28 Remembering Dr. Lohia JANATA, March 20-27, 2011

always on the verge of rain or like themoonlightfilteringthroughcasuarinaleavesorshemayalternatebetween the two states. In either case, her statusrequiresdeepstudy.Aslongasitisnotpossibleforwoman to bathe herself into purity afterwadingthroughamireofdirt,inthestyleofFlaubert,atwilland throughpaymentofa fewpiecesof silver, theoverwhelminglonelinessthatoccasionallyovertakesthe singlewomanof today and the cruelty that anunthinking societymetes out to her deserve theattentionofsociologistsaswellaspoets.Soalsothewidowistherecipientofmuchcrueltyinalltheworld,but she is overwhelmingly so in India.The 1951census counted a total of 1,34,000widows out of61,18,000 females between the ages of five andfourteen.Withwidowhoodgoesthestigma,tosaytheleast,ofbadluckinalltheworld,anddefinitelysoinIndia,wherenearly13percentofallmarriedfemalesarewidows.Thechildwidowislikeasinglewomanwith the possible difference that she ismore of arainless but cloudy day and less of casuarinamoonlight.Widows,notyetoldandparticularlythosewhohavenomalechildren,becometherecipientsofspecialcrueltyand,ifthesinglewomanissometimesresignedly disconsolate about life, thewidow isdisconsolatelyresigned.Theconditionofthewidowhad,inthepast,excitedsympatheticattentioninthecountry.Inthebeginning,therewasafuroreagainstwidowremarriage.Thecontroversydiedout.Socialreformerswerehappythattheyhadwonyetanotherencounter.But India is a great big bog intowhicheverything sinks beyond recognition after havingcausedafewripplesandeddies.Arecentdisclosuremade byMr.GatubhaiDhruv, of aGujarat social

reformorganization,showedthatover1,200widowsofGujarathaddefied socialbarriers and remarriedsincethewidowremarriagelegislationwasenactedahundred years ago.That gives an average of tenwidowsremarriedeachyear.Thestoryisindeednotsobleak,forthebackwardcastesarenotsocruelwiththeirwidows,asarethehighcastes,andmuchhappensinthecountrywithoutanysocialorganisationbeinginvolvedinit.Nevertheless,aproblemofveryseriousimportexists.Itgoesmuchbeyondwidowremarriageandotherspecifiedsourcesofcruelty.WilltheIndianbogeverdryupsufficientlyorwillpersonsandpartiesbeabletodrivesuchfirmstakesintoitastorecoverfrom it some firm ground? Social reformers andrevolutionaries who are content with scoring adebatingpointoverconservativesandreactionariesmustlearntheirlessonproperly.Anendlessroundofprofitless controversywould otherwise go on inrelation to every subject of renewal.Every reformoccasionsaheatedcontroversyintheearlystagesandthen thatmassive societywhich is conservativeaccepts intellectual defeat by allowing a fewventuresome persons to go their ownway, on thefringes,inrespectofwidowremarriageorthesinglewoman and similar phenomena, while it isoverwhelminglyvictoriousinthatitkeepsunalteredthemainarenaoflife.Crueltyisthegreatestsourceof life’s ugliness. Its forms aremanifold. It hasburrowed itself into the darkest and the innermostrecesses of the humanmind through hundreds ofcenturies. Itmust be patiently ferreted out so asimpatientlytobedestroyed.Mankindhopestohavedocumentsandothercontributionsonthisandsimilartopicsofenduringcruelty.

[September 1956]

Caste ismost overwhelming factor in Indianlife.Thosewhodenyitinprinciplealsoacceptitinpractice.Lifemoveswithinthefrontiersofcasteandculturedmenspeakinsofttonesagainstthesystemofcaste,whileitsrejectioninactionjustdoesnotoccurto them. If they are reminded of their acts,whichareinsuchunbelievableconformitywithcaste,theypointoutwithindignationtheirthoughtandspeech.In

Castefact,theyhurlthechargeofcaste-mindednessagainstthosewhoremindthemoftheircastebehaviouronthepleathatwhile theyengageinahealthydebateonprinciplesandgreatoutlines, theircriticsvitiatethediscussionbybringingintoitthepollutedsphereof action. It is the critics, so they say,who createtheatmosphereofcaste.Whoknows if thestrangesplit between thought and action, characteristic of

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Indianculturemorethanofanyother,isnottheresultpredominantlyofcaste.Anunalterableframeiswhatcaste is.To livewithin itmustnecessarilydemandagreatdealof ingenuity,of thinkingandacting indouble,trebleormorenumeroussets.

Thegreatfactsoflifesuchasbirth,death,marriage,feastsandotherritualsmovewithintheframeofcaste.Menbelongingtothesamecasteassistoneanotheratthesedecisiveacts.Menoftheothercastesarethereattheperiphery,moreorlessbystandersandonlookers.Acommonmistakemustberidofatthestart.Acertainamountofinter-casteactivityappearstohavetakenplaceinrecentdecadesinlargeareasofthecountry.Inthefirstplace,suchactivityisconfinedtothelesserritualsoffeastinganddoesnotextendtothemajorones ofwedding and child-bearing. Secondly, thisactivity is only superficially anddeceptively inter-caste.Variousgroupsofthehighcastearesometimesknown to feast orwed one another.But the greatschismbetweenthehigh-casteandthelow-caste isasgreatasever,ifnotgreater,inthesphereofrealcollective action.When people talk of inter-castemarriagesandthelike,theymerelymeanweddingsbetweengroupswithinthehigh-caste.

Casteispresumablytheworld’slargestinsuranceforwhich one does not pay a formal or regularpremium. The solidarity is always there, wheneverythingelsefails.Infact,therearefewoccasionsfor other things being tried out.Men just tend tomake friendswithin the caste, their familymostcertainly. Such a close solidarity at child-bearing,funeralobsequies,weddingsandother ritualsmustnecessarilyhaveitsconsequencesonotheraspectsoflifeincludingthepolitical.Itmust,infact,influenceandalmostdeterminethemindanditsbasicthought.Thepoliticalaspectsareeasily influenced.Whenacontinualget-together takesplaceonallmajorandpersonaleventsoflife,itwouldbesomewhatbizarreifpoliticaleventstookplaceoutsidethatframework.Whenmenarepuzzledatacastevotingmoreorlessalike, they behave as though they had come fromanotherplanet.Whatwouldoneexpectagrouptodothatlives,child-bears,weds,diesandfeaststogether?To thismost formidable list of common activitymust be added the stillmore decisive activity ofbread-earning,thecommonprofession.Evenwhere

thecommonprofessionisinsomewaysnolongeramarkofcertaincastes,theinformal,oftenlameandhalting, but almost unfailing scheme of insuranceagainstunemploymentprovidedbyone’sowncastecontinuestooperate.Ifthecastedidnotvotetogether,thatwouldbeapuzzle.Evensuchbreakawayfromcastevotingwhichhardly,ifever,goesupwardsof20percentisascribabletosomesubstitutesecuritythathasbeenfoundinplaceofcaste.

ThisdivisionofIndiansocietyintohundredsifnotthousandsofcastes,whichhaveapoliticalasmuchassocialsignificance,explainswhyIndiawiltsbeforeforeign armies.When shehas not sowilted in herhistory,ithasalmostalwaysbeenthoseperiodswhenthe bonds of castewere loose.Agreatmisreadingof Indian history is current.The tragic successionof foreign conquests, towhich the Indian peoplehavesuccumbed,isascribedtointernalquarrelsandintrigues.Thatisnonsense.Thelargestsinglecauseiscaste.Itrendersnineteenthsofthepopulationintoonlookers, in fact, listless and nearly completelydisinterestedspectatorsofgrimnationaltragedies.

