Hindustan Times
The answer is simply, `I don’t know…’
“I am Gokhale. She is Iyer. What are you?” a politician close to former Prime Minister V P Singh once asked me in the decade when the star of the so-called socialist parties, led by Singh, was on the ascendant.
“I am Anandan,” I replied.
“That I know. But you have to have a surname, surely?”
“That is my surname,” I insisted.
I knew what he was getting at but I did not want to give him the satisfaction of knowing – he stared at me for a few seconds, then turned away. I know he thought I had snubbed him but I just could not care enough for I was utterly shocked that politicians who proclaimed equality of all still determined their friendships by the castes you belonged to. It was not surprising that he rarely spoke to me again and, of course, he never again asked me for my caste name.
In a resurgent independent India my father had chosen to drop his surname and go by his own (which is what I chose as my surname) and after years of not understanding I had finally begun to see why he had done so. I was not about to let that be defeated by allowing a petty politician to categorise me not by merit but by caste.
But over the years I have come to accept that this is the Great Indian Reality – one can’t avoid such categorisation particularly in these times when political parties are distinguished by the castes they represent. Like my colleague Kumkum Chadha wrote in her blog this week, I would have liked to see Meira Kumar not be referred to as a Dalit but as a woman achiever in her own right (she has been a diplomat before becoming a politician, after all). But I was comforted by the fact that at least, unlike Mayawati, she was not shrill about her Dalit antecedents and stressed more upon her achievement as a woman (who, by the way, has got there without the benefit of 33 per cent reservations).
However, there is a long way to go yet before we can put an end to this distinction by caste. I can only go by my own experience — a few years ago I was shocked when I followed the sound of temple bells in the jungles of Naxal-infested Adilabad and Karimnagar in Andhra Pradesh and was stopped from entering the sanctum sanctorum because I did not know which gotra I belonged to. The question the priest asked me was identical to that Mr Gokhale of the Janata Dal had done. My reply was identical, tool. But the priest was not as easy to shake off as Mr Gokhale. “You have to have a proper surname. Tell me are you Sastry or Sarma, Iyer or Iyengar?”
This time I knew. But I still kept to my dogged answer, “I don’t know.”
“How did you get here?” he then asked.
“I am a journalist who has been brought here by a group affiliated to the People’s War Group. I am reporting on the Mandal elections.”
There was a lightning change in his attitude. Much later I realised he might not have wanted to be caught up in allegations of discrimination (and consequent retaliation) by Naxalites. So he sprinkled some water on me, gave me a gotra and much against his will allowed me to enter the temple.
As I left after offering a brief aarti, he said frostily, “Next time you come here, ask your parents what gotra you belong to.”
I did. My parents were equally frosty as they asked, “Who wants to know?”
Of course, there was never any question of visiting that temple again (in fact, I wonder if I will even find it again) but it took me a while to convince my parents to arm me with these facts of life. It came with a statutory warning from my father: these facts are irrelevant to your performance in school/college/university/ work/life. “Let no one convince you that you are either superior or inferior because of an accident of birth. It is what you yourself make of yourself that should distinguish your life and achievement.”
It was a lesson well learnt but I realised that my father was romanticising too much. India had moved on from the early days of Independence and Nehruvian ideals. And while I was brought up completely without awareness of being either a Hindu or a Muslim, Brahmin or Dalit, everyone now wears both religion and caste on their sleeves.
So I try not to get angry when they ask me for my antecedents, though I still stick with the “I don’t know.” And when others flaunt their identities based on anything but their merit, I still squirm but let it be.
For I am convinced it is just a matter of time before sincerity of purpose alone will be India’s distinguishing characteristic. My optimism is based on the results of last month’s elections – caste and religion was by and large defeated. Merit and performance, hope and aspiration prevailed.
As for Meira Kumar – yes, she is Dalit; she is a woman. But what’s more important is that she is the Speaker of the Lok Sabha despite Goswami Tulsidas (who still has many followers, even in parliament) and what he had said about one half of the human population all those years ago!
(9 votes, average: 3.78 out of 5)
Loading ...Posted by Sujata Anandan on Friday, June 12, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Filed under India · Tagged Gokhale, Iyer, Mayawati, Politician, Prime Minister V P Singh
It’s weird, isn’t it, how these things hang on? This is why I am against reservations of all kinds. It just perpetuates stereotypes.
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Sujata Anandan Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
So am I. I believe the only reservations should be on the basis of economic backwardness — the poor among all will then be covered and the creamy layer which still takes advantage will then be automatically eliminated.
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fisheyed Reply:
June 21st, 2009 at 4:41 am
you acknowledge caste discrimination exists that is why you are against programs to counter the effects of caste discrimination.
okay, player.
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Anandan Ji,
What else can you can be expected in Indian culture of hypocrisy which is the hallmark of Indian life except for few honorable exceptions? Take education in India for instance why do meritorious Indian students have to go abroad for studies if Indian Government allows reputed foreign universities to set up shop in India? it is against License-Permit Raj mentality! Why do BIMARU state politicians like laloo yadav want to keep people backward and illiterate? Only quality health and education for all Indians can save the future of idnia is my firm belief.
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Sujata Anandan Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
You are right. but hope we can get to that utopian ideal soon
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Ha, you just reminded me the incidence that happened with me in Mumbai. I was looking to change my flat and i called up a broker. I had never met this broker and he wanted to know my surname before he confirmed if he could get me a flat or not. I was so disgusted that I abused him over the phone for asking my surname.
