Out with the Old

Pages: 160

That VT Bhattathiripad needs an introduction is disconcerting. Born in 1896,this social reformer,dramatist,anti-caste crusader and freedom fighter was a pioneer who shaped modern Kerala and helped it pull back from the dark ages.

And what dark ages! Untouchability was taken to such precision that exact distances were prescribed for dalits to maintain from Namboodiris and Nairs: the minimum was 24 feet for the fisherfolk. Breasts were cut off if lower caste women dared to cover their chests. As late as 1948,roads in some parts of Kerala were out of bounds for dalits.

The property laws of the upper castes,the Namboodiris and the Nairs complemented one another. Governed by the law of primogeniture,among Namboodiris,only the eldest son inherited property and could marry within the community. This left behind an army of younger brothers deprived of family life,and a zenana teeming with unmarried women,child widows,or those married to polygamous,geriatric men.

Nairs,on the other hand,inherited property through women. Matriliny spawned short-term sambandham (liason) marriages. Who but Namboodiri younger brothers,forever at a loose end,could be the preferred bedfellows of Nair women. In the words of the Malayalam writer KC Narayanan,If half the womenfolk of the Namboodiri community were confined to windowless inner rooms,almost the same number of younger brothers,denied of the comfort of interiors,loitered around like outcasts. The coming together of these men and women in the first decades of the 20th century caused great changes in the Namboodiri community. VT,along with a handful of visionaries,not only catalysed these changes but also bore the full brunt of transition.

Elsewhere in India also,society was in ferment from the 18th century onwards. In many cases,the leaders of social movements drew their inspiration from Christian and Western values. With only traditional Vedic education to bank on and unschooled in English,how VT and others brought about changes,first in the Namboodiri community,and later in society at large,is a story that has largely remained within Kerala.

VT,the reluctant autobiographer,also didnt help. His collection of essays on his own life later got published as his autobiography,Kaneerum Kinaavum is a slim volume. VT was also a Namboodiri younger brother,whose life according to him was so devoid of experiences that no writer can extend it to more than half a page. For all its self-effacing prologue,the book became iconic among Malayali readers.

Sidhu V Nair has done a great service by translating this book into English. He remains largely unknown outside Kerala and Nairs translation,My Tears,My Dreams,opens his fascinating life for a wider audience.

VTs prose is simple,allusive and very rooted to the soil; in short,it is untranslatable. Nair has creatively solved challenges thrown up by such a text and has come up with a rewarding reading experience.

Transformation in Namboodiri society started with the formation of the Yogakshema Sabha at the initiative of VT. A member of the Sabha who later achieved fame beyond the borders of Kerala was EMS Namboodiripad. The Sabha not only brought reforms but also struck at the root of feudalism in Kerala,where Namboodiris controlled chunks of land.

An event that exploded in the face of upper caste men of Kerala was the trial of Kuriyedath Taathri in 1905,for adultery. The trial was conducted by the Raja of Kochi and 65 men,the crème de la crème of the society,were found guilty. In VTs words,the volcano of Kuriyedath Taathri scorched the very root of Brahmanical dominance. It also brought into sharp focus the plight of Namboodiri women. An early call for their liberation was VTs play,From Kitchen to Centre Stage. It was the earliest use of drama in Kerala for social propaganda; later,the communists profusely used the medium.

My Tears,My Dreams takes us through the early part of VTs life. His later years are a part of Keralas social history. It is a close-up of Kerala society in the early years of the 20th century. I keep returning to its original,the lucid translation is also a worthy keepsake.

Make Namboodiris human was the famous call of VT Bhattathiripad in 1930. They were not only humanised,but later joined the Communist Party in droves. VTs take on this: The Namboodiri hadnt earned anything on his own. It was all inherited,right? So,it didnt hurt when that was lost. This,in nutshell,was VT,the man who always historicised.

NS Madhavan is a noted Malayalam writer