Way can’t I be proud to be a Brahmin? Cultural Identity - II
You can be. Except that there’s nothing great about it in today’s context. You did not earn that pride. It’s not a result of years of hard work. Your mom gave birth to you just like my mom.
If you think just because you were born to so-and-so who was a so-and-so there is reason for you to feel proud, then I have no comments on that issue. Having said that, I do not mean that you should feel bad or guilty about being a brahmin too. The sun never feels proud nor ashamed of that fact that it always rises in the east. It’s just a fact.
Psychology calls this as ‘pride by association’. Proud just by being a part of a particular religion, community, race, country, institution, group. This is a deceptively powerful concept. You can find that Nazis, Religious Cults, Islamic Fundamentalists, Political parties, Hyper-nationalists used this trick at some level. I think this comes under the ambit of mind control. To know more about mind control techniques, please search in google for one Steve Hassan.
Motivational Organizations of Multi-level Marketing firms use this trick to retain the gullible members. Once you buy that concept and delve some time on it, you lose all reason to think objectively. It’s just we vs them.
This is the danger of pride of association.
Also, it should be noted that those who feel too proud about their community want to display the cultural identity just as a symbolic measure. If you feel so much attached to your caste, religious or cultural roots, will you go all the way and lead a life as prescribed by your religious texts?
If that is the case, the community which suffers the most will be Brahmins. The way of life prescribed for a Brahmin is so tough that its impossible to find a true Brahmin today.
If you cannot live like the way the texts suggest you to live, what makes you so proud about it? The ancient texts have made clear that the Varnas come into play not by birth but by the deeds a person does. You can know more by reading Cho Ramaswamy’s “Enge Brahmanan”.
To quote Swami Vivekananda from one of his letter
“No religion on earth preaches the dignity of humanity in such a lofty strain as Hinduism, and no religion on earth treads upon the necks of the poor and the low in such a fashion as Hinduism. The Lord has shown me that religion is not in fault, but it is the Pharisees and Sadducees in Hinduism, hypocrites, who invent all sorts of engines of tyranny in the shape of doctrines of Paramarthika and Vyavaharika”.
Just in case any of you guys might need this information, Swami Vivekananda was not a Brahmin by birth. If you choose to ignore what he said because of this fact, it does not reflect anything on me.
I have all the respect and admiration for Brahmin kids who study well and get into Medical and Engineering colleges, IITs and IIMs in spite of the reservation system prevailing here. Way to go.
Reading sanskrit text does not make you or anyone great. Its what you do with that learning that matters.I am against some brahmin priests who will not help me do “thidhi” for my dad because we are not brahmins. Only the less “madi” of them and those who want money more desperately come to my place.
Of course it’s my mother’s fault that I had to put up with this nonsense every year.The way i see it, I think I treated my dad with respect and dignity when he was alive and that’s all there is to it. But I cannot complain more on this because I invite them in the first place. I had to compromise on this for the sake of my mom year after year for whom these things matter.
And even those who come and do professional service have no problems in taking my money or rice or vegetables but not food cooked at my kitchen. Only the knowledgeable among my readers can give answers for these.
If my money is not impure and untouchable, how come my food? Any explanations would be most welcome for i genuinely feel i might be missing some aspect here.
I have experienced this “Nammava” and “Verava” discrimination after coming to Chennai. Again nothing specific to brahmins. I have seen this same “vera aluga” even with my community too especially in Madurai where most of my relatives live.
It’s all the same everywhere where one community members are huge in number in a particular area. If its West Mambalam in Chennai, its Jewellery bazaar in Madurai.
If you can be so unbrahminic in your way of life and thinking just like others like me, there is no reason to feel great about the fact that you are a brahmin by birth.
Just like I cannot feel proud about my community background.
But you and me can do a lot to this society. Go to the Central station and you can see humans cleaning another’s shit in the tracks as if he’s cleaning dust with a vaccum cleaner. Have we not witnessed this? Do we have any answer for him? If we are going to just close our eyes, study hard, do well in GRE and settle down in US of A, that person who is cleaning in central will in no time be converted to a Christian where he can get social acceptance, respect and dignity. In that case do we have any right to talk about religious and cultural identity of India and our pride factor sitting in New York or Washington not to mention the religious conversions that take place in India? I’m afraid no.
