(Ilavarasan's Grave in Natham Colony)
Grave a
language legend…
historical symbol…
memory…
speech…
Call… for what…
For
centuries, India has been known for the richness of her culture, tradition and
heritage, which even the global communities have always recognized. But today,
the recent incidents, particularly the Delhi rape case, the Dharmapuri and
Marakkanam incidents make us to put our head down. Adding on to the shame, now,
the graveyard business, created and developed by the hate campaigners, in order
to bury the dead-body of the victims of hate campaigns and moral policing,
appears to be gaining considerable momentum.
Paradoxically, it is the same ‘casteists and custodians of the morality’
who had victimized certain individuals and communities, who have erected those
graves in the name of the victims.
While,
for many among us it has become a routine experience like reading a novel or
watching a movie, for many others it is a grave concern causing pain and
trauma. It has become so common a phenomenon that the weak are attacked and
made vulnerable. Sadly, even the State mechanism has been silent in most of
these cases, probably for their political gains and to appease and please the
vote banks. However, the most painful part is the post-incident discussions in the
media and public, justifying the death on moral grounds. Though we have most
rich and potential mechanisms to prevent such unfortunate happenings, consciously
or unconsciously we allow them. Most of the post-event discussions are unfortunately
based on issues related to morality. Every community that, involves in the discussion
thus becomes the custodians of morality of the society and becomes the moral
policing force to maintain law and order on the basis of moral norms.
Attacks by
the Ramveer Sena gangsters on the youngsters celebrating their birthday in
Mangalore, and gangsters on the youngsters celebrating the Valentine’s Day seem
to be ridiculous and shocking. On the one hand, we believe that we live in a
multi-cultural and multi-ethnic land, a democratic and republic country. On the
other hand, we hear, read and see, the ‘Khap Panchayats’ verdicts encouraging
and justifying honour killings, excommunications and hard punishments. And, the
essence of all these contradictions, appears to be boiling down to the issue of
caste.
Most of
the intellectuals and concerned citizens reject the ‘varnashrama’ dharma of the
Hinduism in general. But in practice they do uphold the caste when such
unwanted incidents take place in our society. Such attitudes have become a
threat and challenge the peace and harmony of the society at large in the name
of social norms and codes.
Is it not that…
- the social social code of conduct was made to aim and to facilitate the entire community to care and protect efficiently, effectively and lawfully the individuals and communities who are socially weak, marginalized and powerless?
- these social codes of conduct were made available to the entire society to adhere and execute, not segregating any one from the preview of implementing and executing individually and collectively for the just-social order?
- to anyone with freewill of political and ideological interest of the common good, the core values of the social code of conduct are the ‘forgiveness’ and ‘facilitation’ to become human and remain human?
What we witnesses today are,
· A few rightwing
fundamentalist individuals and caste groups and at times a few irresponsible
community leaders, who strive for dominant and mono-cultured society and uphold
the caste system, take the law and order into their hands. They attack the
people physically and enforce them with inhuman decisions that discriminate and
stigmatize the latter.
· This enforced moral
policing often targets women, Dalits and Tribals in the society. These male
chauvinists and castists who exercise their power to the extent of physical
attacks, honour killings and excommunication of the women are feudal and anti-women
to the core.
If we take the Dharmapuri incident, the Pattakli Makkal Katchi
(PMK) which is a caste based political party took the law and order into their
hands and burnt down over 300 Dalit huts in a place called Natham Colony and
the other hamlets in the nearby vicinity, the reason being, a person named Ilavarasan, a Dalit, from Natham Colony
had married a girl named Divya from
the ‘vanniya’ caste. The PMK Chief Dr. Ramadas, his son and former Central Minister
Dr. Anbumani Ramdas and the front
line leaders have initiated hate campaigns against the Dalits and, several of
their miscreants have burned the huts and hamlets of the Dalits. Further, they
attacked the Dalits and destroyed Dalit huts in several places in the northern
Tamilnadu when PMK called for a party (caste) convention in Mahabalipuram. The young couple fled for
a while and before they returned, the father of Divya committed suicide. Once again, Ilavarasan and the Dalit community were blamed. Later, at a point
when all including Ilavarasan thought
that the family of Divya had accepted
the marriage and there would not be any further issues, on a shocking move, Divya
went with her mother on a medical reason and did not return. Subsequently, Ilvarasan sought court’s intervention
where Divya said, she is upset with
her father’s demise and she would not return back to Ilavarasan. A few days later, Ilavarasna’s
body was found dead on a railway track. According to the police source it seems
to be a suicide. But the family of Illavarasan
and many others, witnessing the circumstances and condition of his body,
believe that it would be a murder. The judiciary ordered a probe and more than
one postmortem was conducted, before the body was given to be buried in the grave.
