Author: A.R. Kanangi
Publication: Afternoon Despatch & Courier
Date: December 8, 2007
Introduction: Casteist politics is gaining
ground in our country. Politicians are increasingly using this strategy to
bring about division and capture power. Casteism is more dangerous than communalism
Brahmana janmana nahi, karmana ahe, manun
Tukaram ne sangitla (Birth alone will not make a person a Brahmin. It is what
he does that makes him a Brahmin).
But the Supreme Court has a totally different
view on the subject. It has ruled that the caste into which a person is born
will remain her caste. The father's caste becomes the caste of the daughter
or the son.
A different view of caste
We respectfully suggest that the SC should
have a different view on the subject. If the ruling of the SC sticks, a Dalit
and his family will remain a Dalit for centuries. They have no chance of getting
out of their caste.
Sant Tukaram saw the disadvantage at which
the "interior" castes were placed, and made a very significant statement.
If a Brahmin does not live a pure life, takes to liquor and leads a wretched
existence then he ceases to be a Brahmin. And if a so-called lower-caste man
pursues learning, becomes a thinker and holds values which a Brahmin is supposed
to hold, then he qualifies to be regarded as a Brahmin.
If we do not drastically change our views
on caste, then the wretched and dangerous caste system will remain for ever.
Casteist warfare becomes inevitable and unavoidable.
India is under the throes of a' caste war.
We have today a casteist confrontation all over the country. Casteist sentiments
are whipped up and caste is becoming a major tool in the hands of politicians.
Ms. Mayawati has successfully exploited the
casteist strategy and captured Uttar Pradesh. The Dalits are being organized
by clever politicians and are being exploited. The most disturbing thing is
that caste ism has come to stay.
Instead of making efforts to eliminate the
casteist divide, politicians are fuelling it and' building it as an effective
poll force. Today the country is faced with a casteist divide.
We blame Mr. Modi for fighting elections on
a Hindutva plank. We blame him and the BJP for promoting communalism.'
But what do we see all over the country. The
communal problem is slowly coming to an end. Consider the strategies employed
by various political parties. And consider the communal situation all over
the country. By and large it can be said there is communal peace.
But this cannot be said about casteism. The
casteist threat is looming large across the country and some politicians like
Ms. Mayawati are using it to serve their own interests.
If only we care to look at the caste system
in our country, and how it has grown and changed, we can see how everything
has been distorted and become dangerous:
Many, many years ago, different castes were
formed in our country. It was the profession of the man that decided what
caste he belonged to. There was no question of any slut attached to any caste:
When a man was a carpenter, he 'belonged to, that caste. A thinker arid a
man who imparted religion was a Brahmin.
There was no question of the son belonging
to the caste of his father. A carpenter's son belonged to a different caste,
if he took up some other work.
The father's caste did not stick to the son.
The horror came much later. The division and
segregation came and casteism began to take root. Maybe it was the thinker,
the intellectual and the politician of the day who saw a great chance to build
a different kind of caste system and exploit the casteist strategy.
Innocent perception
And sants and intellectuals like Sant Tukaram
have tried to go back to those days when the meaning of "caste"
was totally different.
It was an innocent perception.
People of these are caught in a trap.
They have no say in choosing a caste.
They are helpless. If an idea which was in
existence in the past is revived, all will be well again.
The judge has consigned a man to the four
comers of a caste in which he is born. He cannot escape. His fate is sealed.
If he is a brilliant scientist but his father
is of the carpenter's caste, he still remains within the framework of the
caste. His caste label will be carpenter. He does not go into the caste of
scientists.
The casteist politics pays off.
The politicians who seek votes and power have
seen the great advantage in pursuing casteist politics.
Ms. Mayawati has provided proof of this.
And all over the country, poll campaigns are
dominated by caste. Even national political parties like the Congress have
seen the advantage of casteist campaigns. In a place where a certain caste
dominates, the political parties put up a candidate belonging to that caste.
The truth is it is not just Ms. Mayawati but
politicians belonging to all parties that are resorting to the casteist politics.
And all the time we have reports of casteist
happenings. In Bihar, casteist crimes are increasing. There is a violent,
merciless fight by the people belonging to the so-called higher castes against
people belonging to interior castes.
The inferior castes, denied the chance of
getting out of the casteist trap have started fighting back. They like to
be referred to as Dalits. They are Babasaheb Ambedkar's followers. They change
their religion and becoming Buddhists - a way shown by their guru Balasaheb
Ambedkar.
