Tamil Brahmins: Lost in Tamil Nadu.

[prasad1]

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Years ago, well-known Tamil actor and political satirist Mr Cho Ramaswamy had remarked tongue firmly in cheek – “Tamil Brahmins are people who fight with each other, degrade themselves and paint the entire community in shades of dark.” If you look at the events (in literary and movie circles in Tamil Nadu and the political climate), you will realise that Mr Ramaswamy was absolutely right then, he is right even now.

We talk about Kashmiri Pandits becoming strangers in Jammu and Kashmir. The Tamil Brahmins find themselves alienated in their own land. With more than 75% of the younger generation of Tamil Brahmins having moved to foreign land in pursuit of job / education and others scattered across different parts of India, it is an easy guess that population of Tamil Brahmins in Tamil Nadu is steadily waning. The increasing trend of inter-caste marriages is a further threat.

Ask any like-minded Tamil Brahmin settled abroad or settled in other parts of India, whether he would like to relocate to Chennai. The answer would be a strict no. Chennai auto drivers are notorious but they are particularly harsh on Tamil Brahmins. Some of my cousins who studied in Chennai have shared anecdotes of how they were ragged for speaking the Brahmin language.

A Malayalee will always support a Malayalee, but a Tamil Brahmin, will always work against other Brahmins. The people whom I have mentioned in the above paragraphs are classic examples. The net result of all these is that Tamil Brahmins are slowly losing their identity in Tamil Nadu.

2010. A village in Tamil Nadu. A street that houses Brahmins called as “Agraharam”. Unlike the past, where “Agraharam” was symbolic of “Brahmins”, today the “Agraharm” is a mere prop. Not a single house in the “Agraharam” belongs to a Brahmin.

http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=9570



This is an old article published by Mr. G. Venkatesh, but I think it is still appropriate.

 

[Raji Ram]

It is true that Tambrahms are mocked by many groups in Tamil Nadu. The dialect which is more close to chaste Tamil is also teased in many Tamil movies. And no need to say about the plight of Tambrahms in Hindi movies!

The polite nature of this community is exploited everywhere.

Almost all the points in the OP are true even today.

 

[vramanathan]

Fully agree with the views.

 

[krish44]

It is true that Tambrahms are mocked by many groups in Tamil Nadu. The dialect which is more close to chaste Tamil is also teased in many Tamil movies. And no need to say about the plight of Tambrahms in Hindi movies!

The polite nature of this community is exploited everywhere.

Almost all the points in the OP are true even today.

AS a second generation TB in delhi, I take pride in calling myself a TB and boast about our TB culture.I flex my muscles like

the native delhiwala and mostly the other party withdraws. It is wise to be polite only to those who are and use the choicest

gaalis to pay back in same coin.After all delhi has taught us to feel superior to others around us.why blink when challenged ?

 

[krish44]

There is increased assertion by brahmin groups due to rise of bjp in tn and elsewhere. They feel encouraged to take on others.Same is the case in north also

 

[Raji Ram]

Dear Krish Sir,

I am sorry to say that the so called modern Brahmins

mock at those who do nithya karmAs and call them

'madi sanji mAmAs'. :sad:

Since alcohol, non veg food are consumed by a few,

this group has lost its proud heritage!

Kamal Hasan asks a 'pApAthi' to check the taste of nonveg stuff,

in one of his movies. :hungry:

 

[krish44]

With a brahmin friendly govt in power at the centre ,brahmin groups flaunt their thread and protest actions from anyone passing degrading remarks.They took to the streets to protest cutting of threads by vandals.This standing up to others was not witnessed earlier.
in delhi temple going brahmins with panchakacham and tuft is common place

 

[mkrishna100]

Dear Krish Sir,

I am sorry to say that the so called modern Brahmins

mock at those who do nithya karmAs and call them

'madi sanji mAmAs'. :sad:

Since alcohol, non veg food are consumed by a few,

this group has lost its proud heritage!

Kamal Hasan asks a 'pApAthi' to check the taste of nonveg stuff,

in one of his movies. :hungry:

Only to get a taste of the bitter medicine from the Papathi in Power who sided with Islamists to Ban the Movie and how Kamal cried like a canary threatening to run away from USA .

 

[KRN]

The mistake made by Tamil Brahmins was in not creating an effective intermediate caste aligned with them. In Kerala, we have the Nairs who are considered a FC, counting roughly 8-10% of the population. Many of the nairs owe their patrimony to the 'sambandham' relationship their mothers had with the Nambudiri brahmins or Iyers. Due to this, the nairs always had feelings of superiority over the other non brahmins. Voila, the superior-than-others nairs ensured that the Nambudiris are not isolated in Kerala, the way the Tamil Brahmins came to be in TN. Kerala doesn't have this much of caste hatred as seen in TN. Also the Nairs ensured general acceptability for the nambudiris and their religious practices, among the rest of the populace.

 

[KRN]

This is not a brahmin friendly Govt at the Centre. Every Govt has to be OBC-friendly, and cannot be seen as pro-brahmin