Castes have endured over thousands of years.They have bred certain traits and aptitudes. Somekindof a selection has takenplace that is sociallyas significant as a natural selection.Certain skillsof trade, craft, husbandry or administration orhandlingofprincipleshavebecomehereditary.Arealbreakthroughisalmostalwaystheworkofagenius.With such castewise determination of skills, onemightexpectgreatadvantagestoflowoutofsuchage-longselections.Thatwouldhavebeensoifallskillsfetched an equal social status ormonetary reward.Theyobviouslydonot.Someskillsarebelievedtobe unbelievably superior to others and there is aninterminableseriesofstepsintheladder.Castesofinferiorskillsaredowngraded.Theycongealintoanalmostlifelessmass.Theyceasetobethereservoirfromwhichthenationmayrefreshandrenewitself.Numericallysmallcastesofthemostsuperiorskillsarethehabitualprovidersofthenation’sleadership.Inordertomaintaintheirmostunnaturaldominance,theybecomeaseethingmassofchicanerybutsurfaciallymostsmoothandcultured.Themassesare lifeless,theeliteareCastehasdonethat.

30 Remembering Dr. Lohia JANATA, March 20-27, 2011

Astudy of castes in all its periods is not beingattempted here.We are only concernedwith thesystemofcasteasitistodayandasitprobablyhasbeen in all periods of national decline and casterigidity.Inasense,casteisauniversalphenomenon.ThetinybeginningsofitsrootswerelaidbarebyMr.Khrushchevwhenhebemoanedinpresent-dayRussia,theunwillingnessofpersonswithahighereducationto domanualwork.This rift betweenmanual andbrainworkandevaluationofoneas the lowerandtheotherasthehigherandtheincreasingcomplexityandpermanencyofthisriftarebehindtheformationofcaste.TheIndianexperienceofcastegoesfartherthanthatofanyothernationandalltheworldmayhavelessontolearnfromit.Atthemoment,weareconcernedwiththeterrifyingdamagecasteshavedoneIndiaandhowshemayridherselfofit.Theentirescaleofvalueshasbeenupset.Thehigh-castesareculturedandchicane,thelow-castesarestagnantandlifeless.What goes as scholarship in the country is but thenameofaspeechandgrammarratherthansubstanceofknowledge.Generosityisabridgedtomeanselfishappropriationthroughrestrictingitsroutetocasteandrelations.Tobegisbelievedtobelessshamefulthantodomanualwork,forthroughbeggaryofcertainhighertypes,thegiverisfavouredwithinestimablebenefitsintheotherworld.Craftiness,opensubmissionandsecretinsubordinationbecomethemarksofsuccessfulmenofstateratherthanthevirtuesofstraightdealingandbravery.Lieisenthronedasthesupremevirtueofpubliclife.Ageneralatmosphereoffraudprevails,fortoprotectcastemenandrelationsbecomesanaimratherthantoprotectjusticeandnationalwellbeing.Inessence theneedsofcasteareatwarwith thoseof thenation.Casteprevails,because it is theonlyreliablere-insuranceoftheindividualagainstcalamityorroutineill-being.

Theutterimbecilitytowhichcastehasbroughtthenationwastypifiedbytherecentandtotaldisrespectthat the PrimeMinister showed towards his owntongue. In thecourseofa fortnight,hemade threesolemndeclarations, once, never to retire, then, toretireand,again,nottoretire.Thathedoesnotholdmuchbyman’sgiftofspeechandthoughtispatent.That the nation does likewise is equally andmoreterrifying patent.Howcan the nation tolerate suchimbecility?Partlybecauseofcaste,whichblursthe

vision,andofthegreatschismbetweenthehighandlowcaste,whichmakesthehigh-castessticktogetherthrough lie and deceit and evenmurder in certainsituations.Awordofunconsciousinsight,however,fellfromthePrimeMinister’slips.Hebewailedthathewassopopularandyetthepeopledidnotactashewantedthemto.Thiswasoneofthoserareoccasions,whenMr.Nehrutellsthetruth.

Wherein lies themysteryof thischasmbetweengreatpopularity andequallygreat importance.Themanisjustnotpreparedtoriskhispopularityforthesakeofanybigchange.MahatmaGandhiknewhowtoriskhispopularity.Hehadacalf,thechildofthesacredcow, injected todeath inacertainsituation,hehadamonkeyshot,hetookHarijansintotemples,herefusedtoattendweddingsunlesstheywereinter-caste,hesanctioneddivorce,hehadthelargesumof55croresandmoregiventoPakistanatatimewhenHindusheldthattreasonable,heactedandnotalonespokeagainstproperty,inbrief,hehardlyevermisseddoinganythingthatbroughtnewlifetothenationevenifitbroughtcalumnyanddangertohim.Nothinggreatevergotdonewithoutenragingsomepeople.Thegreatchangesofsocietyarealwaysaccomplishedaftersomesectionsofopinion,sometimeslarge,arethoroughlyangered.Theoldcanalwayscommandvotaries;onlytheirnumberdiffersinvaryingsituations.Theskillofagreatleaderliesinnarrowingthenumbersofthosewhomheangersandthedurationoftheiranger.Butanger them, hemust.Hemust risk his popularitywith them,althoughthatmayeventuallybringhimanincreasedreputation.ThePrimeMinister,likeanyothertypicalproductofthecastesysteminthecountry,iscongenitallyincapableofriskinghispopularityforthesakeofanychange.

Thesystemofcastesisaterrifyingforceofstabilityandagainstchange,aforcethatstabilizesallcurrentmeanness,dishonourandlie.Anunholyfearprevails,lest,ifsomemeannessorlieweretotumblethewholestructuremight topple.Post-freedom India is but astrictcontinuanceofBritishIndia inmostessentialways.TheIndianpeoplecontinuetobedisinherited.Theyareforeignersintheirownland.Theirlanguagesaresuppressedandtheirbreadissnatchedawayfromthem.Allthisisdonefortheallegedsakeofcertainhighprinciples.Andtheseprinciplestieupwiththe

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systemof caste, the great chasmbetween the fewhighcastesandthefourhundredmillionofthelowercastes.These high castesmustmaintain their rule,bothpoliticalandeconomicand,ofcourse,religious.Theycannotdoitalonethroughthegun.Theymustinstil a sense of inferiority into thosewhom theyseektogovernandexploit.Thistheycanbestdobyturning themselves into a select castewith speech,dress,mannersandlivingofwhichthelowercastesareincapable.TheattitudeofIndia’spoliticalpartiesisgovernedbythissupremeconsiderationofhavingtoinstilacomplexofinferiorityamongthemassofthepeople.Peoples’languagesareundeveloped,theirhousingandgeneralstylesoflivingincapacitatethemfromgoodorgreatactionandtheirmindisnotworthconsidering.Somustthehighcastesweavethenetofillusion.CurrentpoliticalopinionsinIndia,becausetheyreflectthefalseandunnaturalinterestsofthehighcastes,arenotworthyofconsideration.

