Oh! Slave
..My son of Adi Dravidians
I will
give ruling power of country
Untouchables come with me
: Poykayil
Johanan appachan- Kerala
Dravidian Being deemed
to be outcaste from Hindu society, Adi Dravidian castes now includeSC/ST/OEC/OBC/Nagas and others. Many
Adi Dravidas have converted toBuddhism (Mowriya ,Chera ,Chola,Pandiya Kings
After in BCE 500),Jinnism,Hindhu,Christianity, Islam and Sik.
Kerala
The greatest spiritual upheaval that the world saw in the
beginning of this century was staged in India, with the emergence of P.R.D.S.
the defensive activities of ‘Keezhala People’ have been feathered in different
parts of the world. But no where else, there took place on an organised
spiritual uplift based on their history and culture. It was in Kerala, in
India, that such an event was staged though it went unnoticed. This progressive
movement was in the backup of the Renaissance movement in India.
Thus the Indian Renaissance deserved our special attention. Kerala
has a history of Renaissance that his distinctive features of its own. These
features make the Renaissance in Kerala differ from other areas in India. A
unique peculiarism in Christianity-The activities of Christian Missionaries and
the conversion among Dalit People. It happened in this background that the
‘Vaukunda Swami Movement’. Sree Narayana Movement’ the activities of Ayyankali
and Vaikam Sathyagraha, took their origin, Religious conversions have directly
or indirectly, influenced all renaissance movements. But it was P.R.D.S. alone
that faced the identity crisis of conversion among the Dalit people. P.R.D.S.
emerged as a spiritual movement. So it has been much misunderstood and misspelt
in history. It has been greatly distorted and disturbed. In order to learn
about the advent of P.R.D.S. history, it is essential that the history of
Kerala and its democratical approach towards renaissance should be re-examined.
The period of history termed the Renaissance of India does
not yield to prejudicial assessment. The leaders of Indian Renaissance
like Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Dayananda Saraswathy stood against the Brahmin
Supremacy in even aspect. Yet the Mahatma Jyothi Baphula, E. V. Rama Swami
Naikar and Dr. Ambedkar belonged to another layer on level. This shows the
conflicting nature of the renaissance and its streams. The call to return to
the Vedas was given by Dayananda Saraswathy and Rajaram Mohan Roy Their idea
was to reform Hindu religion. What actually happened was the spranging up at
different levels of anticaste, non-brahmin movements. As a protest against high
caste sway; the ‘Sathaya Sodhaka Movement’, ‘Swabhimana Movement’ in Tamil
Nadu, “Adhom Movement; in Punjab” , “Adi-Hindu Movement; in M. P., Nama Subhra
Movement in Bengal and in Kerala, Sree Narayana, Ayyankali and P. R. D. S.
movements sprang up Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Dayananda Saraswathy were not spokes
men of the Bhakti Movement advocated by Tukaram, Ram Das and Kabeer. Yet what
their movement reveals is the inherent weakness of the ‘Bhakthi Movement’. So
What happened in India in the name of Renaissance was a Hindu Social
reformation or a totality of Hindu culture.
But none other than Ayyankali, Ambedkar and P.R.D.S.
movement suited the spiritual development and raise the and lead the defence of
the Dalit people. Before the beginning of Ambedkar Movement (1924) other
Dalit Movements and become prominent. They had come into being
against the social reformatory views of the National Renaissance.
Kerala, in the last quarter of the 19th century
presented in its acute form, the identity crisis faced by the Dalits in India.
Kerala was comprised of three Kingdom (Travancore, Cochin and Malabar)
Colonialism made this a period of conflicts. There conflicts were furthered by
the activities of Christian Missionaries and the Conversions made by them with
their aid and initiative, there broke out the “Channar Muttiny” 1829. This may
be regarded as the first explosion of Renaissance. The Channars/Ezhavas were
the people to climb up palm trees for toddy tapping. “Vaikunda Swami Movement”
was an active movement among them at that time. This was in Southern
Travancore.
