Kanimozhi Beating the dead horse, the ‘Aryan’ problem to politick

Kanimozhi rakes up Dravidian-Aryan controversy
 

THOOTHUKUDI: The DMK seems to have reverted to its original policy of ‘Dravidian-Aryan’ controversy in its fight for the implementation of the Sethusamudram project.Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi, at a welfare distribution function, organised by the Thoothukudi municipal administration here on Sunday, gave a clarion call for an organised fight against the ‘anti-Tamil groups’, who, according to her, were using Ramar Sethu issue against Periyarism.She charged that the Ramar Sethu row had been raked up by the people like Cho Ramaswamy, Subramania Swamy and Jayalalithaa and they all come from a Brahminical background.

(EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE)

Comment by Shri Kalyanaraman

The subject is Rama Setu and the mid-ocean channel passage seeking to destroy the world heritage. The issue is sought to be diverted as an ‘aryan-dravidian’ divide, a favourite pastime of the last five decades of dravidian politics.

 Smt. Kanimozhi the new kid on the DMK block (often mentioned as the candidate in waiting for the next central ministerial berth) seems to have resurrected the Dravidian-Aryan bogie. If so, she should realize that Antonia Maino (aka Sonia) is an Aryan (aka European) and hence, she has to posit ‘dravidian’ versus Antonia.

The inherent contradiction in this attempt to re-discover the old winning formula for the ‘dravidian’ parties is clear that proxy enemies are sought to be identified instead of fighting it out with Antonia who withdrew the affidavit in the Supreme Court, fearing a backlash from the Congress vote bank, if Rama and Ramayana are denied and who was reminded that Mahatma Gandhi (whose surname she tries to hijack) wanted Rama rajyam.

 Smt. Kanimozhi the poetess should have known that Kannagi [of the Tamil classic ‘S’ilappadikaaram’ of Jainamuni Ilango Adigal], who is the embodiment of Tamil cultural tradition also prayed to Kotravai (Durga) and in the same classic, both Rama and Rama Setu are mentioned. So, just as Kannagi is part of Bharatiya tradition, Rama Setu is also part of Bharatiya tradition as a sacred tirthasthanam. 

It is unfortunate that even the younger generation politicians also indulge in rhetoric about ‘self-respect’ forgetting that our very identity is related to the traditions that Kannagi and Rama Setu represent.

 Maybe, it is time for this generation of politicians to re-read what Dr. Ambedkar had to say about the ‘Aryan theories’. Arya is simply another form of Tamil, ‘ayya’, a respectful way of addressing. Ravana and Rama are both addressed as ‘arya’ in the Ramayanam, the aadi kaavyam of Valmiki (who may not fit into the brahminical category mentioned by Smt. Kanimozhi).

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