Almost completely unreported by the Indian English Media -- the huge amount of violence resorted to by Dravida thugs in response to the kicking that the statue of the pedophile Periyar received. When a mere Dargah was moved by municipal authorities in Vadodara, the Indian Express virtually camped in the city and also shadowed Amir Khand for his expert views on the subject of muslim marginalisation.
Read on at http://realitycheck.wordpress.com/2006/12/09/another-statue-story
Some excerpts:
Due to the absence of coverage in the mainstream english media (CNN-IBN is running yet another headline about who is greater King Khan or Big Bee). Here is a compilation from the vernacular print media about the recent events in the state of Tamilnadu. This time it has nothing to do with Dalits like in Maharashtra. You can see the difference between violence born of oppression and that born of hatred.
Read on - no comments offered. Just a direct translation, so excuse the sentence construction.
Credit to blogger Vichaarah for some of the pictures.
What happened ?
First an intro about the place for north Indians and foreign visitors to this blog. Srirangam (Tiruvarangam) is the oldest, largest, and arguably the most important of all temple complexes in India. It is an ancient structure, parts of which are atleast 1500-1800 year old, even the Silapadikkaram the ancient tamil epic refers to it. All of the alwars (vaishava saints) have sung in praise of it. It is a magnificient temple complex with various architectural styles, the sheer size and sculptures of the temple are awe inspiring. It doesnt matter what your religious inclination might be - the temple is there and it is a stunning reminder of the empires past such as Chola, and Vijayanagar.
Enter the statue. The tamil rationlist leader EV Ramasami Naicker also known as Periyar is the father of the atheist rationalist movement called the Dravidian movement. This forms the guiding ideology of the DMK and to a lesser extent the AIADMK (the AIADMK is not atheist). He had his positives, but he also broke several idols and garlanded statues of Ram with slippers. He also virulently hated brahmins and hindu temples in particular. Now his organization, Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) wants to install a life size statue of him right outside the main tower of the world renowned temple on Dec 16th. If you dont like temples because you are an atheist, fine - consider it to be a world famous historical site. Either way, this arguably provocative move ruffled the feathers of hindus (of all castes) . This led to some miscreants damaging the statue.
ps.jpg
Picture : Periyar statue ready for inauguration right outside the main tower of the world famous Srirangam (Tiruvarangam) temple. (Pic source : Dinamalar)
The Retribution
This set off an unprecedented chain of violence against hindu temples and brahmins in the state. This is unreported or under-reported in the national news media.
1. Ayodhya Mandapam attacked with Petrol and Acid bombs (story)
Sri Ram Samaj also known as Ayodhya Mandapam is a well known Ram temple and religious centre in the heart of Chennai in West Mambalam. Around 330PM on Dec 8th around 15 dravidian activists allegedly descended on the temple in two autorickshaws with deadly weapons and shouted “Dont spare anyone who wears sacred thread, or marks on their head Tilak or Vibhuti, thrash them” at passers by. Then they proceeded to attack the temple. First they threw an acid bomb into the temple complex,the acid struck a screen which caught fire. When devotees rushed to douse the flames, the activists hurled a petrol bomb on the idol outside the temple and another inside the temple. They shouted this was in revenge for the damage caused to the EVR Periyar statue kept outside the world famous Sri Ranganath Swamy temple in Srirangam. Then they attacked a poor Brahmin Dhandapani who was selling pooja items outside the temple on the footpath with a wooden stick, they also did not spare Murali a flower seller.
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Image : Petrol and Acid bomb attack on Ayodhya Mantap
2. Slipper garland for Sri Ram picture in Hosur
In Hosur in Krishnagiri district, a Sri Ram pattabhisekam (coronation) picture was garlanded with slippers and set on fire in the middle of the road. A bunch of activists belonging to Pudiya Jananayaka Munnetra Kazhagam (New Democratic Progressive Party) arrived at the Sri Ram temple near Gandhi Statue and shouted slogan condemning the damage to EVR Periyar statue in Srirangam. They then placed a Sri Ram picture outside the temple and garlanded it with slippers, they carried the picture in a procession before setting it on fire near the Gandhi statue. Hearing this BJP ,Hindu Munnani and RSS supporters arrived on the scene in hundreds. An altercation broke out between them and the Periyar supporters, in which the head of the person who set the picture on fire, Parsuraman was broken [sic] and it started bleeding. Following that BJP and its supporters blocked the roads and demanded action.
3. Salem Shankaracharya Mutt and vedic school ransacked (Story)
In Salems Maravaneri area, there is a mutt and vedic school run by the Kanchi Shankar Mutt. This was ransacked by a gang of dravidian activists to protest the damage caused to the EVR Periyar statue in Srirangam. Terrified priests rushed outside screaming. They proceeded to ransack the place,tables, chairs, pooja items were smashed and thrown all over the place.They smashed the pictures of Shankaracharya Jayendra and Vijayendra Saraswathis to pieces. They did not even spare the telephones, tubelights, or bulbs. Following this five activists belonging to Periyar Dravidian Party, Tamil Youth Party, Tamil National Party were arrested.
kanchimutt.jpg
Image: Shankar Mutt ransacked. Pictures, pooja items, lights, furniture smashed in Salem(Source : Dinamalar)
4. Chemplast VP and 4 others attacked in Mettur
In condemnation of the Periyar statue damage, Chemplast Industries Vice President Parthasarathy and four others were attacked. Members belonging to the DK (Dravidar Kazhagam) were apprehended.
5. Sri Ram picture set on fire outside Srirangam temple (story)
In protest against the Periyar statue damage, about 50 members of Makkal Kalai Iyakkam (Peoples Art Org) brought a picture of Sri Ram and set it on fire outside the temple. Dravidar Kazhagam president K. Veeramani meanwhile announced that a 5.5 ft tall bronze statue of Periyar would now be installed outside the temple.
