Migrating out of tamil nadu

[கால பைரவன்]

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Greetings!


Hostility against brahmins is rising by the day in TN. Social media such as blogs, twitter etc are double-edged swords. Though it can increase interaction among people from different communities which is a good thing, it can also be used as an effective tool to spread hatred far and deep and fast. While discrimination of all sorts already exist against brahmins, it has not been catastrophical. Yet! Once a critical mass is reached, this could change, as people in power might try to channelize this hatred to achieve their own political ends.


Brahmins have been migrating out of TN for quite some time now. I foresee that such migrations will start to happen at an accelerated pace in the near future. I would like to ask those, who have already migrated, to detail their experiences here in this thread. What kind of challenges does one face when migrating to a new place? Is language a significant barrier? How can members of our community help each other in this matter?

Thanks!

 

[tks]

I live on USA for much more than three decades and grew up in Delhi. I think my father migrated to Delhi due to job opportunities. As far as I know we never had discussions about caste. I did not know if any of my class mates during my Delhi days are Brahmins or not. It never came into any discussion at home though we did observe typical TB functions at home. In my visits to Tamil Nadu in 1990s and the next decade I heard about this systematic hate directed at Brahmin families. I knew one or two examples of real discrimination.

My real engagement with caste related discussion was actually a few months ago when I joined this forum. I came across a few Brahmin-hating-psedo-Brhamins here and was somewhat surprised. In my life I have never come across anyone who is a NB (never seemed to have a need to ask such a question) or any other non-Hindu religion expressing hatred like I see here. In the end I think any form of negative emotion towards anything or anyone is not a good thing and one must run away from such people.

The great thing is that there are great people everywhere - even this forum has real gem of people and they are both B and NB. Having never run away from anything I am not contributing to your question. But during my visits to India I found a particular dislike to duplicitous Brahmins and I found that people living in rural areas are wonderful people. Now that I think about this I dont think they were Brahmins. So based on my minimal experience I would say migrate out of toxic environment where there is hate messages of any kind. If there is a systematic oppression by government then one must fight that but one can still find great people who respect you for who you are - B or NB.

If I were to relocate back to India which is always a possibility I would choose rural areas of Tamil Nadu that have less of hypocritical, self loathing, brahmin-bashing types (B or NB). So my question is why migrate out of Tamil Nadu since rural places do have people who are broad minded. I can be wrong about my assumptions and can be corrected.

 

[Brahmanyan]

Dear Sri "கால பைரவன்",

Welcome.
This subject has been discussed many times in the Forum, under different threads. I request you to go through the same at your leisure.

Migration is not new to Brahmin Community. Brahmins are always group of migrants since time immemorial. I think you are not correct in generalizing antipathy towards a community which happens sporadically. In all my life I have never experienced any hatred towards me for being a Brahmin from any other person belonging to other community or religion. I have many good friends of forty and fifty years standing from other communities. Born and bred up in Coimbatore, I have migrated to Bangalore 45 years ago. The success of migration is assimilation. We should not put a fence around us as a Community, instead we should mix freely, and understand and appreciate the good among others. We should learn this from Parsi community. Mutual respect will make us comfortable in any circumstances. I do not see me as an individual, but treat as a member of a Community where I live. I have lived abroad also and found that, If we shed the blinkers of Caste, Creed, Religion and Language we can see the goodness of others.


Regards,
Brahmanyan,
Bangalore.

 

[DrBarani]

Brahmins have been migrating out of TN for quite some time now. I foresee that such migrations will start to happen at an accelerated pace in the near future. I would like to ask those, who have already migrated, to detail their experiences here in this thread. What kind of challenges does one face when migrating to a new place? Is language a significant barrier? How can members of our community help each other in this matter?

Thanks!

Yes, in recent decades this has been happening (though historically it isn't a new phenomenon). Actually, from what I see, not just Brahmins, even NBs are migrating out of TN, owing to complete lack of progress in the state. First, there was no cauvery water for some three decades. That drove out people from traditional agriculture profession to urban areas. Then the political looting left nothing in government "gajana" for any infrastructure, development or other progressive contributions that improve employment opportunities. For Bs the reservation policies added further trouble. Overall, the intelligent TNers must blame themselves for picking complete thieves as rulers.

