Dalit Consciousness and its perspective on the basis of PRDS History in Kerala
R.R.Prakash,
Raghaveeyam
Mavelikara-1. Kerala.,mob- +91 944 73 65 809/ +91 479 3098972(o)
[EMAIL PROTECTED],[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Phone : +9104792341421.
Mob: +9194473 65809
The greatest spiritual upheaval that the world saw in the beginning of this
century was staged in India, with the emergence of P.R.D.S. the defensive
activities of Keezhala People have been feathered in different parts of the
world. But no where else, there took place on an organised spiritual uplift
based on their history and culture. It was in Kerala, in India, that such an
event was staged though it went unnoticed. This progressive movement was in the
backup of the Renaissance movement in India. Thus the Indian Renaissance
deserved our special attention. Kerala has a history of Renaissance that his
distinctive features of its own. These features make the Renaissance in Kerala
differ from other areas in India. A unique peculiarism in Christianity-The
activities of Christian Missionaries and the conversion among Dalit People. It
happened in this background that the Vaukunda Swami Movement. Sree Narayana
Movement the activities of Ayyankali and Vaikam Sathyagraha, took their
origin, Religious conversions have directly or indirectly, influenced all
renaissance movements. But it was P.R.D.S. alone that faced the identity crisis
of conversion among the Dalit people. P.R.D.S. emerged as a spiritual movement.
So it has been much misunderstood and misspelt in history. It has been greatly
distorted and disturbed. In order to learn about the advent of P.R.D.S.
history, it is essential that the history of Kerala and its democratical
approach towards renaissance should be re-examined.
The period of history termed the Renaissance of India does not yield to
prejudicial assessment. The leaders of Indian Renaissance like Raja Ram Mohan
Roy and Dayananda Saraswathy stood against the Brahmin Supremacy in even
aspect. Yet the Mahatma Jyothi Baphula, E. V. Rama Swami Naikar and Dr.
Ambedkar belonged to another layer on level. This shows the conflicting nature
of the renaissance and its streams. The call to return to the Vedas was given
by Dayananda Saraswathy and Rajaram Mohan Roy Their idea was to reform Hindu
religion. What actually happened was the spranging up at different levels of
anticaste, non-brahmin movements. As a protest against high caste sway; the
Sathaya Sodhaka Movement, Swabhimana Movement in Tamil Nadu, Adhom
Movement; in Punjab , Adi-Hindu Movement; in M. P., Nama Subhra Movement in
Bengal and in Kerala, Sree Narayana, Ayyankali and P. R. D. S. movements sprang
up Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Dayananda Saraswathy were not spokes men of the Bhakti
Movement advocated by Tukaram, Ram Das and Kabeer. Yet what their movement
reveals is the inherent weakness of the Bhakthi Movement. So What happened in
India in the name of Renaissance was a Hindu Social reformation or a totality
of Hindu culture.
But none other than Ayyankali, Ambedkar and P.R.D.S. movement suited the
spiritual development and raise the and lead the defence of the Dalit people.
Before the beginning of Ambedkar Movement (1924) other Dalit Movements and
become prominent. They had come into being against the social reformatory views
of the National Renaissance.
Kerala, in the last quarter of the 19th century presented in its acute form,
the identity crisis faced by the Dalits in India. Kerala was comprised of three
Kingdom (Travancore, Cochin and Malabar) Colonialism made this a period of
conflicts. There conflicts were furthered by the activities of Christian
Missionaries and the Conversions made by them with their aid and initiative,
there broke out the Channar Muttiny 1829. This may be regarded as the first
explosion of Renaissance. The Channars/Ezhavas were the people to climb up palm
trees for toddy tapping. Vaikunda Swami Movement was an active movement among
them at that time. This was in Southern Travancore.
We have to bear in mind that the complicated caste system in Kerala was
strikingly different from that the caste system anywhere else in India. The
Renaissance movements in Kerala are to be viewed in this society was divided
into different compartments. The Nampoothiris (native brahmins), Brahmins from
outside, Kshatriyas, Nairs the temple folk. Tamil Vellalas, Chettys, Konginis,
Syrian Christians, Muslims belonged to the upper strata. Ezhavas, Channans,
Parayas, Pulayas, Kuravas and the like were of the lower strata. The Nairs
among the upper classes were considered to be the agents of Brahmin supremacy.
