideas and opinions of the Panditji. As well he may declare from his seat in the Assembly “the idea of abolishing child marriage is an idle one”. The countless and colossal evils of this cruel caste system are too many and too patent to be lost sight of by any, with eyes to see. The pros and cons of it have for long been discussed and weighed and the consensus of the opinion of the impartial critics and enlightened reformers favours the destruction of this deadly engine of inequities and tyranny. Socially economically and politically the caste system is the greatest obstacle in the way of our nation’s progress. Mr. Chatterjee remarks that “it (caste) dwarfs individual genius, kills initiative, and enterprise and hampers growth and progress” Further “a rigid caste system is antagonistic to progress…”
The social and political effects are equally harmful, though the Panditji complacently refers to the past achievements of this caste system. Says he: “caste system existed in India when India was at the zenith of civilization and power”. But the Panditji assumes, what ought to be proved. Was the caste system alone, or for that matter was it even chiefly responsible for the past glories of our country? Granting it was, does it follow that it may conduce to our future greatness? With equally good logic might we assert that ‘early marriage’, ‘sutti’ and the ‘woeful widowhood’ existed when India was at her zenith of power and prestige. Maybe but “old order changeth yielding place to new And God fulfils himself in many ways(?) lest one good custom should corrupt the world.”
Indeed one is induced to wonder what Pandit Malaviya and men of his way of thinking mean by caste. If by ‘caste system’ they mean, (and me thinks they cannot mean anything else) a professional division of the society, then ill is spent all their energy; for their eloquent defence of caste comes too late. All those erstwhile impenetrable barriers have been broken down and the former water-tight compartments the community has been divided into, have been completely blown up. But what generally obtains at present here, in our parts at any rate, under the aegis of this shadow of the caste is a meaningless and iniquitous difference between one set of people and another. It is this difference we seek and sedulously attempt to eradicate and surely none can ever checkmate us in this sacred duty of killing the “killing canker”.
To conclude, if the Panditji by his enthusiastic defence on the platforms defends caste system as it obtains at present, then surely, his is a voice in the wilderness. The demolition of ‘caste’ is one of the programmes in the national renaissance and reconstructions and the Indian National Social Conference of 1928 presided over by Mr. Jayakar too has passed a resolution in favour of abolishing it. It has sanctioned inter-dining and inter-marrying and equality amongst Hindus, all of which when accomplished would divest the caste system of its true significance. But if after that, caste retains and signifies anything else, well may the Pandit plead for its retention and we wish him all success in his attempt.
But it is too much to expect from a man who, while advocating temple entry, rather sarcastically remarks; “It might be that there are certain rules in certain temples not to admit certain people beyond certain places. I can quite understand it and in such places these rules should be very clearly laid and made known to all so that there could be no complaint.” Very characteristic of the Panditji indeed! What in the name of equity, does he mean by ‘certain class’ of people? If birth, as he himself declares, is no index of a man’s character and if a Brahmin who is bad, is a ‘sudra’ as the Panditji himself duels after quoting Vedavyasa, would he admit every Tom, Jack and Harry with a thread on him into the Sanctum Sanctorum, however bad he may be and forbid the entrance of a ‘sudra’ who is good? Well, we can only warn the Panditji that all the meaningless and mouth-filling rodomontade cannot be swallowed, at any rate by us, the Non-Brahmins however much he may be hailed by the microscopic minority of this presidency. His unflinching advocacy of temple entry on the one had and the eloquent defence of the caste system on the other, the two diametrically opposite things can only go to show us the Pandit in his native, true, brahminic colour “Delenda est ‘caste’”.
– Revolt, 22 May 1929
Will the Caste Go? (By Mr. Bahuleyan)
“Caste cannot go, Caste as it is, is good. We need only wash out the dirty portion of it. It existed even when India reached its highest zenith of civilisation,” says our revered Malaviya of All Indian reputation. No doubt he is a great learned man amongst Hindus. He is noted for his proficiency in the Vedas and Shastras of Hinduism. He is known to be a “Sanatana Hindu” who believes in Vedic culture, and a rigid Varnashramite. He unhesitatingly says even in these days of enlightenment that Brahmins are face-born and “Sudras” are born from the feet of Brahma. We can easily understand why and what for Pandit Malaviya pleads for caste system as long as he maintains the above idea of Brahmins and “Sudras.” It simply means Brahmin Malaviya does not want caste system to go. He wishes us to believe that caste system is good in itself and to admit that he and his community people are born superior and the rest of us lowly born to serve them. About this dear wish of his, he makes speeches wherever he goes about. I do not see any other motive in all his South Indian lecturers than that he wants caste to be perpetuated. Truly no student of the Vedas can go against caste based on birth.
