UNIT - 8.

Struggle against Caste-based

Exploitation and Law.

Introduction

Various Socio-religious reform movements have emerged in south

india during colonial times. It intended to transform the Indian society
that was caste ridden, decadent and rigid. Reform Movements in Southern
India were inspired from various movements in northern India such as
the Brahmo Samaj, Arya Samaj, etc. Some of the prominent leaders of
the reform movements in southern India were Chembeti Sridharalu
Naidu, Narayan Guru, Kandukuri Veeresalingam. This article will
highlight the socio-religious reform movements in south India during
colonial times.

8.2 Shree Narayan Guru Dharma

Paripalana (SNDP) Movement

The Shree Narayan Guru Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Movement was

an example of a regional movement that arose from the conflict
between the lower and upper castes. Sree Narayana Guru Swamy
(1856– 1928) founded it among the Ezhavas of Kerala, a backward
caste of toddy-tappers who were considered untouchables and
were denied education and entry into temples. During the pre-
independence period, a number of backward class movements arose.
The backward classes banded together against the Brahmanas in
particular, believing that they monopolized much of the socio-economic
benefits, leaving the agricultural intermediate castes and communities in
the lurch.
Evolution of SNDP Movement

 The Ezhavas were Kerala's most populous caste, accounting for

26% of the total population.
 On Sivaratri in 1888, Narayana Guru, himself of the Ezhava
caste, took a stone from the Neyyar river and installed it as
a Sivalinga at Aruvippuram.
 It was meant to demonstrate that the consecration of an idol was
not limited to the upper castes.
 With this, he launched a revolution that resulted in the abolition of
many discriminations in Kerala's society.
 As a disciple of Narayana Guru, the movement (Aruvippuram
Movement) drew the famous poet Kumaran Asan.
 The Aruvippuram Kshetra Yogam was founded in 1889, with the
intention of growing into a large organisation to assist the Ezhavas
in their material and spiritual advancement.
 The Aruvippuram Sree Narayana Guru Dharma Paripalana Yogam
was established in 1903 under the Indian Companies Act, with
Narayana Guru serving as its permanent chairman and Kumaran
Asan serving as its general secretary.
 Dr. Palpu's efforts in the formation of the SNDP must be
recognized.
 He had begun the fight for social justice through movements such
as the Ezhava Memorial and the Malayali Memorial, among others.

Shree Narayan Guru Swami

 He was born in Chempazhanthy on August 22, 1856, to Madan

Asan and Kuttiyamma (a village near Thiruvananthapuram,
Kerala).
 He was a member of the Ezhavas Community and was known
as 'Avarna.'
 Since he was a child, he has cherished solitude and spent a lot of
time in deep meditation. He went to local temples to worship and
wrote devotional songs and hymns.
 Narayan Guru himself created a Shivalinga
at Aruvippuram atop Siviratri in 1888, using a stone from
the Neyyar river.
 He triggered a revolution in Kerala that resulted in the removal of
many sorts of bigotry as a result of this.
 "One Caste, One Religion, One God for All," he coined the now-
famous slogan. “Oru Jathi, Oru Matham, Oru Daivan,
Manushyanu”
  He preached equality, but he did not feel that inequities should be
used to carry out conversions and thereby produce social
upheaval.
 Animal sacrifices of any kind were abhorrent to him.
 Under the Indian Companies Act, the Shree Guru Narayan
Dharma Paripalana Yogam was established in 1903. He was
appointed as the chairman.
 The Ezhavas' right to attend public schools, access to government
services, temple admission, road access, and political
representation were all addressed by the SNDP


Objectives of SNDP Movement

 To oppose the predominance of Brahmanas and other upper

castes in general
 To enhance the position of the backward castes in the caste
hierarchy by copying upper-caste lifestyles, such as higher
education and distinguished occupations.
 'Ethnic' awareness and politicization were generally established as
a result of these activities among diverse caste groupings.


Reforms
Reforms under SNDP Movement

Educational Reforms

 The first task is to help the Ezhava Community, a depressed

Kerala community.
 Narayana Guru (Asan) established a number of schools and
institutions around Kerala in order to provide widespread education
to society.

