The dravidian outlier in the land of hindutva a Neo-Marxist Gramscian approach in understanding dravidian movement

The dravidian outlier in the land of hindutva a Neo-Marxist Gramscian intersectional approach in understanding dravidian movement

Karl Marx famously says hitherto history of all mankind is history of conflicts between classes. India unique in its ways has caste conflicts as central to its history. Since the time of Buddha and Mahavir there have been voices arising for the depressed class fight against graded hierarchy enforced by brahminical forces. Tamilnadu then madras presidency has from the end of 19th century has grown strong political and social movements to counter the brahminical forces. Though similar social reform movements were started in bombay and bengal presidencies they did not grow into strong political movements, engulfed by the rise of congress. Tamilnadu continued to be fertile ground for movements rooted in the social justice. Antonio Gramsci, the Italian Marxist while analysing the drawbacks of marxist movements identified the ways in which dominant forces continue to exert their dominance without opposition. Dravidian movements had employed similar approaches suggested by Gramsci.

Brahminical hegemony - nature and means of subjugation

Gramsci in his analysis of capitalist societies found that capitalist forces maintain their dominance in civil society by controlling the norms of morality through religion, schools and family. Gramsci calls this as hegemony where the capitalist exercise their dominance through their machination of manufacturing consent among the proletariat class.

Brahminical forces similarly through their teachings of varnashrama  dharma had managed to make the caste a system of graded slavery to be followed by the people of india. Faxian had visited india during the reign of Chandra gupta and travelled extensively. He has recorded the practise of untouchability but have not mentioned the king Chandragupta-ii. Yet this period of feudalism and casteism was recorded as golden period.

   Religion and education act as structures of legitimation giving credibility to the casteist practises. Through these institution consent is manufactured among the oppressed by developing cultural values in minds of sub-altern and project their own interest as interest of sub-altern.

    Gramsci calls these persons who develop the intellectual backing for these traditional structures as Traditional Intellectuals. Brahmins have played this role of traditional intellectuals monopolising the education creating vedas and puranas to assign superiority in the caste structure.      

Rise of dravidian counter hegemony. Justice party and Self respect movement

   Madras presidency had a disproportionately occupied all the political and administrative forces depriving others a chance to take part in the government. Eight out of nine members of Madras Legislative councils member selected were Brahmins. Out of 130 Deputy Collectors 77 were Brahmins which indicates 60% of the post were occupied by the 3% of the population. Further the necessity of sanskrit as qualification prevented entry of non-brahmins in medical education.

   This had led to the influential non-brahmin leaders like P.Theagaraya Chetty, C.Natesa mudaliar and T.M.Nair to start the Justice party in 1916 which won successive elections and initiated laws to eradicate systems like devadasi.

   Periyar finding the congress to be coterie of Brahmins left the congress and start to propogate the ideas of self respect. Periyar withdraw from electoral politics and focussed on social movement reasoning that when one achieve social self-respect political self-respect is bound to follow.

Organic Intellectuals and their War of Position

  Gramsci identified that the strategy to counter the hegemonical forces is to dent their value system in the eyes of the people. Gramsci suggested to undertake ideological warfare in the field of culture, art and literature. Ideological warfare is aimed to create a mass consciousness and make people self aware about their condition as Marx stressed that it is not our consciousness that determines our existence but it is our existence in the society that determine our consciousness.

   Gramsci called for the working class to develop organic intellectuals from their own rank to counter the dominance of traditional intellectuals.

  Tamilnadu had a slew of reformers who took up the role of organic intellectuals and played a significant role in kindling the consciousness of their community. Scholars and reformers like Ayotheethas Pandithar and Rettamalai Srinivasan researched to find the origin of social discrimination. Ayotheethas Pandithar has extensively written how the early practisers of buddhism were persecuted and made into untouchables. Their works were aimed to reinstill the pride in the oppressed people and wean them away from the brahmanical stranglehold.

   Gramsci calls this as war of position as Brahminism is spread throughout the society and organic intellectuals has to position themselves to undermine the brahmanical narrative.

   Periyar took the war of position to next level through his vicious attack on the superstitious belief that are prevalent in the society helping the brahmins to continue their dominance exploiting the people.