Says Mr. Malaviya, “It is futile to work against caste. It is mere waste of time and energy; for nobody has succeeded in doing away with caste.” Is this an argument for the necessity of caste, I wonder. Well, none has put up an earnest and sincere fight to kill the caste demon is the answer for it. Lately of course, several socio-religious movements have sprung up to work against caste as a side issue, and they too have succeeded to a certain extent in that sphere. Up to this no movement has been begunwith the only intention of doing away caste from India in all its spheres. Because those millions of masses who are being exploited and oppressed in the “sacred” name of Hindu religion and caste are yet left uneducated and hence quite helpless.
The religion of “Rama Raj” has come to a close when “Sudras” were forbidden by law from receiving education. Fortunately, British Raj has set in with education for all. The huge masses of India who were tyrannized for centuries in the name of caste system have now begun to open their eyes in the light of British Raj’s Education and see for themselves things happening around them. They are slowly waking up from their age long slumber caused by the mesmerism of Hindu religion, and are realizing their deplorable condition in society.
They have begun to think about their liberties and rights in the country and are becoming conscious of their great might and wonderful possibilities which lie hidden in them. These are all healthy symptoms to show that there is life in them. On the day when they wake up to their full consciousness, caste system and every other rotten systems and customs are bound to perish. Besides this, those communities which vigourously plead for the upkeep of the caste system, will be nowhere in the near future.
It has been proved beyond doubt that caste system is a satanic institution founded upon a number of slokas just to allow the Brahmin to exploit mercilessly the dumb millions of the country. One thing is certain, that henceforth it will not be desirous of Malaviya and his caste people to pass their days quite easily with the least bodily exertion and labour, chanting their blessed manthrams, making others at the same time work day in and day out. All these “golden days” have come to a close.
They need not be dreaming that caste would stand on, since it has survived many obstacles. That is just like the old man’s hope to live even when he gasps for his last breath. A good number of institutions which had long lives, have perished. “Slave trade cannot be abolished” argued its Malaviyas. Yet it was abolished when the people seriously wished for its abolition. “Autocracy cannot be replaced by democracy”, pleaded its Malaviyas and yet how many states remain to be ruled by autocratic kings? “Prohibition is an impossibility” said its Malaviyas too and America has made it a complete possibility. Likewise there are so many instances in the world history to be quoted, when world wide vices had been demolished root and branch. Yet our Malaviyas have not the broadmindedness and foresight to learn a lesson from the above facts. They blissfully connive at them and have the wonderful audacity to prophecy that caste system is peculiar to Indian soil and hence caste cannot go. What a Himalayan hoax!.
When foreign Malaviyas come and say “You Indians are not yet to be given Swaraj” how vigorously and fluently our real Malaviyas are out to argue with them and try to vindicate their abilities to rule for themselves. The very same Malaviyas cannot see eye to eye with us, when we say caste would go and should go for the salvation of India. Then they pose themselves to be ignorant of all past histories and experiences of men simply out of their selfish unwillingness to get out of their cosy wells and to view humanity with a broader outlook.
In fact, our Malaviyas have come to understand really that caste is being destroyed. It is only out of their anxiety and fear that they babble now that caste cannot go and should be maintained. Every listful ear and willing eye can distinctly hear and see the death knell of the passing caste demon.
Ten years ago, the very word “Inter-dining” was poison to the Ezhava mentality at large. Only very recently they showed at Kottayam that they cannot even patiently hear Mr. Malaviya saying, “Caste is a necessity.” What a rapid change! Does that indicate that caste is to survive or to perish! Again Mr. Malavya said that Ezhavas of Malabar alone cannot blot out caste from India. There are cores of people throughout India who are suffering like Ezhavas of Malabar. They are all jointly going against caste. All wake up and unitedly march against the caste demon hand in hand and then the few caste people and the couple of Malaviyas who now want to safeguard caste would be hissed away like a dried leaf in their exhaling wind. The majority of the Hindu population who form the backbone of the Indian nation is treacherously oppressed and suppressed by the caste devil. They have fully realized their wonderful possibilities and power latent in them. And the time has come to bid adieu to the caste system and with it the Malaviyas!
