Confessions of a Tamil Brahmin Friend,
By Ram Krishnaswamy aka Rambo
12th January 2022
I am what my TamBram friend calls "Dai Sudra" affectionately; I don't take any offence but jokingly retaliate by calling him "Dai Pappan"
Neither the words Sudra nor Pappan are derogatory in true sense and it is how one perceives it.
The British employed many Tam Bram's as they were slightly better educated as Supervisors in the Govt Jobs. A supervisor translates in Tamil to Par Pananan meaning one who looks over you and supervises and in colloquial Tamil Par Panan became Pappan and used often in a derogatory manner in modern independent India which is not right ( Of course we can Blame the British for it like everything else)
Over the years I have had the good fortune of knowing hundreds of Tam Bram Friends in school and at University, all fantastic as individuals but when it came to God and religion they always felt they were superior.
One Tam Bram Friend explained to me and said " Ram You are what You are, and I am what I am" and what you are and what I am are basically a reflection of our childhood and upbringing and what we are made to believe as children. Our beliefs and habits are from "Thottil to Sudukadu" meaning our beliefs are from "Cradle to Grave"
He said "let us compare our Childhood"
You Ram were Born in Andaman Islands where every one spoke Hindi, to Telugu Parents and were educated in Tamil speaking Madras. It appears yours was like a large Joint Family as you are constantly speaking about your six siblings and a host of cousins. In such an environment you grow up learning how to love and care and share what you have and help each other. This is very very apparent and is etched in your personality. Plus your Parents sent to to a Catholic school.
In my Case Ram, I am the son of a Temple Priest in a small town in Tamil Nadu. My Dad performed Prayers at that one temple and came home every night with a lot of Bananas, Coconuts and sometimes some temple Prasad but very little cash to buy basic groceries. We Brahmin Kids were not allowed to go and play even marbles or Gilli Dandu with other children as they were low Caste. My Grand Mother sat there eagle eyed and if any of us broke the rule she'd complain to my Dad who will cane us when he got home.
So it was a Life of Fear. We were forced to fear God as Opposed to Loving God.
As a Kid I longed to eat Jelebis and Laddus sold in the local sweet shops but not allowed as they were made by Non Brahmins. All I ate as I was growing up was Bananans and Coconuts and mostly curd rice and some vegetable mostly Brinjal
We Brahmins seldom live as Joint Families mainly because each and every Brahmin man had to find a temple and make it his own and that temple was his only source of Income. Most were attached to small Ganesha temples at street Corners.The Lucky ones with influence were attached to major Temples and were better off. Imagine being a Priest at Tirupathy Venkateswara Temple; those Priest live like Royalties
Now to supplement income Brahmins had to find work outside Temples. So they started performing Pujas and Rituals of Rich Non Brahmins houses. Some became astrologers
Birth, Death, Weddings, Grahapravesams etc the Brahmin Priests are always dictating to people what needs to be served to Gods to appease the Gods and the Priests gave an elaborate list of Provisions from rice to three types of Dhal and Vegetables and spinnach, fruits, new Dhotis and sometimes even sarees. This was like an online shopping list for the Priests Family.
Majority of us Tambrams studied in local govt schools as we could not afford expensive Convents. Children of affluent Brahmins like IAS Officers, Judges, Lawyers, Doctors and Engineers did choose Catholic schools to Hindu Schools. Yes he agrees "it is hypocrisy, Preaching Hindu Religion to the masses and going against our own beliefs and sending our Children to Catholic schools".
Basically Ram, Brahmins of India used the "Fear of God to control the illiterate masses"
This reminds me of a 60 Minutes program by George Negus soon after 9-11 attack on Twin Towers in USA. ( I will try and locate this You Tube video if I can)
George Negus explained how the American Govt has always used "FEAR as a Tool to Control the American People.
USA being a predominantly Christian Society used Fear of GOD to control its own people.
Then came the Hippie Culture: A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in UK English, was a member of the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world.
In 1967, the Human Be-In in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, and Monterey Pop Festival[12] popularized hippie culture, leading to the Summer of Love on the West Coast of the United States, and the 1969 Woodstock Festival on the East Coast
From what I remember Woodstock marked the beginning of Americans shunning Christian Religion and seeking alternative life style of Drugs and free love. I was shocked to see in Sydney in 1976 only a handful of people went to Church on Sundays as compared to Santhome Church in Madras that could not accommodate all worshippers.
Americans then used the Fear of the Commies or the Reds. This was JFK era and the Cuban Crisis.
Then it was the Fear of Al Queda. Al-Qaeda is a militant Sunni Islamist multinational network of Islamic extremists and Salafist jihadists. It was founded in 1988
Fear of Al Queda, a word most of us may not have heard was used daily after 9/11 and in 2022 it is the Fear of Wuhan Flu that is Americas Trump Card making China the Global Baddy
My Friend said "Ram virtually every religion be it Hinduism, Christianity or Islam" uses Fear of God to Control and brainwash the masses of believers, except Buddhism perhaps.
Basically what we are and how we think and behave is directly dependent on our Childhood he says "We Brahmins only know how to receive and never learnt to give and share"
I am sure you are aware that when some one dies in a Brahmin Family, the Minute they discover the person is dead, they will wrap the body in a bed sheet and place the Body outside their homes.
Yes I have seen this with my own eyes and always felt sorry for the person who died and what a cold Callous Practice it was all in the name of Religion and superstition.
I am sure I will not be wrapped in a bed sheet and placed outside my own home minutes after I dropped dead. Thank God for that
As a Rule Tam Brams who studied in Christian Schools are more broad minded and mix freely with people irrespective of caste or religion. When I joined IITM in 1964, I could tell the difference between Tam Brams from Christian schools and Hindu schools and can never forget one Tam Bram Buddy from Christian College telling me " Dai Avan Papan da, avanai nambathe" meaning he is a Tam Bram so don't trust him" :-((
This discussion was an Eye opener
Now I have Tam Bram Friend from Texas who visited us in Sydney with his wife. I asked him what would you like for Dinner and he says Some Nice Aussie Red Wine and a Nice Aussie T Bone Steak. Truly Liberated and freed from blind practices. I agreed with him that there is No God out there is watching what we eat.
Covid Pandemic is another Eye Opener as nearly 6 million people have died Globally and not one Religion has been able to cure people or claim a miracle.
Where is God is my question?
If there is a God why do we need religion, race, caste creed etc. All Man made divisions to control the confused masses
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Comments received:
- True, you were taught to be secular right from the beginning but for him he realised secularism at later stage in life.God resides in each one of us and these Kula and Gothras are man made to divide and rule.
- Brilliantly composed. Will go through it again to go into the depth of it. It says a lot
- On kovil prasadam sarkarai pongal: a heterogenous compound of dead flies, rancid butter and dirty sugar.
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I agree to all what has been said.....To add a few more- all information about past knowledge were with the small percentage of brahmins and the were selfish to keep it to themselves for protection and safety
- many cultural beliefs are created artificially to control people and even kings
- they opposed Buddha so much as it was going against them and their safe living.
-democracy since 1947 is new to India moving from a 3000 yr old hierarchical system.
- this freedom in democracy has brought knowledge to everyone....specially after the net.
- I do also believe all humans are born simple and pure and then brainwashed and identified with religion, country, language, caste etc by Parents, teachers and leaders around
