Voices against the menace of caste in modern Tamil poetry

------ Maraimalai Ilakkuvanar

(Formerly Professor of Tamil, Presidency college, Formerly Visiting Professor, South and Southeast Asian studies,
University of California,Berkeley,US)

Freuds co-ordinates, in stressing the poem as dream, under stress the poem as a communicative
structure and as a realistic gauging of human situations. Observes Kenneth Burke, in a
significant criticism of Freuds assertion on literature, and emphatically states, Communication,
rather than wish fulfillment, is the key term for literary analysis.(Freud-And the Analysis of Poetrypp. 391-417- American Journal of Sociology -Vol. 45, No. 3, Nov., 1939)

Of all the communications which can be interpreted and understood from literature, the main
purpose and the focal point of literature is emancipation. For a writer with an ideal or affiliation
it may be the emancipation of woman, emancipation of culture, emancipation of linguistic rights,
emancipation of power or in a holistic angle the emancipation of mankind. For a writer or poet
who dissociates from any social affiliation it may be emancipation of form, motif or structure.
Modern Tamil poetry can be described as a movement for emancipation of the society from all
social evils. There was an upsurge of various social movements against all forms of oppression
in Tamilnadu, right from the colonial period.
From the 19th century onwards, a number of social reformers emerged in Tamilnadu, as in
other parts of India, with a discourse against caste prejudices. Different trends can be noted in
this connection: the siddhar mystic-ascetic tradition as rejuvenated by Ramalingaswami (18231874), the nationalist humanism represented by Subramanian Bharati (1882-1921) and
Bharatidacan (1891-1964), and the Marxist approaches of novelists such as Jayakanthan or
Pavannan.(Dalit Identities and the Dialectics of Oppression and Emancipation in a Changing India: The Tamil
Case and Beyond- Jean-Luc Racine & Josiane Racine- 1998: COMPARATIVE STUDIES OF SOUTH ASIA,
AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST (formerly SOUTH ASIA BULLETIN), Vol. XVIII No. 1 (1998).

In this observation, Jean-Luc Racine & Josiane Racine have omitted the contribution of Periyar
E.V.R. Periyar in his earlier days of political career involved himself in the national movement
and had an active participation in the Indian National congress. The climate and context of the
then Madras Presidency made Periyar metamorphose into a great reformer, iconoclast and
revolutionary thinker. He became the legend in his life time and an indomitable force against all
social evils. He fought against the Brahmin supremacy and succeeded in bringing out a
government proclamation, called as communal G.O., which enabled the oppressed castes to get
their due share in the government posts. He founded the self-respect movement (1925) to achieve
social reformation and at the same time took part in the Justice party to capture the political
power from the Brahmins. The Justice party was re-organized in 1944 under the guidance of
Periyar as the Dravidar Kazhagam (Dravidian association). It was a radical social reform
movement and attracted the youth of Tamilnadu very much.These historical facts had been
omitted by Jean-Luc Racine & Josiane Racine in their research article. The contribution of
Periyar, for the emancipation of the oppressed communities, tortured by the menace of communalism for many
centuries, should not be ignored or omitted by social scientists and Historians.