– Revolt, 29 May 1929
Malaviya’s Last Trump Card (By Kirk)
Malaviyaji is almost finishing his Madras tour. The down-trodden people who are awakened to a sense of Self-respect have their hopes in him shattered. Yet Malaviyaji has got a strong faith in his orthodoxy and its efficacy in hypnotizing the people to his creed. The Varnashramites of Madras are very much pleased with the achievements of the Pandit even though they put up a show of opposition to his seeming heterodoxy. They know that their game of disapproval of the Pandit’s activities will give him some new adherents, Neo Hindus, who shall in reality be recruits to the Varnashramite creed.
Malaviyaji’s mission of anti-untouchability while keeping intact the caste system is no new slogan. Bhai Paramanand and the other North Indian leaders who form the extreme wing of the Hindu Sabha and who have organized the “Jat Pat Todak Mandal”, the society for breaking castes and creeds, know the real value of the Pandit’s slogan. It is an apology for his ultra-orthodoxy in his advanced province.
In the south, the slogan of the Aryavarta cannot hold water. We know that the caste system itself is graded untouchability. Unapproachability and unseeability are parts of Dharma that find advocacy in revealed texts, in the liberal Shastras and Puranas of the Pandit. The majority of the population is groaning under the dead weight of religious tyranny and hypocrisy. Whenever the people come to a realization of their degradation, the scourge of the Brahmin is upon them.
The Self-respect movement has enlightened the masses. The Brahmin high priests with Hindu religion and ethics can no longer enslave the souls of the masses. The core of our society at the apex of which was the Brahmin and at the base the Pariah, is sure to turn upside down and the lotus-eaters at the apex are sure to crumble.
They are therefore doing all that lie in their power to avert such a calamity. Malaviyaji has not lost hopes in the powers of the Brahmin-spell of religion, even though his Varnashramite comrades at Madras are despondent. He goes about starting Hindu Mahasabhas wherever he sojourns; but their fate is already sealed. Pandit’s activity in this direction is the last straw on the camel’s back.
There is yet another aspect of religio-nationalism of Malaviyaji which is pregnant with grave danger, but which we are likely to ignore. It is his advocacy of Hindi as lingua franca in the place of Sanskrit, which he says can no longer be the common language.
The prime cause that led to the destruction of a strong rational society and threw us into compartments of warring castes and creeds is clear as day light to us. It was due to the hypnotization of Sanscritic culture. When the south is making efforts to shake the dust of a Sanscritic culture off its feet, the demon is taking a new avatar and is threatening us with destruction, in the shape of Hindi. A brief survey of the Hindi movement as propagated by the Hindi Prachar Sabha will speak for itself.
The problem of a national language versus common language was already discussed in these columns and a strong case was put up against a national language. Even granting the necessity for a national language let us see whether we can tolerate the movement, as it is.
The father of the Hindi movement, Mr. Gandhi says that Hindi, in its national aspect includes its Urdu form. According to him, a synthesis of Sanscritised Hindi and Persianised Urdu would alone constitute the national language. As for the script to be employed in writing such a language he does not give a clear lead.
Now let us see as to what sort of a language that the Hindu Prachar Sabha is propagating and that which finds favour with Malaviyaji Why does the Sabha advocate Sanscritised Hindi distinctly apart from Urdu? Why is the Sabha not only not in favour of this national form of Hindi, but is absolutely anti-national? The reasons are obvious. The Sabha must find for their Hindi, recognition in the South Indian Universities that have already given a place for Urdu. We don’t mind if they happen to be pro or anti-national but we cannot put up with their pro-Hindi activities.
Let us take for instance the question of script. We once before drew the attention of the readers to the chaotic and unscientific nature of the Devanagari script, employed in writing Hindi. It is a colossal waste of time and energy to try to acquire a knowledge of about 566 characters it contains, consisting of vowels, consonants and their combinations. There are again five types of conjunct consonants which swell the above number with about 60 more. Such is the tyranny of this script. Even with a fair knowledge of this script, you cannot master the pronunciation of Hindi written in this script. This irregularity is of course due to the inevitable difficulty of adapting a script not suited to the genius of the language.
This is an age of enlightenment when thinking men are not favourably disposed even towards the Roman script in spite of its many advantages. It is a simple one consisting of only 26 characters. Most of the languages of the west are written in this script. A knowledge of the script will pave the way for the valuable acquisitions of art and science. Further it has the unique advantage of being printed and typewritten easily. Yet the world is for inventing a universal script, simple, easy and absolutely scientific. The Devanagari script with all its multiplicity, chaos and primitive barbarism is simply intolerable. Why should the Sabha then persist in its propagation of this script? Let the readers draw their own conclusions!