The political behaviour of the lower caste isamazing.Whytheyshouldbecomeawillingpartofthisconspiracyisbeyondunderstanding.Onereasonisclearenough.Castegivestheminsurance,indeed,onlessthanananimallevel,morethanitdoestothehigh-castes.Theywouldfeelhelplesswithoutit.Oft-times,onegetstheimpressionabouttheselowercastesasthoughtheirstrenuouslabourofthedaywerebutapreparationforthecastefeastsandritualsthataretofollow.Theyaretherealthingandallelseisbuta shadow.Anything that interfereswith themmustappeartothemashighlyundesirable.Theyhaveinfactlegendsandmythsthatjustifytheirlowlysituationandtransformitintoasymbolofsacrificeandlustre.TheKahars,variouslyknownasMallahs,Kaivarts,Naviks,who probably numbermore than a crore,tellstoriesabouttheirmythicalancestors,whoweresimple,ungreedy,braveandgenerousandwholosttootherancestorsofKshatriyasandotherhighcastesbecauseof theirgreatergreed,wiliness anddeceit.Takenso,theircurrentlifeofmiserymustappeartothelowercastesasanunendingsuccessionofsacrificialactsforthesakeofhighprinciples.Thissacrificeisformythicalsymbols.Itisundertakennotasanactiveprinciplethatseekschangebutasapassivesubmissionto the existing. Such sacrifice has nomeaning inhistory.But sacrifice is always consoling.Talkingof theseMallahsandKaharswhoareboatmenand

fishermenwhenthereiswater,anddomesticservantswhenfurtherinland,onemustmentiontheirinordinatecapacitytoholdtheirbreathwhiledivingunderwaterinsearchoftheedibleMakhana.Mallahboysoftenandunderbecomeactivepracticantsofdeepbreathingyoga,andthatunderwater,whichcanholdinasinglebreath forfifteenminutes andmore. Similar yogisamongthehighcaste,ofseeminglyliteratespeechorrefineddress,wouldprobablyholdthattheirmindisstrivingtobeavacuityduringtheiryoga,whiletheMallahboy’sisnot.Asitisnotpossibleforanyonepersontogointothemindsofboththesetypes,itisdifficulttohazardanopinion.Maynotthemindsbealikeineithersituation?Iftheyaresoutterlydifferentastheyareclaimedtobe,thatiscondemnationenoughofthecastesystem.

Thepoliticalbehaviourofthelowercasteswouldappeartobealittlelessinexplicableontheassumptionthatalongtraditionofideologicalsubjectionhasmadethemstagnate.Thisassumption iswholly founded.Centurieshaveinstilledintothemameekacceptanceof the existing, aversion to change, stickingwiththecasteintimesofadversityasofgoodluck,andthesearchforhighlifethroughworship,ritualsandgeneralpoliteness.Thiscanchange.Infact,thismustchange.The revolt against caste is the resurrectionofIndiaorshallwesay,thebringingintobeingofauniqueandahithertounrealizedoccasion,whenIndiashallbetrulyandfullyalive.Issucharevoltpossible?Scholarsmaywithrightdenyit.Menofactionwillcontinuetoaffirmit.Somehopeofsuccessarisesatthepresent time.Theattackoncaste isnot single-barrelled.Itdoesnotclimaxintoashrillcrydevoidofaction.Itisinfactaspoliticalasitissocial.Fromthepoliticalattackoncaste,inthesenseofdrawingthenation’sleadershipfromallthecastesinthecountry,maycomethatrevolutionwhichgivestoallIndiansocietythesolidarityandre-insurancenowgiventosmallergroupsbycaste.

Elsewhere may be found extracts from theconstitutionandtheannualreportoftheCalcuttaClub.ThisclubisthetopmeetinggroundoftheCalcuttabourgeoisie,which is the largest segment of theIndianbourgeoisie.Itsmainactivitycentersaroundwineimbibing,whileitspatronisthePresidentoftheRepublic.India’sRepublicispledgedtothepolicyof

32 Remembering Dr. Lohia JANATA, March 20-27, 2011

prohibitionwithveryconsiderablepolicerepressionasaconsequenceincertainareas.ThatthePresidentofanalcoholrepressingrepublicshouldbethepatronofanalcoholdrinkingclub,isameasureoffraudandperfidywhichIndia’shighercastesarepracticinguponthecountryandthemselves.ThePresident,butmoreso,thegovernmentwhichadviseshimareguiltyoftreasonagainsttherepublicinayetmoremajorway.EuropeansinIndiaareoneinthreethousandandmoreofthepopulation.OfCalcutta’spopulation,theyaresurelynomorethanoneinfourhundred.TheyenjoyfargreatercomfortandsecuritythananysectionofIndia’spopulation.Andyettheyareaccordedequalrepresentation on the committee of this club.Thisequalityofrepresentationisguaranteedbytheclub’sstatutes.

TheclubcontinuestothinkthatEngland’smonarchstill rules India through her viceroy, although thePresident of theRepublic is its patron. Somemaybe inclined to pass this over as a relic of the pastwhichhasescapednotice.Theseactsare in realitythe result of deliberate design. India’s bourgeoisieiseverimperiled.Avastseaofmiserablehumanitysurgesaroundit.Itclutchesatallkindsofsymbolsoldandnewandallkindsofauthoritybothsubstantialandemptyinordertokeepitselfafloat.India’shighercastesandtheirgovernmenthavethereforetopracticecontinuallytreasonagainsttheirRepublic.

Afarcesymptomaticofthepresentsetupofthehigher caste in the countrywas recently staged inthisclub.India’sbusinessclassesarelargelyBania,whileherprofessionalclassesconsistofBrahminandKayasthawith theBaddisofBengal throwninandtheEuropeansenjoytheirplaceofhonourineitherrank.ABaniarecentlyaskedforadmissionintothisclub.Inpre-FreedomIndia,hewouldprobablynothavemadethisrequest,forthebusinessclasseswerelargelynationalistwhile the topof theprofessionalclasses was largely pro-British. The Banias arenowtryingtomakeupforlosttime.Thisapplicantclaimedtobelongto theHouseofTantiasandwaspromptlyblackballedpresumablyalsobytheBritishpresidentof theclub,Mr.Blease,whosaidhehadheardoftheBirlasandTatasbutnotoftheTantias.An older brother of this gentleman is the newly

electedTreasurer of theCongress ParliamentaryParty.AllestimableBaniasofsomewhatnationalisticrecordarenowtryingtoacquireculturewhichtheyhadnotsofardoneeitherbecauseoftheirhurrytomakemoneyorbecauseofGandhiji.Mr.Biralandhisfamilyhavealsochanged.FromtheclosedcollarJodhpursoftheGandhieratheyhavenowtravelledtothecoatandtieoftheEuropean.Theyrunschoolswhere littlechildrenarecharged themost fantasticfees.OnesuchschoolisironicallyenoughnamedtheHindiSchool,while itsmost privileged section ofchildrenfromtheageoffiveonwardsistaughtalonethroughthemediumofEnglish,andisnotpermittedtotalkanyotherlanguage.Wearedefinitelylivinginaclimateofnightmares,somewhatsubduedandnotsharpenough.Tothesemenofmoney,nowinhurryforculture,theCalcuttaClubmustbeappearingasa paradise of romance and enlightenment. Itmustappear so to themass of people.There gather toplawyers,thetopexecutives,thetopcaptainsoftradeand industry, occasionallywith their fair ladies ofperfumed breath and sparking jewels. If only thepeopleknewtheCalcuttaClubasanyothercluboftheIndianbourgeoisieforwhatitactuallyis,ajointofwinebibbers,bribetakersandbribegivers,andpimpsandofpurveyorsofstatejokesandmonkeyEnglish,theywouldreposetheirdreamofenlightenmentandforromanceinworthierplaces.

ForeignrulesettheHinduagainsttheMuslim,butthatdoesnotruboutthediscordwhichnativereligionshadcreatedinthecountry.Thepolicyofdivideandrule,which governments pursue,must fasten onalreadyexistingelementsofdecision.BritishruleinIndiahadmadeuseoftheelementofcasteinthesamemannerthatitmadeuseoftheelementofreligion.Asthedivisiveforceofcastewasnotnearlyasstrongasthatofreligion,theeffortmetlimitedsuccess.

