~ In Kerala, till a few years back, if grains and oil were to be brought to a Namboothiri household by the lower castes, it had to travel through the Syrian Christian household. The traditional role of purification continues in the case of this introduction. An upper caste audience can consume a self-sufficient radical text only when a Syrian Christian performs the caste ordained purification ritual. Since they have the knowledge of world trade they would even market the text. This process is dangerous. If the images of caste continue in new forms, it would hurt all of us. If the Syrian Christian, armed with words, is waiting for the Dalit Revolution so that she can encash it, we need to be very careful and alert to expose her. For them, Dalit becomes an all encompassing catchword to understand caste. This should be challenged. The urge to constantly evaluate dalits, their universal literature and their democratic social movements should be seen as an upper-caste indulgence. It should be engagement and not evaluation. This engagement should compulsorily implicate you in the text. What is required is, borrowing from bell hooks, a process of self-actualization; an anti-caste self actualization which threatens and destroys us, in an attempt to reshape us. Its my earnest request to all Syrian Christians and their friends to breathe freely and open their own rooms and clean up the dirt. This work would be historic! ~
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 11:45:12 +0000