Nationalism in Hindi is therefore a camouflage. It is a movement which ultimately aims at a cultural conquest of the south. The pronouncements of Mr. Gandhi and the activities of the Hindi Prachar Sabha, will sufficiently speak for themselves in favour of our conclusions.
Among the activities of the Sabha, the celebration of Tulsi Jayanti i.e. the Birthday celebration of Tulsidas, the author of the Hindi Ramayana throughout the presidency is the most important. Examinations in Tulsi Ramayana are also held every year. In a province where there is no Muslim-Hindu antagonism and where the majority of the Mussalmans won’t grudge the acquisition of the knowledge of either Hindustani or Urdu, we cannot easily swallow this piece of Ramayana propaganda that may not find favour with the Mussalmans, in the name of nationalism.
Mr. Gandhi opines that a majority of the Hindu population will have to go without a knowledge of Sanscrit, the language of religion. So they must have religion interpreted through Hindi. A Hindi propagandist must also be an evangelist of Hinduism. The Ramayana of Tulsidas is the only book in Hindi that can interpret Hinduism to the masses. It is “a mine of Dharmas, a Symposium of morals.” It is this book that inspired and still inspires Mr. Gandhi. He owes his Mahatmaship to two books in this world, the one being Tulsi Ramayana and the other being Gita in Sanscrit.
For the information of the readers we give below some samples of Tulsidas morality and Dharma. The story of Bharata and his followers going to meet Rama in the forest is of course well known. Bharata, on his way to the forest was obliged to spend a night in the Ashram of the rishi known as Bharadwaj. Tulsidas, the moralist poet sings of the glory of the Rishi and his hospitality. The poet in his exuberant imagination would have his sage Bharadwaj to surround Bharata and his followers with all luxuries, with damsels of exquisite beauty, ready to pander to their lust. Morality worthy of the sages indeed!
This is a bit of Tulsi morality. Now we shall have a dose of his Dharma. This radical philosopher has got drastic views on Dharma. He has got an informidable faith in the rod, in religious matters. Persuasion has no place in his philosophy. In one of his “choupayies’, he runs amock and cries out, “Drums, beasts, shudras, women, all these are entitled to be treated with the rod”. Tulsidas ki Jai!.
Can a self-respecting nation tolerate such religion and morals interpreted through Hindi?
– Revolt, 22 May 1929
A Fruitless Tour of Social reform (By Mr. M. Ramavarma Thumpan, M.A. L.T) (4)
Pandit Malavyaji’s recent South Indian tour was an awful failure. The object of his tour was Social Reform. He hoped that with the offering of two mantras he could reform society, remove untouchability and even convert Christians and Muslims into Hindus. If he had any semblance of success or even toleration it was only when he preached to the converted. The conservative sections of the Nambudris listened to him patiently and evoked his admiration by their parrotlike chanting of Veda the result of so many years of hard, albeit useless, memorizing; but they looked askance at the Pundit’s references to the removal of untouchability and temple entry. At Kottayam when Punditji attempted to better his first manthram of Rama Namam the audience lost patience and grew restless. The question put to him, how he would reconcile caste and conversion, i.e., into what caste he would place a man converted from other faiths and if he should be placed in the caste he chooses to be in, which is nothing but fair, why caste Hindus be not allowed to change castes and choose what caste he liked – this question was rather inconvenient to him. The birth basis of castes would in that case go. That at the late hour, considering his old age and fatigue the people did not press him for an answer, bespeaks the respect they had for him and their highly cultured and gentlemanly behavior.
At Trichur and Trivandrum he was listened to with respect. In one of these places he even defined caste as being based on the quality of the man rather than on his birth and quoted the oft cited and utterly worn out sloka from the Bhagavat Geetha. No one takes that sloka seriously when one deals with caste troubles.
To crown all, Punditji ignominiously failed in his debate with the conservative pundits of Madras, if the paper reports are true. He had to confess that removal of untouchability, religious conversion to Hinduism and temple entry had no sanction in the Vedas. His citation were outcited. Pitable indeed was the sight of an accomplished lawyer like the Punditji so full of resources bowing down his head before a few old priests whose only boast is that they have converted their memory into a dustbin of forgotten verses. The Punditji could not, it appears, muster courage to assert that Vedas or no Vedas, these reforms are necessary in the present crisis and if there were no sanction for them new sanctions have to be created. Sorry the dynamic pundit did not ask the static pundits whether the use of coffee, tea, ovaltine, aerated waters, motor car, railways, electric lamps and the thousand and one conveniences of modern civilization had Vedic sanction. Things that could not have been dreamt of by the writers of Vedas could not have been sanctioned or prohibited those innocent authors.
