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DALIT
RENAISSANCE
p
I
I
3
I
Essay
set
by:
The
Aceoolatlon'of Kerala History, Publication
g666ittao
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l
P. R.
D.
S.
.T
AND
.-"t.
onlr
RENArssdcE
fT
p-$
,
ffi$
Prof.
P.
M;
Abraham
(Dept.
of
English,
Catholicate
College,
pathanamthitta)
r
F.
P.
.1996-Feb-
$
Contribution
a
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PUBLISHER'S
IUOTE
The
promine.t
historians
of
modern
period
have
adopted
the
views
that
history
is
not
a
mere
narration
of
events,
but
it
is
a
lesson.
ln
other
words.
when
history
is
examined
in
a
new
prospective,
it
produces
a
diff
erent
lesson. Every
history
has such
as
aspect
of,
political
regeneration.
The
current
reference
to
the
"history
of
the
Keezhala
people,,
is
to
be
approached
in
this background.
professional
historians
and
intellectuals
have
presented
the
history
of
'Keezhala peo-
ple'
(Depressed
people)
either
in
a
distorted
manner
or
parti-
ally.
their
history
has
often
been
under
estimated.
And this
is
the
rbsult
of
the dornination
of
the
"Whites,,
{(SAVARNA)
fhis
srirall
book
is
intended
to
throw
light
on
the
p.
R.
D.
S.
(Prathyaksha
Raksha
Daiva
Sabha)
movement
that,
Sprang
up
the
Renaissance
of
lndia.
Traditional
books
on
history
have
Unanimously
ignored
this
movement.
It
was
in
Kerala,
that for
first
time
in
lndia,
the
resist-
ance
of the
Dalit community
began.
This
was in
connec_
ted
with the
Ayyan
Kali
Movement
and the
p.
R.
D.
S.
movement.
lt
is
either
because
historians
are
not aware
of
the
Dalit
activities
in
Kerala
or
because
they
wanted
to
keep the
movement
in
the dark.
They
concentrated
on
Raja
Ram Mohan
Roy,
Dayananda
iSaraswathy
and
Sree
Narayana
Guru
in
forming
the
history
of lndian
Renaissance,
Majority
of
historians
have
presented
a
l(erala
Renaissance
with no
reference
at
the conversion
to
christianity
such
an
approach
is
an
attempt
to
justify
the
Hindu
Sway
as
part
of
the
upper
class
domination.
The
history
of
the
Dalits
show that
they
faced
two
fold challenges' in
history-
i.
e. of conversion
to
Christianity
and subjection
to
Hinduism. To them,
Hinduism
wasan
opp-
ressive
political
institution
and Christianity
was
a drewing
force
to
identity
crisis.
P,
R.
D,
S.
tried to over
come
this
identity
crisis.
7/24/2019 PRDS and the Dalits Resistance
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6
Vedas
was
given
by
Dayananda Saraswathy
and
Rajaram
Mohan
Roy.
Their
idea
was
to
reform
religion'
Whatactua-
lly
happened
was
the
spranging
up
at
different
levels
o
f
anticaste,
non-brahman
movements.
As
a
protest
against
high
caste
sway,
the ',Sathaya
Sodhaka
Movement"
of
Jyothi
Bafule
in Maharashtra,
Ambedkar
Movement;
"Swab
himana
Movement"
in
Tamil
Nadu,
"Ad-dhorn
Movement"
in
Punjab'
"Adi-Hindu
Movement,'
in M.
P.
Nama
Subhra
Moverqent"
in
Bengal.
and
in
Kerala,
Srde
Narayana,
Ayyankali
and
P' R.
D. S.
movetrents
sprang
up.
Raja
Ram
Mohan
Roy
and
Da-
yananda saraswathy
were
not
spokes
men
of
the
Bhakthi
Mouarn"nt
advocated
by
Tukaram,
Ram
Das
anC
Kabeer'
Yet.
what
their
movement
reveals
is
the
inherent
weakness
of
the
'Bhakthi
Movement'.
