Advocate and author, J Sai Deepak’s article titled “Why is caste a Western construct?” in The Indian Express dated 1 February 2024 ruffled many a feather across the country as seen on social media platforms.
J Sai Deepak, in the article, discusses the distortion of Hindu society through the lens of “caste” by Christian European missionaries during colonialism. Emphasizing the need to understand the past without presentism, Sai Deepak contends that the missionary-colonial establishment’s classification of “caste/tribe” led to an artificial re-ordering of Hindu society. The article asserts that this distortion aimed to malign Hinduism, citing examples of misrepresentations in the Devadasi system, Sati, and Jagannath Rath Yatra. Sai Deepak calls for acknowledging this distortion without defending casteism, advocating for original solutions rooted in Indian culture. The discussion is part of a series on Dravidianism and its historical impact.
What Does The Article Entail?
Sai Deepak discusses the historical distortion of the social structure in India, particularly the concept of “caste,” by Christian European missionaries during the colonial period. He argues that the missionary-colonial combination played a significant role in misrepresenting and maligning Hindu society through the lenses of “caste” and “tribe.”
The article emphasises a few key points:
Historical Context: Sai Deepak clarifies that the objective is to understand the historical causes leading to the present, without falling into the error of “presentism” aiming to examine the impact of colonialism on India’s religious, cultural, and political aspects.
Misrepresentation of Varna-Jati Complex: Sai Deepak contends that while he does not deny the prior existence of the varna-jati complex (a traditional social classification system in Hinduism), he argues that the missionary-colonial establishment distorted it by applying the “caste/tribe” classifications. This distortion, especially through official census exercises, resulted in presenting an incorrect view of Hindu society based on European perceptions.
Examples of Misrepresentation: The article provides examples of misrepresentation, such as labelling Devadasis as “temple prostitutes,” distorting the practice of Sati, and vilifying the Jagannath Rath Yatra. These distortions, Sai Deepak argues, were tools used by missionaries and colonial powers to malign Hindu society and justify religious, cultural, and legal interventions.
Resistance to Acknowledgment: Sai Deepak expresses surprise at the resistance, even from non-Left sections, in acknowledging that the varna-jati complex has been distorted by the Christian West through the application of “caste/tribe” lenses.
Need for Understanding the Distinction: The article calls for a distinction between the varna-jati complex and the colonial classification of “caste/tribe” to address contemporary social challenges effectively and argues that applying the colonial template has worsened the discourse on caste in independent India.
Continuation of Discussion: The article concludes by stating that the discussion will continue in the next installment, focusing on the emergence of caste/tribe categories and the mythical Dravidian identity from the “anthropological service” provided by Christian missionaries in Southern Bharat to colonial rulers.
Reactions
An X user with the handle @Advaidism picked this article up and wrote a thread on it. He wrote, “The British and Portuguese empires ruled 78% of all land on Earth and over 500 million people. Surprisingly, the same British and Portuguese never implemented the caste system anywhere else in their empire. They created caste “only for India”. He added, “Only 22 countries have never been invaded by Britain but the caste system is a Western construct. Why is IE continuing this garbage practice of giving these clowns a platform in the name of Opinion?”
The British and Portuguese empires ruled 78% of all land on Earth and over 500 million people.
Surprisingly, the same British and Portuguese never implemented the caste-system anywhere else in their empire.
They created caste “only for India”. 🥱 pic.twitter.com/KNR6hsLuUI
— Advaid അദ്വൈത് (@Advaidism) February 8, 2024
DMK Minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan quoted @Advaidism’s post in what seemed like a presumption made by just reading the title of the article, and wrote: “Total Quackery punctured swiftly by @Advaidism.”
Total Quackery punctured swiftly by @Advaidism https://t.co/QkqOYjewCc
— Dr P Thiaga Rajan (PTR) (@ptrmadurai) February 8, 2024
Ironical that the statement about quackery coming from PTR because he has several times spoken about “Aanda parambarai” – meaning he indicates he came from a family that “ruled”. PTR himself comes from a high caste, an aristocratic landlord Kondaikatti Vellalar community.
PTR, known for his frequent use of the English language to denounce his detractors, has many a time taken pride in his education, previous employment, etc. Well, that is alright. But remember the time when PTR called barbers “Ambattayaan” during the Corona pandemic criticising the central government over disallowing barber shops from functioning. He later apologised for using the said word.
“Ambattayaan” is a derogatory term employed to demean communities engaged in occupations related to barber services.
J Sai Deepak had a brutal reply to PTR’s post. He wrote, “Not surprised at all that documented facts and logic land as quackery on you. Perhaps unlettered trolling remains your option of last resort to salvage whatever remains of your flagging career. And since my writing on Dravidianism has irked your ilk, there is more coming :-)”
Not surprised at all that documented facts and logic land as quackery on you. Perhaps unlettered trolling remains your option of last resort to salvage whatever remains of your flagging career. And since my writing on Dravidianism has irked your ilk, there is more coming 🙂 https://t.co/NX37OiuGnJ
— Sai Deepak J (@jsaideepak) February 8, 2024
It is noteworthy that PTR has been demoted from being Tamil Nadu’s Finance Minister to being the Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services presently. This change in portfolio came about after an audio file was leaked by the Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party where PTR is heard accusing the “first family” of amassing over ₹30,000 crore.
Maybe PTR could answer why Vellalars (his community) predominantly hold the positions of district secretaries in Vanniyar and Thevar regions like Vizhupuram and Thanjavur. Why is the DMK not ensuring proportional representation for Vanniyars and Thevars?
PTR, to date, has not issued a statement condemning his caste organisations, that are protesting the use of the term “Devendra Kula Vellalars” to address the Scheduled Caste community.
Also, it is a fact that the PTR family frequently clashed with Thevar leaders within their own party, there are allegations of Thevars regarding casteism within the PTR family about practicing the 2-tumbler system in their homes.
PTR has made several casteist remarks, especially against Brahmin women on social media. Chandra R Srikanth, an Editor with the financial and business news website Moneycontrol, shared a post in May 2022 alleging that a top leader’s son was involved in a mega land grab.
Met a friend from Chennai recently. Apparently some mega land grab going on by one top leader's son in law. "You cannot sell any land parcel above 5 crore in Chennai if you dont sell it to this guy"
The more things change….— Chandra R. Srikanth (@chandrarsrikant) May 25, 2022
Responding to this tweet, PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan abused the woman journalist by invoking her caste identity.
Not to forget the verbal vomit that PTR often indulges in bullying online and offline of people, irrespective of gender, age, profession, seniority, etc.
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