They were the combrador, caste (linked caste). In 1875, they formed 20% and
constituted 60% among the land lords. There were about 14,700 Nairs in
Government service. They were excluded exempted from land tax. The Ezhavas
formed the upper layer among the low castes. According to the census in 1875,
they constituted 15%. They were engaged in toddy tapping and had much demand in
the
internal market and economy. This is in turn, a large number of Ezhavas are
rich. There were well-to-do with Ayurvedic Physicians among them. In 1902 the
first meeting was held to organised to form the S.N.D.P. 16 out of 60 of the
participants were Ayurvedic Physcians. Below the Ezhavas were Pulayas, Parayas,
Kuravas and the like. They were slaves socially segregated and untouchables
were in practices. An Ezhava had to keep a distance of 30ft from a Brahmin, A
pulaya had to stand 90 Ft. away. An Ezhava had to keep a distance of 12 Ft.
from a Nair and a Pulaya, 60 Ft. The distance to be kept was well-defined and
it was practised strictly.
In Kerala slavery was strictly practised, through the said facts. According to
Dr. Robin Jefry, In Travancore alone thre were 1,30,000 slaves (Decline of Nair
Dominance). The slaves of the Government were rented out to private
capitalists. Dr. Jefry also state that in Changanacherry (Kerala) it was quite
common on market days for parents or near relatives, to bring lads for sale,
the price varied between Rs. 6 to Rs. 18. The other slave markets in
Travancore were Thirunakkara (Kottayam), Alleppey, Kayamkulam, Kollam, Attingal
and Chirayinkizhu and Anchu Thengu. Records of many slave trades are extant. At
a particular stage of Colonialism slave trade was banned. It is to be mentioned
that conversion to Christianity and Christian missionary activities paved the
way to removed the slave trade or the practice of rigid caste system.
Large Scale conversions took place in the lower class among Ezhavas, Pulayas,
Parayas and Kuravas. In 1887 a convert from Ezhava was ordained priest. But the
convert from Ezhava had no social contacts with the converted Pulayas. In 1870
and in 1880, they did not took upon conversion as an uplift to the level of
Syrian Christians, but as a lowering to the level of the pulayas. But they had
used conversion as a means to claim superiority from the upper caste Hindus
till the Royal Proclamationi of 1936 granting the lower castes entry into
temples (Decline of Nair Dominance P. 1976).
But conversion of Christianity among the Dalits acted in a different
perspective and manner. It seemed a temporary relief from oppression and
castism from the upper castes. But conversion did not help them to advance to
the level of the upper classes. In addition, they had to face severe opposition
from Syrian Christians. The church discriminated them. They embraced different
Christian demoniations like the Marthemites, the Brothern Mission and the
Superatists. The bitterness of discrimination was not mitigated. This might
also be strong reason for the formation of P. R. D. S. (The basic reasons were
different) But later the Dalits Christians took initiative in the formation of
the separate Administrative movement. This movement had no sort of connection
with P.R.D.S./Salvation Army Movement of the struggle of Dalit Christians
against discrimination and for power and position. But P. R. D. S. was a non
Christian movement based on the identify of Dalit.
The Christian conversion among the Dalit in Kerala is an active topic of
discussion that demands a very close study. The religious conversion is
examined here in the background of existence of P.R.D.S. and other movements.
Though conversion to Christianity was an active reality the Sree Narayana
Movement in Kerala, had not recognised it as a sing of Renaissance. That was
because the Sree Narayana Movement had developed as a reformative and
reaffirmative movement within the Hindu religion. The temple that Sree Narayana
Gure consecrated to Lord Siva, the Mirror consecration at Kalavancode and the
like were against the Hindu upper class domination. Yet this move did not
spread among the Dalits. In effect, it was an attempt to reform the caste and
the religion. When we turn to Vaikom Sathyagraha, we find the
institutionalisation of this reformatory process. But the anti-caste
proclamation of Brother Ayyappan, Man needs no caste, no creed, no God had
raisen from the same background that grave rise to Sree Narayana Gurus precept
One Caste, One Creed and One God for Man.