We have to bear in mind that the complicated caste system
in Kerala was strikingly different from that the caste system anywhere else in
India. The Renaissance movements in Kerala are to be viewed in this society was
divided into different compartments. The Nampoothiris (native brahmins),
Brahmins from outside, Kshatriyas, Nair’s the temple folk. Tamil Vellalas,
Chettys, Konginis, Syrian Christians, Muslims belonged to the upper strata.
Ezhavas, Channans, Parayas, Pulayas, Kuravas and the like were of the lower
strata. The Nairs among the upper classes were considered to be the agents
of Brahmin supremacy. They were the combrador, caste (linked caste). In
1875, they formed 20% and constituted 60% among the land lords. There were
about 14,700 Nairs in Government service. They were excluded exempted from land
tax. The Ezhavas formed the upper layer among the low castes. According to the
census in 1875, they constituted 15%. They were engaged in toddy tapping and
had much demand in the internal market and economy. This is in turn, a large
number of Ezhavas are rich. There were well-to-do with Ayurvedic Physicians
among them. In 1902 the first meeting was held to organised to form the
S.N.D.P. 16 out of 60 of the participants were Ayurvedic Physcians. Below the
Ezhavas were Pulayas, Parayas, Kuravas and the like. They were slaves socially
segregated and untouchables were in practices. An Ezhava had to keep a distance
of 30ft from a Brahmin, A pulaya had to stand 90 Ft. away. An Ezhava had to
keep a distance of 12 Ft. from a Nair and a Pulaya, 60 Ft. The distance to be
kept was well-defined and it was practised strictly.
In Kerala slavery was strictly practised, through the said
facts. According to Dr. Robin Jefry, In Travancore alone thre were 1,30,000
slaves (Decline of Nair Dominance). The slaves of the Government were rented
out to private capitalists. Dr. Jefry also state that in Changanacherry
(Kerala) it was quite common on market days for parents or near relatives, to
bring lads for sale, the price varied between Rs. 6 to Rs. 18. The
other slave markets in Travancore were Thirunakkara (Kottayam), Alleppey,
Kayamkulam, Kollam, Attingal and Chirayinkizhu and Anchu Thengu. Records of
many slave trades are extant. At a particular stage of Colonialism slave trade
was banned. It is to be mentioned that conversion to Christianity and Christian
missionary activities paved the way to removed the slave trade or the practice
of rigid caste system.
Large Scale conversions took place in the lower class among
Ezhavas, Pulayas, Parayas and Kuravas. In 1887 a convert from Ezhava was
ordained priest. But the convert from Ezhava had no social contacts with the
converted Pulayas. In 1870 and in 1880, they did not took upon conversion as an
uplift to the level of Syrian Christians, but as a lowering to the level of the
pulayas. But they had used conversion as a means to claim superiority from the
upper caste Hindus till the Royal Proclamationi of 1936 granting the lower
castes entry into temples (‘Decline of Nair Dominance’ P. 1976).
But
conversion of Christianity among the Dalits acted in a different perspective
and manner. It seemed a temporary relief from oppression and castism from the
upper castes. But conversion did not help them to advance to the level of the
upper classes. In addition, they had to face severe opposition from Syrian
Christians. The church discriminated them. They embraced different Christian
demoniations like the Marthemites, the Brothern Mission and the Superatists.
The bitterness of discrimination was not mitigated. This might also be strong
reason for the formation of P. R. D. S. (The basic reasons were different) But
later the Dalits Christians took initiative in the formation of the separate
Administrative movement. This movement had no sort of connection with
P.R.D.S./Salvation Army Movement of the struggle of Dalit Christians against
discrimination and for power and position. But P. R. D. S. was a non Christian
movement based on the identify of Dalit.
The Christian conversion among the Dalit in Kerala is an
active topic of discussion that demands a very close study. The religious
conversion is examined here in the background of existence of P.R.D.S. and
other movements.