TheMarathaPartyinWesternIndiaandalsothatoftheScheduledCastes,theJusticePartyintheSouthand themission-led block ofAdivasis in EasternIndiawerefruitsofthiseffort.TothemmustalsobeaddedtheblockofnativeprincesandbiglandlordsinEasternIndia,whichfollowedtheleadofforeignrule and, during its last days, appeareddiscreditedbeyondrecovery.

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At the time the Britishmade this effort, theywerejustifiablycondemned.Foreignrulehabituallyaccentuates andwidens differences; it does notcompose them. Itmust be condemned. But suchcondemnationdoesnotremovethegroundonwhichdifferences originate and thrive. British rule hasendedbutthecastepartiesthatitgavebirthtohavecontinuedintofreeIndiaandareenjoyingfreshaccessof strength.TheWorkers and Peasants Party andtheRepublicanPartyofWesternIndia,theDravidaMunnetraKazhagamofSouthIndiaandtheJharkhandParty ofEastern India alongside of theGanatantraandJanatapartiesarenotonly regionalpartiesbutalsocasteparties.Infact,theyrepresentandembodyregionalcastes.Theseregionalcastesaredecisivelynumerousintheirarea.TheAdivasisofChotaNagpurare the life-bloodof the Jharkhand, theMahars oftheRepublicans, theMarathas of theWorkers andPeasants,theMudaliarsbutalsoothernon-Brahminsof theDravidaMunnetra, and theKshatriyas, notnearlyasmuchoftheGanatantraandtheJanata.

Apatriot and a progressivewould look askanceatthegrowthofpartiesofregionalcaste,evenwhentheydonaradicalgarb.Theircapacitytodisintegratedarenotbeoverlooked.Theydisintegratethepeople.Theydisintegrate themind.What, however, is theuseofrecognitionbyothercastesofthiscapacitytodisintegrate?Thecastethatbecomestheinstrumentofsuchdisintegrationmustrecognizeit.Whencanitdoso?Thatraisesthequestionofinjurythatcasteshavedonetosocietyor,inotherwords,theinjurythatsocietyhasdonetothecaste,whichisinapositiontohitbackanddoesso.

ThecastesthatwenttoformtheMaratha,JusticeorScheduledCastepartiessufferedill-treatmentfromsociety.TheBritishrulersmadeuseofthissenseofgrievanceandinjury,averybaduseindeed,buttheydidnotandcouldnothavecreatedit.Thatiswhytheproblemhaspersisted.Insomecases,thecastethathassufferedtheinjuryandthatwhichhascausedithavechangedplaces.Butthatdoesnotsolvetheproblemofinjury.Furthermore,numberlesscasteshaveyettomakethemselvesvocalandeffectiveandare todaycontenttoplayapassiveorasubsidiaryroletothecontendinggiants.Thisisthechiefsourceofinjuryandinjustice.

Thepoliticalinter-playofcasteshasunfoldeditselffascinatinglyinMaharashtraandthedramaisnotyetover.Until 1930 and a little after, theMaharashtrascenewas bafflingly simple, and its backdropwasBrahmin versus the rest. The succeeding periodof around twenty-five years has done nothing todiminishtheamazingsimplicityofthescene.Onlythedominatingcastehaschanged.ThebackdropistodayrepresentedbyMarathaversustherest.

TheMarathasareapeculiarcasteofMaharashtra,who claim to beKshatriyas but aremore like thecultivator-Sudras ofNorth India.They have beenthe largest single downgraded caste of that area.Additionally,West India has newVaishyas andKshatriyasandtheKayasthastooarenegligible,sothattheDwijaorthehighcastearelargelyrepresentedby theBrahmin.TheMarathawas the spearheadof the revolt against theBrahmin inMaharashtraalthoughother down-graded castes assisted him invarying degrees.The revoltwas pro-British in thebeginning,becausetheBrahminswereonthewholeanti-British, but the nationalistmovement provedstrongenoughtoabsorbit.TheMarathaenteredthepartyofnationalism,theCongressParty,andalmosttook it over.The phenomenon of caste exclusionwaswitnessed again,with the roles changed.Ontheonehand, theBrahminbegangradually to losehismonopolyof political power and, on theother,theMarathadidnot share his new found authoritywith the other downgrade castes.The change ofthe earlier situation,Brahmin versus the rest,wasnaturalenough.WhenthedustoftopicalcontroversyhassettleddownandmenareabletogobehindthedisputebetweenabilingualstateforMaharashtraandGujaratandaunilingualstateforMaharashtraalone,theequallystrongdrivingforceofcastewillbelaidbare.Thereisnoneedtodenytheforceoflanguage.Withitisalsomixedtheequallypotentforceofcaste.Bilingualismand thegovernmentparty,whichwasearliertherevoltingnationalistparty,isrepresentedby theMaratha.Unilingualism and the SamyuktaMaharashtraSamiti,whichisnowthepartyofdissentagainst the government, is representedby the rest.The subterranean forces of caste havebeen all toopowerfulinthisdramasurfaciallyaroundlanguage.TheBrahmin,who has increasingly been losingpoliticalpower,andthedown-gradedcastesotherthan

34 Remembering Dr. Lohia JANATA, March 20-27, 2011

Maratha,whichhavefeltleftout,havebeenyearningforanopportunitytohitout.TheirearlierefforttohitoutontheGoaissue,whentheBrahminShanwarpetofPoonahadforawhileagainbecometheculturalcapitalofMaharashtra,provedacurtain-raisertothepresentlanguageeffort.

TheMarathas have themselves to thank for thisdevelopment.Theyprovedtobeagreedyforpowerandmonopolisticasany.Theyusedtherevoltofthedown-graded castes for the assertion of their ownsupremacyandnotforthedestructionofcastesassuchandtheinjusticethatgoeswiththem.Everandeveragain,therevoltofthedown-gradedcasteshasbeenmisusedtoupgradeoneoranothercasteratherthantodestroytheentireedificeofcaste.TheMarathacouldperhapsnothaveacteddifferently.TheBrahmin isperhapsagainrepeatinghisearliermentality.ThoughtheSamitiiscomposedoftherestversustheMarathaoftheCongressParty,theleadershipoftheSamitiispreponderantlyBrahmin.ShouldtheSamiticometopower, thewheelmayperhaps again revolve to itsearlierpointofBrahminversustherest.Inaneconomywherethereisverylittle inauthorityandevenlessinmoney, the scramble is hard, far-sight almostimpossible andgroup cohesiveness an inescapableneed.Istherethennowayout?Isthewheelexactlyidentical?

Whendisputesrepeatthemselveswithoutamove-on andwith continuing stagnation, lethargyof thespirit is inevitable.A likelier outcome, however, isan increasingly improving regrouping.Evenwhilethe present conflict is on and before it has beenresolved,theMarathaoftheCongressPartymaybeabletomakepoliticalfriendswithsomeoftherestandtheBrahminoftheSamitimaylikewiseacquireagenuinethoughlimitedkinshipwiththerest.Suchadevelopmentwillnot,however,beasprobableastheemergenceofanewnucleusaroundwhichmenofallcastesmaygatherwiththedeterminationtoendcaste.Thenucleusisperhapsalreadythere.Itscapacitytoattractthepeoplemaytaketimetomanifestitself.Infact,itmaytrulyexpressitselfonlyattheendofthepresentandthesucceedingconflicts.