Periyar (The Great Man) was a legend in his lifetime and an emancipator of a great significance.
He can be compared to Mahatma Phule or Rajaram Mohan Roy, and deserves a very important
place in the annals of Indian history. He was a Raja ram Mohan Roy in social reforms, an
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Ambedkar in the uplift of Dalits (The Oppressed), an Ingersoll in atheism, a Bertrand Russell in
rational approach and a Mao in mass appeal and organizing skills
Periyar and his contribution for the struggle against all forms of oppression have been a guiding
force of the Modern Tamil Poets and poets have strived very much in creating an awareness of
the contemporary social scenario and with their creative talent have transformed Poetry as a
vehicle for the mobilization of social emancipation.
Here in this essay, you are going to meet some Tamil poets whose poems are clarion calls for the
emancipation of mankind from the clutches of caste and communalism.
Atrocities committed to Dalits
The main and malicious evil, communalism, is of serious concern to everybody, who wishes the
welfare of the society. The oppressed caste known as Adi dravidas in the south and panchamaas
in the north termed themselves as Dalits are suffering a lot.They happened to be agricultural
laborers and menials of the landlord in the feudal system for many centuries. They were confined
in an institutional slavery system and treated even worse than the animals reared up by the
landlord.
Even though Mahatma Gandhi wished to emancipate them from their slavery, he was unable to
do anything except christening them with a new nomenclatureHarijans. The atrocities
committed to Dalits are a never-ending dark spot of the Indian society.
In the year 1968, twenty-one years after Independence, at Keezhavenmani, in the then Thanjavur
district, agricultural laborers were burnt alive. After this tragedy, this cruelty did not come to an
end. It happened here and there. But poets took Keezhavenmani as a symbol to notify brutality
committed to Dalits.
In Keezhavenmani, the dalits who were agricultural laborers asked for a small rise in their
wages. The landlords considered this as a great sin. The thugs employed by the landlords
threatened the dalits. To save themselves from brutal assault they took shelter in a thatched hut.
Alas! They were unable to save their lives from the merciless hooligans, who burnt them alive,
creating a dark page in the history of Tamilnadu.
Solution for the salvation of Dalits
Almost all the poets of Tamilnadu condemned this crime through their poems. When
other poets ventilated emotional outburst through their poems, Inquilaab clearly stated
that until feudalism is replaced by scientific socialism such atrocities might continue forever.
Burning alive the Dalits
Feudalism is preparing the sacred ash
To wear in its forehead
How to end this atrocity? His solution is simple.
To destroy
The mosquito of unsociability
Let us destroy
The drainage of Feudalism
The Poets identification with Dalits
Inquilaab becomes ferocious when he thinks of the inhuman and horrible cruelty committed to
Dalits. Whenever he writes about Dalits, he himself turns as a Dalit.
Identifying himself with Dalits, he speaks:
The Blood drops
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Oozed from our buttocks and thumbs

Are frozen in the Ithihaasas
Which you recite daily.
Even when Ahimsa was preached
Under the Bodhi tree
The fire which was burning us
Never stopped.
We were suffering for many a Thousand years
With the legs which did iron chains tie
And the mouths which drank the cow-dung.
We were carrying the scorching sun
On our back daily.
With the fibers of our perspiration
We clothed the nudity of the earth.
Even then
We gained a small measure of rice
And a piece of loincloth

When we were born in this earth

The thread of caste made by you
Entangled our neck
Even before the placenta of the mothers womb
We areIndian Negroes
The wealth of the whites flourished
By the blood of the blacks
Like that
Your temples and tajmahals
Were built and cherished by our blood.
The title of the poem Fiery Position explains that the Dalits, who had tolerated the savageries
done to them for many centuries, had taken a determined standpoint.
The determination of the Dalits is made clear in the following lines.
Even in the dreams of
The exploiters
We will hold flags of demonstration
And shout slogans.
Whatever torture you give
We wont weep and cry
We stand erect
Hereafter
Every minute is ours.
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Inquilaabs poem points out the motivation and willpower every Dalit should have to achieve
emancipation.
Inquilaab always thinks and acts for the emancipation of the downtrodden, hegemony of the
working class and the emancipation of dalits.
Here we see the poet, as an emancipator, and we sincerely wish his mission to succeed
thereby achieving an egalitarian society in our country.
Kadavoor Manimaaran
Kadavoor Manimaaran is a prominent Tamil poet who belongs to Bharatidasan School. He is an
uncompromising personality, bold and unbiased. He wants the society to move in the right
direction providing equal opportunities for all irrespective of their religion, caste or creed.
In India the caste system is spoiling the progress of the society. It is making unwanted divisions
and creating disputes. As a poet subscribing to progressive policies, Kadavoor Manimaran makes
an outburst again caste system. He wants to abolish the caste system by the might of integration
and unity. His poem titled "Death Bell to caste" explains his rage and fury on this caste system
for the welfare of society..
What are they going to achieve
By fostering communalism?
Throwing away all morals
They try to divide the mankind!
Ostracize them mercilessly
For their evil designs pre-planned.
Our fury and angry outburst
Will make them disappear
Poet Arivumathi
Poet Arivumathi is widely known for his strong commitment to Periyars ideals and progressive
views. He is one among the Tamil poets who took the initiative to introduce Haiku model poems
in Tamil.
En piriya vasanthame is his first volume of poems which was published in 1977. Poet
Arivumathi is famous for his Haiku poems in Tamil.
He uses the Japanese haiku form to compose poems in Tamil and these poems are full of satire.
A collection of his Haiku poems, titled Kadaisi mazhaith thuli was published in 1996. Later
three volumes titled ,Aayulin anthivarai, Natpuk kaalam and Vali had been published.
Poets like Arivumathi, poets who belong to Bharatidasan School, still fight for the liberation of
the Dalits from the clutches of Untouchability and ostracism, still carried on by the orthodox
Hindus, even at this age of Democratic awareness. Poet Arivumathi shows the way of noncooperation and non-violence as the methods to protest. Provocation may lead to turmoil thereby
accelerating violence and mass-hysteria which always results in mass killing. The poet should be
a responsible person. He should never incite violence.Arivumathi is a responsible writer and in
his poems always plead for a united struggle in a non-violent way. He describes Dalits as
'Children of fire. In a poem titled "Children of fire he echoes the voice of Dalits.
If you beat us
We may bleed.....
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But we wont shed tears