Would the social reformers bid farewell to this past complex in them and be bold enough to look around and forge ahead? The crying evil of India today is the sad want of mutual confidence amongst the several sections of the people. Long life of slavery under the British administration of public safety, religious neutrality and quiet, steady and peaceful exploitation and consequent impoverishment has eaten up their capacity to make mutual adjustments. It is only now that people have opened their eyes and realize now like Gulliver in Liliput they are bound down by so many chains. A wrenching is necessary. Let the reformers boldly and fearlessly face the situation.
In North India the Hindu-Muslim rupture is the main social disease. Instead of creating a militant class of Hindu fanatics to fight against Mahomedan fanatics and irritating the latter by the Sudhi and Sangatan movements, why should not they try to popularize interdining and intermarriage between Hindus and Muslims and create harmony among the two sections and eventually lead both to the ideal of each man and woman having a religion of his or her own, the mosques and temples being made equally accessible to all. Of the present day Muslims the majority who are the children of Hindus converted in the past do not feel sorry for having seceded from the faith of their forefathers. The great Akbar did not feel any qualm of conscience to show openly his toleration for and even inclination towards Hinduism. Conciliation and compromise in social reform activities pay better than rivalry and opposition. The newspapers tell us often of marriages between Mahomedan and Christian youths and Brahmin girls. All this shows that there is nothing fundamentally wrong in such alliances. It is high time that people realize and feel ashamed of the silliness of cutting each other’s throat over the question of music before mosques and cow-killing. The descendants of the present day Hindus and Muslims would have but a very poor opinion of their forefathers who wasted their time and energy on such silly and disgraceful fight when they ought to have been uniting to free themselves from the yoke of slavery pressing heavily on the necks of both the communities alike. Let us deserve well of our posterity, Let us hope that Pundit Malaviya and Mahatma Gandhi accompanied by Shaukat Ali and Mohamed Ali will go round India preaching and practicing inter-dining and helping the youths to take to inter-marriage amongst the people of all castes and creeds in India. Such a mission might, why, will create an atmosphere for giving up the fight of communal representation and for gaining a glorious Swarajya so that India may become one of the great powers of the world, rich in resources of men and wealth, and of thought and action. Would our leaders have the courage, patriotism, large heartedness and clearness of intellectual vision to work for and usher in such a golden age. Inter-dining and inter-marriage are the two sovereign remedies for all the social evils of communal strife in India.
– Revolt, 23 June 1929
The Pandits at War (A. Bahuleyan)
Recently there was a competition at Madras between Pandit Malaviya and the South Indian Sastris in discussing whether untouchability can be removed, whether the “untouchables” can be allowed temple entry and whether they are entitled to have “Manthra Deeksha”. Both parties quoted slokas of their shastras as their authority during the debate. Mr. Malaviya argued that untouchability can be removed and that untouchables can be given temple entry and Manthra Deeksha, quoting several slokas from the Sastras in his favour. In return, the South Indian shastris also quoted any number of slokas in their favour and argued that the above things cannot be allowed at all. The fun of it was that most of the slokas quoted by the shastris were quite new to the North Indian Pandit’s ears. So he asked for their printed edition. The shastris at once sent for those books and exhibited them before the Pandit. Mr. Malaviya personally believes in the validity of the shastras with due estimation and regard for them. So he had to bow his head in consent even though he had not come across any of those slokas, even once in this life. Thus he was forced to comply with the Madras Pandits view and fail miserably in the debate.
Then Mr. Malaviya began to argue with the Madras shastris on the point of mercy. Taking pity upon the poor untouchables Mr. Malaviya requested the shastris to grant them temple entry and ‘Manthra Deeksha’.
Again our shastris defeated Pandit Malaviya by arguing that since the shastras clearly prohibit them from allowing the untouchables the above said favours. They would be really doing them harm under the impression that they are doing good to the untouchables out of mercy. Those who admit the divinity of the shastras are naturally forced to recognize the Madras shastris views upon this issue.
We are to learn much from this Madras competitive examination. It is clear that these Hindus yet have the audacity to believe that every bit of the world’s structure is responsible to their slokas. If anybody goes for a reform it seems that he should quote slokas in his favour. When we feel the necessity for a reform it does not count much if there are slokas in favour or against the reform. If the slokams do not side with the reforms it simply means that they are absurd.
