Retaining Relevance
According to a news item, none of the political parties in Tamil Nadu has put up a brahmin candidate for the forthcoming assembly elections.
Shri Rajagopalachari, popularly known as Raja Ji, acted as the Chief Minister of the then Madras State from 1952 to 1954. He was a brahmin and was a scholar of Sanskrit scriptures. In 1969, Madras State was renamed as Tamil Nadu.
Ms J Jayalalithaa, who lifted Tamil Nadu to peaks of glory, was a brahmin. She was a brilliant lady and was proficient in English, Tamil and Hindi. She also had some knowledge of Sanskrit. She was a visionary. She built the foundation of the prosperity that we see in Tamil Nadu today. She was intolerant to any law-and-order disruptions. The anti-social elements lived in fear during her period of rule.
Brahmins in Tamil Nadu are dedicated to Tamil culture. Karuna Nidhi's personal doctor was a brahmin. So, too, many of his advisors and trusted officials were brahmins. When you talk to a Tamil brahmin about Tamil language, his eyes brighten up and his chest swells with pride. Some of the greatest authors, scholars and poets of Tamil have been brahmins..
In spite of such great qualities of brahmins and their dedication to the state and its culture, for nearly a century, a hostile attitude towards them has been systematically built up against them with an ulterior motive. They have been dubbed as Aryans from the North who wish to destroy Tamil language and culture. These anti-brahmin organisations have made it a practice to subject brahmins to public insult. Someone like Kamal Haasan, who was born in a brahmin family, uses situations in his films to make the audiences laugh at brahmins and their practices.
It goes to the credit of Tamil brahmins that they have retained their good qualities and their great cultural values in spite of virulent attacks by some. It is not that all Tamils heap insults on brahmins. A majority of the people laud their intelligence, their trustworthiness, and their gentle behaviour. One would think that politicians and some actors use this technique for getting attention. By their common Hindu practices and religious activities, brahmins provide unity to the nation. This irks those who wish to promote regionalism and disintegration of the nation. Shri Rahul Gandhi who says that India is not one nation but a nation-of-nations talks about 9% dominating the others.
In India, one cannot change one's caste. So, the only option available to the brahmins in this hostile environment is to maintain their greatness of achievements. This is the only way of remaining relevant in a society where they are numerically insignificant.