6. Lord Vinayak (Ganesh) statues descrated near Villupuram (story )
A vinayaka temple near the taluk office in Sankarapuram in Villupuram dist was vandalized and two Ganesh idols were uprooted and smashed by miscreants. Some activists belonging to the Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam allegedly uprooted the idol and later smashed it and threw it outside the taluk office. Similarly, another temple (Shakti Vinayakar near the said Taluk office)was damaged, the vimanam tower and nandi statues were dismembered. This was to protest the damage done to the EVR Periyar statue in Srirangam. Townfolk lead by RSS and Hindu Munnani who came to pray in the morning were shell shocked. In the hundreds, the blocked the Tiruvannamanail-Kallakurichi road. The collector tried to pacify the group by they would not disperse until the miscreants were arrested. Police found a bit paper amidst the broken statues which claimed this was revenge for the damage caused to the Periyar statue and Ambedkar statue. No group has claimed responsibility. The idols are in police custody. Tension is prevailing in that area, and police are swarming the place.
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Picture : Nandi, Vinayaka, and Gargoyle like guardian sculptures on temple dismembered near Villupuram (Source : Dinamalar)
7. Swami Dayanand Saraswathi made accused in FIR (story)
Tiruchi police have filed an FIR on Swami Dayanand Saraswathi in link with the Periyar statue case. A Periyar statue which was kept ready for inauguration by the Dravida Kazhagam (DK) president K.Veeramani was recently damaged by miscreants. In response to this, throughout Tamilnadu Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) and other associated outfits have launced attacks on Hindu places of worship. Police have included the leader and convenor of the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha and renowned sanyasi Swami Dayanand Saraswathi as an accused. This is apparently based on information provided by four people who were apprehended. The police refused to comment on whether he would be arrested. Swami Dayanand Saraswathi also condemned the damage done to the statue and said this issue can be resolved peacefully. Swami Dayanand Saraswathi runs a vedic school called Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in Anaikatti near Coimbatore. He was devotees and supporters all over the world. Subraminian Swamy condemned this FIR on the sanyasi for merely issuing a statement against the installation of the statue right in front of the world famous and ancient Sri Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam.
8. Raghavendra temple ransacked in Erode, devotees cry (story)
Priest and cook attacked and sacred thread cut
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Picture above: The presiding deity thrown outside the temple in Erode (Pic source : Dinamalar)
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Picture above : Priest whose sacred thread was cut
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Pic above : Anguished devotee weeping in front of a picture of Sri Ram at Raghavendra temple Erode (all pics courtesy Dinamalar)
Raghavendra Brindavanam is located in the Kaarai Vaaykal area in Agraharam street in Erode. Today, arrangements were being made for the Sayarakshai Puja, devotees had just begun to trickle in when around 5.15 PM a group of Dravidar Kazhagam volunteers, entered the temple calmly. Suddenly they started attacking anyone in sight, and smashing anything they could get their hands on. Then they entered the sanctorum and removed the presiding deity Sri Ram which was between Sitadevi and Hanuman idols. They uprooted the idol and took it outside to the street and smashed it with a hammer. A priest Narasimhan attempted to stop the gang of 10 members, he was beaten up. 60 year old priest Venkatraman Acharya was assaulted and his kudumi (tuft of hair) was removed and hit sacred thread was cut. The temple cook Balaji and some others were also assaulted. The idols and pooja items kept ready for the evenings “Oonjal Sevai” were smashed. No robbery was committed and the Hundi was left untouched, it appears the sole purpose was to vandalize the temple. Upon hearing this hundreds of devotees surrounded the place. RSS and Hindu Munnani volunteers protested to the police. Some devotees started weeping publicly.Seven people of the Thanthai Periyar Dravida Iyakkam (Father Periyar Dravidian Party) have been detained in this connection.
9. State BJP leaders protest in Chennai
State BJP gen sec, Thamizisai Sounderrajan lead a BJP delegation to protest the
attacks on temples. AIADMK leaders SV Sekar and VP Kaliarajan met the victims and expressed sympathy.
10. DK President Veeramani asks for restraint
Dravidar Kazhagam president K. Veeramani on Friday appealed to people to exercise restraint. In a statement, he said nobody should take the law into their
hands and cause embarrassment to the State Government.
54 Responses to 'A statue story from the south'
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1.
Apollo said,
on December 9th, 2006 on 9:14 am
The Dravida movement is full of crooks and rascals.
2.
Reason said,
on December 9th, 2006 on 9:17 am
regular news media will classify this under ‘anger of the oppressed’. Thanks for collecting all information and making a complete post. If this is the unbridled / unquestionable force of this ‘anger of the oppressed’ today, with Ramasami Naicker dead and with 24 hour news channels and camera phones making it a litlte less difficult to get away without being recorded, imagine the strength of this force in the fifties and sixties with Ramasami Naicker alive. That is what the brahmins endured in tamil nadu. Shame on Indian secularism.
And regular news media will also want you to believe that these are the oppressed and deserve reservation, and brahmins are the oppressors.
There was another news story that largely went under-reported - a case of death of a girl student in a Christian missionary run school in Omalur near Salem. The local people complained of 2 other similar deaths in the recent past in that school. There were reports of liquor bottles found inside the school. The case is going to be closed as suicide, and christian organizations are making this a case of ‘minoirty persecution’ - because some people connected with the school were arrested under public pressure.
Remember a case of a attempted suicide of a dalit student who could not clear her prep course at IIT-M and the ‘outrage’ that was manufactured following that?
