CASTE MOVEMENTS

CASTE MOVEMENTS

As has been stated, the early socio-religious reform move­ments played a major role in inspiring the nationalist, struggle by awakening the people and reforming the society. However, it is equally true that the nationalist struggle in turn contributed to the emergence of social reform move­ments. Almost all of these movements emerged in the 20th century to work for the upliftment of the lower and backward castes.

A major cause for the rise of caste movements was the grievances nurtured by the educated among the low and backwalJ castes. To improve their lot, the Bhakti and Neo­Vedantic movements worked by way of embracing the activities of Hindu reform associations. Schools for lower castes were started by K. Ranga Rao in the 1890's. The Depressed Classes Mission Society of India was started as an independent set-up by the Prarthana Samaj to provide facilities for education to persons from lower caste. The Depressed Classes Mission Society of Madras began func­tioning in 1909.
Caste movements also emerged to uplift the status of the deprived castes by helping them to assert a superior status by following the customs and manners of the traditionally superior groups. These movements, termed Sanskritisation movements, began among the Nadars and Pallars of Tamil Nadu (who claimed a kshatriya status), the Ezhavas and Nairs of Kerala and the Chamars of Jaunpur (who followed the ways of the Siva-Narayana sect).

Radical movements arose from the desire to challenge the domination of brahmins and question the very basis of the traditional caste set-up.

The British rule, on one hand, encouraged movements for the upliftment of castes, both directly and indirectly, and on the other, strengthened caste feudalism by forming alliances with landlords and feudal classes and through non-interference in religion. Its divide and rule policy and the 1890 census which classified castes generated a great deal of confusion and caste uprisings. The Caste Disabilities Removal Act of 1850 and the Special Marriage Amendment Act of 1872 helped in breaking caste rigidity.

Some of the important caste movements are discussed below.

JYOTIBA PHULE AND THE SATYA SHODHAK SAMAJ Jyotiba Phule, belonging to a low caste Mali family, founded the Satya Shodhak Samaj in 1873 to fight brahrninic domi­nation and to liberate low castes by educating them and teaching them their rights. The movement involved a great deal of support from the educated urban of the low castes and rural Maratha peasants. Jyotiba Phule also started a school for untouchables (1854), and an orphanage for widows. His books Glzulam-giri (1872) and Sarvajanik Satyadlzarma Pustak questioned the traditional customs and beliefs of society.

SHRI NARAYANA GURU'S CONTRIBUTION Shri Narayana Guru (1855-1928), a socio-religious reformer who represented the aspirations of the untouchable Ezhavas or Iravas of Kerala, was opposed to brahminic or the priestly class domination and worked to secure temple entry rights to the depressed castes as well. In 1888, he began the Aravippuram Movement with the installation of a Shiva idol at Aravippuram. He set up the Sri Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDPY) in 1902-03 to fight for temple entry rights to untouchables. The SNDPY had a great impact on the movement of the Adi-Andhra Dalits of Kerala.

THE JUSTICE PARTY MOVEMENT Dr. T.M. Nair, Sir Pitti Theagaraja Chettiar and the Raja of Panagal formed the South Indian Liberal Federation (SILF) in 1916 to protest against the domination of brahmins in government service, education and in the political field. Their non-brahmin manifesto demanding non-brahmin representation in gov­ernment service can be seen as the first-ever cohesive demand for caste-based reservation. The newspaper, Jitstice, was their main organ for expressing views and opinions. The SILF came to be called the Justice Party which ex­pressed loyalty for the British. The party's efforts contrib­uted to the passing of the 1930 Government Order of providing reservations to groups. Under Periyar, the Justi Party became Dravidar Kazhagam (in 1944). Periyar al came up with the concept of a land for the Dravidia (Dravida Nadu).

THE NAIR MOVEMENT The leaders of the N movement in Kerala, who opposed the socio-political dOli nation by the Namboodari brahmans and the non-Malay brahmans, were C.V. Raman Pillai, K. Rama Krishna Pillai
and M. Padmanabha Pillai. The Malayali Memorial was formed by Raman Pillai in 1891. He resurrected the military glory of the Nairs in his novel, Martanda Varma (1891). Rama Krishna as editor of the Swadeshabhimani (1906-1919), de­manded political rights for the Nairs The Nair Service Society was set up by Padmanabha Pillai in Travancore in 1914.

SELF-RESPECT MOVEMENT The radical movement was launched by Periyar or E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker in Tamil Nadu in 1925, to awaken non-brahmans for over­throwing brahminic superiority. The movement organised weddings without involving the brahmins and temple entry. The Manusmriti was condemned for its caste bias. Periyar also brought out the journal Kndi Arasu, in 1924.

THE NADAR MOVEMENT The untouchable shanans of the district of Ramnad (Tamil Nadu) claimed kshatriya status by imitating kshatriya customs to emerge as the Nadars. The Nadar Mahajan Sangam was formed in 1910 to promote education and social welfare among the Nadars.