KANCHA ILAIAH: THE INTELLECTUAL SLAP
KANCHA ILAIAH: THE INTELLECTUAL SLAP
-Yadukrishnan P
Kancha Ilaiah tears apart the Hindutva
philosophy in his book Why I Am Not a Hindu. His words strike deep. There is no
attempt to please the authority or even hints of covert subtlety in his
criticism. Kancha’s way is more direct and to the point, never hesitating to
write what he feels like. The fourth chapter in the book ‘Contemporary
Hinduism’ is an exceptional example of his lack of censorship and appeasement.
He rips apart the current notions and practices in society and deconstructs the
contemporarily prevalent Brahminical Hinduism. His writing style is reflected
here where we see him defy authority and existing traditions. Ilaiah is a very
vocal critic of the current administration. Even in more recent issues that
split the nation ideologically, Kancha never shied away from raising his own
voice. On the recent reshuffling of the central cabinet, Kancha unleashed his
input by saying that the reshuffling doesn’t help the OBCs or Dalits. “As long
as there are foreign-educated, dominant-caste ministers who find a Cabinet
position via Rajya Sabha, SCs, STs and OBCs will continue to lose out.”
Kancha’s upbringing has indisputably influenced his growth as an intellectual.
His growth from a Shepherd boy to one of the most polarizing intellectuals in
India is an interesting case, to say the least. His family belonged to the
sheep-grazing Kuruma Golla caste, a community designated by the Government of
India as an Other Backward Class. He is vehemently opposed to the beef ban in
India and his opinions on it can be seen as a clear indicator of his
upbringing. In an article written in the economic times on the beef ban titled
“How cow protection laws brutalise our culture, Kancha recollects memories of
his mother, who was a pivotal influence on his later ideology and political
stance. He writes,
"While my
mother was understanding of the food and economic needs
of the Dalits, the bad side of her was that
if a Dalit woman touched her
during work, she had to bathe and clean her
clothes. This practice of
untouchability among the OBCs is one of the
worst things that still
survives in our country." (Ilaiah enonomictimes)
Aristotle once said, “Give me a child until he
is 7 and I will show you the man.” These words reflect the progression of
Kancha Ilaiah as a person as the experiences and the insights he gained
throughout his childhood and young life is mirrored in most of his writings. He
is indeed a product of his past. His works have an autobiographical touch to
them. In an interview on amberkar.org, he goes into detail on how his childhood
influenced him as a person.
“Q. what or who
has been the major influence on your thinking and
your politics?
A. The most important influence
on my life was the village in which I was born. As a child in the village I
learnt how to breed sheep, till the land and make ropes, but what was
particularly instructive was the interactions and contradictions between the
different castes within the village—Kurumas, Kapus, Gowdas and Madigas. And it
is this personal knowledge of the dynamics of caste that is central to my
thinking and all my writings.” (Sikind)
The same personal touch and
autobiographical flair can be seen in his work Why I Am Not a Hindu as well. The fourth chapter in the book
‘Contemporary Hinduism’ is a comprehensive critique of Hinduism and Brahminical
society. He explains how caste plays a major role in the subjugation of
Dalitbahujans and how the issue of caste is deeply intertwined with the problem
of discrimination. The author does not intend to go over the historical
beginnings of caste and oppression. Instead, he portrays the harsh reality of
caste-based society through his own experiences. How did the system of caste
originate? Yuval Noah Harari in his world-famous book Sapiens tries to answer
this.
“Brahmins and
Shudras were not really created by gods from different body parts of a primeval
being. Instead, the distinction between the two castes was created by laws and
norms invented by humans in northern India about 3000 years ago” (Harrari 152)
Kancha Ilaiah is
aware that the system of caste is merely a system of oppression and
discrimination. But what makes him different is that he is not a passive
observer of these issues. He is a victim of such oppression and has witnessed
the fangs of caste-based division from a young age. Even in terms of education,
Ilaiah explains his mother’s words, which accurately illustrates the rift between
Hinduism and Dalibahujan culture
“Saraswathi teaches the children of
Bapanollu and Komatollu, but she
becomes a devil
when it comes to our children. She will not allow our
children to read
and write. She will kill them. That is how my elder son
died.” (Ilaiah caravan)
Another major
influence on Ilaiah was undoubtedly Ambedkar. Kancha went a step further in
calling him a “prophet to a people he created soul and politics for”. His main
domain of writing is the annihilation of caste and most of his works are
critiques of Hindutva and the brahminical Hindu society in general. His book God as Political Philosopher is a
comprehensive study on Buddhism and how it is in fact a challenge to
Brahminism. He acknowledges Buddhism as the counterculture to Hinduism which is
something that Ambedkar also tried to do. Kancha is also cautious of the
Hindutva attempt to Hinduize Buddha and Buddhism in this book
A SLAP IN THE FACE
The writings of
Kancha Ilaiah are polarising, to say the least. His views and works haven’t
been accepted by everyone. Being a prolific political commentator, he has faced
backlash and criticism from Hindutva activists. He has been called out by them
because he accepted the Aryan Invasion theory. His house was ransacked in 2010
by right-wing activists. Ilaiah stays firm in his views even after countless
threats. Staying true to his carefree nature when it comes to dialogue, Kancha
consistently goes into debates with the people who threaten him. He speaks his
mind even while facing massive repercussions. The slap in the face here is
purely metaphorical. An intellectual slap. One against the system of caste.