3.
Indian Pseudo-Secularism at its Best « The Blog of a Liberal Mugged by Reality said,
on December 9th, 2006 on 9:42 am
[…] Vichaarah and RealityCheck have more. […]
4.
DesiPundit » Archives » A Statue Story From South India said,
on December 9th, 2006 on 3:57 pm
[…] Realitycheck, culling stories from the vernacular press, points towards incidents of violence against Hindu temples in Tamilnadu. The provocation: some miscreants had damaged a statue of Periyar. I must confess, I haven’t seen any coverage about these incidents in the national media. Around 330PM on Dec 8th around 15 dravidian activists allegedly descended on the temple in two autorickshaws with deadly weapons and shouted “Dont spare anyone who wears sacred thread, or marks on their head Tilak or Vibhuti, thrash them” at passers by. Then they proceeded to attack the temple. First they threw an acid bomb into the temple complex,the acid struck a screen which caught fire. When devotees rushed to douse the flames, the activists hurled a petrol bomb on the idol outside the temple and another inside the temple […]
5.
Barbarindian said,
on December 9th, 2006 on 5:33 pm
So Periyar merely became a proxy for the God whose idols he sought to destroy all his life?
6.
Vi said,
on December 9th, 2006 on 7:50 pm
The only reason I know about this is because my dad is there right now and was present in Srirangam when it happened. Quite scary…
7.
In the Name of Periyar at Blogbharti said,
on December 9th, 2006 on 10:17 pm
[…] Reality Check offers a compilation of reports from Tamil vernacular press on the attacks on temples after a Periyar statue was damaged. (EV Ramasami Naicker) had his positives, but he also broke several idols and garlanded statues of Ram with slippers. He also virulently hated brahmins and hindu temples in particular. Now his organization, Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) wants to install a life size statue of him right outside the main tower of the world renowned temple on Dec 16th…Either way, this arguably provocative move ruffled the feathers of hindus (of all castes) . This led to some miscreants damaging the statue. […]
8.
Sharan Sharma said,
on December 10th, 2006 on 7:27 am
RC,
My heartfelt thanks to you for bringing this news to the attention of a wider audience.
The hate-filled politics of these thugs never ceases to amaze. The resolution to put the completely irrelevant hate thing (hereby referred to as CIHT :) in front of the magnificent temple was passed in 1973! Why bring it up now? And this veeramani chap - covered in point 10 of your post - he was the guy who laid the installation stone of the CIHT in 1996!
You must, if you haven’t - check out veeramani’s profile here. An amazing extract from the profile of this relentless social justice crusader:
”
In recognition of his service to the Community, the public presented him silver equal to his weight at a State Level Conference held at Pudukkottai.
In honour of his services to the humanity, the public presented [….snip….], gold weighed against his weight at an International meet at Thanjavur.
”
Of course this CIHT thing is, as you know, not new. They did the same thing when they *did* install the statue of naicker outside the kAnchi matha (early 70’s - same time the decision to install the Srirangam CIHT was taken) to mock Hindu believers.
9.
Karan said,
on December 10th, 2006 on 3:18 pm
This is an outrage. Evermore there seems to be a feeling of helplessness. This UPA is not going to do anything about it. I feel awful after reading this - but am glad I did.
10.
xyz said,
on December 10th, 2006 on 4:16 pm
I am presenting a slightly different view point.First of all, I have nothing but contempt (and seething hatred) for periyaar DK,and people of their ilk.What they have done is despicable.it cannot be tolerated. Neverthless one must understand the motives of the mainstream politicians.Tamils believe that they are different from indians,their language is different from every other language.Their stand in the reservation issue is also motivated by this.These deep feelings cannot be ignored,when we comment sensitive issues. A few thoughts ( with the caveat- that we should continue to strive for unity)
1) why is there such a wide gulf between iyers and iyengars?
2)What is the reason for hatred towards the kanchi mutt- is it because it stands for pan indian hinduism? and does not recogonise the special status of tamil language?
3)Sri Vaishnava mutts do not attract such hatred? They seem to stay clear of such controversies.(the controversy is supposed to be about srirangam)
4)Srivaishnavas include tamil liturgy as a part of their anushtanam.The Advaita thought is considered elitist.
5)Is it also possible that vadama brahmanas ,who migrated from karnataka and AP during nayaka period, are just ignoring the tamil angle.not delberately,but because tamil nationalism is getting bigger and bigger and just cannot be accomodated within indian nationalism.I think only Time can provide answers,we are far too small.
6) brahmanas are just dropping off the tamil radar .
7) Tamil plays an insignificant part in our intellectual and spiritual life.except to notice scurillous attacks from dravidian racists.Of course we enjoy rajni and mani ratnam (to different degrees).For tamil non brahmins ,tamil is a vital part of their intellectual existence.( to the degree it exists)
8)Only scientists and engineers among brahmanas might help in reconnecting with the larger tamil society.But this will take time.we cant predict the contours of this process.
9)The attacks seem to have been targeted against sankara and madhva mutts.Is there a message being missed?
10)Reservation in tamilnadu cannot be delinked from liguistic nationalism.Tamils believe that they are retreiving their language and culture from the aryans after 1500 years of subjugation,which started from the pallava rule
11.
Barbarindian said,
on December 10th, 2006 on 6:42 pm
So, you guys think a Dravidian secessionist movement is possible? What is more likely, Dravidian secessionist movement or a full blown Dalit revolution?
12.
rc said,
on December 10th, 2006 on 8:06 pm
Barb / xyz -
Slow down guys !