The prominent scholars of Kerala History have mentioned about the Sree Narayana
Movement. But they have not sufficiently assessed the inherent weakness in that
movement. Nor have they assessed the Ayyankali Movement and P. R. D. S., the
movement of the Dalits. For the first time in India, Ayyankali gave leadership
to the open struggle of the Dalits. Ayyankali was born in 1863 in venganoor in
Trivandrum. He experienced from childhood, the bitter effects of the caste
distinction. He was illiterate. Yet he openly came forward to fight for the
right of the Dalit people. In 1863 he went about in a Villuvandy as an open
protest against the denail for freedom of movement. The Chaliya street upheavel
in 1898 for freedom of movement and the riots in Nedumangad market in 1912 were
significant. In 1907, the First Dalit Organisation-Sadhujana Paripalana
Sangham-was formed for the first time in India. This samgham led many
struggles The perinattu riot for school admission, the discarding of
Kallumala that the pulayas had worn as part of the caste regulation that
hurt their pride and similar activities were also significant. The subject of
conversion to christianity was not directly connected with Ayyankali Movement.
But Vellikkara Chothi and Pampadi John Joseph who had co-operated with the
movement had viewed this as an important issue. That was why, John Joseph,
Dalit Christain had furthered the formation of Cheramar Mahajana Sabha (1921).
It was part of a movement against the discrimination by the upper castes that
prompted him to form this organisation for uniting exclusively the pulayas
(Cheramar). This movement later created adverse effect to the unity of the
Dalits. Similarly we find in Swami Subhananda, the first Dalit, Sanyasi, a
level contrary to the effect produced by the conversion of the Dalits to
Christainity. He was a Dalit Christain by name Pappan Pathrose. He went to
Tapogiri in Cheenthalor and did penance and accepted the life of a Sanyasi. He
organised Athma Bodhodaya Sangham (1931). It was a Kerala version of
religious reformatory movement like Sree Narayana Movement among dalits. But
sorry to say it was also an another movement for Hindu revivalism.
Reference has been directly and indirectly made to the conversion of Dalits of
Christianity, we have to examine the influence it has on the self-consciousness
and identity to the Dalit people. It was for the first time that the community
of Dalits, that was free from religion, was subjected by Christianity to come
to the fold of religion. It was through conversion that they changed from
tribal traditions to organised practices and worship. Such change was the first
that they had to undergo. It is beyond doubt that the kind of approach to the
Christian missionaries on the one way and the oppression of the upper castes,
on the other was persuaded them in their conversion. We have to Examine the
social and political implications of this conversion to Christianity and took.
Place by the end of the 19th century. Conversion took the place as part of the
movement for colonisation. We notice in history the downfall of the supermacy
of an agent class the Nairs in Kerala during the regions
of Marthanda Varma in Travancore, Sakthan Thampuran in Kochi and Tippu Sulthan
in Malabar. The failure of the armed insurrections of Veluthambi and
Paliyathachan accelerated this downfall. At this stage, it was the need of the
English Rulers to create a class of agents/workers for their administrative
purposes and motto. That was why the Christian missionaries were sent into the
social field of Kerala. At that stage in history, they could not give rise to a
prestigious social class. Yet the converted class could in those days function
as a powerful sociological group.
But it may be concluded that, really the conversion never did not encourage the
development of the Dalit orginality/identity. It created and identity crisis
(Ninety percent of the converts belonged to the Dalits) It was the context of
this identity crisis, there P.R.D.S. emerged. In other words P.R.D.S. faces the
identity crisis of Dalit conversion. Hindu supremacy had no affected the Dalit
Christians in this sense. It had existed as an oppressive socio-political
institution. The powers of Hindu supremacy closed door before the Dalits, the
doors of higher knowledge called to be of Hinduism. So the critical situation
created by the identity crisis resulting from the Dalit conversion faced by
P.R.D.S. was singular. Amid it did not face similar situation ever posed by
Hinduism.
The advent of P.R.D.S. was not a chance occurrence. It was the effect and
teachings of Poikayil Sree Kumara Guru Deva, Poikayil Appachan, the founder of
P.R.D.S. that gave life to this movement.
At that time Kerala was compraised of three Independent Kingdoms. The founder
of P.R.D.S. was born on 5th of Kumbham 1054 M.E. as a slave to Syrian Christian
family by name Sankaramangalam family. Kandan and Lechi were his parent.
They gave him the name of Komaran later was changed to Kumaran. Kumaran had
to do the slavish work of Sankaramangalam household. Because his master
followed the Christain faith, the slave boy kumaran had to become a Christain
faith, the slave boy Kumaran had to become a Christian by name Yohannan. He
learned reading and writing. It was at that time that he came to know of the
Bible. In those days, the dalit divisions like Parayas, Pulayas and Kuravas
practised untouchability among themselves. From boyhood, the awareness that
Parayas, Pulayas and Kuravas were his own people when he became mature.
