As an entrepreneur hailing from the much-maligned Tamil Brahmin community, it is painful to see the community sharply divided and indulging in petty fight in social media over an award given to a Musician by a Music Academy. When the community is indulging in such fights, political parties are announcing the candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha Polls in 2024. A cursory glance into the candidate list will reveal that not a single ticket been distributed to the Brahmin community so far by all the three major alliances in Tamil Nadu – INDIA, NDA and ADMK.
Communities which are smaller and numerically insignificant than Brahmins have got multiple representation across the spectrum in ticket distribution but Brahmins are left behind. Tamil Brahmins are in a position to influence the outcome big time in about six odd constituencies in the state. They constitute about 30% of the electorate of the South Chennai constituency and about 20% of the Sriperumbudur constituency. They are present in sizeable numbers in Coimbatore, Trichy, Mayiladuthurai and Central Chennai constituencies as well.
Unfortunately, no party or alliance is ready to accommodate them. The community needs to take cognizance of this fact, stay united and consolidate itself rather than to fight in social media and expose themselves badly.
In states like Karnataka, a sense of unity exists among Brahmins resulting in as many as 15 Mlas and 3 MPs for the community folks across the spectrum. Even Telangana state has Brahmin representation in both the assembly as well as the cabinet. When it comes to Tamil Nadu, the current assembly has zero Brahmin MLAs. The lone Brahmin MP, PR Natarajan has been denied ticket by CPM this time and none of the three major fronts are going to field a Brahmin candidate in TN this time going by the grapevine.
The community needs to take into account these facts, put up a united face and protect themselves from political oblivion. Bharatanatayam was alien to Brahmin culture till 1920s though Brahmin composers paid a big role in shaping up Carnatic music since time immemorial. Both the art forms were in the domain of the Devadasis who with great zeal and enthusiasm protected the same for millenniums. With abolition of the Devadasi systems, the elite of 1920s largely from the Brahmin community took up both the art forms, reformed and commercialised the art forms and gave a new lease of life to them. The art forms remain niche and is flourishing in certain families which are rich enough to let their kid pursue the form irrespective of whether they are able to earn enough or not. For majority of the Brahmins, neither Carnatic nor Sadhir matters. What we want is a peaceful atmosphere sans hatred to prevail in our home land Tamil Nadu, not Sabha Awards.
An overwhelming majority of the community largely depends on formal education to uplift itself from poverty. Thanks to liberalisation and the shraddha ingrained by the parents, the Youth of the community have gone places be it sports or corporate. And the community has moved up despite all odds braving genocidal threats largely due to hard work. The community has a greater responsibility now. With increasing hatred and calumny against the community by vested interests amplified in this era of social media, staying politically relevant and protecting the community’s interest should be etched in the minds of every community member.
A Sabha Award or a Trustee seat can at the maximum benefit a few elites but a seat at the assembly or parliament will protect the community from vested interests and help counter malicious propaganda. Hence, I request the community members not to mud sling against each other in the public domain, unite for a larger cause of achieving political representation which is of paramount importance in preventing hate crimes against the community in the coming decades. Burying the ego and protecting the community’s interest politically and electorally is the need of the hour not a sabha award or trusteeship. Staying politically relevant to protect Dharma is needed now not squabble over an Award which in no way can uplift the community or protect it during a crisis. As simple as that!
Subash is a finance professional and a portfolio manager based out of Chennai.
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