Religious Reforms

 Sri Narayana Guru constructed a number of temples and

streamlined the worship, marriage, and death ceremonies.
 He wished to assist his neighbors in both secular and spiritual
things.
  He traveled around Kerala for 15 years, assisting community
members in developing self-confidence, social awareness, and a
clean environment.

Sri Narayana Guru instituted three religious reforms:

 To begin, he consecrated higher Gods in place of inferior Gods

and appointed priests from his own group of devout sanyasis.
 Second, he advised his disciples to construct additional temples in
a simple and cost-effective manner.
 Third, he made a significant modification in his mission of
establishing new temples. He never forced his followers to worship
idols.
o For example, instead of an idol, he
consecrated "Sivalikha," a massive brass oil
lamp (Kammukha Kshetham in Thrissur in 1920) with the
phrase "Let there be light."
o He consecrated a plain stone with the inscription "Truth,
Charity, Love, and Mercy" in another shrine
at Murukkunpuzha.

Establishment of 3 types of the temple:

 There are temples where poojas, or regular worship, are

performed, as well as festivals.
 There are temples with idols, but no poojas or festivals are held.
 There are temples that are devoid of idols and images. It is self-
evident that he consecrated many types of temples to meet the
people's various emotional and spiritual requirements.

Social Reforms of SNDP Yogam

 Emphasis on Education and Sanskritization - Using two

methods, contemporary education and Sanskritization, in about 30
years, Sri Narayana Guru was able to change the Ezhavas from
an untouchable population in Kerala to a background caste
community.
 In collaboration with the Nair Service Society (NSS), he began
temple admission programs.
 He urged his community members to abandon costly practices
such as "mock marriage" (Thalikattu Sampradhayam), puberty
celebration for girls (Thirukkuli), and Puaikuli, a festival
commemorating pregnancy after marriage.
 He was against the consumption of alcoholic beverages.
  Jati Mimasa is the essence of his art (A critique of caste).
 Admission to public schools.
 Recruitment to government services.
 Road access and temple entry.
 Political representation.
 Conclusion
 Within the Hindu religion, the Shri Narayana Movement arose as a
reforming and reaffirming movement. He was in charge of a whole
lifestyle change that included new religious beliefs, rituals, and
perspectives. He offered an ideology of seclusion and self-
organization that improved people's self-esteem, honor, and worth.
It was a protest ideology against the hierarchical and polluting
Brahminical value system. The movement as a whole resulted in
structural changes such as increased social mobility, a shift in
conventional power distribution, and the consolidation of 'backward
castes' into a vast aggregation.


8.3 Vokkaligara Sangha

n 1905, the Vokkaligara Sangha initiated an Anti-Brahmin

Movement in Mysore. The largest community in the erstwhile princely
state of Mysore was constituted by the Vokkaligas. The name Vokkaliga
has been derived from Vokku which implies to thresh the grains out of
crops. In India, caste is a system of social division that also serves as a
mechanism of identity. Religious prejudices and dogmas entangled
Indian society in the nineteenth century, creating a web. All religions,
including Hinduism, had devolved into a mash-up of magic, animism,
and superstitions.
Evolution of Vokkaligara Sangha

 The Vokkaliga caste originates in the Indian state of Karnataka.

 In the former princely state of Mysore, the Vokkaligas were the
largest community.
 As a community of warriors and cultivators, they have historically
wielded tremendous demographic, political, and economic
dominance in Old Mysore.
 The term Vokkaliga comes from the word Vokku, which means to
thresh grains from crops.
  Some of the sub-sects of this community are Gangadikaras,
Namadhari Vokkaliga, Morasu Vokkaliga, Kunchitigas, Nonabas,
and so on.
 Chiefs from this agro-martial community dominated different
principalities in the present-day Karnataka districts of Bangalore,
Chikkaballapura, Kolar, Tumkur, and Ramanagara.
 They supported art, culture, and commerce as leaders,
and Kempe Gowda I, the founder of Bangalore, was a member of
this community.
 The Vokkaligas would have produced many princely families like
the Wodeyars of Mysore if it hadn't been for the Adil Shahis of
Bijapur and Hyder Ali, who exterminated the Vokkaliga leaders.
 With the loss of political authority, the Vokkaligas turned to
agriculture for a living, and it wasn't until the K.R.S. dam was built
that the village saw monetary prosperity.
 However, progress in the sphere of general education was
gradual. This prompted the Vokkaliga community's leaders to
organise an association, which was enthusiastically supported by
the then-Diwan of Mysore, V.P. Madhava Rao.
 As a result, on April 1, 1906, the Vokkaligara Sangha was
founded in Bangalore.
 T.Byanna was the Sangha's first president, and the Maharaja
of Mysore, Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, and Diwan V.P.Madhava
Rao were the association's patron and vice-patron, respectively.