Coming to your question, I'd say language barrier is the biggest hurdle to overcome if you want to move out of TN. Hence, anytime you go to a new place, take special steps to catch up on the local language. It takes only 2 weeks to gain a survival level grip on the language.

Addressing your last question "can members of our community help each other"...

FORGET IT. Brahmins are the least united group in the world. Too ego-driven, too suspicious of fellow Brahmins. If I am allowed to cite my personal life experience, I have only been betrayed by other Brahmins, who I continue to defend in TB forum.

 

[tks]

Brahmins are the least united group in the world. Too ego-driven, too suspicious of fellow Brahmins. If I am allowed to cite my personal life experience, I have only been betrayed by other Brahmins, who I continue to defend in TB forum.

Thank Isvara, I do not have personal experience in professional life about such betrayal but I have experienced this in non-profit community project work. I have heard horror stories from others. Continue to defend what ideals that the word Brahmin stands for (as described in BG (Gita)) against the 'ego-driven' TB types

 

[tbs]

FORGET IT. Brahmins are the least united group in the world. Too ego-driven, too suspicious of fellow Brahmins. If I am allowed to cite my personal life experience, I have only been betrayed by other Brahmins, who I continue to defend in TB forum.

hi bharani sir,
i agreed with u....even my personal experiences are same....im 101 % with u....no doubt...its really a golden words...every migration

has a unique personal story attach with it.....my migration is kind of film story....born tamil nadu....brought up in kerala....studied in

andhra....then karnataka....then assam...then delhi.....kashmir....punjab.....gujarat....maharashtra....canada.... finally USA....endless

story....stull continue.....till the end of life.....no complaints.....be positive,,,,,NADANTHATHELLAM NANMAKKE....

தவிர்க்க முடியாதது.....விரும்பி சுமந்த பாரம்........நடந்தது எல்லாம் நன்மைக்கே .....எல்லா புகழும் அவனை சேரும். ...


இதுவும் கடந்து போகும் ..




regards
tbs

 

[kunjuppu]

while i welcome 'கால பைரவன்' to this forum, i second Brrahmanyan's post below.

not to cast any doubt on 'கால பைரவன்', but it would be nice to get some background info, atleast what 'கால பைரவன்' thinks he/she wishes to project.

most members, start off slowly, introduce themselves and develop intimacy, familiarity within the forum.

on the other hand, 'கால பைரவன்' appears to have even bypassed the normal mandatory introductory post. his first post is to start a new thread, and jump gung ho into a topic, which i should say, has been discussed many a times before.

also, the tone of the post, the inbuilt anger, tendency to incite, etc. reminds me of meghavarshini, who is no longer here.

many honourable members have taken the effort to reply to 'கால பைரவன்', and i think, it is only decent if 'கால பைரவன்' continually makes his/her presence here. so far there is enough material to comment.

also, the virulent anti tambram - i am yet to see it in tamil nadu. it is all in one's perception, i think. if at all anything, the younger generation is gravitating towards chennai/b'lore/hyderabad for careers, unlike the previous generation which boarded a plane.

we go where there are jobs and prospects. we have been doing this now for close to 100 years.

'pseudo brahmins'? self hating brahmins? maybe tks would be kind enough to describe his profile of such.

thank you.

 

[Yamaka]

Greetings!


Hostility against brahmins is rising by the day in TN. Social media such as blogs, twitter etc are double-edged swords. Though it can increase interaction among people from different communities which is a good thing, it can also be used as an effective tool to spread hatred far and deep and fast. While discrimination of all sorts already exist against brahmins, it has not been catastrophical. Yet! Once a critical mass is reached, this could change, as people in power might try to channelize this hatred to achieve their own political ends.


Brahmins have been migrating out of TN for quite some time now. I foresee that such migrations will start to happen at an accelerated pace in the near future. I would like to ask those, who have already migrated, to detail their experiences here in this thread. What kind of challenges does one face when migrating to a new place? Is language a significant barrier? How can members of our community help each other in this matter?

Thanks!

Hello:

I am a Tamil, not a B, but married to one.

My view on people migrating is, lots of South Indians migrated to the North and overseas for jobs, better jobs and professional opportunities... I will NOT accept the notion that they migrated solely because of anti-B hatred.

Sorry to say, that's a political propaganda.