Though conversion to Christianity was an active reality the
Sree Narayana Movement in Kerala, had not recognised it as a sing of
Renaissance. That was because the Sree Narayana Movement had developed as a
reformative and reaffirmative movement within the Hindu religion. The temple
that Sree Narayana Gure consecrated to Lord Siva, the Mirror consecration at
Kalavancode and the like were against the Hindu upper class domination. Yet
this move did not spread among the Dalits. In effect, it was an attempt to
reform the caste and the religion. When we turn to Vaikom Sathyagraha, we find
the institutionalisation of this reformatory process. But the anti-caste
proclamation of Brother Ayyappan, “Man needs no caste, no creed, no God” had
raisen from the same background that grave rise to Sree Narayana Guru’s precept
“One Caste, One Creed and One God for Man.
The prominent scholars of Kerala History have mentioned
about the Sree Narayana Movement. But they have not sufficiently assessed the
inherent weakness in that movement. Nor have they assessed the Ayyankali
Movement and P. R. D. S., the movement of the Dalits. For the first time in
India, Ayyankali gave leadership to the open struggle of the Dalits. Ayyankali
was born in 1863 in venganoor in Trivandrum. He experienced from
childhood, the bitter effects of the caste distinction. He was illiterate. Yet
he openly came forward to fight for the right of the Dalit people. In 1863 he
went about in a Villuvandy as an open protest against the denail for freedom of
movement. The Chaliya street upheavel in 1898 for freedom of movement and the
riots in Nedumangad market in 1912 were significant. In 1907, the First Dalit
Organisation-“Sadhujana Paripalana Sangham”-was formed for the first time in
India. This samgham led many struggles The perinattu riot for school admission,
the discarding of “Kallumala” that the pulayas had worn as part of the caste
regulation that hurt their pride and similar activities were also significant.
The subject of conversion to christianity was not directly connected with
Ayyankali Movement. But Vellikkara Chothi and Pampadi John Joseph who had
co-operated with the movement had viewed this as an important issue. That was
why, John Joseph, Dalit Christain had furthered the formation of Cheramar
Mahajana Sabha (1921). It was part of a movement against the discrimination by
the upper castes that prompted him to form this organisation for uniting
exclusively the pulayas (Cheramar). This movement later created adverse effect
to the unity of the Dalits. Similarly we find in Swami Subhananda, the first
Dalit, Sanyasi, a level contrary to the effect produced by the conversion of
the Dalits to Christainity. He was a Dalit Christain by name Pappan Pathrose.
He went to Tapogiri in Cheenthalor and did penance and accepted the life of a
Sanyasi. He organised ‘Athma Bodhodaya Sangham” (1931). It was a Kerala version
of religious reformatory movement like Sree Narayana Movement among dalits. But
sorry to say it was also an another movement for Hindu revivalism.
Reference has been directly and indirectly made to the
conversion of Dalits of Christianity, we have to examine the influence it has
on the self-consciousness and identity to the Dalit people. It was for the
first time that the community of Dalits, that was free from religion, was
subjected by Christianity to come to the fold of religion. It was through conversion
that they changed from tribal traditions to organised practices and worship.
Such change was the first that they had to undergo. It is beyond doubt that the
kind of approach to the Christian missionaries on the one way and the
oppression of the upper castes, on the other was persuaded them in their
conversion. We have to Examine the social and political implications of this
conversion to Christianity and took. Place by the end of the 19th century.
Conversion took the place as part of the movement for colonisation. We notice
in history the downfall of the supermacy of an “agent class” the Nairs in
Kerala during the regions of Marthanda Varma in Travancore, Sakthan Thampuran
in Kochi and Tippu Sulthan in Malabar. The failure of the armed insurrections
of Veluthambi and Paliyathachan accelerated this downfall. At this stage, it
was the need of the English Ruler’s to create a class of “agents/workers” for
their administrative purposes and motto. That was why the Christian
missionaries were sent into the social field of Kerala. At that stage in
history, they could not give rise to a prestigious social class. Yet the
converted class could in those days function as a powerful sociological group.
But it may be concluded that, really the conversion never did
not encourage the development of the Dalit orginality/identity. It created and
identity crisis (Ninety percent of the converts belonged to the Dalits) It was
the context of this identity crisis, there P.R.D.S. emerged. In other words
P.R.D.S. faces the identity crisis of Dalit conversion. Hindu supremacy had no
affected the Dalit Christians in this sense. It had existed as an oppressive
socio-political institution. The powers of Hindu supremacy closed door before
the Dalits, the doors of higher knowledge called to be of Hinduism. So the
critical situation created by the identity crisis resulting from the Dalit
conversion faced by P.R.D.S. was singular. Amid it did not face similar
situation ever posed by Hinduism.
