July 17, 2003
Dalit
Consciousness and its perspective on the basis of PRDS History in Kerala
R. Prakash,
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, Nair’s 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 Guru’s 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 Ruler’s 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 haven’t seen God
I haven’t seen Jesus
My eyes haven’t seen
The spirit and the angles
I haven’t seen Moses
I haven’t the law
I haven’t the Yet soon the prophets
I haven’t yet heard
The beautiful oration of Gospel
Nor have I seen men of the church
That were saved by believing
Haven’t seen Peter
Haven’t seen Paul
Haven’t 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 don’t 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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R. Prakash,
Raghaveeyam
Mavelikara-1.
Kerala.
e-mail:
rprakash@ambedkar.org
raghavan_prakash@rediffmail.com
Phone :
0479-2341421. Mob: 94473 65809
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