Objectives of Vokkaligara Sangha

 It organized the Vokkaliga community and held meetings

annually.
 To establish hostels and other institutions for Vokkaliga students.
 Publish newspapers and other literary materials for the
dissemination of information useful to the community.
 They printed the newspaper Vokkaligara Patrike. B.Puttaiah, the
general secretary of the Sangha, was the editor of the Patrike.
Characteristics

Characteristics of Vokkaligara Sangha

 T.Byanna, the association's president, gave Rs.10,000 to the

association's fund, as well as his home in Cottonpet, Bangalore,
to house the Sangha's office and a press for producing the
Vokkaligara Patrike newspaper.
 In the presence of the Maharaja himself, the Sangha conducted its
second annual meeting in August 1907, where members of the
Sangha requested that the Maharaja donate land for the
construction of a student hostel.
 The Maharaja told the crowd that he would provide all support for
their general welfare and education, as the Vokkaligas made up
the majority of his subjects.
 Two influential members of the community, Marappa and
Muniswamappa, agreed to construct the dormitory at a cost of Rs.
30,000 on his word. A total of 20,000 rupees was collected and
deposited with the Bank of Madras.
 People from this community have made Karnataka proud by their
successes in different disciplines such as politics, administration,
art, literature, and culture, with the efforts of these gentlemen.\

Conclusion

These movements had a significant impact on the political, social, and

religious lives of the people of South India. The message of Tamil
nationalism was communicated to the entire populace. The Indian
people gained pride in their civilisation as their awareness of India's
former splendour grew. It also aided religious and social reformers in
their fight against all kinds of inhumane behaviours, superstitions, and
the like. They campaigned for women's freedom, opposing sati,
infanticide, child marriage, and widow remarriage, as well as casteism
and untouchability, and promoting education to bring about societal
enlightenment.
 8.4 Justice Movement

The Justice movement was started by C.N. Mudaliar, T.M. Nair, and P.
Tyagaraja in Madras Presidency to secure jobs and representation for
non-brahmins in the legislature. The Madras Presidency
Association was founded in 1917 to demand separate representation
in the legislature foJustice Movement – Background

 The conflict between Brahmins and non-Brahmins is at the

heart of this movement.
 Non-Brahmans began to demand their rights and questioned the
dominance of Brahmins in every sphere.
 In order to counter the growing clout of Brahmins in society and
politics, Zamindars and Maharajas established the South India
Welfare Association in Madras Presidency in 1916.
 Dr. TM Nair, Theagaroya Chetty, Dr. C Natesa Mudaliar, Panagal's
Raja, and Sir A Ramaswamy Mudaliar were among the
organization's eminent non-Brahman leaders.
 It began by publishing the English newspaper 'Justice,' and as
its popularity grew, the society became known as the Justice
Party.
 This Justice party ran in the election, and for the first time in Indian
history, a cabinet was formed in the Madras Presidency in 1921.

Formation of Justice Movement

 The Madras Non-Brahmin Association was founded in 1909 by

two young lawyers, P Subramaniam and M Purushothama
Naidu, in response to simmering feelings against Brahminical
hegemony and the need to confront it head-on.
 The association failed for a variety of reasons, but it sowed the
seeds for the Justice Party.
 The Madras United League was founded in 1912, with Natesa
Mudaliyar as secretary. It was later renamed the Madras
Dravidian Association.
 On November 20, 1916, around 30 prominent non-Brahmin
leaders, including Dr. Natesa Mudaliyar, Sir PT Theyagaraya
Chetty, TM Nair, and a woman Alamelu Mangai Thayarammal,
came together to form the South Indian Liberation Federation
(SILF).
  It was later known as the Justice Party after the 'Justice'
newspaper launched to promote the movement's ideals.
 The meeting was held in Victoria's historic public hall.
 In 1938, Periyar was elected as the leader of the Justice party.
 In 1944, the Justice Party and the Self-Respect Movement were
renamed Dravidar Kazhagam.