So
what
happered
in
lndia
in
the name
oi
Ranaissance
was
a
Hindu
Social
reformation'
But
none
other
than
Ayyankali,
Anlbedkar
and
P'
R'
D'S'
movements
suited
the
spiritual
developrnent
and
defence
of
the
Dalit
people. Before
the
beginning
of
Ambedkar
Movement
llSZ+,1Oiher
oalit
Moveme
nts
had
become
prominent'
They
lrad
come
into
beaing
against
the
social
reformatory
views
of the
national
Renaissance.
,,
Kerala,
in
the
last
quater
of
the
1 9th
century
presented
in
its
acute
form.
the
identity
crisis
faced
by
the
Dalits
in
India.
Kerala
was
comprised
of
three
Kingdoms
(Travancore,
Cochin
and
Malabar)
Colonialisgr
made
this
a
period
of
Con-
flicts.
There
conflicti were
furihered
by the
activities
of
Chr-
"
stian
Missionaries
and
the
conversions
made
by
them
with
';;i;
"id
;nd
initiative,
there
broke
out
the
"channar
Mutinv"
182g.
This
may
be
regarded
as the
first
explosion
of Ben-
aissance.
The
Channars
were
the
people to
climb
up
palm
trees.
"Vaikunda
Swami
Movement
"was
an
active
movement
among
them
at
that
time.
This
was
in
southern
Travancore'
Wehavetobearinmindthatthecomplicatedcaste
system
in
Kerala
was
strikinglY
anywhere
else
in lndia'
The
R
are
to
be
viewed
in
this
light
compartments.
The
NamPootheri
fromoutside.Kshatriyas,Nair's,thetemplefolk'TamilVellalas
7/24/2019 PRDS and the Dalits Resistance
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7
Chettys,
Konginis,
Syrian
Christians,
Muslirns
belonged to
the
upper strata,
Ezhavas, Channans,
Parayas,
Pulayas,
Kuravas,
and
the
like
were
of the
lower
strata.
The
Nairs
among
the
upper
classes-weie
toGsid-erea
to b1
the
agents
of Brahrnin
supremacy.
They
were
the
combrador,
caste
(linked
.caste)'
ln
1875,
they
formed
20%
and
constituted
60% among
the
land
lords. There
were
about
14700
Nairs
in
Government
service.
They
were
exempted
from
land
tax'
The
Ezhavas
formed
the
upper
layer
among
the
low
castes'
According
to
the
census
in
1815,
they
constituted
1sil,.
They
were
eng-
aged in
coconut
forming
and
tapping
toddy.
ln
the
1gth
century, cocongt
products
had
much
demanded
ln
Europe'
This
in
turn,
a
large
number
of Ezhavas
rich
There
were
well-to-do
Ayurvedic
Physicians
among
them'
ln
11902
the
first
meeting
was
held
to
form
the S.
N.
D.
P' 16
out of 60
of
the
participants
were
Ayurvedic
Physicians'
Below
the
Ezha-
vas
were
Pulayas,
Parayas,
Kuravas
and
the
like
They
were
slaves social segregation
and
untouchability
were
in
prbctices.
An
Ezhava
had
to
keep
a
distance
of
30Ft
from
a
Brahmin,
A Pulaya
had to
stand
gOft
away'
An
Ezhava
had
to
keep
a
distance
ol 12 Fl
From
a Nair
and
a
pulaya,
60Ft:
The
dis-
tance
to
be
Kept
was
well-defined.
ln
Kerala
slavery
was
strictly
practised. According
to
Dr'
Robin
Jef
ry, in Travancore
alone
there
were
1
,
30,000
slaves'
(Decline
of Nair
Dominance,)
The
slaves
of the
Government
were
rented
out
to
private
capitalists.
Dr.
Jefty
also
states
that
irr
Charrganacllerry,
it
was usual
.on
marl
7/24/2019 PRDS and the Dalits Resistance
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o
(,
cOirvei't
frOnr
Ezireva
waii
oi"Jrined
pi.iest.
But the
converted
Ez -:a'trs
lrad
nn
social
crrntacts
witl"
thc
cclnverterl
pulayas.
ln
1870
and
in
1880,
the1,
didnot
tool