Before going to Madura College, Madurai (1967-71)(I am from a rural Ramanathapuram Taluk) I used to think that ALL Brahmins are well educated, and therefore, rich. My TB room mates told me several stories and proved that I was totally wrong. I learnt my good lesson. Now, I believe that 10%-20% of TBs are really poor, and they need support from the Gov't and the private charities, and they are getting it.

My wife's Chithi recently widowed, and she is giving away most of her vast inheritance to poor TBs associated with Temples in Coimbatore, and she says that very many older people are doing the same in TN.

You see, Tamil Nationalism and Dravidian Ideology is ruling TN since 1967.. the State is one of the Tier One States in India, along with Gujarat, Punjab, Maharastra etc. Today, a TB is the CM, and she is talking with Hillary Clinton to increase business co-operation and collaboration with the US.

Probably, better days are ahead of TN..People need not migrate out of TN...there is a flourishing private sector in TN...nearly 30% of private economy is in the hands of Bs, and that's true even in TN.

As others have said, language is the prime issue for people migrating.. and you need to have an Open Mind... you should never think in terms of Bs and NBs, Caste and Religion....

I migrated to the US in late 1979... I am a Card Carrying Member of American Economy and Politics...I love it every minute of everyday, and my wife, kids (girl 26 and boy 22) and myself are FREE of Religious entanglements and bias.. therefore, very happy and healthy mentally and physically.

As I have written in this Forum, I have reached my Moksha ... the real Freedom in this world! Lol.

Please keep writing more about your views, bias and politics!

Peace.

 

[kunjuppu]

Y,

for the first time i am getting a credible figure for the poor number of tambrams. i will believe your figure 10% - 20%, and from now on i will take 15% as standard tambram bpl.

what is a tambram bpl - i do not know enough to put ruppee figures under the current structure.

i would say someone, who rents a small portion of a house, has a bicycle (no scooter), wage earner, wife stay at home, and with one or two children max, studying in school.

ofcourse in this group, the most vulnerable is the children, and i think, it would be a shame to waste a child's future for want of money.

i do not believe our community is hard hearted. if kerala iyers trust is any indication, there are more money than appeals. of late there are hardly any solicitation for education. only medical bills.

could all of these be uplifted. i do not know. to move up in life, first there needs to be a motivation - a desire for upward mobility, along with the risk, mobility, hard work and skills to smell out opportunity. like my own father, who was orphaned when he was 3 and basically left to fend for himself.

today, i think, a smart temple priest can make a decent living, and that is putting it mildly. he may not be able to find a wife within the caste, but that is a different issue.

another inhibition that we need to get away is the despise of working with one's hands. i know a few, who work the rigs, tambrams, in the gulf or in the merchant ships even as cooks, and whose annual salary runs over 4 lakhs rupees per annum.

so, where there is a will there is a way.

thank you.

 

[Nara]

... If we shed the blinkers of Caste, Creed, Religion and Language we can see the goodness of others.

This is precisely why I admire and respect you B sir.

I may have mentioned I also grew up not very far from where you did. The place was the buckle of the EVR belt. My own school teacher in my 9th standard class was a local DK leader. He was a terror, to us all, he didn't show anyone any special "treatment" because of his ideological slant, we got into trouble to the extent we didn't finish HW or got a problem wrong, or some such silly stuff.

TBs have been very adept in sniffing out opportunities wherever they present themselves, and have taken full advantage of them, be it inside TN or outside. All my relatives who still live in TN are doing ever so quite well. Some of the older relatives who went north have all now come back to TN and are having comfortable retirement. None of them suffer any discrimination, hatred or anything of the kind.

To expect those who venture outside TN to nurture their caste identity and help others based on caste affiliation is really unfortunate. I wish to express my full support to your call to shed the blinkers of Caste, Creed, Religion and Language and to see the goodness of others -- golden words.

Cheers!

 

[கால பைரவன்]

Thanks to all those who have responded.

I did not expect such deluge of responses in a short time.

Member Kunjuppu wondered why I did not introduce myself. Neither did I know it is "mandatory" nor did I feel the need for it. Hence I skipped. On hindsight I realize it would have been useful.

I won't be able to write here every day. Perhaps, a couple of times in a week. Frequency will vary. I will try to respond as much as possible.