CONTEMPORARY HINDUISM – AN UGLY TRUTH
Kancha Ilaiah
systematically and methodically goes over Hinduism and dismantles the deeply
woven discrimination seen in a Brahminical society. His arguments are from
experience. His college education, Universities, civil society and even
politics. Kancha in essence criticises the social, cultural, intellectual and
political aspects of the caste-ridden Hindu society. He says he realised that
the structure of education is far larger than those he witnessed in his home
town.) Kancha says that everything he came across during his journey of
education was Brahminical narratives. It told the stories of the Brahmin and
Kshatriya communities. Their dreams and their stories. "We had been
excluded from history. It seemed that our history was no
history at
all" (Ilaiah 54)
The reluctance of the system to change its barbaric ways is also something that
Kancha talks about. There was silence when it came to caste and caste-related
problems. Even among the upper-class teachers who are liberals including
radical liberals, the conspiratorial silence continued. They lived and
practised caste hegemony. To them, caste was a class issue without realising
that in the opposite of Hindu culture lay the Dalitbahujan culture. Caste is
obviously a system of oppression and this is seen in society as a whole as
well. In hotels, which were supposed to be the melting pots of capitalism, this
Brahmanism continued. The names, posters and calendars had Brahmanical names
and pictures. Government jobs were no different too. Dalitbahujans had little
to no representation in the government sector and even though some scheduled
castes entered the officer positions, they were brutally discriminated against
by the upper caste workers. Kancha says that these officers actually gave them
hope.
THE IRONIC HUMOUR OF POLITICS
The criticism Kancha unleashes on political parties is perhaps the
most polarizing aspect of his writings. Politics is something that divides
people into epistemic bubbles after religion. Kancha points out the existence
of caste even in liberal political parties. He uses the example of Congress and
the communist party. Staying true to his controversial personality, he says
that the relationship between upper caste leaders and Dalit workers was similar
to that of Rama and Hanuman. The Dalits had the job of being subservient to
their Upper caste leaders. Dalit workers had the job of singing praises and
gathering the masses for melas. His main point was that the leaders were almost
always upper-caste Brahmins or Baniyas (Ilaiah 59). The irony is perhaps more prevalent
and evident in the communist party. A party that clearly advocates for the
liberation of workers and the lower class mostly had upper caste leaders. In
the Marxist–Leninist interpretation, all modern religions and churches are
considered as "organs of bourgeois reaction" used for "the
exploitation and the stupefaction of the working class". But rather
ironically, the communist party in India practised covert casteism. The
materialistic worldview was ignored as the leaders stayed Hindu in daily life.
They had Hindu friends and were wealthier than the workers (Ilaiah 61).
Kancha Ilaiah
The question of
caste according to Kancha Ilaiah isn’t something that we can ignore. Even
though Dalits have tried to ‘sanskritize’ themselves, it did not help the
situation of the Dalit’s. Kancha reminds us that this is the reason why people
like Ambedkar tried to establish an entirely different counter culture to
Hinduism through Buddhism.
Kancha Ilaiah and
his intellectually radical ideas regarding the annihilation of caste remains a
constant source of debate and discourse in our country. His place is crucial
and irreplaceable in the current extreme right-wing political sphere of
contemporary India
.
Works Cited
Ilaiah, K. Why I Am Not a
Hindu: A Sudra Critique of Hindutva philosophy, culture and political economy (Calcutta:
Samya, 1996)
Ilaiah, K. God as Political Philosopher:
Buddha's Challenge to Brahmanism (Calcutta: Samya, 2001)
https://m.economictimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/how-cow-protection-laws-brutalise-our-culture/articleshow/53691544.cms
http://www.ambedkar.org/reformers/KanchaIlaiah.htm
https://caravanmagazine.in/education/kancha-ilaiah-shephard-memoirs
https://magazine.outlookindia.com/story/the-ethereal-realist/280966
Harrari, Yuval Noah. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, 2011
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