They are really wonderful people who wrote the slokam that, “The world depends upon God; God depends upon Manthrams, Manthrams depends upon Brahmins. Hence the Brahmin is the God of God.”
We are forced to wonder when we see these wonderful beings yet struggling to effect their tricks even in these advanced times. We should make them clearly understand that it is high time for them to shelve all their slokams, made only to condemn humanity and to exploit the poor at large. Among the Non Brahmins too there are some men who think much of these slokams. Otherwise these Brahmins would not have dared to disgrace India reciting their foolish slokams.
When a Miss Mayo writes some thing about the nonsense discussed by our revered Malaviyas and Madras shastris, what a hubbub our “Desa Bhakthas” make! As long as India possesses leaders like Malaviya standing and learning to bow their heads shamelessly in submission when a couple of shastris come and quote some outworn slokas against the very legitimate and elementary rights of seven crores of Indians, thousands of “Mother Indias” would not suffice.
Mr. Malaviya knows well that if the supposed Brahmins do not willingly grant some liberties to the “Untouchables” now, just to conjure them and keep them inside the Hindu fold, they will one day revolt at a stroke and destroy every bit of supremacy the Brahmins have at present. That is why Mr. Malaviya pleads for the removal of untouchability.
When we examine our Malaviyas and the Madras shastris in the light of their own shastras we are compelled to call them ‘pure chandalas’. If the Brahmins do not live up to the ideals of their shastras, i.e. their “Jathy Dharma” they are worse chandalas than the born chandalas, says the shastras. Does the Brahmin live up to his “Jathy Dharma”? Does Mr. Malaviya live up to his shastric ideals? The Madras shastris proved that Mr. Malaviya went against the shastras by his arguing against them. Then what about the Brahmins who are hotel keepers, toddy shop owners, excise officers, brokers and of other descriptions who do not live up to their “Jathy Dharma?” The rest of the Brahmins who mingle with the above said Brahmins in inter-marriages and inter-dining are also out of the way. Likewise if we go on with the shastras before us we are to call all the Brahmins “chandalas” up from Pandit Malaviya down to the Kutty Pattar (C. Rajagopachari – editors). None need misunderstand us when we call Mr. Malaviya and others Chandalas that we mean that they are all low men. Because they demand us to acknowledge the authority of their shastras we have to judge them according to their own Shastras.
Respect towards the shastras is good and necessary shastras mean Right Knowledge. The right knowledge about each subject is its Shastra. The present Hindu shastras were written with the best knowledge available then, when they had their origin. Therefore it was quite natural that the people of those days adored them with due regard. After that the world proceeded outwards only. The standard of knowledge in every subject has gone up marvelously than that of the bygone days. So the best up to date knowledge available now in the world is the Shastra of the present day. With the development of knowledge the old shastras naturally became invalid. It is ridiculous if we say that all shastras are as good as before. All religions believe that their respective Vedas are true to the very core. It is a mere superstition. The developed knowledge of present day has proved that that no one can find out any other books than the Vedas of different religions, which are full of absurd blunders, obscene and childish ideas. It is a pity if are to cling to the same old Vedas believing blindly in their divine origin. We should not discard the real shastras. Every book does not deserve to be implicitly followed just because it is an old one. Only “Right Knowledge” – it does not matter when it emanates – should be treated as real shastra. Such knowledge may come at any moment through anybody from any corner of the world. Shastras, we should not forget, are the outcome of human thoughts.We shall be saved to a great extent if we can rid ourselves of the blind belief that the Vedas and Shastras are written by Gods, deputies of Gods, and big men of supernatural knowledge and ability. The day of “The Search Light” has set in. Is it not wise to throw away the castor-oil lamp?
– Revolt, 30 June 1929
Note
- These are the names of Non-Brahmin Congress activists in Tamil Nadu, equated here with Ravana’s brother Vibishana, who forsook his sibling and joined Rama’s army. For non-Brahmin ideologues, who considered Ravana the real hero of the Ramayana, his brother Vibishana, who went over to Rama’s side became an apt symbol of betrayal.
- The reference here is to the First Provincial Conference of the Self respect Movement held in 1929. This was a conference that comprised activists and supporters from the Tamil-speaking regions of the Presidency.
- These are the names of prominent Tamil Non-Brahmin Congressmen. Navasakti and Tamil Nadu were Tamil dailies edited and run by T.V. Kalyanasundram and T. Varadarajulu Naidu respectively.
- Ramavarma Thumpan was a leading member of the SNDP YOGAM.