Though this thread is my first active participation, I have read discussions on other topics in this forum. I did not expect everyone to agree with my perception. If some of you have not faced discrimination, well and good. It is not true for everybody else.

 

[கால பைரவன்]

If we shed the blinkers of Caste, Creed, Religion and Language we can see the goodness of others.

True statement!
But I do not see the appropriateness of this statement as a reply to my post.

I am under no illusion that the tamil brahmins will migrate to a land of "only brahmins". My post is not about "getting away" from NBs, but about migrating from tamil nadu. I created this thread because I am concerned about the situation in tamil nadu. Anti-brahmin sentiment is most virulent in tamil nadu and based on the various tamil social media that I have frequented in the recent past, I only expect the antipathy to grow. Hate-mongering is a valuable political tool.

 

[கால பைரவன்]

Too ego-driven, too suspicious of fellow Brahmins.

<br><br>
I am already feeling it here

 

[tks]

True statement!
But I do not see the appropriateness of this statement as a reply to my post.

I am under no illusion that the tamil brahmins will migrate to a land of "only brahmins". My post is not about "getting away" from NBs, but about migrating from tamil nadu. I created this thread because I am concerned about the situation in tamil nadu. Anti-brahmin sentiment is most virulent in tamil nadu and based on the various tamil social media that I have frequented in the recent past, I only expect the antipathy to grow. Hate-mongering is a valuable political tool.

Sri கால பைரவன் -

Welcome!


Please do share - without revealing identity - what kind of experience you have had and what you have witnessed. It would be educational for me at least.

It is great that you joined the forum, read a few posts and started a thread on a topic that is important to you.

===========

K - There is a definition of Quality and Leadership - that it is hard to define but easy to recognize. Today I came across a web site which had a funny statement : Leadership is like pornography. It's hard to define, but easy to recognize.

In the same manner the terms I used are hard to define but easy to recognize.

Profile: I have no background in psychology but in my limited experience I found that those that spew hate-messages - however disguised they are as a liberal or conservative messages - tend to have serious and unresolved issues with their father/mother.

I have nothing more to say about this. I am not expecting a response or agreement.

 

[கால பைரவன்]

To expect those who venture outside TN to nurture their caste identity and help others based on caste affiliation is really unfortunate.

The premise of the argument is migration from TN as a result of discrimination and hostility towards members of a caste. To appeal to the very same community, given the premise, is neither wrong nor unfortunate - especially in this forum!

 

[Brahmanyan]

Hello:

I am a Tamil, not a B, but married to one.

My view on people migrating is, lots of South Indians migrated to the North and overseas for jobs, better jobs and professional opportunities... I will NOT accept the notion that they migrated solely because of anti-B hatred.

Sorry to say, that's a political propaganda.

Before going to Madura College, Madurai (1967-71)(I am from a rural Ramanathapuram Taluk) I used to think that ALL Brahmins are well educated, and therefore, rich. My TB room mates told me several stories and proved that I was totally wrong. I learnt my good lesson. Now, I believe that 10%-20% of TBs are really poor, and they need support from the Gov't and the private charities, and they are getting it.

My wife's Chithi recently widowed, and she is giving away most of her vast inheritance to poor TBs associated with Temples in Coimbatore, and she says that very many older people are doing the same in TN.

You see, Tamil Nationalism and Dravidian Ideology is ruling TN since 1967.. the State is one of the Tier One States in India, along with Gujarat, Punjab, Maharastra etc. Today, a TB is the CM, and she is talking with Hillary Clinton to increase business co-operation and collaboration with the US.

Probably, better days are ahead of TN..People need not migrate out of TN...there is a flourishing private sector in TN...nearly 30% of private economy is in the hands of Bs, and that's true even in TN.

As others have said, language is the prime issue for people migrating.. and you need to have an Open Mind... you should never think in terms of Bs and NBs, Caste and Religion....

I migrated to the US in late 1979... I am a Card Carrying Member of American Economy and Politics...I love it every minute of everyday, and my wife, kids (girl 26 and boy 22) and myself are FREE of Religious entanglements and bias.. therefore, very happy and healthy mentally and physically.

As I have written in this Forum, I have reached my Moksha ... the real Freedom in this world! Lol.

Please keep writing more about your views, bias and politics!

