“Casteism”- An open letter to Indian Express
via H.Balakrishnan published on August 28, 2007
Dear Sir,
Reading “Casteism in new form” (TNIE-27 AUG), I was reminded of the world famous and well known ‘Kelvin Dictum’, named after the famous British scientist Lord Kelvin: “- – when you can measure what you are speaking about,and express it in numbers,you know something about it; when you cannot express it in numbers,YOUR KNOWLEDGE IS OF MEAGRE AND UNSATISFACTORY KIND”.
It is now well known that ‘caste’ as opposed to the vedic ‘Varna Ashram’ was a colonial construct,especially by the missionaries to divide Hindu society and denigrate Sanatana Dharma, for the purpose of conversions. The British daily ‘Guardian’,published an Article by the historian William Dalrymple, about an exhibition of Indian paintings at the British Museum, commemorating India’s 60 years of Independence. In that insightful Article, the writer gives examples of how Christian missionaries during the Raj
were actively denigarting Sanatana Dharma. He wrote: ” By 1813, a change in the charter of the East India Company let loose a wave of evangelical missionaries on India. The act was pushed through parliament by William Wilberforce, who told MPs that “the natives of India, and more particularly the Brahmins, were sunk into the most abject ignorance and vice”. The Rev R Ainslie was typical of the new breed of missionaries filling the cantonments, or military stations, of India during the 1830s. Ainslie wrote of his visit to Orissa: ” I have visited the Valley of Death! I have seen the Den of Darkness!” According to another outspoken evangelical, the Rev Alexander Thompson: ” Those who between 1790 and 1820 held the highest offices in India, were on the whole an irreligious body of men who approved of Hinduism much more than Christianity: some who hated Missions from their dread of sedition; others because their hearts ‘seduced by fair idolatresses, had fallen to idols foul’.”
(http://books.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,330627884-110738,00.html)
were actively denigarting Sanatana Dharma. He wrote: ” By 1813, a change in the charter of the East India Company let loose a wave of evangelical missionaries on India. The act was pushed through parliament by William Wilberforce, who told MPs that “the natives of India, and more particularly the Brahmins, were sunk into the most abject ignorance and vice”. The Rev R Ainslie was typical of the new breed of missionaries filling the cantonments, or military stations, of India during the 1830s. Ainslie wrote of his visit to Orissa: ” I have visited the Valley of Death! I have seen the Den of Darkness!” According to another outspoken evangelical, the Rev Alexander Thompson: ” Those who between 1790 and 1820 held the highest offices in India, were on the whole an irreligious body of men who approved of Hinduism much more than Christianity: some who hated Missions from their dread of sedition; others because their hearts ‘seduced by fair idolatresses, had fallen to idols foul’.”
(http://books.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,330627884-110738,00.html)
Dr.N.S.Rajaram,sums up the anti-Brahmin campaign of the British missionaries succinctly in his “Sarasvati River and Vedic Civilization” as follows: ” Christian propagandists like Bishop Caldwell were unhappy that they could get converts only from the lower strata of Hindu society.Regardless of internal divisions,all segments of Hindu society-and many Muslims as well – looked to the Brahmins for moral and intellectual guidance.Caldwell and his fellow missionaries saw Brahmins as the greatest obstacle to their program.So they attacked the Brahmins in the most venemous language as oppressors of society.This is still the case.The idea was to turn people against those who were seen as the preservers and perpetuators of Hindu culture and tradition”. Ruth Manorama,Kancha Illiah and ilk follow in the footsteps of the Caldwells,Ainslies,Thompsons et al!!They are ‘wined and dined’ on the steps of ‘CAPITOL HILL’,for very obvious reasons.
Swami Vivekananda said: “Caste is a plan we want to follow- – .There is no country in the world without caste.The plan in India is to make everybody a Brahmin, the Brahmin being the ideal of humanity.Indian caste is better than the caste that prevails which prevails in Europe or America” (REF: “The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Kolkata,1985, Vol V, pp 215)
Lastly, I have a poser to Shri B.Arvind Kumar. Restaurants display ‘Rights of Admission Reserved’.That in a public place meant for the public. In such a scenarion,whats the big deal in a private house owner being choosy about his/her tenant? How infantile can we get?As regards ‘matrimonail ads’, I have a fairly ‘good collection’ of such ads by ‘Christian Castes’ (I thought Christianity was ‘casteless’!!) and will be only too happy to share it with the writer if he so desires!
VANDE MATARAM
WARM REGARDS
H.Balakrishnan
‘ATHREYA’
A1/8-FLAT-5
22nd CROSS STREET
BESANTNAGAR
CHENNAI-600 090
‘ATHREYA’
A1/8-FLAT-5
22nd CROSS STREET
BESANTNAGAR
CHENNAI-600 090
TEL: 24910140
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