The
advent of P.R.D.S. was not a chance occurrence. It was the effect
and teachings of Poikayil Sree Kumara Guru Deva, Poikayil Appachan, the founder
of P.R.D.S. that gave life to this movement.
At that time Kerala was compraised of three Independent
Kingdoms. The founder of P.R.D.S. was born on 5th of Kumbham
1054 M.E. as a slave to Syrian Christian family by name Sankaramangalam family.
‘Kandan’ and ‘Lechi’ were his parent. They gave him the name of ‘Komaran’ later
was changed to ‘Kumaran’. Kumaran had to do the slavish work of Sankaramangalam
household. Because his master followed the Christain faith, the slave boy
kumaran had to become a Christain faith, the slave boy Kumaran had to become a
Christian by name Yohannan. He learned reading and writing. It was at that time
that he came to know of the Bible. In those days, the dalit divisions like
Parayas, Pulayas and Kuravas practised untouchability among themselves. From
boyhood, the awareness that Parayas, Pulayas and Kuravas were his own people
when he became mature. Yohannan left the Sankaramangalam family and trade
farewell to his mother. He set out to organise his people. He felt that he had
to work within the Christian religion in order to be one with his people who
had embraced Christian religion. Then he joined the Marthoma Church. But Yohannan
was intimated by the discrimination that witnessed in that church. Dalits were
second rate members in that church. One day, the dead body of a default
Christian was buried in the burial ground of the church. The same night the
leaders of parish got the dead body out. This caused much commotion. Thus
Yohannan left the Marthoma Church. Then be worked in the “Brother mission” and
the separatist sect. There also he confront discrimination. So be turned away
from them. By this time, Yohannan came to be widely known as a Christian
teacher (“updates”) He had preached. The messages from the Bible in many
places. But soon it became clear that these preaching and activities were a
disguise. Yohannan used the Bible itself as a disguise. Yohanna ‘Upadesi’ was vehement
in defying the false Bible culture among the dalits. This defiance led him to
leave different christian groups. His subsequent activities were secretive and
disguised. He organised meetings in open places, market places and by the side
of roads many of dalits stood and united behind him. There were attacks on many
meetings. The meetings of ‘Kuzhiparampil Pathrose’ a dalit christian were
subjected to attacks. The topics of his speeched were “sons of wickedness and
sons of God” and seven churches in Asia and the like. His orations were
ironical. The attack on a thronged meeting at ‘Othara’ (in Pathanamthitta
district) was a major incident that time. The meeting was in ‘Pandal’ with
hanging hurricane lamps. The upper caste people smashed the lamps and set fire
to the ‘Pandal’. The audience in defence and Yohannan upadesi went up to a tree
and spend night long spent at it. On another occasion when the high caste
people were haunting for him, Yohannan had to hide himself under water in a
streamlet. When the meeting at Muthalapra was attacked Yohanna upadesi escaped
in the guise of a women. There followed a procession of assaults. In many
places like Vakathanam, Vellanidi, Kozhukachira, Mangalom meeting were
disrupted. If the attack on the meetings at Vettiyadu, a women was killed. It
was at this time that the famous Maramon convention was boycotted. A rebel
meeting was convened at Muthalapra. Fire was kindled and thousands Bible was
thrown into it. Every one was asked to do so. Thousands of copies of Bible were
thrown into fire. All these provoked the leaders of the Christian Churches.