Yohannan left the Sankaramangalam family and trade farewell to his mother. He
set out to organise his people. He felt that he had to work within the
Christian religion in order to be one with his people who had embraced
Christian religion. Then he joined the Marthoma Church. But Yohannan was
intimated by the discrimination that witnessed in that church. Dalits were
second rate members in that church. One day, the dead body of a default
Christian was buried in the burial ground of the church. The same night the
leaders of parish got the dead body out. This caused much commotion. Thus
Yohannan left the Marthoma Church. Then be worked in the Brother mission and
the separatist sect. There also he confront discrimination. So be turned away
from them. By this time, Yohannan came to be widely known as a Christian
teacher (updates) He had preached. The messages from the Bible in many
places. But soon it became clear that these preaching and activities were a
disguise. Yohannan used the Bible itself as a disguise. Yohanna Upadesi was
vehement in defying the false Bible culture among the dalits. This defiance led
him to leave
different christian groups. His subsequent activities were secretive and
disguised. He organised meetings in open places, market places and by the side
of roads many of dalits stood and united behind him. There were attacks on many
meetings. The meetings of Kuzhiparampil Pathrose a dalit christian were
subjected to attacks. The topics of his speeched were sons of wickedness and
sons of God and seven churches in Asia and the like. His orations were
ironical. The attack on a thronged meeting at Othara (in Pathanamthitta
district) was a major incident that time. The meeting was in Pandal with
hanging hurricane lamps. The upper caste people smashed the lamps and set fire
to the Pandal. The audience in defence and Yohannan upadesi went up to a tree
and spend night long spent at it. On another occasion when the high caste
people were haunting for him, Yohannan had to hide himself under water in a
streamlet. When the meeting at Muthalapra was attacked Yohanna upadesi escaped
in
the guise of a women. There followed a procession of assaults. In many places
like Vakathanam, Vellanidi, Kozhukachira, Mangalom meeting were disrupted. If
the attack on the meetings at Vettiyadu, a women was killed. It was at this
time that the famous Maramon convention was boycotted. A rebel meeting was
convened at Muthalapra. Fire was kindled and thousands Bible was thrown into
it. Every one was asked to do so. Thousands of copies of Bible were thrown into
fire. All these provoked the leaders of the Christian Churches. They appointed
an enquiry commission Sri. K. V. Simon, a poet and preacher was a member of the
commission. In his book The History of the Separalist churches of Malankara
he devoted a chapter The work of Poikayil Yohannan and P.R.D.S. to deal with
the dalits, According to him
.. just as Pumchaminnil Mammen Upadesi rose in
the Marthoma Church in the wake of the upheaval of removal, a ceratin Poikayil
Yohannan rose among the untouchables who were with the
sperrylites. He was a convert from the Paraya community and a serf to the
Sankaramangalam family of Eraviperoor. At last he became a member of this (the
separatist church) preached some new doctrines and misled many including two
prominent members. Thus he attempted form a new organization. The main aim of
Yohannan and his associated was to do away with Caste distinctions
.
Reference is also made to the objectives and doctorine of Yohannan. The Bible
is not for this time or this generation. The Church should end in this world
with the end of the periods of the Apostles. Among the generations form that
time to the present there is not a single one who has been slaves
.. There is
no second coming and no thousand year region
. As a result of these doctrine,
many of those who had formerly termed themselves Saved ones needing nothing
more than the sermons and doctorines of Yohannan. Sp they burned the Bible in
bulk. The word of Yohannan was the law for anything.
Thus the Dalits in crowds rallied behind Yohannan and causes much cemmotion.
They grace up work on land and in field and champed at sites of meetings. They
went from one meeting to another. The land lords were in trouble because they
had no one to labor in land and in fields. They tried to frame false cased
against him and to kill him. Thus they moved against the peace rally at
Maramkulam. They complained to the courts that Yohannan was speaking against
the British.
If yohannan was produced before the Second Class Judicial Magistrate at
Changanacherry. During the trial, the Magistrate wanted to know the name of his
Sabha. In reply he gave the name Prathyaksha Raksha Daiva Sabha-PRDS . This
was in 1910. But the doctorines and activities of the Sabha had already started.
