From: bkannan@ha06.eng.ua.edu (Balaji Kannan)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.tamil
Subject: Re: A THREAT from a boneless tiger in the net
Date: 21 Aug 92 23:37:10 GMT
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu



ngrjn@milton.u.washington.edu (V Nagarajan) writes:


>In article <BtAKvK.34M@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca> mvishnu@morse.uwaterloo.ca (m vish
nu) writes:
>>
>>The followers of Brahmanism has a very pecular method of suppressing
>>their opponents.  Some examples in history are:
>>
>>(1)  ...Many women were involved in the struggle, including Periyar's
>>     wife. Some of the Bramin men went naked in front of them to shame
>>     them...


>        Perhaps you should come out and define what you mean by Brahminism
>        (since you seem to have the definitive evidence as to the origins
>        of the caste system, I also suggest that you write a book on the
>        subject. You will gain instant recognition seeing that scholars
>        are very divided on the subject - but this is an aside) and who
>        its followers are.

>        Re: Brahmin men going naked in front of the many women involved in
>        the "struggle", if true, it would appear that both sides had their
>        share of crudity. After all EVR once arranged for a "brahmin" man
>        to cut his pooNool and urinate on a piLLaiyar idol during a procession
>        in Kumbakonam. Let us also not forget the posters depicting various
>        hindu gods copulating, at a DK procession, that CHO was prevented
         ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
              Someone talked about "Karpu"  sometime back in this group.
              He went on to say that Tamizhs cherish safeguarding this as
              a lofty "value".[in an article related to Rajiv's assassin-
              ation] Since you have brought this issue up, let me add:
              what else happened/happens in some of these processions.
 
              Sita is a "symbol" of virtue in Indian society.
              There were placards and banners wtih graphic descript
              ions showing

                          1) Hanuman ******** her.
                          2) Lakshman ******** her
                                etc.
              So much for someone who is being passed around as a
              morally scrupulous person. Even the Ayatollah would
              have gotten tired issuing "fatwas" against such day-
              in-day-out blasphemy.[and the number of followers to
              be hunted around!] There are even attempts to compare
              him to Gandhi. Hmm.....

              No doubt, he worked for the abolition of segregation
              in Indian society. He was also at the forefront of
              the freedom movement. But one doesn't beome a great
              leader by associating oneself with struggles. The
              overall character and modus operandi matter.
              Certainly, Periyar was found wanting in this area.


>        from presenting in his magazine. Ryerson represents that breed of
>        scholars who take it for granted that anyone fighting for social
>        change is worthy of praise and goes on to find something to sing
>        his praises about. It is his kind that wrote of a Pol Pot or a Mao
>        Zedung in glowing terms. EVR was intellectually bankrupt. He was
>        rightly outraged by the injustices he saw but he wasn't equipped
>        to deal with it rationally. So much for a celebrated rationalist!

>        As long as we are on the subject of a "Dravidian" hero, let me
>        mention that soon after MGR parted company with the DMK, MalayaLee-
>        owned businesses in Madras came under attack by our Dravidian culture
>        guards. When I visited Madurai two years ago, I saw explicit wall
         owned businesses in Madras came under attack by our Dravidian culture
         guards. When I visited Madurai two years ago, I saw explicit wall
         ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
         graffiti suggesting that pApAthis be raped (peNdALungaL!). Here's
         ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
         "Dravidian" culture for you in a nutshell.
          ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

            Let me tell you something, "You ain't seen nothing yet" :-)
            The tamaasha will continue and all will be justified as long
            as the political air resounds with the "Paapanaiyum Paambaiyum
            kandaa, Paapaana modhala adi"  slogan.


> - Nagarajan


            I hope though that you will refrain from using "dravidian"
            without qualifying it further. Dravidian is an all-encompassing
            word and to associate all the people of Tamil Nadu and the
            "culture" of its people with that of unruly political elements
            [that belong in most political parties] might not be the right
            thing for a person to do.

 
          Balaji Kannan      
~
Newsgroups: soc.culture.tamil