May be we can be proud about what we contributed to our society after doing something constuctive to this country and society and our community.
To sum it up, there is no rational reason for you and me to feel proud of being a member of our community. Its up to us to decide whether we consider ourselves as educated, thinking, conscientious individuals and think and act accordingly.
July 14th, 2005 at 1:41 am
prabhu,
Nice post.But you are talkign everything within the context of a community.My question is do we need a community based structure?.
check out my blog iam also discussing about it.
July 14th, 2005 at 2:58 am
I agree. I feel there is nothing to be proud in saying I am a brahmin. In Mahabharata, when Yudhistra is asked “Who is a brahmin”, Yudhistra’s answer is crisp,clear and unambiguous when he replies, “Na samshayaha….there is no doubt about it: it is not birth, it is not education, it is not the study of the Vedas but it is vritta (Character) alone that determines a Brahmin.” Not only this, many of our scriptures have insisted on this fact.
Regarding the food cooked for shrardha, it has to do with the philosophy of Hinduism, about departed souls and things, which are quite difficult for a rational, intellectual mind to comprehend at first, but they make perfect sense. Finally, I read one good article about caste system. Here is the link,
http://www.swordoftruth.com/swordoftruth/archives/readersvoice/ucod.html
July 14th, 2005 at 5:53 am
Nicely written!
Birth just gives you blood and the sources. Thats it! The character and everything else is what you develope as you grow…well if a strutured life as a brahmin gives us a character that we are expected to posess…then we shud feel proud about it.. the character..the endpoint…and not the path!…Path should be remembered to be followed… jus remembered…! Brahminism is the path…!
July 14th, 2005 at 6:45 am
PK, good post, i am not saying that hindusim is free from dogma, it suited lifestyle 300 years ago but not today, the flab needs to be trimmed and things need to change,the question u asked about food was asked by sri ragavendra swami 150 yrs ago, he asked brahmins hy they eat the rice grown by a hrijan,
at the same time if someone does a simple poja and wear vibuthi or namam, society should accept him and not judge them. we are born into a community, just the way we r born into a religion, given names etc, we have no choice or control over them. if one therefore due to upbringing, decides to wear a namam or vibuthi, then will society give them room to wear it and not judge them. this has nothing to do with being proud of being a brahmin, its just a form of praying to god.simple.
July 14th, 2005 at 7:03 am
senthil,
valid point. why this bullshit? let me read more. i dont want to jump the gun.
July 14th, 2005 at 7:04 am
Kasthuri Srinivasan
Thanks man. I have one sure reader for all my marathon posts.
But i have to tell you i dontwrite such serious intellectual stuffs all the time:)
July 14th, 2005 at 7:05 am
Bharath,
thanks. so many view points.. interesting…
July 14th, 2005 at 7:09 am
vatsan
Hmm. credit should go to you for starting something on these lines.
You are spot on ijn society accpeting a brahmin. i think its got more to do with mainstream media dn some perverted dravidian midsets which want every brahmin to be ridiculed.
I wrote one huge comment in thennavan’s blog i think, on the way the mainstream media has been targetting the brahmin community.
kowig pretty well that community will not hurl bombs, will not engage in vandalism.
I am thinking about reproducing that comments from thennavan’s archives.
As i said there is nothing wrong about being born as a brahmin kid.
July 14th, 2005 at 7:22 am
Your attire and outlook shows ur beleif in something. I see nothing wrong if I beleive in lord shiva and wanted to dispaly it by sporting “pattai”. I am least bothered who is sporting what. In turn, I feel it is our slave mentality to accept western attires and stupid habits. Pakkathil irukaravan naamam potta enna, podalana enna? unaku avan pottu vitta than thappu.
I think cultural and regional pride is good and hypocrasy is wrong. One can be ” educated, thinking, conscientious individuals and think and act accordingly. ” and also proud about his ancesters.
July 14th, 2005 at 7:29 am
Muthukumar,
I agrew with u. i will write my views in todays post probably.
regarding the rest, i think i have stated my viewpoints rather elaborately. no point in going further on that.
I subscribe to feeling proud after doing/ achieving something as i feel this pride is less prone to distortions.
I have my views. you have yours nothing wrong abt that.