Peace.

Dear "Yamaka",

Well said. If we unshackle ourselves from the self bound chain of Religious, Caste and other petty bias, we can see the beauty of human values.
Incidentally, I am a native of Coimbatore and I am also an old student of Madura College, Madurai (1948-50) where many of my Hostel mates were from rural areas of Southern districts.

Regards,
Brahmanyan,
Bangalore.

 

[DrBarani]

The premise of the argument is migration from TN as a result of discrimination and hostility towards members of a caste. To appeal to the very same community, given the premise, is neither wrong nor unfortunate - especially in this forum!

Brahmins, esp TBs, are fatalistic from their political correctness.

"lets be religion and caste free!" is translated as "pound me again, I won't fight back!"

 

[Yamaka]

Dear "Yamaka",

Well said. If we unshackle ourselves from the self bound chain of Religious, Caste and other petty bias, we can see the beauty of human values.
Incidentally, I am a native of Coimbatore and I am also an old student of Madura College, Madurai (1948-50) where many of my Hostel mates were from rural areas of Southern districts.

Regards,
Brahmanyan,
Bangalore.

Hello Brahmanyan Sir:

I am happy to see one of my very Seniors here in this Forum. I have read most of your posts; I loved many of them.

Kind regards.

Y

 

[tks]

Brahmins, esp TBs, are fatalistic from their political correctness.

"lets be religion and caste free!" is translated as "pound me again, I won't fight back!"

There are many living outside India and/or TN for many years and may have only 'limo view' of what is going on. Rather than speaking with 'political correctness' which in my view is somewhat selfish- speaking against any form of discrimination and adharma is better.

I dont think one has to be caste-free or race-free or religion-free but rather superiority-free and be respectful to differences. It is impractical to realize homogeneity (which is terrible in my view) but leading people towards mutual respect for differences is achievable. Let us learn to celebrate diversity and speak against any form of discrimination.

 

[vikrama]

Dear Mr Kalabhairavan,
The anti-Brahmin rhetoric which we witness today is only a wave on the surface, whereas the bottom is not so violent and rough. They are made in order to conceal the inability of the politicians to bring welfare to the majority. The majority are now better informed that they have begun to see through these tirades. How many NBs, do you think, took at face value, MK’s statement that Brahmins caused the defeat of DMK? We have learnt to live with them and progress in spite of them.

At the inter-personal level even the hard core Dk is not against Brahmins. Every B can vouch for it. For my part, I tell you two cases.

More than half a century ago, there was one Ganesan, a colleague of mine who was a DK supporter. He carried a six inch long knife in the folds of his dhoti to stab at offending Brahmins. Out of office hours, he wore only black shirts. We were great friends. He with his black shirt and I with bold stripes of vibhuti on my forehead walking together to the park used to amuse the onlookers. We talked everything under the sun except religion and caste. We respected and loved each other.

In the recent past, here was another Ganesan, a hard core Dk, who changed his name to a secular Tamil one. He worked under me as a Tamil teacher. He used to indoctrinate students with his views on Aryas and Dravidas. Unlike most Principals I used to take classes right from VI std. and interact with students whenever a teacher was absent. On such occasions the students had questioned me about the fact of Aryan Invasion, and after my explanations they were convinced of the prejudiced attitude of their Tamil teacher. We never confronted each other directly and we pulled on for nine years together.

After my retirement, I was told by a common friend that he had become a believer and performed the marriage of his daughter with an Iyer officiating as priest and with his original name printed on the invitations.

Hence, Kalabhairavan, be optimistic.

More on my next post.

 

[vikrama]

Like any other community, among TBs there are exceedingly rich people on the one side and exceedingly poor on the other. The wealth of the top and middle strata trickles down to the bottom through a system of religious rites.

Mr A is an old man, unable to do any work. But he has to supplement the poor salary of his son working as petty vendor. Mr A visits Gnanavapi daily and gets a decent income from those performing obsequies.

Mr B. is a former-owner of a coffee-club in a small town. He sustained loss and could not continue his business. He knew no other trades. He enrolled himself with an agent who supplies Brahmanas for Sapindikaranam, Otthan, Sraddhams etc.. Now he is earning not less than Rs. 6000 p.m. after paying commission for the agent.

