THE  MODERN  RATIONALIST

The British rule in the Indian sub-
                                continent began in the later half
                                of the eighteenth century, got consolidated in the first half of the nineteenth century and continued till the end of the first half of the twentieth century, when it became free in 1947 after being partitioned as India and Pakistan, as a result of the refusal of the Hindu nationalists to grant communal representation to the Muslims. The impact of the British rule and its influence changed the material and cultural circumstances in such a way as to lead to a  total transformation in the way of life of the people of this region.

The change brought about was not superficial but basic, not ephemeral but permanent. It touched all the spheres of human endeavour - political, economic, social, religious and cultural. The fundamental transformation pertained to the material conditions as well as spiritual or mental outlook.

The centuries old darkness of ignorance was dispelled by the fresh light of knowledge. The educated people of India came into contact with enlightened aims and aspirations, higher values and principles. Blind faith and superstitious beliefs gave way to critical thought and questioning mind. Fatalist acceptance of sufferings and miseries was replaced by conscious efforts to improve the living conditions for the better, making life progressive, secure, comfortable and happy.

Basic changes in economic, political, administrative and legal set up combined with the inculcation of modern education and progressive liberal principles like liberty, equality and fraternity created a new awakening among the people, particularly among the educated elite. The awakened and enlightened persons motivated by sense of justice and sympathetic view wanted to remove the  degrading, shameful, unjust and cruel aspects of traditional way of life based on blind faith. This led to religious and social reforms.

Reforms involve change for the better or improvement in human behaviour and practice by removal of abuses followed in the name of religious faith and hallowed tradition. The urge for change or reform came through modern education and spread of new objective or scientific knowledge along with the spread of noble ideas and ideals like human dignity, gender justice, equality, liberty, fraternity and rule of law. While unity and political stability made people to pay increased attention to these elevating principles and values, remarkable progress in printing and publishing, transport and communication widened he outlook of the general public and facilitated their contacts and exchange of ideas.

This led to public spirited and well-informed people to think bold and free. They acquired a spirit of enquiry and began to question the necessity, validity, authenticity and the utility of customs, traditions and practices followed in the name of religious tenets as well as rites and rituals connected with them. They refused to follow blindly whatever was said in the scriptures (Shastrs). Everything was judged on the basis of justice, decency and humanity. Traditions and practices found to be cruel, indecent, degrading and unjust were given up.

An example

The various castes in South India, particularly those in Tamil Nadu, were divided into two groups - the left hand (Idangai) and the  right hand (Valangai) ones. There was no rational basis for this division, and the two groups frequently engaged in bloody clashes without any rhyme or reason. This had been happening for several centuries. But this regressive and socially suicidal practice faded away totally in the 19th century with the establishment of Rule of Law and the spread of secular knowledge about the physical, biological and human reality.

Buddha and Valluvar

The outlook of Indians remained basically religious and superstitious for about 2000 years. Buddha who lived and preached 2500 years ago emphasised the need for applying reason to decide about things and human affairs. He denied the infallibility of Vedas; he did not accept that hey were revelations, that was why he was dubbed as a ‘Nastika’. Experience, rational humanist thought and social good were the criteria, according to Buddha, that would make a thing or an activity acceptable or unacceptable.

Thiru Valluvar, the ancient sage of Tamil Nadu, refused to accept blindly the fatalist view that some people were ordained to live by begging. To him life devoid  of dignity was something unnatural and unacceptable. He wrote: If people have to beg for their subsistence, let the creator of the world himself wander wide (as a beggar) and perish. (Kural-1062)

But Buddha’s and Valluvar’s rationalism and humanism did not hold sway till the Modern Age. They were either forgotten or their ideals distorted and misinterpreted, hiding the real meaning and significance of their teachings. Such a situation prevailed for about 2000 years till the impact of modern European knowledge began to awaken the Indians from around 19th century.