The exclusion of the high caste from politicalpower does not necessarily imply their exclusion

fromeconomicandothertypesofpower.Inthefirstplace,suchpoliticalexclusionhasnowherebeentotal,notevenintheSouth.TheBrahminshaveinrecentyears, as the sole representative of the high caste,been increasingly eliminated from legislative andadministrativepowerinTamilnad.Evenso,theystilloccupyafantasticallyprivilegedposition.Althoughonly4percentofthepopulation,theirshareinthegazettedservicesoftheadministrationmustbearoundfortypercent.Atonetime,itwasnearlyseventypercent.AsecondmoreremarkabledevelopmentistheacquisitionofeconomicpowerbytheTamilBrahmin.HehasincreasinglybeenbuyingupMountRoadfromtheretiringBritish.Itwouldthereforebenotcorrecttodescribethehighcastesintermsofanygeneraldeclineortobemoantheirfateinanypartofthecountry.

TheTamil situation is very intriguing.Elementsofthenon-BrahminandtheDravidamovementhaveinfluencedaliketheCongressandtheanti-Congressparties. Both theDravidaKazhagams are openlyDravidian.Sois theCongressParty inaconcealedandsomewhatmilderway.AllfourelementsoftheDravidamovement,BrahminVersus non-Brahmin,AryanVersusDravidian,NorthVersus South andHindiVersusTamilarepresentinvaryingdegreealikeintheCongressandtheanti-Congressmovements.Not being obstructed by all-India considerationsunliketheCongressParty,theantiCongressDravidianmovementsarefiercerintheiroppositiontotheNorth,HindiortheBrahminsasthesituationdemands.

But that is only the difference of degree.And,being the government party, theCongressParty issomewhatmoreeffective,althoughitsabsorptionoftheDravidianspiritisindeedmorediscriminating.

Aconfidentforecastofthefutureismadesomewhatdifficult by the absenceof clearly stated economicprogrammes.Theanti-CongressDravidianpartiesareevenmorefuzzythantheCongressPartyinrespectofeconomicprogrammes.Someofthemhaveevenallowed themore illusoryNorth-South and similarprejudicestoobscureandweakenthesubstantialcasteissue.AhappyoutcomewouldhavebeenifboththeDravidianstreams,freedastheyalreadyhavebeenofhighcasteinfluence,hadincreasinglyridthemselvesofgeographicalandlinguisticprejudicesandaimed

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single-mindedlyatthedestructionofcasteandifonehadtendedtoadoptconservativeandcapitalistandtheotherradicalandsocialisteconomicpolicies.

Alikelierandharmfuldevelopmentwouldbethefurther accumulation of prejudices. If it acceptedthatIndia’seconomicconditionincludingthatoftheSouthandTamilnad isnot likely to improve in thenextdecadeandmore,thestageissetforexplosivelyirrational politics.The peoplemay lend their earmoreandmoretocriesofgeographicalandlinguisticoppositions. Political partieswould not be humanif theydidnotexploit suchopportunities to rise topower.Thelikeliestdevelopmentissomewhatmorehopeful.Itmaytaketimetounfolditselffully.WhiletheemptygameoftheprejudiceisplayedoutbetweentheCongressandtheanti-Congressparties,increasingsections of the people may begin to yearn forwholesomepositiveandconcreteprogrammes.Suchaprogrammewouldhavetobaseitselfonsocialistprinciplesintheeconomicsphereand,inthesocialsphere, on the total destruction of caste. Itwouldthereforemake use of the healthier aspect of theDravidian spiritwhile itwould try to absorb theindividualBrahmin, equallywith the non-Brahminintothecomingsocialorder.Itwouldforsometimetocomehavetoaimatthedestructionofhighcasteprivileges even through the award of preferentialtreatment to the backward castes.DevelopmentssomewhatfurthernorthintheAndhraPradeshhavebeen, inasense,ofgreater interest.TheReddysofAndhraareacrossbetween theKshatriyasand theAhirsofnorthIndia,eitherofwhomarealmostabsentfromtheAndhrascene,andhavedefinitelybecomethemostinfluentialsinglecasteoftheirstate.Theyare,therulingcasteofAndhraparexcellencebuttheyhavebeenelasticenoughnotwhollytodispleasetheBrahminswhom they ousted frompolitical powerandhavebeenwiseenoughtosharetheirpowerwithsmallercastesliketheVelmas.Theyhave,however,beenunabletomakefriendswiththeKammas,acastealmostwhollysimilar to theKurmisofnorthIndiaboth in respectof theirappellationand their soundcultivator status.Economically somewhat enabledandpoliticallydisabled,theKammasofAndhrahavebeen somewhat restless in the past decade.Theyhave almost as an entire caste sought to revengethemselvesontheReddysthroughtheinstrumentof

theCommunistParty.Havingfailedinthateffortatleastforthetimebeing,theymightmakeonemorebidthroughtheinstrumentalityofProf.RangabeforetheymaketheirsecondbidthroughtheCommunistParty.

Whenwould theAndhra political scene shift tothemost numerousbut the least influential castes?ThesearetheKapus,thePadmashalis,theMalasandMadigas, in fact, the combinationwhich has fromtimetotimebeenknownastheChettySangham.TheKapusarethemostnumerouscultivatingcaste,theyare very poor occupancy tenants, and even poorersharecropperswhentheyarenotactuallyagriculturallabourers.InordertoputenergyandactivityintothismassofKapusapoliticalpartywouldhavetoarisethatfreesitselfalmostwhollyfromthestrangleholdof the landowningReddy and theKamma castes.Suchapartywouldhave toaimat theabolitionofsharecroppingand,asafirststep,perhapsattheawardofone-thirdorevenlesstothelandownerandtheresttothecultivator.TheCommunistPartyhasnotbeensuchapartyandperhapscanneverbecomesuch.Itisfartoomuchofalandowningparty,notsomuchthebiglandownersasthesmallerones.Ithasindeedachieved remarkable success in acquiring for itselftheloyaltyoftheagriculturallabourers,whoarebyand large theHarijan castes.This phenomenon ofHarijanloyaltytotheCommunistPartyprevailsoverallofsouthIndia.Notunlessanewnucleusemerges,whichwagesKapushare-croppers’strugglesasmuchastheHarijanwage-earners’struggles,wouldtherebeanychanceofenliveningthelargemassofAndhrapopulationorofcausingashiftinHarijanloyalty.

The rise of regional and caste parties like theJharkhand andGanatantra embodies exceptionallysingularphenomena.TheJharkhandhasalmostneverfought for the rights ofAdivasis or forest-dwellersnoragainsttheviciouslawsorpracticesthatoppressthem.Infact,theSocialistsandsimilarpersonshavefoughtfor themincertainareas.Andyet theyvotefor the Jharkhand, because it liveswith them, eatsanddanceswiththem,sorrowsandmakesmerrywiththemandisgenerallyapartofthem.Casteinthisasincertainothercases,hasdrivenawedgebetweenpoliticalandsocialkinship.Notunlessthepoliticalandeconomicpartiesofnationalreachlearntolivesocially,intheirbirthsandweddingfeastsanddeaths,

36 Remembering Dr. Lohia JANATA, March 20-27, 2011

withdifferentcastesandtribes,willtheybeabletowrestfrompartiesliketheJharkhandtheirundoubteddominionoverselectareas.

TheGanatantratellsasomewhatdifferentstory.Itisnotthestoryofacontinuingdarkness.Itisthestoryofalightthathasbeenblownout,ofarelapse.ThenewtyrantsoftheCongressPartyhaveprovedsoirksomeand,inareas,sofoultothepeoplethattheyarewillingtooptfortheiroldtyrants,therajasandthelandlords.TheCongressPartyhastrulybrokenitswordtothepeople.TheOrissa evidence is incontestable. It isdifficult topredict thefuture.Thepeoplemaywellrisktheirfatewiththeirformertyrantsonceagaininsheerdisgust.Thisand theensuingdisillusionmentmaywelltakeanothertenyearstorunoutitscourse.Or somemiracle of rapid development throughoutthecountrymaywellcompresstheeventsofadecadeintothecompassofayearortwo.Inanyevent,thenewnucleusofcastelessloyalty,truetoitspledgedwordandunsulliedwiththeallianceoftheoldornewtyrants,mustbetheretobindthepeople,whentheyareready.