They appointed an enquiry commission Sri. K. V. Simon, a poet and preacher was
a member of the commission. In his book ‘The History of the Separalist churches
of Malankara” he devoted a chapter “The work of Poikayil Yohannan and P.R.D.S.
to deal with the dalits, According to him “……….. just as Pumchaminnil Mammen
Upadesi rose in the Marthoma Church in the wake of the upheaval of removal, a
ceratin Poikayil Yohannan rose among the untouchables who were with the
sperrylites. He was a convert from the Paraya community and a serf
to the Sankaramangalam family of Eraviperoor. At last he became a member of
this (the separatist church) preached some new doctrines and misled many
including two prominent members. Thus he attempted form a new organization. The
main aim of Yohannan and his associated was to do away with Caste
distinctions…….” Reference is also made to the objectives and doctorine of
Yohannan.” The Bible is not for this time or this generation. The Church should
end in this world with the end of the periods of the Apostles. Among the
generations form that time to the present there is not a single one who has
been slaves…..” There is no second coming and no thousand year region….” As a
result of these doctrine, many of those who had formerly termed themselves
“Saved ones” needing nothing more than the sermons and doctorines of
Yohannan. Sp they burned the Bible in bulk. The word of Yohannan was
the law for anything.
Thus the Dalits in crowds rallied behind Yohannan and
causes much cemmotion. They grace up work on land and in field and champed at
sites of meetings. They went from one meeting to another. The land lords were
in trouble because they had no one to labor in land and in fields. They tried
to frame false cased against him and to kill him. Thus they moved against the
‘peace rally’ at Maramkulam. They complained to the courts that
Yohannan was speaking against the British.
If yohannan was produced before the Second Class
Judicial Magistrate at Changanacherry. During the trial, the Magistrate wanted
to know the name of his ‘Sabha’. In reply he gave the name “Prathyaksha Raksha
Daiva Sabha”-PRDS . This was in 1910. But the doctorines and activities of the
Sabha had already started.
“Extract from circular No. 9/1962 Published from the head
office of P.R.D.S. on 18.11.1962 page 9,10)
In 1908 Yohannan got himself divorced from all Christian
denominations and started working independently. He convened a meeting and
Kulathoor in Mallappally (Pathanamthitta District) and Introduced the subject
“Guarantee of Salvation” (Raksha Nirayam) He spoke about the early history of
Dalits, their lost prestige and spiritual cultural identity regeneration. Here
the conducted meeting like Thothu Yogam and Thrithwa Yogam”. The meeting
continued for months and Dalits largely took part in them. They called Yohannan
“Appachan” to mean that he was their saviour. The recognised as their teacher
and their guide. All the while disruptive activities were gaining strength
among Dalits in Kerala. In the first meeting of Cheramar Mahajana Sabha at
Podipara, Eraviperoor in Pathanamthitta Dist., Kerala on4.1.1921 Appachan spoke
strongly agaisnt such activities.
It has already been mentioned that the activities of
Poikayil Yohannan, the founded of P.R.D.S. was disguised. He used Bible verses
to deceive the high caste people. He defied the same tactfully. Yohannan
complied many songs with this meaning. They derived the wisdom of the Bible.
For example one of his sing says:
The
Holy Bible
You
read and mediate on
When
it was written and to whom,
They
were not saved by written word,
But
saved by earlier preaching of the gospel
Let
all those who have been caught
By
written word alone
Get
escaped soon
For
the writing is not for us.
In
another song he makes it clear that the subjects of the Bible are not related
to the dalit identity. The song has at tone of irony.
The
voice of God is not heard
The
Angles are not seen
Servant
are not there
To
preach the path of Salvation
I
haven’t seen God
I
haven’t seen Jesus
My
eyes haven’t seen
The
spirit and the angles
I
haven’t seen Moses
I
haven’t the law
I
haven’t the Yet soon the prophets
I
haven’t yet heard
The
beautiful oration of Gospel
Nor
have I seen men of the church
That
were saved by believing
Haven’t
seen Peter
Haven’t
seen Paul
Haven’t
seen Jacob
John
and Thomas
Regret
to speak about
Sad
tiding one by one
(Extract
from the song in P.R.D.S. circular No. 9/1962 P-3, 4, 5,6)
This
was a shock to those who had found refuge in different churches. The founder of
P.R.D.S. described the existence of Churches and their discriminations thus:
Church
after church has come up in a line
I find
distinctions still not removed
The
master has a church
The
serf has another
A
church for pulaya,
A
church for paraya
A
church for fisherman (Marackan)
Christianity
could not do away with caste distinctions. Different churches, prove this. The
founder of P.R.D.S. convinced dalits that the Kingdom of God and Heaven cannot
by attained through any religion. The son Poikayil Yohannan is worth noticing.
