The Hindu
Tuesday, May 13, 2003
Communalising Kerala
By K.N. Panikkar
A transition from the communitarian to the communal
has been taking place, slowly but steadily.
ANOTHER BASTION is falling. Kerala known for its
relatively harmonious communal relations has lately
witnessed quite a few clashes between members of
different communities. In Nadapuram, Panur, Taikal and
Pathanamthitta.
The latest is in Marad, a coastal village near
Kozhikode, in which nine persons were brutally killed
and several injured on May 3. It was not a communal
riot in the generally accepted sense, in which the
members of two communities violently engage with each
other, in most cases spontaneously, due to some
immediate provocation. In Marad, it was a sudden
attack by a group of people well armed and well
organized who, if the police are to be believed,
carried out the operation in one sweep in less than 15
minutes.
Marad has fallen victim to communal fury for a second
time. In January last year the members of two
communities had clashed, the reason for which is not
entirely known. It is believed that inter-communal
tension grew out of a New Year day function. Five
persons were killed, about 100 houses were destroyed
and several boats on fire. Many in the predominantly
fishing community in the village lost their means of
livelihood.
It aroused considerable indignation and concern,
especially among social activists and the
intelligentsia, who took several initiatives to bring
about communal harmony. The Government also
intervened, particularly in the field of
rehabilitation. Yet, they did not have the desired
effect, as evident from the repetition of the
brutality, which many believe has its roots in the
first incident. This is because the efforts to bring
about communal harmony did not address the basic
issue, namely, the communalisation of Kerala society,
particularly after the demolition of the Babri Masjid,
an important marker in the social consciousness of
both the Muslim minority and the Hindu majority.
During the last couple of decades, the activity and
influence of communal formations have considerably
increased in Kerala. According to the data published
by the Organiser in its issue of March 25, 2001, the
Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh runs 4300 `shakas' and
`upasakhas' in Kerala. The increase in numbers
thereafter is not known. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has
now established its organisational set up in almost
all parts of the state.
Recently, it undertook the distribution of tridents,
as a part of the effort to use religious symbols for
mobilisation and to create self-confidence rooted in
religious identity. There are a couple of newspapers
and quite a few periodicals which generally serve the
Hindu communal cause. Saraswati Shishu Mandirs and
such other schools serve as recruiting grounds of
unsuspecting young children. There are innumerable
cultural organisations,
promoting and disseminating communal ideas in the
guise of patronising literature, theatre, traditional
arts and science or the renovation of village temples.
Their activities have led to the emergence of a
cultural right in Kerala, which receives legitimacy
from intellectuals who claim to be independent. The
intervention of these institutions has made a
qualitative change in the consciousness and outlook of
a fairly large number of Hindus. A fundamentalist
shift has taken place.
A similar tendency has developed among the Muslims as
well. After the demolition of the Babri Masjid, a
section of the Muslim youth felt rather restive and
dissatisfied with the pacifist stand taken by the
existing political and social formations. They rallied
around more militant outfits such as the Islamic
Service Society and the National Development Front.
There are also several other fundamentalist groups,
active in different
fields of social life. The following of the
fundamentalist- militant
organisations has been steadily on the increase for
quite some time. The
reformist forces among the Muslims have not been able
check this.
The incident in Marad indicates that communalism has
arrived in Kerala. It
is a proof that the stage of proto-communalism, which
had a long period of
incubation, is over. During this phase, a sense of
religious division had
slowly emerged, socially articulated through organised
religiosity. The
organisations of different religions vie with each
other to bring the faith
of the believer to the streets. The religious
practices have now spilled
over from the domestic and sacred spaces to the public
space, eliminating in
the process the distinction between religious beliefs
and religiosity.
Religious processions in which women and children
participate carrying
religious symbols is a familiar sight in almost all
parts of Kerala. The
street processions have become common for festivals of
all religious
denominations. This was unknown about 20 years back,
but now conducted with
the support of social organisations and the blessings
of public figures.
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