The overwhelming majority of Tamils are hard working, decent, god fearing people who really do not care for this kind of hooliganism. They do not care about 3000 year old theories either. Religiousness is on the rise in TN among all castes. An outsider will not believe that this place is ruled by atheist ideology. Even lorries, autos, vans, and cars, are named after this or that god. Temple festivals are packed with people of all castes who mingle with each other quite freely and respectfully. There are pitched battles about rights to pull the temple cars on various occasions.
This is the surest proof of the irrelevance and total failure of the central theme of atheism in contemporary TN. Arguably, by attacking religion using intimidation and ridicule - the dravidian movement might have had an opposite effect. Just walk outside to any street corner and you will find people of all castes getting ready for the annual Sabarimala season. No state sends as many people there as TN. Most taxis, vans, tours are booked full going to Kerala. You cannot get a “Tirupati” appointment for two months down the road. People crowd the Tiruvannamalai festival in record numbers. Such acts of violence against an already diminished community will have the opposite effect of pushing people away from these leaders. The DK leadership should have adapted with the times and dropped the anti-brahmin rhetoric and focused on the positive things Periyar said about equality of castes, womens rights, and so forth. They are doing gross injustice to their own leader.
Let us not extrapolate the behavior of one or two outfits to the entire tamil population.
13.
Barbarindian said,
on December 10th, 2006 on 9:03 pm
Of course I was exaggerating, but then again I am not a newspaper reporter. I like to do scenario analysis. I realized reading your blog that a lot of local issues and realities are being glossed over at the national level. As a result, the noise from the active Dravidian guys that reach us is extremely loud.
This is a problem, perhaps this results from the fragmentation of politics. Mistrust builds because of this. Despite all the advances of new technology, there is a lot of segregation going on. This is not good but what can you do about it? Our political leaders are not being exactly role models in bridging the gap and likewise the electorate seem to gleefully pander to the communal divisive ideologies.
14.
Ramanan said,
on December 11th, 2006 on 2:26 am
RealityCheck,
Thanks for compiling the list of recent atrocities by EVR followers. I also think that someone needs to compile the atrocities that happened during the 60s, at the height of the Dravidian movement. Because they came into power, and history is written by the winners, the anti-Brahmin atrocities of the 60s are being slowly forgotten. With the release of the whitewashed “Periyar” movie, they hope the rewrite of history will be complete. It is up to the relatives and descendants of the victims to preserve the memory of those atrocities so that future generations can remember and the propaganda can be countered. Even now most Tamil intellectuals will simply deny that there was even a anti-Brahmin component to the Dravidian movement. Only a compilation of facts for all to see will negate this propaganda.
15.
rc said,
on December 11th, 2006 on 3:51 am
>> I also think that someone needs to compile the atrocities that happened during the 60s, >>
Absolutely.
Barb,
Of course, I knew you were exagerrating :-)
There are two faces to every ideology. Its natural appeal and whether or not it offers some tangible and/or material benefits.
Let me indulge in some exagerration myself. I will use an american analogy. Say the state of Massachussets offers a 20% tax credit for all obvious Yankees fans - because it feels the citizens are too partisan and wants to encourage support for all teams. You will have to wear a baseball hat and T-shirt to avail of this. Guess what will happen - most individuals will start wearing yankees outfits but secretly root for the red sox. The minute the 20% tax credit is withdrawn everyone will go back to their original positions.
It sounds farcical only because we dont expect a rational american state legislature to do something like this.
16.
xyz said,
on December 11th, 2006 on 7:41 am
rc,
i was only trying to highlight the ‘other’ viewpoint,not sound alarmist.There is no chance of Tamilnadu seceding, atleast for 20 years.Tamil politicians and intellectuals want to engage india,at their terms.In a detached way,i respect their viewpoint.Tamils have always had intercourse with the rest of india and tamils have much in common with other indians.
Neverthless they have a distinct identity.During the freedom struggle dravidian leaders supported the british.because they felt they would become second class citizens in independent india.(’parpana pillaikilodu nammal potti poda mudiyathu,eka india endra peyaral tamizhan nasuka paduvan’).”We can’t compete with brahmanas,tamils will be sacrificed at the altar of india.” Reservation was and is the only way to maintain the power equation.Tamil politicians of all hues and castes support this view point.This fear is shared by vokkaligas,ezhavas,scs.
Tamils had their way in state govt jobs and educational institutions.But the thugs were in the forefront during mandal 1.We resigned ourselves to the new situation..Now in IITs,the creamy layer is poised to have a free lunch.This is where tamils are different from others.Proportional representation is not implemented within TN.There are many layers in tamil society.pallars(sc’s),mutharayars(the single largest community in karur,tiruchi),konars and numerous other small communities are still poor.
The philosophy of Dravidian leaders is reservation in education and state employment ,but laissez-faire in all other fields.One can understand their concerns,but when it starts violating others’ basic rights,they have to be stopped.
The attack on temples has been selective.Even at the height of the dravidian movement,murugan and mariamman were not attacked.Iswara(sivan) was considered a “southern” god.pillaiyar(Ganapathi) was ,in this world view, a kannada import.Sri Rama attracted special ire.The hosur incident might also have to do with simmering tamil-kannada tension in the border town.
I wanted to highlight the complexity of the situation in TN.Madras is today more cosmopolitan than ever.People are pouring in from north india,AP and orissa.Many MNCs and indian conglommerates are setting up shop in chennai.The business climate and labour market is congenial to them.
17.
rc said,
on December 11th, 2006 on 8:19 am
>> Iswara(sivan) was considered a “southern” god.pillaiyar(Ganapathi) was ,in this world view, a kannada import.>>
Wow - this is crazy. Thanks for the info. Arent Ganesha and Murugan supposed to be brothers ? There are Ganesha sanctums in even the most ancient temples. Are they claiming some Kannadiga sneaked them in 2K years back ? If Siva is a “southern” god, then why are Mt Kailash and Gangotri glacier in the north. Doesnt make sense, not that I expect it to.