We
went after Hinduism
With
the label of orphans
We
went after christianity
With
the label of orphans
The
hindus did not give us room
The
Christians too gave us not room
What is Dalit identity? The founde of P.R.D.S. explained
the meeting at Kulathoor that the Dalit people in India were the descendants of
an ancient culture and the children the same father and mother. The dalits
belong the earliest cultivation of India. It was essentially based on truth,
justice and Dharna and it was essentially moral. It was a family in which
nature man and god stood united. The founder of P.R.D.S. described the earliest
times as “Social Justice” and termed it “birth” (Janman) in the sence of base
or root. It was a pinnacle of history. But books on history have left one the
essence of that culture. So Poikayil Yohannan presented it in a song:
I am
not ashamed to speak
About
the faults of our race
One by
one
I
don’t seen a word about my race
But I
find the stories of many
The song asks about the letter and history of a people
where we can the same be found?
It is
a search for roots, identity. The founder explains that the dalit people are a
race left out of history. The civilisation of migration made them slaves. For
many centuries they were like animals. They were trampled over the fields. They
were sacrificed in shrines. They were yoked with animals to till the fields.
There tribe was shattered. The relation of father mother and children had no
relevance for them. They were sold in slave markets. It was a period of long
lamentation.
The identity of dalits is to be regained. This does not
mean a return to history. It means limbing in the essence of history. The
question of P.R.D.S. “Where is the history, the letter of my race, where is the
history, the letter of my India, is not different from dalit identity, social
justice that raised by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. Thus the historical place of vision
of P.R.D.S. is not a partial one, it is the contribution of Dalit traditin in
Kerala, India. P.R.D.S. presents a culture, identity, that removes the slavery
of body mind and history. This is the history lesson contrary to the upper
castes in Kerala. The advent of P.R.D.S. represents a glowing chapter of human
culture of dalits history in Kerala.
Oh! Slave
..My son of Adi Dravidians
I will
give ruling power of country
Untouchables
come with me
Thiru
P J Sabharaj Thirumenikal
Grate TeacherBhramarshikal Sabharaj Thirumenikal was
an organizer of adi Dravidian from India born in ACE 1926 oct 2 at Kottayam in
Kerala. His father was Poykayil Johanan and his mother was Marampadathu
Mariyam. He always believed in Poykayil appachan’s songs,speech and adi
Dravidian policy for the revolution of depressed people.
Sabharaj Thirumenikal had been made a
new social, cultural, political, spiritual movement among the week ( Depressed )peoples
, it had become an evalutionary organization named as Depressed Class
United Front or Dravida class united front(DCUF): science
ACE 1958 ( Kerala, Ernakulum (Dist)at Naadukani with his friends Mr.N.D
Kumarji, Mr.Vayalar Ramankunju,P.Vargheese, Peter P kottayam ,P.J Devid, M.J
Pandit, T.K Kochellukumar, K Nanappan, Bhasker and Kudamaloor Thankappan.
Sabharaj Thirumenikal thought that all
the people might be become under a flag for remove sapparatism,castism,slavery
system and colour system from society.So he had been recreate Adi scienthaviya
Dravidian Arsha spiritual life style and a new theological view named as "Godism"(Daivamatham-SanathanaMadam).
He had been made some
Adi Dravidian priests ("RISHI")named
as "MahaRishi,RajaRishi, DevaRishi, BhramaRishi, DevaMatha ,RajaMatha,
RajaKaniyaka, Deva Kaniyaka". And he made a Bharatha Samrashana Dravida
Sena.His followers had given to him that the grate position from new society
named as Prapachika KesariBhramarshikal. It
become a spiritual organization registered under the Govt.of India named as
Deva Jana Samajam(DJS).
He was Passed away to
cosmic power in July -25- 2002 at kottayam.After his historical life the
followers are keeping his physical
body in a glass house to see next generation and global visitors..
