In India none of the western categories of politics of class fit easily . That is why almost every western-ideology informed political coalition has just managed to create much more diversity in an already maddeningly diverse India . We have low-caste royalty who support Dalit radicals , we have poor Brahmins who become Naxalite Gurus (Vinod Mishra was the political architect of the process of re-orientation of CPI(ML) Liberation ) and lead the Congress Party , it seems all the temples Brahmin priests of India rang their bells when Nehru, a pure Kashmiri Brahmin became the first PM of independent India ! Then we have the hundreds of middle-caste parties based on local peasantry power . Lalu Yadav had said in the 80s that Kya Bania ka Launda Lath chalayega, woh to Yadav ka dharma hai in response to BJP with its trader base . The RSS and BJP with their work for decades with poor middle-caste and tribals now have a very powerful non-Brahmin political leadership. Shivraj Chouhan, Narendra Modi, Uma Bharti and many others are neither upper castes nor Dalits . India has had its own unique systems of countervailing power balance among its jatis . And its nothing new . Basava, a Shaiva Brahmin, in 12th century created a model Parliament called the Anubhava Mantapa, which not only gave equal proportion to men and women, but also had representatives from different socioeconomic backgrounds. His followers are claimed to have assassinated King Bijjala who was against the inter-caste marriage between a Dalit and a Brahmin girl. Though there is a theory that says the King was sympathetic to Basava which the Brahmins hated and had his son kill him ! With his honesty, hard work and visionary mission, Basava had become the Prime Minister in the court of King Bijjala, who ruled from 1162—1167 . For decades those of ideological western left kept trying to straight-jacket the Indian social system into their class categories - agricultural labour , peasant , kulak (bigger farmer) , worker , petty-bourgeoisie( those chotta dhandha types , kirana etc) , bourgeoisie ( educated middle-class, small and medium entrepreneurs) and capitalists . The top evil was Western Imperialists . You can say about 8 categories . The land elite was Feudal and the capital elite was Capitalist . And they were the Party, those leading the proletariat or the peasantry . And so the political power elite was never analysed properly but as hand-maidens , or you might say the PR and Goonda mechanism of the Feudal, the Capitalist or the Imperialist . These characters had no understanding of jati or dharma, craft or culture ( all were Feudal remnants in the Indian setting) independent of their theology which they called Dialectical-Materialism . The single Big Bang theory of every single human society on Earth . And if you did not believe in it you were counter-revolutionary , to either be neutralised or eliminated . Those of the ideological indigenous-left like Ram Manohar Lohia , were more socialist and they had much better understanding of the Indian jati-vyavastha and so all the OBC movements took inspiration from them in North India . In west and south India this had begun way before 1947 , with middle-castes taking political,social and economic power with strong anti-Brahmin movements with Ezhava with Narayana Guru , Tamils with a rich trader-caste Periyar, in Maharashtra it was led by Marathas and OBCs, with barrister Ambedkar lending legal and social support. Even Bal Thackerays father Prabodhankar Thackeray was a part of the anti-Brahmin movement. In the early 20th century, Bal Gangadhar Tilak caused polarisation in his hometown of Pune, once the seat of the Peshwas, between Brahmins and non-Brahmins. Tilak had supported the Brahmins who had refused to use Vedokta (Veda-based) rituals to crown Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur, on the grounds that he lacked enough blue blood. Shahu Maharaj then pioneered the quota system in 1902, by proclaiming that 50 per cent of people serving him would be hired from non-Brahmin communities. Shahu Ji was a staunch follower of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and great admirer of Dr B.R. Ambedkar. Shahu Ji belonged to Oil presser “Teli” caste but devoted his life for the upliftment of the Dalits. He became Maharaj as though born as Yeshwantrao Ghatge (He was the eldest son of Narayan Dinkarrao Ghatke also called Appasaheb Ghatge who was a British Regent to Kohlapur State, so lived in Laxminivas Palace in Kohlapur) when a child of only 10 years, he was adopted by Anandibai, the widow of Chhatarpati Maharaja Shivaji IV ( Narayanarao) of Kolhapur on March 17th, 1884. As per his renowned biographer Shri A.B. Latthe “He was greatest Maharaja that ever sat on the throne of Kohlapur and one of the powerful men that the nation ever produced in its long& Brilliant history”. Chhatarpati Sahu Ji Maharaj’s concern for good administration can be judged from his statement “Although I am on the throne of Kohlapur, I feel proud to call myself as solider, farmer or labourer . while addressing meeting in Madras he said “ I am here not as king but friend to those whose pitiable condition shall melt even a stone hearted person . He passed laws to allow training of non-Brahmin men as temple priests along with declaring religious places properties as Kohlapur State properties. He ordered that the appointment of Shankaachariyas in future shall be with Kohlapur State authority. He abolished Kulkarni system and appointed Kshatra Jagadguru ringing a bell of reasons and secularism for His subjects. He approved conducting of marriages with out a Brahmin priest. He promoted inter caste marriages among his subjects. However it created ill will towards Maharaja by irrational thinking superstitious Brahmins who were supported by Lokmanya Tilak and some others. While opposing right of higher Education to Bachward Classes, Tilak is on record to have said in one of his speech dated 11November,1917( Javatmal Maharathtra) “ would the tailors use sewing machine, the peasants their plough and the merchants the scale of balance in the council” Tilak & congress party was for the Bachward classes peopled to follow their ancestral trades, where only elementary education needed. Determined to implement his egalitarian thoughts so was prepared to face all his adversaries opposing them. On 15 April,1920 Chhatarpati Sahu Ji Maharaj replied thus to Tilak, “ Tilak would have been ashamed of expressing such thoughts in his speech Brahmin V/s Brahmantra. Tilak advised untouchables not to take secondary education after primary educatioin. He wanted them to learn them to learn the crafts of their castes, thus he believed in constitution of the caste profession for the untouchables and not in giving them the higher education to them “However Maharaja was not against Brahmins but Brahmanism and Brahmanical ways and their half hearted reforms. so many good hearted Brahmins like V.D. Topkhane, Gopal Krishan Gokhale, Rajaram Shastri supported the progressive efforts. bspindia.org/rajshri-shahuji-maharaj.php archive.indianexpress/news/pune-s-endless-identity-wars/734020/ dalitvision.blogspot.in/2012/04/chhatrapati-shahu-ji-maharaj-1874-1922.html
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 01:48:58 +0000
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