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Colonial Genesis of Anti-Brahminism
COLONIAL GENESIS OF ANTI-BRAHMINISM
Source: The Weekend Observer, Mumbai, March 23, 1996.
Author: Ram Swarup
[NOTE: Colonial also refers to the Christian missionaries, since they were
used by the colonial power to perpetuate their rule in India.]
A country is never fully defeated as long as its martial and intellectual
leaders exist. Therefore, the first important task a self-conscious
imperialism is to cut them down to size. When the Romans conquered
Britain, they encountered a powerful class of religious and intellectual
leaders known as Druids. Though no religious crusaders, the Romans
mercilessly slaughtered this class.
Similarly, when the Muslim invaders came to India, they faced much
resistance. They found brave armed men and also a Brahmin class capable of
providing cultural and spiritual leadership. Mohammad bin Qasim, the
first Arab invader, showed the first act of his religious zeal by ordering
the circumcision of Brahmins. "But on discovering that they objected to
this sort of conversion, he proceeded to put all above the age of
seventeen to death," writes Dr Ambedkar.
The story was repeated when the Portuguese came. They found that the
natives had a highly honoured class in Brahmins. St Xavier wrote to the
King of Portugal, that "if there were no Brahmins, all the pagans would be
converted to our faith." He called them a "most perverse people," who
"never speak the truth" and who make up in "malice and inquity" what "they
lack in virtue". Brahmins became a persecuted class.
The British came and they set out to work in a different way. The soldier
was kept in the background and the missionary and the orientalist came to
the front. Rev C Buchanan said that Indians should be baptised because "it
attaches the governed to the governors." But the missionaries realised
that it was not easy. They thought that Brahmins came in the way of their
dream of a baptised India. A brochure called the "Book of Wisdom" of 279
verses was widely ciruclated by missionaries under William Casey, touted
as the father of Indian press.
The brochure is addressed to the "despicable Brahmans", and says that
"Shadras (shudras) are stupid, and void of understanding as beasts", for
believing a Brahmin's "word to be the the truth of truths" or for being so
"perfectly confident that they will obtain salvation from the feet of
Brahmins". Then with concern for their future welfare, it chides the
Brahmins: "You have propagated false and deceitful shastras, in order to
take their property....Had you taken the money of the Shudras by
practising any other mode of fraud, so many of them would not then be
doomed to hell."
The rulers took active steps to counter their influence. They fomented
anti- Brahmin movements in different parts of the country which while
proving their worth and serving the cause of the moment, also held great
potential for future mischief. Events proved that the fears of the
British rulers were well-founded. The struggle for Independence was a
joint venture in which people of all stations took part; but Brahmins by
their position as intellectual leaders were very prominent. The Rowlatt
Report of 1918 saw a nexus between Brahmins and sedition.
Thus anti-Brahminism was a construct of the last two centuries. And
though formed under the aegis of the colonial-missionary groups, it became
an important category of future social and political action. Brahmins
began to be described as exploiters and authors of the iniquitous
caste-system. Much scholarship and intellectual labour was put into the
thesis before it acquired its present momentum. In the end many Brahmins
themselves picked up the fashion - M N Roy, Nehur, Namboodripad, Dange,
Haksar are some more recent names - though some of them were more
anti-Hindu than anti-Brahmin.
Anti-Brahminism orginated in anti-Hindu circles and prospered in the same.
When they attacked Brahmins, their target was unmistakably Hinduism. They
knew they had their chance only in a disintegrated India. Sorokin
describes Brahmins as the "world's poorest aristocracy", as a "caste of
priests without a church organisation; teachers without state educational
institutions; moral and social leaders without wealth, army, and support
of state organisation". It is a faithful description of ancient Brahmins,
but time has wrought its ravages and old glory has gone from it.
In the past, their poverty was voluntary - renunciation was the brahmin
way of life, but their new poverty has been imposed on them by
circumstance. Similarly, their old poverty was only economic, but the new
one is also ideological and cultural. In the past, Brahmins were concered
with temples which were also great centres of learning. When they were
destroyed, Brahmins became poor and illiterate. Under the circumstances,
with the loss of industries and commerce, India became a nation of "hewers
of wood and drawers of water", the only class for which rulers have a use.
Thus, as a result of centuries of persecution and neglect, Brahmins became
very poor. When the British came to India, they were already destitute.
Brahmins supplied the major portion of indentured labour. Independence
came but it brought them no relief; they remained the poorest section in
the country, followed probably by the Rajputs. A Government study of
incomes was made in the state of Karnataka. The figures given in its
Assembly in 1978 showed that Brahmins were the poorest class, poorer thant
he scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. The richest class were the
Christians. All these facts, however, have not modified their reputation
as the "haves" and as "exploiters". In Marxist- Secular Social Sciences,
social facts do not change social theories.
Not unexpectedly, among the Brahmins themselves, the poorest are those
connected with Vedic learning, temple service and religious functions.
The Census Department issued a study of 10,542 temples of Tamil Nadu,
extending over 10 years in 10 volumes. The volumes contain individual
studies of hundreds of big temples. The salaries of priests were
remarkably low. For example, at Sri Viranaraynaperumal Temple at
Guruvalapparkoll, the priest gets a monthly salary of Rs 17 and four
measures of rice; at Sri Thinthirinceeswarar Temple at Tindivanam, a
priest is paid a monthly salary of Rs 7 and half a measure of rice; at
Ranganathaswamy Temple at Singavaram, a priest gets a monthly salary of Rs
3. The writers of the reports call these salaries "decent".
Traditionally, India has suffered a long era of neglect. But, in the
midst of this all, one cannot shake off one thought from one's mind: What
is the moral and ethical condition of a nation which treats its priests so
shabbily? Brahmins themselves should take up this challenge - by
recovering their old vocation and by becoming Brahmin-vadins - by
fearlessly speaking for dharma. The world needs it and needs them.
-- Brijesh Singh Yadav