Mr C was not interested in studies in his young age nor was he interested in learning any trade. Driven to the corner, he began to carry corpses. Now he is a sought after self employed undertaker with a car for his business and another for personal use. He gets not less than 3000 per death. He is occupied all the 365 days.

Mr D is also an old man who does not want to do 'mean' jobs like the above. He hangs around Kalyana Mantapams and is rewarded with Bhuri Dakshina and sumptuous meals on all auspicious days.

Mr E began his life as an assistant to a cook. Now he is a catering agent worth crores in assets. He supplies A to Z for B marriages.

Mrs F is a widow with two children to bring up and no source of income. She helps Brahmin families in cooking for Sraddhams etc. Her wage for 3 hours of work is nearly Rs 1000.

While the system looks after all types of Brahmin men and some women, miserable is the lot of destitute men and women with no physical strength even to move and those who still live in villages. They go to the free old age homes run by Brahmins and some by others.

Now, Mr Kalabhairavan, if the educated Bs migrate out of Tamilnadu, will they set up the same system in their new places and enable these uneducated to survive?

 

[kunjuppu]

...
While the system looks after all types of Brahmin men and some women, miserable is the lot of destitute men and women with no physical strength even to move and those who still live in villages. They go to the free old age homes run by Brahmins and some by others.

Now, Mr Kalabhairavan, if the educated Bs migrate out of Tamilnadu, will they set up the same system in their new places and enable these uneducated to survive?

a good and thoughtful post vikrama.

i think there is more than one way to skin the cat or rather the many many roads can lead to rome. take your pick.

there are folks like me who are abroad, and who wish to help our community. most of us are not rich by any means, and we have our family commitments. but there is always money to spare for the downtrodden.

a few years ago i was looking for opportunities. through contact i supported vishranthi, an old age home, in chennai. but soon found, that it had very rich sponsors, and it did not make a difference whether i contributed or not.

that is how i ended up with kit. kerala iyers trust. it is basically a money transfer facility managed free of cost and impeccably honestly by a retired couple in mumbai. there are members in india and abroad. contributions come from both, but the members from india play a key role.

these are spread all over kerala and some in tamil nadu or mumbai. through word of mouth, they hear of the need. a third party visits the needy to verify. in almost all cases, it is approved and the money is xferred within 2 days.

the need can be any need. a while ago, we had a member here, who was unable to pay the capitation fee for his daughter's engineering college, but felt comfortable to carry the regular fee schedule. within 3 or 4 days, the gap in funds was sealed, and we have another young lady engineer to be in a couple of years.

last year, there was an elaborate discussion here about starting a brahmin centred college in bangalore, or anywhere in mysore state, where we qualify as a linguistic minority and hence could practice preferential treatment. as usual, it was all talk.

my suggestion, to set up ad hoc clubs, collect money and xfer them to the needy went unheard. i am not surprised, because the loudest noices are coming from those with the tightest purse strings or a hidden agenda, mostly socio political. i will not buy that. i will also not buy the presence or the interference of religious mutts, RSS, bajrang dal or sangh parivar into any organization that i send money. that way kit is apolitical and aritual - a pure single purpose entity - whose sole duty is to identify need, verify need and xfer money. quickly.

this model can be emualted a thousand times by individuals, and their friends. i do not know why all the talkers here including kalabhairavan, can take the initiative, gather a few friends and relatives, identify one single need, and make it go away. then they can concentrate on another one.

one at a time. will there be any takers?

do you want my answer?

 

[talwan]

Dear KalaBhairavan,
I think the reason for Migration based on Need.Mostly People Migrate for existance.It happens to All communities.It is Not specific to one community.Yoy may be Knowing Sardhrs are more in London as Taxi Drivers.Malayalees in anywhere and everywhere.Now a days More Biharis as labours moved in to Chennai.
Alwan

 

[Iyyarooraan]