Are there any good books on this subject ?
18.
srinias said,
on December 11th, 2006 on 8:27 am
I had been to TN a few times.Tamil society is filled with hatred.These guys feel that their culture is superior to all cultures (including their border states).They also say that Tamil is a sweet language.That is pure shit.Telugu is the sweetest among south indian languages.I always feel that kannada culture is much superior and they are peace loving people.Not many people particulaly IT people prefer to go to chennai.They prefer Bangalore or Hyderabad. These guys even if they goto US move together speak in tamil.They are not easily sociable people.
19.
rc said,
on December 11th, 2006 on 8:38 am
One more thing that intrigues me a lot
If tamil nationalism was/is as strong as you claim. Why is there no support on the ground for the sri lankan tamils ? I am not talking about lip service or token fasts. I am talking about folks from TN going to fight the sinhalese oppressors. Just like Pakistanis get trained and come into J&K. If an Tamil equivalent of Lashkar opened a recruiting centre in TN - do you really envision anyone signing up ? I saw a pretty heart rending program on BBC recently where they showed the plight of the Jaffna peninsula due to the blockade. A doctor claims they dont even have gauzes, so they wash and reuse the old ones. Except one politician (vaiko) no one even bothered to make a major issue of this.
20.
Barbarindian said,
on December 11th, 2006 on 9:20 am
Off-topic: RC, Abi has posted quite a few posts on the Other India site about OBC population data. You might want to take a look.
21.
Brahman said,
on December 11th, 2006 on 10:42 am
I can imagine if these DK thugs were to try and cut the skullcap of a Muslim, or cut the frock of a priest. They will not dare do that, or they will be on TV getting their heads cut off, or in the case of a priest, their donations will dry up. Brahmans have been peace loving and law-abiding. If the arrested thugs are let off by the Govt, many may finally feel compelled to take the law into their own hands for self-defence, and the next decade may witness the first Brahman suicide bomber at a DK meeting. TN may become like Iraq with sectarian conflict and lack of law and order and plunging investment. I wish all thse DK/…[A-Z]*K parties would go and die in Sri Lanka.
22.
Reason said,
on December 11th, 2006 on 10:50 am
xyz has several interesting theories - dravida groups apparently targetted only Iyer (saivaite) brahmins and not iyengars (vaishnavites) because vaishnavites adopted tamil for worship. And also dravida groups did not abuse siva worship because siva was a tamil god, and they abused rama. But Rama is a god of Vaishnavites, so shouldn’t he be spared? is there a different theory for that? in truth both in saiva and vaishnava temples in tamil nadu, the agama worship and archanas are based on sanskrit. And both saiva and vaishnava temples recite tamil hymns during morning/evening arathi.
And dravida attacks on temples in hosur is because of karnataka-tamil nadu row - then what was the deal with attacks in Salem, Erode and Chennai? and what was with all that crap when naicker was alive, back in the fifties and sixties?
And dravida groups are only sending a ‘message’ to Advaita and Madhva groups with their attacks - the provocation was placing a naicker statue in front of Sri rangam, a Vaishnava shrine.
And that stuff about vadama brahmins migrating from karnataka - the vadama brahmin sect too has tamil as mother tongue - tamil was *not* the mother tongue of naicker - it was telugu or kannada, and naicker called tamil a barbaric language.
The reason why Kanchi mutt is specificaly targetted is very clear - The previous acharya, Chandrasekharendra saraswathi, toured all over the state, and all nooks and corners of tamil nadu in the sixties and seventies, when naicker’s hate mongering was at the highest and nobody dared stand up against that. Jayendra saraswathi even connected with dalits, visited their colonies, and in one particular incident at meenakshipuram in tirunelveli district, visited dalit people who had all converted to islam due to OBC atrocities and converted them back. The other vaishnava mutts kept to themselves and thus they were no threat to naicker’s hate mongering.
RC - dont go looking for logic with dravida stupidity. there is none. They do have volume and volumes of this same nonsense that xyz proffers, printed in books if you are still interested though.
23.
xyz said,
on December 11th, 2006 on 12:11 pm
reason/rc
There is truth in what you say as well.I am pointing out the “other” view point.I am not going to contest your remarks.They are insignificant in this context.I was`trying to explain the selective targets.and most importantly the mindset:the distinct cultural identity of the tamils.There is no reason for tamils to revolt.They have much in common with other indians.They are essentially pragmatic who want to extract the maximum leverage from weak central govts.rc is right when he says there is no groundswell of support for tamil eelam.
I dont have a theory to explain every facet of tamil life.But I stand by what i have said regarding the attitude of tamil mainstream politicians regarding language,reservations and how they view india.(with the possible exception of ADMK).this is no profound revelation either and is known to most perceptive persons in TN.
24.
Revathi said,
on December 11th, 2006 on 12:20 pm
From the indifference of the central govt to this distortion of history in Tamil Nadu, one feels that Tamil Nadu has already seceded from the Indian union
25.
srinias said,
on December 11th, 2006 on 12:23 pm
We too ( neighbours to TN) quarrel regarding caste,customs etc.But we never go to this extrme level of violence and hatred.For example Lingayats of karnataka say that they are not Hindus etc .But they never attack Symbols of Hinduism.Similarly Ezzavas of kerala influenced by Narayana Guru are also not violent.In AP also the converted Hindus never try to attack symbols of Hinduism
Violence and hatred are part and parcel of present tamil culture.They might have acquired this synndrome because of lack of emotional IQ. In their older movies their heroes used to act with tons of emotion.But they can overcome this emotinal syndrome by joining hands with mainstram India after stop feeling their superiority in culture etc..