After
all…
A life of
a dawn is gone…
beacon of
hope is cracked...
future of
a generation is chopped…
in the
name of caste…
The
discussions and deliberation on Ilavarasan’s
death are mostly on whether it would be a suicide or death. Those discussions
seem to aim at the legal or judicial justice to a death. But the question before us is whether that is
all enough? Even if it is a murder, a few culprits would be jailed or the State
would grant some exgratia or financial
assistance or a job assurance to a family member. In case, if it is a suicide, is it not a life
that was killed? Can the deceased alone be responsible for the death? In Illavarasen’s case, there is no reason
to justify his death. The caste leaders went to an extent by saying it a
dramatic, but even in a drama no one welcomes trauma.
Second
question is whether it is a love affair between a Dalit boy and a ‘caste’ girl or is it between Ilavarasan and Divya which is natural between any boys and girls of that age. If
it is between PMK and Viduthal
Siruthaikal (VC) it is a vote politics, if it is between Dalit and ‘vanniya’ it is a caste politics. The
fear before us is that we are forced to take one of the political positions.
Demise of Divya’s father is portrayed
as martyr of caste-guard. If so what is Ilavarasna’s?
When it comes in terms of Ilavarasan it’s because of love
failure. Are they not deaths of two
humans?
Is it not the entire society
responsible for those deaths? Blame game politics yielded the society to a
great extant. To decide whether, it was
a suicide or death, let us leave it to the book of law but, as for us, let us
affirm that this is a massacre and murder staged by caste and caste system of
our society. Indeed, it is not a new incident that had happened in Dharmapuri. How about the Dalits burnt
alive in Keelavenmani, and beaten by
police to submerge in Thamirabarani
River in Trinelveli, and the Dalits
shot dead in Paramakudi and elsewhere,
who are the other living examples of our society? Our politics appears to be a
politics of death and that too on dead bodies. Sadly, it is religion politics,
which are supposed to ensure life, that rule the society on deaths and dead
bodies. How potential are our discussions in seeking genuine jurisprudence, and
moreover, to stop such deaths or assure our youngsters societal life-safety and
security.
Therefore….
- Is not law or constitution, supposed to be a gift to the society that helps the vulnerable and unaffordable to earn justice, to have equality and dignity of lives in the Society towards a common good?
- Do we not realize that, Indian cultures are highly diverse and each one is unique in their respective nature. So, striving for a uniform (mono) culture would be a disaster to the Indian Society at large. Instead, should we not call the Indian Society to celebrate such diverse culture, traditions by which we grow into the fullness of our humanity and harmony?
- Do we not believe that our negative attitudes toward morality is a peace-denying spirituality or ideology, stemming from our distorted understanding of unity in diversity, which distorts the very purpose of societal life? So, firstly, we need to invite and facilitate the entire society to experience the fulfillment in our committed and cordial relationships of just-living with the commitment to be vulnerable, compassionate, and responsible without any bias and prejudice toward our neighbors. Secondly, we should recognize that there are people with different faiths and castes and ideological orientations in our country. The very Indian life that the whole Indian society is formed to be together as one, irrespective of our faith and ideological orientations, makes an imperative on us to reject systemic and personal attitudes of faith-phobia and discriminations against faith and ideological, economical and caste minorities. Thirdly, we should believe that the entire Indian Society as ‘Just and Inclusive Society’ is called to become a society to live without any prejudice to be together as communities of people at large as a listening and relating communities to understand all humanity. And lastly, we have to envision our Indian Society as who thirst for mutual-understanding, co-existence, healthy-friendship, love, compassion and solidarity, and to join in their struggles to live out their God-given lives.
Hence, let us
appeal to the human communities to sojourn with the weaker sections of the
societies, the religious and caste minorities and their families, without
prejudice and discrimination, to consider them with justice and human dignity. It
is our duty to call-up the law enforcing institutions to seriously watch such
incidents and the rule of law should prevail on the individual and the caste groups
that infringe upon the rights of another individual and caste communities. The
Civil Society, Faith Based Organizations and Movements, Educational and
Research Institutions, Media (especially Electronic Media), Ecumenical Movements,
Peoples’ Groups and such Social Institutions ought to initiate a socio-cultural
study and deeper and wider radical dialogue on ‘Moral Policing’ for better
discernment.
This involves a
deeper engagement with beliefs, scriptures, cultures, traditions and other
disciplines such as social theories, psychology, and medical and moral science.
This process should be an inclusive one where people with different faith and
ideological orientations can learn from each other and contribute to this
process without prejudice and fear. We hope that these sincere endeavors would
help us and our societies to grow into the fuller understanding of life,
justice and peace, co-existence and to transform our communities
into the communities of the justice.
Jesus said that true justice exceeds that of “the
scribes and Pharisees” – and the same could be said of the prosecution and
defense. Legal justice seeks only to assign guilt or innocence. Holistic
justice works for the life, liberty, and well-being of all. And it especially
works for reconciliation between the ‘two Americas’ that can be identified by
their reaction to the case.
How long our society be a casteist? Let us become human and remain human? Moral of the society
could be, you treat me with dignity and I will certainly treat you better. Let
the graves under the feet of caste, challenge the future history in calling for
a radical dialogue with culture and tradition. Spreading the story of Ilavarasan’s death is liberation to many
Divyas.
Harriet Beecher Stowe says, “The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and
deed left undone.”
Therefore… grave(s) call(s) for radical dialogue
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