Reformers

New education and knowledge once again kindled the spirit of inquiry, of rationalism and humanism. Imbued with a spirit of humanism Raja Rammohan Roy (1772-1833) cooperated with the Britishers to abolish Sati, burning a widow along with the dead body of her husband. Members of Brahma Samaj that he founded  propagated against idol worship and belief in multiplicity of gods and goddesses. Keshab Chandra Sen (1833-84) shared these views, and to that extent they were rational. They also worked for women’s eduction, the abolition of child marriages and promoting widow marriages. The task of removing the disabilities of women was also undertaken by Pandit Iswar Chunder Vidyasagar (1820-91), Behramji M.Malabari (1853-1912), the Maharashtrians Rao Sahab V.N.Mandlik (1833-89), Mahadev Govind Ranade (1842-1901) and the reformer from Andhra, Kandukuri Viresalingam (1848- 1919). But these changes advocated by the Brahmins and Brahminical upper castes were capable of affecting only about 15 per cent of the population. They asked for some reforms or changes in domestic relationship and in religious practices in the light of new knowledge and altered  circumstances in socio-economic and political spheres.

Abolition of Varna-Jaathi

Very little attention was paid to ameliorate the suppressive and oppressive conditions of the lower castes by the reformers of 19th century. The Sudras in general, deprived sections among them in particular, were denied education and a share in governance and administration. They remained illiterate and ignorant. The condition of the Panchamas was still worse. They were subjected to the worst discrimination and forced to live in subhuman conditions. The poor and pitiable condition was due to the social structure and practice sanctioned and maintained under Varna-Jaathi (caste) system sanctified by the scriptures of Hindu religion. Only a few revolted against the Hindu scriptures - Vedas, Ithihasas (epics), Puranas (mythologies) and other Shastras - that justified caste and its base Varna Dharma. The outstanding among them were Vadalur Ramalinga Vallalaar (5 Oct., 1823 - 30 Jan., 1874), Jothiba Phule (1827-90) and Pandit C.Iyothee Thass (1845-1914). Vallalaar was a man of religion and began his life worshipping traditional gods. But in the end he specifically and totally rejected those gods and all established religions, sects and creeds. He conceived god only as wisdom, grace and compassion symbolised by a lighted lamp. He unambiguously declared that Vedas, Ithihasas, Purnas, Agamas, Shastras etc were mere imaginary tales fabricated to fool and cheat people. He appealed to people to give up quarreling in the name of caste and creed, and treat all as equals. Sri Narayana Guru, the famous saintly social reformer of Kerala was greatly influenced by Vallalaar.

Social Revolutionaries

Periyar E.V.Ramaamy (1879-1973) and Baba Saheb Dr. B.R.Ambedkar (1891-1956) were the greatest social revolutionaries of India in the 20th century. Both of them considered Hinduism inimical to human equality, dignity, liberty and fraternity. Hindu religious philosophy and faith upheld Varnashrama Dharma that considers people as high and low merely on the basis of their birth in a particular Varna. The original four-fold Varna of Rig-Veda had given birth to four thousand castes in course of several centuries of turmoil and fight among the unthinking and misguided common toiling people kept deliberately ignorant and superstitious. Both Periyar and Ambedkar advised people  to quit Hinduism to gain human dignity and self-respect.  They explained how faith in Hindu religion, its gods and scriptures are used as psychological tools, social norms and foundations of law to justify birth-based discrimination, making the small minority belonging to the Brahminical upper castes hereditarily a dominant and privileged class and rendering rest of the vast majority to toil and suffer as the underprivileged and servile sections. They stressed education as a tool of social transformation. Periyar denied god, declared himself an atheist and said that humans can lead a moral and happy life without religion. Ambedkar embraced Buddhism that has no faith in god or soul. Both of them prescribed rational humanism as the sure way for peace and progress, unity and amity.

[The author is a Research Associate at the Centre for Research on Dravidian Movement, University of Madras, Chennai - 600 005).