The Kazhagams have often pronounced their anti-Brahminism. The upliftment of lower categories was necessary with regard to the progress of civilization. It was unfortunate that the backwards were themselves reluctant to go up notwithstanding the propaganda against the so called upper community. But eventually the propaganda helped them to stir up. All of us should be glad that they are marching on, too. However, it is a mistaken belief that they are lead by the propaganda rather than by own efforts. They had brought down the flag of “Dravidanaadu”, but the banner of ‘propaganda’ is still flying perhaps to alert a few who might still slip back. There was not a constitutional provision to prevent others from competing.
Brahmins have been migrating even before Independence to the length and breadth of India. Certain amount of credit for what India is today, goes to this miniscule community. Kazhagam’s pronounced policies consequently created competition, healthy or unhealthy. Migration got accelerated. Other than TN, anti-brahminism is not worse anywhere in India. MK would have been happy to drive us even out of India through Khyber pass. It is an irony that MK sympathizes with Sri Lankan Tamil cause. Having said all these, we should admit that nobody was capable of driving us out. We did not protest and discretion told us that the world is one open to all. Already TN was a densely populated state and other states were calling us. The community is still multiplying in TN some maybe doing good, and some may not. Another myth to be broken loudly from the Everest top is that a Brahmin helped another Brahmin.
My plea is why not officially accept that Brahmins also contribute to the development of TN and Tamizh. I left TN 5 decades ago and still love Tamizh more than ever before. MK has got into his head that after Sangam period he only resurrected the Tamil language. For all his love of Tamil, he did not change his name or of his sons to pure Tamil. JJ is not the savior of the community as she is backed by the chip of kazhagam’s block. At the most she is made of the scraps of Dravidanaadu and is a rank opportunist.
Whatever progress TN has made that could be of a natural course. Had the Brahmins been accepted as compatriots, TN would have made more strident progress, with less corruption. A Brahmin would have been happy with a pant-shirt pieces or a saree for his wife; definitely not running into hundreds of crores. JJ is not included in the community. As against migration, substantial immigration is also taking place to give lie to MK’s “Manohara” and “Parasakthi” dialogue styles!
The cycle has not come a full circle to rejuvenate the community with pride, only pride. Till then the community should save itself from distracters within.

 

[Yamaka]

Like any other community, among TBs there are exceedingly rich people on the one side and exceedingly poor on the other. The wealth of the top and middle strata trickles down to the bottom through a system of religious rites.

Mr A is an old man, unable to do any work. But he has to supplement the poor salary of his son working as petty vendor. Mr A visits Gnanavapi daily and gets a decent income from those performing obsequies.

Mr B. is a former-owner of a coffee-club in a small town. He sustained loss and could not continue his business. He knew no other trades. He enrolled himself with an agent who supplies Brahmanas for Sapindikaranam, Otthan, Sraddhams etc.. Now he is earning not less than Rs. 6000 p.m. after paying commission for the agent.

Mr C was not interested in studies in his young age nor was he interested in learning any trade. Driven to the corner, he began to carry corpses. Now he is a sought after self employed undertaker with a car for his business and another for personal use. He gets not less than 3000 per death. He is occupied all the 365 days.

Mr D is also an old man who does not want to do 'mean' jobs like the above. He hangs around Kalyana Mantapams and is rewarded with Bhuri Dakshina and sumptuous meals on all auspicious days.

Mr E began his life as an assistant to a cook. Now he is a catering agent worth crores in assets. He supplies A to Z for B marriages.

Mrs F is a widow with two children to bring up and no source of income. She helps Brahmin families in cooking for Sraddhams etc. Her wage for 3 hours of work is nearly Rs 1000.

While the system looks after all types of Brahmin men and some women, miserable is the lot of destitute men and women with no physical strength even to move and those who still live in villages. They go to the free old age homes run by Brahmins and some by others.

Now, Mr Kalabhairavan, if the educated Bs migrate out of Tamilnadu, will they set up the same system in their new places and enable these uneducated to survive?

Hello Mr. Vikrama:

I like your perspective on this issue.

Unlike Mr. KalaB's view, I feel that there is only anti-B political rhetoric in TN and not hatred really. TBs have been a part and parcel of the TN's societal fabric as in any other State in India.

TBs or Bs are a very small community (about 8%) in TN or India to have a "Stand Alone" political stature. However, they can form a voting bloc if they organize themselves well, as the Jewish people do in the US, and command a respectable stature in policy making, IMO.

I have a question for you: From your experience and estimation,

How many TBs are really poor in TN? By poor, I mean a family of 4-5 with one earner making Rs. 4500 per month or less.

My estimation is about 15% of the total TBs (who make up about 8% of the TN population).

Thanks.