26.
srinidhi said,
on December 11th, 2006 on 1:29 pm
If this mess won’t be stopped it is goona lead to huge amount of tension in India TN particularly only god knows what politicans are upto
27.
Ramanan said,
on December 11th, 2006 on 1:30 pm
Tamil culture at present is *extremely* prone to fascist leanings. Every now and then, such incidents occur to remind one not to be too complacent about things in Tamil Nadu. I wouldn’t be too optimistic about TN remaining in India. In the heart of hearts the dream of all the D*K parties is an independent Tamil country, completely free of Brahmins and non-Tamils. If and when there is sufficient instability in India, they will take advantage of that opportunity and create it.
28.
Reason said,
on December 11th, 2006 on 2:25 pm
xyz,
“I am not going to contest your remarks.They are insignificant in this context”
You can choose to not contest or contest. But actual data that contradicts your explanations does not become ‘insignificant’ just because you say so.
29.
rc said,
on December 12th, 2006 on 6:06 am
xyz/ Ramanan
The anxiety of the Brahmin community atleast in the state of TN is understandable. It is likely there is reverse discrimination going on in education and state employment. There is simply no way 96% of the state requires social justice in the form of hard quotas. However, in my view, things could have been worse. The Dravidian movement has kept the communists out of the picture. That is a huge plus in my book.
I would take a bit of ridicule and harassment - over lack of growth and jobs. Just ignore them with the worst contempt - and move on. There is freedom for the community to look after its own members. A tireless person like H.Raja of the BJP was not even able to get 10K votes from a so called brahmin area. Lakhs still patronize communist newspapers like the hindu. Look inside and you will find the answers.
30.
xyz said,
on December 12th, 2006 on 7:46 am
rc
tamil brahmin community is not homogeneous.It includes industrialists like the TVS family ,simpsons sivasailam and mallika (TAFE),India ,cements N.Sankar,N.Srinivasan(a close confidante of karunanidhi),owners of Hindu,founder of CTS lakshmi narayanan,mani ratnam,kamal haasan,owners of the tamil weekly Ananda vikatan.(All the above live in madras.) It is also a fact that tamil brahmins were the only brahmin sect which had ventured into business before economic liberalisation in 90s.(This was prompted both their confidence in independent india and the anti- brahmin movement).There are smart and wily tamil brahmins around.Perhaps there are more tamil brahmins than any other community among software professionals in bangalore.Large number of brahmin students migrated during 70s,80s and 90s to the west for better pastures.This was not due to reservation.
Aging mamas and mamis lead comfortable and contented lives in madras,listening to December kutcheries,secure in the knowledge that their children are doing well in the states.The brahmin angst is not shared by everyone.A substantial number found their way into the accounting profession as CAs (where there is no reservation).At the other end of the spectrum there are poor cooks and priests ,who struggle to eke out a living.There are numerous categories in between.
As i have debated in this forum for six months,even my view point has changed imperceptibly.After all,the brahmanas are a minority in TN.The feelings of envy in the heart of non brahmins seems understandable,though not justified.I agree wholeheartedly that ‘fat rich chettiar kids should not have the benefits of reservation’In the earlier period there was scarcity of seats and jobs and the heart burn was inevitable.
The point RC has been making, about criteria for determining backwardness be made transparent, should be our concern.we should not be sidetracked by other issues.
This is a complete U turn by me.I have been parroting again and again about the motivation of tamil politicians.After all ,karunanidhi has been in power at the centre for the last 10 years.This should have mellowed him.even ramadoss must be learning from his delhi experience,one hopes.Thousands of students from north are studying in madras.People do change with time.All said and done,tamilnadu is not kashmir.If the tamil leaders give up on chauvinism and become sensitive to people speaking other languages,(which i think wil happen) ,then the future augurs well.
How do I explain my U turn? There are more opportunities now than ever.The tamils themselves have benefited from central largesse in the UPA rule.The tamils have gained immense self confidence and knowledge because of reservation.Politically the threat from jaya is receding.Also TN has to engage rest of india.The tamil leaders realise that tamil nadu cannot break with india.If only they can tone down their chauvinism and develop respect for diversity,…
Many brahmanas have great regard for formal learning in languages,mathematics and physics.It is so difficult to stomach that some tamizharasan or anbazhagan is going to get admission in iits and central institutions claiming backwardness.We should ensure “fat chettier kids” do not get the benefit of reservation.
Modern life is not just about technology.It is also about capital,mass communication,marketing and a lot of other things far removed from academics.If brahmana kids have an opportunity to learn in decent schools and college,we should feel happy.
But the UPA govt ,which is worse than Aurangzeb according to PV indiresan,former director iit madras,may not even let that.
31.
Revathi said,
on December 12th, 2006 on 8:23 am
Dear xyz,
I cant figure out what your message is- you want to say that since there is a handfull of influential tamil brahmins in chennai (who by the way are least interested in getting organised on the basis of caste) discrimination of brahmins in Tamil Nadu can continue for another 50 years without any visible effect. Please correct me if I am wrong. But the most telling effect is that the brahmins whose traditional vocation was teaching have been practically eradicated from all govt institutions be it school, college or university.
32.
srinias said,
on December 12th, 2006 on 10:26 am
We the Hindus from neighboring states are deeply hurt by the atheistic fundamentalism by Tamilians against Hindu gods.If you guys do not believe in Hinduism ,forget it.But dont hurt us.Please dont bring in Brahmins vs atheists etc.In the other south indian states Hindus spread across all castes unlike in TN.