Factors Leading to Justice Movement

 Theyagaraya Chetty and TM Nair recognized the need to politicize

the non-Brahmin movement after being defeated by Brahmin
candidates in the imperial legislative council and local council
elections, respectively.
 Despite being political rivals, Theyagaraya Chetty and Nair
collaborated to launch SILF, thanks to the efforts of Natesa
Mudaliyar.
 The Justice Party's formative years in power are responsible for
Tamil Nadu's legacy of social justice.
 To legislate reservations, the party introduced what is known
as communal G.O.
 Periyar, incidentally, left the Congress after the party failed to pass
the communal G.O.

Objectives
Objectives of the Justice Movement

 To promote the educational, social, economic, and political

advancement of all communities in South India other than the
Brahmins.
 To work for the development of non-Brahmins through a
constitutional government.
 To create a government that is truly representative.
 To mobilize public opinion in support of Non-Brahmins' demands.
 Montagu Chelmsford's 1919 reform introduced dyarchy in the
presidency, designating some departments for Indian Ministers to
be chosen from elected members.
 The Justice party won the majority in the first election under
dyarchy in 1920, and A.Subbarayalu became Chief Minister; after
his death, Raja of Panagal became Chief Minister of Madras in
1921.
 Congress boycotted the elections as part of the Non-Cooperation
Movement.
Political Ideology

Political Ideology of Justice Party

 It fought against Brahmins in civil service and politics, and this

anti-Brahmin stance influenced many of its ideas and policies.
 It was opposed to Annie Besant's Home Rule
movement because it believed it would benefit the Brahmins.
 In addition, the party campaigned against the non-cooperation
movement in the presidency. It was at odds with M. K. Gandhi,
owing to his support for Brahminism.
 Its distrust of the Brahmin-dominated Congress drove it to oppose
the Indian independence movement.
 They obtained reservations for non-Brahmins through
the Government of India Act of 1919 by petitioning the imperial
administration, which was more than willing to oblige.

Justice Movement – Significance

 In December 1916, the Justice Party issued its non-Brahmin

manifesto.
 The manifesto became a significant document that would later
shape the rise of the Dravidian movement.
 When the Justice Party was in power, women were granted voting
rights, and a noon-meal programme was implemented.
 The party was also instrumental in allowing women to run for
office, paving the way for Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy to
become India's first female legislator.
 Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy's pioneering efforts resulted in
the abolition of the Devadasi system when the Justice party was
in power.
 The Justice Party ensured an adequate number of opportunities
for non-brahmins of all categories in education and employment
through a Communal government order.
 They eliminated Sudra and Panchama discrimination in public
transportation, roads, restaurants, and public wells.
 They established a newly formed Hindu Religious Endowment
Board to regulate temple laws and provided lands to
the Panchamas known as Panchami Land.
 They built new townships and industrial parks.
 Children from low-income families were given an education.
 For the first time, they implemented the "Noon Meal Scheme" in a
few schools.
  The requirement of knowing Sanskrit as a prerequisite for medical
school was removed, allowing non-brahmin students to enrol.
 Cooperative societies were encouraged. Mirasdari's regime was
demolished. In 1923, various irrigation schemes were
implemented.
 During the Justice Party regime, Annamalai and Andra
Universities were established.
 Despite being given only a few departments by the British, the
Justice Party provided the most successful government.

Reasons for Decline of Justice Movement

 There was abuse of power and corruption.

 It lost support from the depressed and minority populations.
 Periyar's self-respect movement had become more radical. The
Justice Party's pro-British stance is critical to its decline.
 Due to Periyar's refusal to enter electoral politics and Gandhi's
growing popularity, the Congress won the Madras Presidency
elections in 1937, and Rajagopalachari became the premier.
 To some extent, the Justice Party's image as an organization of
rich landlords and Western-educated upper-caste non-Brahman
intellectuals from Tamilnadu and Telugu countries contributed to
its demise.
 The region's Dalits were not adequately represented.

Conclusion

Despite its limitations, the Justice movement was successful in

abolishing the Devadasi system, promoting inter-caste and inter-
religious marriages, and legalizing marriages without the presence of a
Brahman priest, thereby reducing Brahminical dominance.