HowdoesthisnewnucleusdifferfromtheCongressandCommunist parties in respect of its attitudetowardscaste?Everybodyisagainstcastethesedays.And yet caste flourishes, in someways, as neverbefore.Eminent sociologists likeMaxWeber haveproved thoroughlywrong in their prognosticationsabout this virus.They had thought that Europe-educatedIndiansbredtorationalconceptsandwaysoflife,woulddestroycasteontheirreturnhome.Littledid they realise that theseEurope-returned Indianswouldbedrawnoverwhelminglyfromtheranksofthehigh-casteandwouldfurtherreinforcethecastesystemwithitsexclusivemarriagesbecauseoftheireducationandhighstatus.Speechagainstcastemaywellgowithactsinfurtheranceofit.

Threedistincttypesofoppositiontocastemaybenoted,onewordy, thesecondlowlevelandmixed,andthethirdreal.Thewordyoppositionistheloudestin respect of such generalised condemnation ofcasteasleavestheexistingstructurealmostintact.Itcondemnsthecastesystemaswhollyevil,butwouldequally condemn thosewho resort to active stepstodestroythesystem.Itsanctifiestheprinciplesof

risingstandardsof livingandofmeritandequalityofopportunityassolventsofcaste.Raiseeverybodyeconomically;giveeverybodyanequalopportunity!Sosaythesefalseadvocatesofdestructionofcaste,as thoughrisingstandardsandopportunitieswouldberestrictedtothelowcaste.Wheneverybodyhasanequalopportunity, casteswith thefive thousandyearoldtraditionsofliberaleducationwouldbeontop.Only the exceptionally gifted from the lowercasteswouldbeabletobreakthroughthistradition.This is what India’s political parties, Congress,Communist andPrajaSocialist, underMr.Nehru’sleadershiphaveinmind.Theywouldwantmenandwomenofexceptionalabilityfromthelowercastestojointheirranks.Buttheywouldwantthestructureas awhole to be kept intact.They are themselvesdrawnoverwhelminglyfromthehighercastes.Theyhavenohesitation indenouncing theircasteor thedistinctionofhighand lowcastes, so longas theirsocialgroupbasedontraditions,abilityandmannersisleftunaffected.Ifanybodyqualifiesinabilityandmannersfromamongthelowercastes,heiswelcome.Buthowmanywouldqualify!Veryfew.Itwouldbethebattleoffivethousandyearsofoppressivetrainingand tradition against an individual talent.Only thegenius or the exceptionally ablewouldwin in thisbattle.Tomakethisbattleasomewhatequalencounter,unequalopportunitieswouldhavetobeextended,tothosewhohavesofarbeensuppressed.ButIndia’spoliticalpartiesofasurfaciallyEuropeanorientationunder the leadership of that pseudo-European,Mr.Nehru,raiseagruesomeshoutagainstthisdoctrineofunequalopportunitiesasablasphemyontheirowndoctrineofimportedandvestedinterestsocialism.

Avested interest socialism talksofpoliticalandeconomicrevolutionalone,meaningtherebytheawardofincreasedwagesorbonusonthelowestlevelandthe destructionof private property in factories andthelikeonthehighestlevel.EvenintheEuropeofchangingclasses,sucharevolutionwouldkeepintactthe distinction betweenmanualworkers and thosewiththebrain.InIndiaoffixedcastes,thisdistinctionwouldspellruintothehealthofsociety.WorkerswiththebrainareafixedcasteinIndiansociety;togetherwiththesoldiercaste,theyarethehigh-caste.Evenafterthecompletedeconomicandpoliticalrevolutiontheywouldcontinue tosupply themanagersof the

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stateandofindustry.Themassofthepeoplewouldbekept ina stateofperpetualphysicalandmentallowliness,atleastcomparatively.Butthepositionofthehigh-castewouldthenbejustifiedongroundsofabilityandineconomictermsasitisnowongroundsof birth or talent. That is why the intelligentsiaof Indiawhich is overwhelmingly the high-caste,abhorsalltalkofamentalandsocialrevolutionofaradicalchangeinrespectoflanguageorcasteorthebasesofthought.It talksgenerallyandinprincipleagainst caste. In fact, it can bemost vociferous inits theoretical condemnationof caste, so long as itcanbe allowed to be equally vociferous in raisingthebannerofmerit andequalopportunity.What itlosesinrespectofcastebybirth,itgainsinrespectofcastebymerit.Itsmeritconcerningspeech,grammar,manners, capacity to adjust, routine efficiency isundisputed.Fivethousandyearshavegoneintothebuildingofthisundisputedmerit.Atruedoctrineofequalopportunitywouldhavetoundotheworkoffivethousandyearsbygivingpreferentialtreatmenttothelowercastesoveraperiodofatleastafewdecades.India’spoliticalparties,CongressorCommunist,areunderMr.Nehru’sleadership,thoroughlyhostiletotheawardofpreferentialtreatmentonanylargescale.Theydenounceitasacaste-motivatedmeasurewhiletheyarethemselvesviciouslycaste-ridden,perhapsunknowingly.Theydenouncecastebybirth,but inenthroningtheprincipleofmerit,theykeepsecuredtheirprivilegedpositions.

Onnoaccountdothehighcastescomprisemorethan onefifth of India’s population.But they keepto themselves almost four-fifths of the nation’sleadership.Inrespectofthetopleadershipofthefourmaindepartmentsofnationalactivity,business,army,highcivilservicesandpoliticalparties,thehighcasteseasily comprise four-fifths.Whenwe talk of thetopleadershipofpoliticalparties,wemeannot themembersoflegislaturesbutthedirectingexecutiveswhichchoose them.Whenmore than four-fifthsofa nation’s vital leadership is traditionally selectedfromamongone-fifths of its population, a state ofatrophyisboundtoensue.Four-fifthsofitspopulationsinksintoastateoflistlessnessandinefficiency.Thenationissickandcontinuallyonthepointofdeath.To revitalise suchanation,adesignedselectionofleadershiphastobemade.Atleasthalforsixtyper

centofthenation’stopleadershipmustbeselectedbydesign fromamong the lower castes.Thisneednotbedonebylaw.Ithadbetterbedonethroughapurposefulunderstanding.Astartcanbemadethroughchangeinthenation’spoliticalleadership.Thatitcanbedonewasrecentlydemonstratedin theelectionsto theNationalCommittee of the Socialist Party.Trueenough,thepartyhashadtosufferagrievousmaligningatthehandsofignoranthigh-castes,bothoutside and inside its ranks.Time alonewill showwhetherthemaligningsucceeds.Whateverhappensonthisoccasionandinthisparty,theattempttorevitalisethenation’sleadershipintermsofcastemustbemadeagainandagainuntilitsucceeds.

Theoverwhelmingmajorityofthehigh-castetrulybelongtotheranksofthelowercastes,buttheyareignorantofthissituation.Itisthisignorance,whichispreservingthemostartificialsocialordertheworldhaseverknown.Nomorethanhalforamillionmenarethetruehigh-caste.Theyarethemenofmoneyortalentorinfluence.TheybelongtotheveryspecialcastessuchasBengaliBaddis,MarwariBanias,KashmiriBrahmins,whichspewouttheleadersoftradeortheprofessions.Onthispinpointdaggerofamilliontrulyhighcastepersonsresttheeightcroresorsooffalsehigh-castes,onwhom in turnareheaped the thirtycroresorsoofthelowercastes.Thedaggerhastornapartthevitalsoftheentirenation.

