Remembering the Vaikom satyagraha
Context- Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, will inaugurate the centenary celebrations of the Vaikom Satyagraha, on Saturday (April 1).
On March 30, 1924, in the temple town of Vaikom in the princely state of Travancore, a non-violent agitation started, marking the beginning of “temple entry movements” across the country.
(Credits- Rediffmail)
At the time, caste discrimination and untouchability was rife across India, with some of the most rigid and dehumanising norms documented in Travancore. Lower castes like the Ezhavas and Pulayas were considered polluting and various rules were in place to distance them from upper castes. These included a prohibition, not just on temple entry, but even on walking on the roads surrounding temples.
The Vaikom Satyagraha was launched in opposition to this. Amidst rising nationalist sentiment and agitations across the country, it foregrounded social reform. Not only that, for the first time, it brought Gandhian methods of nonviolent protest to Travancore.
The social context of Travancore at the dawn of the 20th century
- The princely state of Travancore had a “feudal, militaristic, and ruthless system of custom-ridden government,” cultural anthropologist A Aiyappan wrote in Social Revolution in a Kerala Village: A Study in Culture (1965).
- While the caste system was not unique to Travancore, some of the most rigid, refined and ruthless social norms and customs were seen in Travancore. Notably, the idea of caste pollution worked not only on the basis of touch but also sight.
- In the second half of the 19th century, a number of social and political developments would usher in social change much faster than ever before.
- First, Christian missionaries, supported by the East India Company, had expanded their reach and many lower castes converted to Christianity.
- Second, with pressure from the British Resident as well as the accession to the throne of well-educated and somewhat westernised Maharaja Ayilyam Thirunal, many progressive reforms took place. Most important of these was the introduction of a modern education system with free primary education for all – even lower castes.
- Lastly, forces of capitalism and these reforms created new social hierarchies – which were not always congruent with traditional ones. By the dawn of the 20th century, “there had begun to emerge among caste-Hindus,Christians and even avarna Hindus, especially Ezhavas, a significant educated elite,”
The rise of the Ezhava community
- During this time, the Ezhavas emerged as “the most educated and organised untouchable community in Travancore”, political historian Mary Elizabeth King writes in Gandhian Nonviolent Struggle and Untouchability in South India
- “However, although some Ezhavas successfully pursued education as a portal to advancement, overall it offered little help in obtaining jobs in the government service, because such posts were reserved for members of the upper castes”, King writes.
- Furthermore, while a small Ezhava elite had begun to emerge, ritual discrimination was still rife and in many circumstances, this overrode the material and educational progress made.
- The continued pervasiveness of caste caused significant consternation among the Ezhava community and other such backward communities, sowing the seeds for agitations to come.
The lead up to the Vaikom Satyagraha
- The issue of temple entry was first raised by Ezhava leader TK Madhavan in a 1917 editorial in his paper Deshabhimani. Inspired by the success of Gandhi’s Non-Cooperation Movement, by 1920, he began to advocate for more direct methods.
- That year, he himself went beyond the restrictive notice boards on a road near the Vaikom temple in north Travancore to make a point.
- While previously the British may have intervened in favour of more liberal policies to avoid social unrest, at the time, they were too caught up dealing with the Non-Cooperation Movement. However, the lower castes found a new ally.
- The rise of MK Gandhi and increased activism within lower caste communities and untouchables, social reform soon found itself front and centre of Congress’s and Gandhi’s politics.
- When Gandhi came to south India in 1921, Madhavan managed to arrange a meeting with him and secured his support for a mass agitation to enter temples.
- Vaikom, a small town with a revered Shiva temple, was chosen as the location for the first satyagraha.
The legacy and the aftermath
- That such a strong and colourful movement continued for over 600 days, non-stop, through social pressure, police crackdowns and even natural disaster – in 1924, Vaikom witnessed one of the largest floods in its recorded history – in and of itself, is admirable.
- Furthermore, the Vaikom satyagraha saw previously unseen unity across caste lines, which was crucial for this continued mobilisation.
- Yet, the end to the satyagraha was unspectacular, resulting in a compromise which many could not digest. It would lead to a rift within the Congress with Periyar famously falling out with Gandhi over the issue.
- While Gandhi, as always, was keen on a good compromise, for Periyar, the struggle had to be much more radical.
- In November 1936, almost a decade after the conclusion of the Satyagraha, the historic Temple Entry Proclamation was signed by the Maharaja of Travancore which removed the age-old ban on the entry of marginalised castes into the temples of Travancore.
Conclusion- Vaikom satyagraha showed the effectiveness of Gandhian civil disobedience as a tool for protest. Despite its shortcomings the Vaikom satyagraha brought untouchability, unapproachability, and unseeability to the forefront of political issues in India.
Syllabus- GS-1; History
Source- Indian Express