July 14th, 2005 at 7:32 am
You’re quite wrong to think Christian and Muslim Indians don’t see caste. Believe me they do especially in India. :))
I will write about this soon
July 14th, 2005 at 7:38 am
Visit
they do, but the converts are given a new lease of life after conversion. the same society does not look down upon them.
adhaan solla vandhen.
bcos of the minority appeasements that happen in india, ther are guaranteed a better life.
chritian missionaries will give preference to thier kids education.
the churches recognise them.
Do they have any social security when they are hindus and scheduled casts and scheduled tribes.
conversion is a strategic ploy by missionaries but the hindu society has turned a deaf ear to all those down trodden societies…
ellam ore kulathile oorina mattainga dhaan india vai porutha varaikum so they obviously see castes. i agree to what u say on that. if my post did convey the opposite let me clarif that with this comment.
July 14th, 2005 at 7:42 am
muthukumar
i meant to say i agree to your points on attire.cut and paste la miss ayiduchu:)
July 14th, 2005 at 9:08 am
Yawn!
Too many statements without logic and too many self contradictions. I guess people are not commenting because of pedestrian nature of your arguments.
You start by saying that we should be happy our regional/cultural identities by saying we mimic western nature and by the end of the blog you contradict by saying that identities are not desirable. Your arguments are not convincing.
Please don’t regurgitate names
from Google , if anything it undermines what you write. Everybody has this anger against the society, don’t focus it on a particular community.
-bin laden
July 14th, 2005 at 9:38 am
Like you said it is a strategic ploy. Tell them things promise them loads, offer at first and later its back to normal. I have seen such things, people converting in the assumption there will be no difference in class or caste and then down the road reality hits. The situation is only slightly different, when that person is capable of bringing in more converts. Then they continue to receive such ideal offerings, and if lucky long enough to get out of their previous class thus getting a better life.
However the mentality never changes, not even if pathe changes to cross.
Here a lot of people convert to islam for the economic benefits. Humm from dress code to caste to culture to religion. This is going to be around for some time at least.
July 14th, 2005 at 9:53 am
Bin laden,
Welcome to my blog. Bin Laden is a cool pen name and thanks for taking up my suggestion;)
July 14th, 2005 at 9:57 am
And btw, i am happy with the comments i get though. i have been writing blogs for months with pracically no comments.
i am equally fine with that.
i write what i think and i get comments for and against it.
thanks for taking time to put your valuable ideas ascross. if all our ideas were in synch with all others , this world will be less colorful and less interesting.
July 14th, 2005 at 9:58 am
Visit
neenge oru post podunga idhai pathi.am eager to read.
Enough of serious stuff for me.
July 14th, 2005 at 12:19 pm
I know i stopped talking about it after my first post coz it was going everywhere. But now you’ve open another view, i’m tempted to write but wondering if I should. If im going to write about this it might kindle to many things:) hummm
July 14th, 2005 at 12:43 pm
@visit
Hmm.seri freeya vidunga. these posts cannot be planned you know. sometimes we feel like letting it all out. sometimes we are better of not talking abt it
you know better i guess:)
July 14th, 2005 at 3:24 pm
Err I put it up
November 10th, 2005 at 3:42 pm
Make no mistake. Brahmins will be outcastes in India in next 10 years. This article simply proves the point. Brahmins are busy doing stupid introspections while non-Brahmins are busy installing themselves in power circles. In today’s India, only two things work. Political influence and Terrorism. While Sudhras have the former, the minorities have the latter. Brahmins have neither and they are doomed.
Gowda Vs Narayan Murthy is the best example of this. Nobody will even support Murthy however honest he may be. Gowda can get away with anything and has the final laugh.
Wake up and smell the coffee.
January 4th, 2006 at 1:01 am
Prabhu,
This is a very intriguing article. I agree with your views and respect your opinions.
With regard to the previous comment that Brahmins will be outcasts in India in next 10 years, I wouldn’t say so.
Character is what makes you a Brahmin or a Sudra. I have known many people who are from a ‘Brahmin’ family, but are the most corrupted. On the other hand, I have known people from ‘Sudra’ families who are very truthful and hardworking individuals.
My point here is that whether 10 years from now or 100 years from now, there will always be people who are truthful and hardworking. Irrespective of the ‘caste they are born with’, these people will be ‘Brahmins’ in the true sense of the word.