Thewheel of caste revolves remorselessly. If itgrindsoutthehundredsofmillionsofthelowercastes,italsodividesthehigh-casteintothetruehigh-casteand the falsehigh-caste.The truehigh-castewearscoatandtieorSherwaniandChudidars.TheyaretheBrahminsandBanias,KshatriyasandKayasthasofDelhiandthecapitaltowns.TothemareonlyillusorilyrelatedthehoardsofDwijasorthetwice-born,wholiveinthevillagesorsmalltowns.Thesefalsehigh-casteswearthedhotiorpyjamaofthepeople.Buttheyhugtheillusionanddiscardthereality.

Theyarenolongermen;theyhavebecomelistlessshadowsoftradition.Inactualfacteventhetruehigh-castesarepointlessshadowsoftraditioninthemidstofamobileworldwhereKhrushchevsandEisenhowersstridewiththeenergyofsomewhatactivisednations.Mr.NehruandIndia’spoliticalleadersmayappearbig

38 Remembering Dr. Lohia JANATA, March 20-27, 2011

totheirowncountrymen;toworldhistory,theyaretheperformingpygmiesofweakenednations.Castemorethananythingelsecausesdebilitytothenation.

Howirrationalcasteisandhowremorselesslyitswheelgrindsisobviousfromtheschism,notmerelyreal,butalsoinnomenclature,withintheBaniacaste.Thewell-to-doBania,

thewholesaler,ofancienttimesbecametheVaishya.Itisdifficulttosayhowexactlythishappened.Itmaywellbethatthewholesalerorthewell-to-doremainedtheVaishya,while the rest became theBania.Thevastmassof theBania caste, theTeli, the Jaiswal,thePansariandthelike,aretreatedbyorthodoxyasSudra.Theyare the retailersofancient times,and,largely so, of today.The formerwholesaler is theDwija,theformerretailertheSudra.ThewholesalerandthepriesthavehithertoalwayscombinedinIndianhistory.Theirpolitical,economicandsocialintimacyso picturesquely described as the Sethji- Bhatjicombination byMaratha politics, has turned themintothetwice-bornandthehigh-casteparexcellenceofmodernHindusociety.Andthismostobviousfraudcontinues,whichshowsupcasteasnothingbutthecongealingofmoneyandstatus.

Thisfirstwordywaroncaste, ledby theDwija,is evenlymatched by the second empty struggleagainst caste led by select Sudra groups.AmongtheSudras,certaincastesarenumericallypowerful,evenoverwhelminginsomeareas.Theageofadultfranchisehasplacedpowerintheirhands.SomecastesliketheReddysandMudaliarsofsouthIndiaandtheMarathasofwesthavemadeuseofit.Theyand,nottheDwija,arethepoliticaloverlordsoftheirareas,though, even here the high-caste has strengthenedhis economic grip and ismakingmost clever anddeceptiveeffortstostageapoliticalcomeback.Thisispossiblechieflybecausetheseareemptystrugglesagainstcaste.Theydonotchangethesocialorderinthesenseofmaking itmore just,mobileoractive.Theydonotgivepowertoallthelowercastes,butonlytothelargestsinglesectionwithinthem.Theydonotthereforedestroycaste,butmerelycauseashiftinstatusandprivileges.Someofthetrappingsofthehigh-castebelongingtotheBrahminorVaishyaarestrippedoffthemandpatchedontotheMarathaorthe

Reddy.Thissolvesnoproblem.Rather,itdisgustsalltheotherlowercastesandenragethehighcaste.Caste,withallitsdebilityandsomemoreofitsirritations,remains.

Takingthecountryasawhole,theAhirs,variouslyknown asGwalas,Gopes, and theChamars, alsoknownasMahars,arethetwomostnumerouslowercastes,theformerSudraandthelatterHarijan.Theyare the colossi of the Indian caste system, like theBrahmin andKshatriya among theDwija.Ahirs,Chamars,BrahminsandKshatriyas, eachcomprisearound 2 to 3 crores of people.Together they areroughly10to12croresoftheIndianpopulation.Thatstillleavesalittlelessthanthreefourthsoftheentirepopulationoutsidetheirfold.Anystrugglesthatleaveunaltered their statusorconditionmustnecessarilybedeemedempty.Shiftsinthestatusandconditionsofthefourcolossimaybeofthegreatestinteresttothembutareoflittlesignificancetosocietyasawhole.

TheAhirsandChamarsofnorthIndiahavemadeefforts, perhapswithoutmuch awareness, similarto those of the Reddys and theMarathas. Theywereboundtofail,becausetheDwijasarefarmorenumerous in the north and, second, because, theyarenotquitesonumericallystrongamongthelowercastesofthenorth.Neverthelesstheeffortcontinueson a somewhat lower key.Democracy is inmanywaysgovernment bynumbers. In a countrywheregroupscohere throughbirthand long tradition, themostnumericalgroupstendtoacquirepoliticalandeconomicprivileges.Politicalpartiesrunafterthemtoselectcandidatesfromamongthemforelectionstoparliamentandassemblies.Additionally,theirshoutistheloudestforshareintradeortheservices.Theresult ismost disastrous.Themyriad lower castes,eachofwhomisnumericallyweak,butwhotogetherformthebulkofthepopulation,stagnate.Awaroncastemustnecessarilymeananelevationofall,andnotmerelyofanyonelargesection.Asectionalelevationchangessomerelationshipswithinthecastesystem,butitleavesthebasisofcastesunaltered.

Sectional elevation is dangerous in yet anotherway.Thoseamongthelowercasteswhorisetohighpositionstendtoassimilatethemselvestotheexistinghigh-castes.Inthisprocess,theyinevitablyappropriate

JANATA, March 20-27, 2011 Remembering Dr. Lohia 39

thebaserqualitiesofthehigh-caste.Everybodyknowshowthelowercastes,ontheirrise,tendtosegregatetheirwomen,whichagainisaqualitynotofthetophigh-caste but of themediumhigh-caste.Also thelowercastesthatrisebegintowearthesacredthreadoftheDwija,whichhassolongbeendeniedtothembutwhichthetruehighcastehasbegundiscarding.All thishasanadditionalresultofperpetuatingthedistinction.Furthermore,sucharisedoesnotcauseageneralfermentamongthelowercastes.Therisenarealienatedfromtheirowngroups;insteadoffermentingtheirownoriginallowergroupstheyseektobecomepartofthehighercastestowhosepositionstheyrise.Thisprocessofanextremelysectionalandsuperficialrisegivesbirthtoanothermisfortune.Thelevertotheriseissuppliednotbythecultivationofgoodqualitiesortalentbutbythearousingofbittercastejealousiesandtheplayofintrigues.

AsomewhatpeculiarsituationobtainsinanarealikeBengal. It is commonly supposed thatBengalhasnocaste-politics.Whatismeantisthatthevastbulkof the lower castes are toounaware to speak,muchlesstoshout.Theyaresilent.Thehigh-castesareveryvocal.Furthermore,theyaresomewhatliketheEuropeans,foreverysinglehighcastehastended,at least in the towns, to acquire an individualisedpersonality.ThissilenceofthelowercastesandthecomparativemodernisationofthehighercasteshasobscuredthetruepositioninBengal,themostcaste-ridden portion of India. Someday, the silencewillbreak.Thatwill be the timewhenempty strugglesagainstcastemayrepeatthemselves.TheMahishyas,Sudra,andtheNamsudras,Harijan,arethetwomostnumerouslowercastesofBengal.Theymightassertthemselves,notwithaviewtodestroycastebut inordertoequalorrivaltheBrahminandtheKayastha.The time to prevent such empty struggles is now.Adeliberatepolicyofupliftingall thelowercastesandnotmerelytheNamsudraortheMahishyaintopositionsofleadershipmustbefollowed.