If you kick us
We wont weep
We will shout slogans
If you put us in prisons
We may be imprisoned
But not our principles
If you kill us...
We may die
But not our ideology
Surely Arivumathi is showing the Gandhian way of struggle which the country has forgotten.
If we heed to the advice of the poet there will never be any unwanted deaths and calamity.
But who is ready to follow the advice of the poet?
Zeniths will be demolished is the narrative told in free verse by Sirpi.Here the landlord belongs
to the upper caste and agricultural laborers belong to the Dalit sect. The landlord commits all
kinds of atrocities and the agricultural laborers unite to fight his tyranny. The landlord finds
pleasure in seducing Dalit women.
Dalits who belong to the younger generation unite to agitate against the landlord when he
sexually assaulted a Dalit girl Arukkani.When they make their protest to their landlord their huts
in the slum is set fire by the landlords servants. Most of the Dalits are burnt alive.
But the poet tells:
A small group is
Running under the leadership of Chinnan.
In that forest we can see
Teak woods which wont bow to anybody
Vagai trees will cross swords
Even shadows will transform into realities
Storms may occur
In those storms
Zeniths of the mounts
Will be demolished.
The treatment of the theme is highly remarkable. Here there is no communal clash. The
oppressed stand against the oppressor. The exploited unite and act with a hope that one day they
may succeed, shattering the peaks of power. Sirpi conveys the message that we have to unite to
fight against all social evils and the fight should be in a democratic way. We will succeed
definitely in the end. Destroying and demolishing power-centers, let us unite and agitate in a
democratic way as shown by Sirpi. Hope we will shatter the obstructions to progress and redeem
the oppressed from the clutches of Ignorance and self-made slavery.
Saami Pazhaniappan
Saami Pazhaniappan condemned the evils of communalism and casteism through his poems
adhering to the revolutionary path of E.V.R.Among the poets who belong to the school of
Bharatidasan; SaamiPazhaniappan is remarkable for his radical thoughts.
When we attained freedom, even at that time, we had genuine doubts about the freedom, which
we have got after a long struggle. With so much castes and religious fanaticism, it is impossible
to stand united, thought SaamiPazhaniappan.
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He declared that a freedom that we receive when we are divided by castes and religions is
meaningless.
When the people are intoxicated
With castes and religions
Who wants this Independence
Which is nearing in an
Unjustified and illegal way?
For whom this independence is meant?
Is it meant for us or for
Those aliens who want to exploit us?
Through these lines he expresses his angst and anguish over the exploitation of the poor.
For him political independence alone is not a salvation. Economic independence and social
justice are the prime concerns for him, as he belongs to the Periyars social movement.
To sum up, in the realm of modern Tamil poetry, we see a considerable number of poets desirous
of building an egalitarian society for which they appeal to the people through their poems. The
menace of caste and the need of its abolition is propagated through their poems in a powerful
way. We sincerely hope by our persistent efforts we will get success in the near future.
Let the youth agitate
And perform a dynamic lead
Like Lion cubs!
Crush and destroy the atrocities
Which humiliate the mankind?
Drive away the fascist
Frenzies that spoil humanism!
Dash and damage the
Useless Illusions forever!
Violations of human rights
Should be exposed
War should be proclaimed
To defend humanity!
------- Kadavoor Manimaaran