33.
xyz said,
on December 12th, 2006 on 11:51 am
revathi,
i share your anguish.but what can be done? we can only hope that brahmin kids get an opportunity to learn in good schools and colleges.The world is so competitive.We need to respect and nurture talent.but in our country and particularly our state so many powerful people want to cut down to size talented and honest people.
34.
The Rationalist Theist said,
on December 12th, 2006 on 2:10 pm
The only thing is that the politicians will do any thing to get richer.
I. DIVIDE AND RULE
Divide they have done.
People into nations(india and pak)
Nation into linguistic states
States into religions pitted against one another
Religion ( majority Hindus) into SC/ST/OBC/MBC/rural SC/rural ST etc.
II. DESTROY AND RULE
First destroy the majority religion
yups so their sons and daughters can keep on ruling either directly or through proxy
35.
The Rationalist Theist said,
on December 12th, 2006 on 2:13 pm
funny and strange –> whatever these so called atheists do is predicted by the vedas to occur in kali yuga.
36.
The Rationalist Theist said,
on December 12th, 2006 on 2:17 pm
quote ” The Dravidian movement has kept the communists out of the picture. That is a huge plus in my book.”
yeah ….dravidian sounds better than communist !
but the communist wud never attack just one religion to enlarge their fat ugly tummies
37.
Dr:Faqir chand said,
on December 13th, 2006 on 12:11 pm
Every cevil human being is his & condem such kind of barbaric act.All the Human rights groups ,Religious freedom groups orgnisation ,UN & Pseudosecular Indian Goprvernment are must stop this all barbrism against majority Hindus in India & bring the criminals & fundamintalist to justice.
38.
lmn said,
on December 13th, 2006 on 2:41 pm
revathi,if you are still listening
many indians are faculty members in prestigious universities in U.S.Those who are working in cutting edge technologies are teachers of tommorrow.If you have seen Sharan Sharma’s site, you will see that he is a teacher in his own right.Things are not that bad,though it is getting difficult for average guys and those at the margins.
On the other hand , one sees women venturing into apparel design,ad agencies,relocation services for foreigners and NRIs and so many other service sectors even in ‘conservative’ madras,which is no longer so conservative.
39.
xyz said,
on December 13th, 2006 on 2:54 pm
revathi,if you are still listening
many indians are faculty members in prestigious indian universities.Those who are working in cutting edge technologies could be the teachers of tommorrow.If you have seen Sharan Sharma’s site,you will see the teacher in him.There are so many dimensions to learning now.
Women are working in many new service areas ranging from apparel design , ad agencies, relocation services even in ‘conservative’ madras, which is no longer conservative.There is a certain momentum to this age ,which even dim witted persons like me can recogonise and this might overwhelm karu,ramadoss and co.We can not predict the future, but then no one else can either.
40.
No more Hindu-sthan « Satyameva Jayate said,
on December 13th, 2006 on 4:18 pm
[…] Controversy about installing Periyar’s statue right in front of Srirangam temple is already in news. We must have have heard how some Hindus took matters in their hand and broke the statue. However, the story does not ends here. Another blog has a very detailed report on the temple, statue and media-censored aftermath. A friend of mine commented, “Hindus shouldnt have broken the statue!”. Well, to explain the ground realities read about the aftermath. It will prove the indifference of media as well the law when it comes to acts of terrorism against Hindu society on the land of Hindus. There were complaints lodged at all level against DK’s statue inauguration ceremony only in vain. It is no surprise that local residents had to do what they did with Periyar’s statue. In any case, the Indian English media once again proves its bias against Hindu society by blackening out the reports of terror against Hinduism while printing pages on Periyar’s statue incidence. […]
41.
Ramanan said,
on December 14th, 2006 on 3:22 am
On top of that, a couple of days back, the shooting of the ‘Periyar’ movie was held **inside** the Varadarajaperumal temple, over the objections of temple authorities and devotees. Apparently the DK and DMK got the local police commissioner to give permission. I don’t think any other religion would allow a movie about its biggest opponent to be taken inside the premises of a sacred site. These are shameful times for the Hindu religion in Tamil Nadu. See http://thatstamil.oneindia.in/specials/cinema/shooting-spot/periyar_061213.html (report in Tamil) and http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7B297215DF-6311-4247-B250-BE84287547FC%7D&CATEGORYNAME=TAMNA (in English)
42.
Revathi said,
on December 14th, 2006 on 8:27 am
Thanks for all the encouraging comments. When I was younger and was barred from certain professions due to reservations it caused me a great deal of anguish. However, my dad consoled me saying that if you find your true vocation, no one can stop you. The fact that you didnt get into this or the other course meant that you werent sufficiently motivated to do so”. I realised that this was indeed the case and decided to change my line. Thanks to all the guidance my parents and teachers gave me, I am well settled in life. My advice to all those who feel discriminated is that ” the fact that you are competing in the general category in Tamil Nadu means that you have to be absolutely focused and put in your best effort. No one is out there to help you out and you have to use all the resources available both in India and abroad to make a place for yourself because you are going to need it. Good luck and may the force be with you”.
43.
xyz said,
on December 14th, 2006 on 1:11 pm
‘periyar’ film shooting:
how low can these bast.. s stoop? is there no limit to the depravity of karu? i have to eat my words.
44.
Mani said,
on December 14th, 2006 on 5:00 pm
Its about time the TAMIL hindus took a page out of UP HINDUS and also react. Why was there no mass protests in Chennai when this happened?
Imagine if this happend anywhere in the North of India. Tamil Hindus (esp Brahmins) either do not want to make a right a wrong or they want to flee their Land (tamil Nadu or India). They keep quoting parts from Gita and many Vedas ut rarely put them to practice when the sitation demands it.