   Periyar’s radical approach such as self respect marriages without brahmin priest has effectively attacked the income of priest chanting empty slogans, put the women’s liberation at the forefront and facilitated celebration of native customs.Periyar’s initiative to drop caste surname is aimed at breaking the network of social capital build between people of same caste even if they are complete strangers.

Periyar by questioning the irrationality in puranas, vedas and unscientific religious practises created the rational young minds undermining the attempts of pseudoscience and hindutva to infiltrate the Tamil society.

DMK- Anna and Kalaingar Developing Counter Hegemony Through Films and Drama

Following the footsteps of Periyar came, Anna and Kalaingar to lead the war of postion in the cultural and art field. Gramsci stressed that the role of Organic Intellectuals lies in articulating the feelings of common people, which they could not express themselves, through the language of culture.

Anna through his drama and writings in newspapers brought the global icons of rights activist to the minds of people of Tamilnadu. Kalaingar through his powerful dialogues created the mass connect. They together raised the consciousness of pride in Tamil language, knowledge of our ancient civilization through their films and dramas.

The film ‘Parasakthi’ with kalaingar’s power packed dialogues questioned the position of women, corrupt ways of religious leaders and inefficiency of laws in protecting the common man. Dialogues of such film echoes still today with the same force kindling even the consciousness of illiterate people. Alongwith Anna and kalaingar the role of songwriters such as Pattukottai Kalyana Sundaranar, Kannadasan and Bharathithasan in bringing the dravidian consciousness to the common man is immeasurable.

The idea of Social Justice has become deeply imprinted in the minds of common man, thereby educating what to expect and when to question the government in power.

Capture of Political Power - Giving Legitimacy to Counter Hegemonic Ideas    

   

Gramscian war of position has its limitation as hegemonic forces continue to hold sway over a section of people providing a ever present threat to progressive ideas. Upending the hegemonic powers from political power structures that act as agents of coercion had become a necessity of the time.

The struggle against hindi imposition has propelled the DMK to form the government in 1967 effectively ending the dominance of national parties from state politics. DMK coming to power is the watershed moment in the politics of federalism in India.

Marxist would call state machinery as agent of bourgeoise. But DMK become the agent of sub-altern politics giving power to realise the dreams of Self-Respect movements ambition. Renaming Madras into Tamilnadu, law for legalising self-respect marriages, law allowing anybody to become priest were direct result of the Self-Respect movement.

In “The Dravidian Years: Politics and Welfare in Tamil Nadu by S.Narayan” has noted the change of class composition of government services in favour of backward communities with the coming of DMK government. This welcome change in bureaucracy brought personnel with village connect to the position of power. Class composition of bureaucracy has become representative of the diversity of various groups of Tamilnadu.

Further the party functionaries become active link in resolving public grievances and making public offices more attuned to the demands of the general public. In Mr. S.Narayan’s words “ I saw ideology being translated into policies, programmes and their delivery. I do not think such change happened elsewhere in India. In essence the DMK government had ensured social balance in state administration and become instrumental in delivering the social welfare and social benefit services in succeeding administrations.

Continuing the resistance and safeguarding the federalism

The old guards of dravidian movements have now become golden memories in the annals of history. With the resurgence of right wing hindutva forces the threat to diversity and indigenous cultures is imminent.

The idea of strong, autonomous federal states as envisioned by Anna in his magazine Homeland and in his parliament speeches is under threat from forces aiming to create a monolithic india. To sustain the onslaught of this divider-in-chief there lies an urgent need to revive the war of position against the hegemonic forces uniting the depressed classes cutting across state and culture. The fault lines and cracks in the caste structure is being effectively used by the RSS-BJP to advance their divisive agenda and hatred.

Social media has become ripe with casteist playing victim cards while the real victims space is being denied at every turn. Organic intellectuals of the new age has to organise and raise the consciousness among the people.

The pioneers of Dravidian movement took the bull by its horns and had it neutered through their diligent and tireless social work. Now is the time to unite and increase the momentum to fight against the false history, divisive, casteist and religious fanatics. Ideas will never die and it is essential the ideas of sub-altern politics has to overcome the post truth assault on ideas of unity.