Extract from circular No. 9/1962 Published from the head office of P.R.D.S. on
18.11.1962 page 9,10)
In 1908 Yohannan got himself divorced from all Christian denominations and
started working independently. He convened a meeting and Kulathoor in
Mallappally (Pathanamthitta District) and Introduced the subject Guarantee of
Salvation (Raksha Nirayam) He spoke about the early history of Dalits, their
lost prestige and spiritual cultural identity regeneration. Here the conducted
meeting like Thothu Yogam and Thrithwa Yogam. The meeting continued for months
and Dalits largely took part in them. They called Yohannan Appachan to mean
that he was their saviour. The recognised as their teacher and their guide. All
the while disruptive activities were gaining strength among Dalits in Kerala.
In the first meeting of Cheramar Mahajana Sabha at Podipara, Eraviperoor in
Pathanamthitta Dist., Kerala on4.1.1921 Appachan spoke strongly agaisnt such
activities.
It has already been mentioned that the activities of Poikayil Yohannan, the
founded of P.R.D.S. was disguised. He used Bible verses to deceive the high
caste people. He defied the same tactfully. Yohannan complied many songs with
this meaning. They derived the wisdom of the Bible. For example one of his sing
says
The Holy Bible
You read and mediate on
When it was written and to whom,
They were not saved by written word,
But saved by earlier preaching of the gospel
Let all those who have been caught
By written word alone
Get escaped soon
For the writing is not for us.
In another song he makes it clear that the subjects of the Bible are not
related to the dalit identity. The song has at tone of irony.
The voice of God is not heard
The Angles are not seen
Servant are not there
To preach the path of Salvation
I havent seen God
I havent seen Jesus
My eyes havent seen
The spirit and the angles
I havent seen Moses
I havent the law
I havent the Yet soon the prophets
I havent yet heard
The beautiful oration of Gospel
Nor have I seen men of the church
That were saved by believing
Havent seen Peter
Havent seen Paul
Havent seen Jacob
John and Thomas
Regret to speak about
Sad tiding one by one
(Extract from the song in P.R.D.S. circular No. 9/1962 P-3, 4, 5,6)
This was a shock to those who had found refuge in different churches. The
founder of P.R.D.S. described the existence of Churches and their
discriminations thus:
Church after church has come up in a line
I find distinctions still not removed
The master has a church
The serf has another
A church for pulaya,
A church for paraya
A church for fisherman (Marackan)
Christianity could not do away with caste distinctions. Different churches,
prove this. The founder of P.R.D.S. convinced dalits that the Kingdom of God
and Heaven cannot by attained through any religion. The son Poikayil Yohannan
is worth noticing.
We went after Hinduism
With the label of orphans
We went after christianity
With the label of orphans
The hindus did not give us room
The Christians too gave us not room
What is Dalit identity? The founde of P.R.D.S. explained the meeting at
Kulathoor that the Dalit people in India were the descendants of an ancient
culture and the children the same father and mother. The dalits belong the
earliest cultivation of India. It was essentially based on truth, justice and
Dharna and it was essentially moral. It was a family in which nature man and
god stood united. The founder of P.R.D.S. described the earliest times as
Social Justice and termed it birth (Janman) in the sence of base or root.
It was a pinnacle of history. But books on history have left one the essence of
that culture. So Poikayil Yohannan presented it in a song:
I am not ashamed to speak
About the faults of our race
One by one
I dont seen a word about my race
But I find the stories of many
The song asks about the letter and history of a people where we can the same be
found?
It is a search for roots, identity. The founder explains that the dalit people
are a race left out of history. The civilisation of migration made them slaves.
For many centuries they were like animals. They were trampled over the fields.
They were sacrificed in shrines. They were yoked with animals to till the
fields. There tribe was shattered. The relation of father mother and children
had no relevance for them. They were sold in slave markets. It was a period of
long lamentation.
The identity of dalits is to be regained. This does not mean a return to
history. It means limbing in the essence of history. The question of P.R.D.S.
Where is the history, the letter of my race, where is the history, the letter
of my India, is not different from dalit identity, social justice that raised
by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. Thus the historical place of vision of P.R.D.S. is not a
partial one, it is the contribution of Dalit traditin in Kerala, India.
P.R.D.S. presents a culture, identity, that removes the slavery of body mind
and history. This is the history lesson contrary to the upper castes in Kerala.
The advent of P.R.D.S. represents a glowing chapter of human culture of dalits
history in Kerala.
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