TAMILs should also do something so that parties taht indulge in such activities will thinkl twice before doing such shameful activities.
45.
André said,
on December 15th, 2006 on 12:19 pm
I am from Brazil and never heard such atheistic terror movement like that. I admire a lot the hindu temples and gods and I hope this kind of atheist intolerance finds an end soon.
However, nice to see this blog with so interesting informations about India.
46.
Justin said,
on December 15th, 2006 on 12:33 pm
Hi there,
What did Periyar do?
Desecrate Rama’s idols! right!!!
Now see what is happening,his idols are getting desecrated,
further, why all the Furuore from the Dravidian Movement
Nothing has happened when Periyar’s statue is being desecrated,
if Rama does not live in Idols and Pictures,so does Periyar,
why all this Fuss?????
47.
Mahesh said,
on December 17th, 2006 on 4:52 pm
The Dravidian polity lacks the guts to tell publicly that all Hindus are their enemies.They know that it will ruin them.Instead, they choose to target the Brahmin population (which is less than 3% of the total TN pop.) through their malicious propaganda. Brahmins being a soft target won’t find anyone in political circles to defend them.(Contrary to the case of Muslims).
48.
srinias said,
on December 18th, 2006 on 4:37 am
I request tamil brahmin to be patient.
49.
R.K. Ohri said,
on December 18th, 2006 on 4:33 pm
These sordid events should act as an eye-opener for the beseiged Hindu society - not oly in Tamil Nadu, but all over the country. Just look at how Muslim jihadis have been attacking with impunity Hindu temples, targeting all Hindu festivals, ambushing and killing innocent pilgrims going to Amarnath and Vaishno Devi. In this nefarious game plan of assaulting and denigrating Hindu identity of India the Jihadis, the communists and self-styled secularists (or atheists) are united. It is us, the comatose Hindus alone, who don’t recognise thismenacing reality.
The need of the hour is to unite all Hindus, all over the country, irrespective of caste discrimination and form a united front to fight back. Unless that is done these calculated attacks on Hindus will not cease.
In India a new dogmatic religion (eminently comparable to dogmatic Islam and super-dogmatic Marxism/communism) has been taking shape since independence. Its name is SECULARISM. Lakhs of Hindus, may be even a few crore, have wittingly or unwittingly, renounced their ‘Dharma’ and climbed on to the bandwagon of this new religion which is called SECULARISM. This new religion is out and out anti-Hindu, violently anti-Dharma and viciously aligned with radical Islam and obscurantist cult of Marxism /Communism. Hindus must unite and fight this diabolical menace which is hellbent on destroying the Hindu identity of India.
R.K. Ohri rkohri@airtelbroadband.in
50.
Rajkumar A said,
on December 18th, 2006 on 6:32 pm
I believe the first act of provocation was installing a confirmed atheist’s
statue outside the temple. That being said, one of the tactical response from the hindu organizations could have been to put a kind of screen (in temple land) so that Periyar statue is hidden from the temple. The people installing the Periyar statue can not question what the believers do in their land. That would have arguably started a nice discussion.
And, as a tamil non-brahmin Hindu from Tuticorin, I fail to understand why some of the educated tamils belonging to non-brahmin castes, recognize these atheist scoundrels while it is very well known that Periyar called Tamil Language and Tamil Culture as barbaric. So much for the much touted self-respect of this Tamil idealogues.
All said, I feel the current imbroglio could be well used by Hindu Community if it acts in unison to completely undermine the DK movement once and for all. If they mess with us, we’ll mess with them. Certainly, Tamil Hindus are more faithful to their Faith than the DK/DMK would like to give them credit for.
51.
R Prasad said,
on December 18th, 2006 on 7:06 pm
Thanks to Wed, Internet and Email Technologies, we simply need not depend and blindly follow the Anti-Hindu, Leftist and Pro-Muslim Indian media. More and more people are watching and visiting the genuine nationalistc news sources to know the news. (See below).
http://www.indiacause.com/
http://www.dailypioneer.com/
http://www.organiser.org/
http://www.newsinsight.net/
http://www.haindavakeralam.org
At the same time, all of us Hindus should stop buying the SECULAR news papers, which are always against India, Hindus and Hinduism. We should deprive them of money. When we buy their news papers, they are using the same money to write lies about us and supporting Terrorists like Afzal. Also, we should stop paying personal ads in those news papers.
52.
Venkat Thiagarajan said,
on December 19th, 2006 on 1:09 am
The events in TN are really outrageous. Is there a rule of law or not in TN. How low one should get in order for larger public outrage. The DK elements must be made pay for all the damage and anguish caused. DK organization must be made pay financially. It is high time industires start pulling out of this racist state of TN. That may put some sense in to these low lives.
53.
Ashwani said,
on December 19th, 2006 on 11:42 am
Let us forget casts etc among us.To hell with all casts.We have suffered enough.We are Hindus and this is Hindusthan and this is a Hindu Rashtra.Now first we proud hindus have to unite and then we have to Hinduise the seculars,xtians,muslims and communists . All anti-Hindu forces first have to be recognised and then tackled with a strong force and in a planed way. Recognise the parties ,political persons,and various organisations,which are anti hindus, and are harming hindu interests or Hindu unity.Pl read daily hinduunity.org thru anonymous.org search engine.hinduunity.org has been banned by our anti-hindu Govt. recently.
Another site is also worth reading ie faithfreedom.org run by 500 muslims
to liberate muslims of the world from the evil clutches of islam and koran.
So Hindus have to be united and also have to be ALERTED against
comunists,xtians,muslims, and most dangerous politically secular Hindus.
54.
T. Kar said,