Thisbringsustothethirdandtruestruggleagainstcaste now on the agenda of India’s history.Thisstruggleaimstopitchforkthefivedowngradedgroupsof society,women,Sudras,Harijans,Muslims andAdivasis,intopositionsofleadership,irrespectiveoftheirmeritasitstandstoday.Thismeritisatpresent

necessarilylow.Thetestsofmeritarealsosuchastofavourthehigh-caste.Whatlongagesofhistoryhavedonemustbeundonebyacrusade.Theinclusionofallwomen, includingDwijawomen,which is butright, into thedowngradedgroupsofsociety raisestheirproportiontotheentirepopulationto90percent.This vast sea of submerged humanity, nine out ofeverytenofIndia’smenandwomen,hasdrowsedintosilenceor,atbest,someroutinenoisesofseeminglife.Economicandpoliticaluplift,byitself,mayputsomefatontheirleanlimbs.Arestorationofself-respectthroughtheabolitionofcaste,ofcourse,whenitgoessidebysidewitheconomicuplift,canrousethemintotheactivityoffullmenandawakenedpeoples.Letitnotbeforgottenthatthehigh-castes,Dwija,havealsosufferedgrievouslyfromthisatrophyofthepeople,theireducationandculturehides,undertheveneerofgoodspeechandmanners,thedeadlypoisonofthelieandself-advancement throughdeceit.Acrusadetouplift thedowngradedgroupswould revivealsothe high-caste,would set right frames and valueswhicharealltodayaskew.Thiscrusademustneverbeconfusedwiththeniggardlyawardofpreferentialpositionstoafewscoresamongthelowercastes.Thisonlyirritatesthehighcaste.Ahowlgoesup.Itdoesnotatallfermentthelowercastes.Whatmattersifadozenortwoofthelowercastesareaddedtothehigh-casteoligarchyofseveralthousandsinanysphereoflife?Thereisneedtoaddthembythehundredandthethousand.Thatwillturnintoacrusadewhatistodayonlyavote-catching,quarrel-makingand jealousy-inspiringdevice.Thefactthatanentrantortwofromthelowercastesintothehigherreachesreceivesharpnotice,whiledozensofsimultaneousentrants fromthe higher castes are accepted in the usual course,indicateswhatahotcrusadewouldbenecessary.Itmustbeemphasizedagainandagain thathundredsoflowercastes,whomightotherwisestayunnoticed,mustreceivegreaterattentioninadeliberatepolicythanthetwocolossiwhowouldattractnoticeanyway.

This policy of uplift of downgraded castes andgroupsiscapableofyieldingmuchpoison.Infact,caremayonlymitigate someof theworst aspectsofthepoison;itcannotbetotallyeliminated.Afirstpoisonmaycomeoutofitsimmediateeffectsonmen’sminds;itmayspeedilyantagonisetheDwijawithoutspeedilyinfluencingtheSudras.Withhisundoubted

40 Remembering Dr. Lohia JANATA, March 20-27, 2011

alertnesstodevelopmentsandhiscapacitytomislead,theDwijamaysucceedinheapingdirectorindirectdiscreditonthepractitionersofthispolicylongbeforetheSudrawakesuptoit.Secondly,thecolossiamongthelowercastesliketheChamarsandAhirsmaywanttoappropriatethefruitsofthispolicywithoutsharingthemwiththemyriadotherlowcastes,withtheresultthattheBrahminandChamarchangeplacesbutcasteremains intact.Thirdly, thepolicymaybemisusedbyselfishmenamongthelowercastesforindividualadvancement,whomayadditionallyuseweaponsofintrigueandcastejealousies.

Thiswouldrendsocietyfurtherapartandsubjectittogrosserselfishnesswithoutbringingitanybenefitsofweakeningandexpansion.Fourthly,everysinglecase of election or selection between aSudra andDwijamay become the occasion for acrimoniousexchanges.Thebaserelementsamongthedowngradedcasteswould use it as a constantweapon. In theirover-weaningdesiretoeliminatetheparticularDwijaagainstwhom they are ranged, theywould in totalseektooustallDwijasortofilltheairwithdarkersuspicionswhen they fail. Fifthly, economic andpoliticalissuesmaybeobscuredorrelegatedintothebackground.Reactionaries among the lower castesmaymisusetheanti-castepolicytoservetheirownends.Forinstance,theBackwardCastesCommissionReport,bywhichthelowercastesareswearing,hasside-steppedthegreatissuesthatconfrontthepeoplesuchasabolitionoflandtaxonuneconomicholdingsandthe impositionsofaceilingonall incomes.Itsconcrete recommendations are just two in number,one good and the other bad. It has recommendedreservationinservicesforthebackwardcastesandthereservationcouldjustifiablybemoredisproportionatethan theCommission haswished.But it has erredinmakingasimilarrecommendationforeducation.Letthebackwardcastesaskfortwoofthreeshiftsinschoolsandcolleges,ifnecessary,butletthemnever

askfortheexclusionofanychildofIndiafromtheportalsofaneducationalinstitution.

Suchisthepoisonthatthispolicymaybringforth.Continualawarenessofthispoisonmaycheckitingreatmeasure.Butthefearofthepoisonshouldnotblind us to themiraculous power of this policy tocreateandcure.Indiawillknowthemostinvigoratingrevolutionofherhistory.Thepeoplewillhavebecomealiveasneverbefore.Shemayalsohave indicatedin the process a lesson or two tomankind.KarlMarxtriedtodestroyclass,withoutbeingawareofitsamazingcapacitytochangeitselfintocaste,notnecessarilytheironboundcasteofIndiabutimmobileclassanyway.Forthefirsttime,anexperimentshallhavebeenmade in thesimultaneousdestructionofclassandcaste.Theyounghigh-castemustnowrisetohis fullmeasure, insteadofseeing in thispolicyan attack on his interest, he should view it for itscapacity to renew the people.After all among theveryfewrelationshipsofmarriagebetweenhighandlowcastes,thosebetweenDwijaandHarijancanbenamedbut not sobetweenSudra andHarijan.Theyoung high-castemust decide to turn himself intomanureforthelowercastes,sothatthepeoplemayforonceflowerintotheirfullyglory.Ifhumannaturewerecapableofinfinitesacrifice,wewouldhavethehigh-castebecomeadvisers,whiletheexecutivesarealllow-caste.Ifthisisnotpossibleeverywhere,letitbesoinasmanyplacesaspossible.Withfaithinthegreatcrucibleof thehumanraceandequalfaith inthevigourofalltheIndianpeople,letthehigh-castechoosetomingletraditionwithmass.Simultaneously,agreatburdenrestsontheyouthofthelowercastes.Nottheapingofthehigh-casteinallitstraditionsandmanners,notdislikeofmanuallabour,notindividualselfadvancement,notbitterjealousy,butthestaffingof the nation’s leadership as though itwere somesacredworkshouldnowbethesupremeconcernofwomen,Sudras,Harijans,Muslims,andAdivasis.

[July 1958]

Futuregenerationswillhavecause to rememberMr.RajnarainSinghasthegreatestparliamentarian

Principles of Parliamentary Behaviourof free India’s first few years.Mr. J.Nehruwillprobably be remembered as the other notable