I can’t imagine why would he need to know my Surname for doing business? People are just weird and are still living in the 15th century. This sick attitude of our very own people keeps India from developing.
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Sujata Anandan Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Its happening in Bombay all the time. it is discrimination, of course, but this housing segregation has had the nod of courts, you know.
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Well written ma’m, I believe the people who hang on to these kind of identities, be it caste related, linguistic, region or religion based or any other, suffer from low self esteem. They seek to boost that by affiliating themselves with false notions of superiority based on what certain distinguished individuals of their communities have achieved.
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Sujata Anandan Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Thanks. But it is both low and high self esteem that perpetuates the system.
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Why pick on old Tulsi? He was the wrong century for women…but aren’t they all?
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Sujata Anandan Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Well, this century has one great follower — Sharad yadav. Among other things cannot forgive him for `baal kati’ remark of a few years ago
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Great sharing with us but its long way to reach where one will be identified with the work and not by class. Meira Kumars example is the latest and important one where she was addressed by the First Lady” introduction part itself with the religion” ,u see religion awareness flows so strongly in individual of this country be it politician or party they have to show off in petty ways .
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Sujata Anandan Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
I believe nothing wrong in identifying with caste or religion so long as this does not influence merit and does not create polarisation in society
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It is strange. You ask any priest or sadhu his gotra. He will reply, ” never ask a priest his gotra”. Take away their right to ask ‘what are you’ and they will be non entities. Who gave them this right in the first place ? Nearest to the temple, farthest from God.
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Sujata Anandan Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
very well said!
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Indian Reply:
June 25th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
What is so well said about this.
I agree that caste discrimination or any discrimination should go and merit should prevail. But why generalize and make the Priest a villian. Who is anybody to give or take away what the priests do. Let us not remove and start making fun of everthing that is associated with either religion or culture of tradition. It seems to have become fashionable to do so. I again reaffirm what you say about discrimination.
A priest asks for the gothra because they use the gothra to bless you, not sure what discrimination does that bring? There is nothing to feel irritated about this. My two cents.
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Categorisation is not a Great Indian Reality, its the Great International Reality.
Hasnt the current US President used it brilliantly in his run up to the elections? He did not use it even once, and yet the world celebrated it.
All I ask is that In our desire to attain our utopian meritocratic, egalatirian and democratic ideals let us not grind our cultural roots into the dust.
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Sujata Anandan Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Of course not. But these roots should also not become so entangled that they get in the way of our progress.
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So long as castes do not become an instrument of discrimination, they could bring about a great sense of belonging and community. But sadly that rarely ever happens in our society, the communities then get set very apart and become the root of all social evils…
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Sujata Anandan Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Agree completely with your viewpoint
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Sam Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 4:38 am
Sujata,
Let us say caste disappears all of a sudden with a magic wand.
Can you tell us what would be the society look like after that ?,
What will replace the community, certain values, …
Humans want to believe that they are something more than just themselves.
By be being part of a bigger group, there is a certain pride, …
So please tell us what the world would be without this.
By the way, gotra has many scientific usages.
So even if you want to throw away the caste system, do not forget the gotras.
Marrying away from your gotra could lead to better results from some fatal diseases…
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Sujata Anandan Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Am not asking for disappearance of castes. Am only saying a person’s merit should not be distunguished by caste — superior even if a nincompoop because he belongs to an upper caste and never promoted etc just because he belongs to a backward caste. All I am saying is castes should not be politicised (which they are in this coutnry). And yes, I agree with you — castes give you a sense of belonging but that’s what they should be limited to.
Sam Reply:
June 25th, 2009 at 7:06 am
so why are you presuming, that when priest asks gotra that he is going to discriminate based on that ?
(it could have happened and it may keep happening in the future)..
but to presume that and refusing to answer is making stereotypes on your own.
you could have answered this way.
1. if you are going to discriminate based on my gothra, i am not going to tell
2. tell the gotra and ask them not to give any extra favors.. for any particular gotra’s
instead you are discriminating and want to refuse the age old ritual, without any basis to show that by anwering you will be discriminated..
Sam Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 4:41 am
Why can’t there be castes and do away with discrimination for jobs, housing…
What is wrong with having castes ?
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I know “who” I am, but I am trying my best to forget. And now I claim I do not know, nor want to.
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I don’t want to know who I am either all of a sudden. I am “an upper caste” and a woman…wonder what that makes me, a minority or a majority. I was born and brought up in Delhi, but my parents are from Kerala. Does that make me a “north Indian” or a “south Indian”? there was one time in a temple the priest had asked “What are you?” and I had smiled back at his scorned face and said, ”
A human being”
In college, I was still struggling to come to terms with my identity and suddenly some people refused to share a table with me in the college because i was from “the North” and the “north Indians” refused to talk to me because I’m was ella-pilla bolne waali Madrasi(apparently Madras is the only place in “south India”).
So I am back to the question…Who am I??
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Sujata Anandan Reply:
June 24th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Indian, I would say. And that’s all that should matter really. But it doesn’t always, does it? BTW, I have a North-South background, too, and face the same problem all the time!
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Very well Written mam really appreciate…..you made me remember my old days. Because of caste i did not get seat in good college. And only because of cast and religion today iam not with my love one.
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