Image from Deccan Chronicle |
“Doms are the keepers of a sacred flame –
supposedly burning for centuries – over which they have sole ownership.
Lighting each funeral pyre with the Doms’ fire is considered not only
auspicious but also crucial. Without it, it is alleged, a devout Hindu will not
receive moksha, liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth.” [Fire
on the Ganges]
Doms are an untouchable caste of
people living on the banks of the Ganga in Varanasi, a place dear to Lord Shiva.
The Hindus believe that if they die in Varanasi, their souls will attain the
ultimate deliverance from the cycle of birth and death. If they cannot die
there, at least the corpse should be cremated there. Doms are the
corpse-burners in Varanasi.
Though these Dalits called Doms are
untouchable by caste, they are the gate-keepers of heaven. Radhika Iyengar’s
book, Fire on the Ganges [HarperCollins, 2023], tells us the
story of the Doms, a story of oppression and exploitation. Obliquely, this is
also a story of the inhuman caste system that is still practised in India in
spite of its prohibition after Independence.
One of the striking ironies about the
Doms is that they cannot touch an upper caste person who is alive but they
should cremate the upper caste person when he is dead.
Socio-political systems which make
use of religion for their validation are usually tilted in favour of a few people.
India’s caste system is the best example. The system is a creation of the
ruling classes: the Brahmins and the Kshatriyas. The Brahmins control the gods
and the Kshatriyas control the humans. Every person in the kingdom is a slave
of these upper classes one way or another. These people have created the system
in such a way that all others will (have to) remain subservient to them.
Today, their place is taken over by a
few politicians and their corporate cronies. The creation of such systems
entails extensive use of rhetoric. Gods are an integral part of that rhetoric.
New temples and pilgrimage centres are also integral to that system.
When the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor
was built in Varanasi, the Doms were afraid that they would lose their land
just as many other Dalits did. But they were lucky. Maybe, they are happier too
as they would probably get more ‘clients’.
Radhika Iyengar presents a few
individuals from the Dom community in this book and thus makes the narrative
quite personal. It is not an academic discourse at all though extensive
research preceded the writing of this book. We meet certain individual Doms
whose stories touch our hearts. They are all victims of a highly exploitative
system. Their women are double victims as they are exploited and oppressed by
their own men too.
These Doms don’t have enough money to
educate their children. So the children too grow up and become corpse-burners. As
they grow up, they also learn to steal the shrouds which are removed from the
corpses just before the cremation. These shrouds are sold again. Children earn
their bread.
A few manage to get some education.
Very few go for higher studies. The one who looks after the electric crematorium
in Varanasi is a Dom who is a postgraduate. He wishes to become a lecturer in a
college. But when the author asked him if he was ready to hand over their caste
profession to members from other castes, he is scandalised. “This is my birth
right!” He asserted. “Only I and my community can burn corpses. We are
the Doms.”
Caste is so deeply entrenched in the
very soul of people that they can’t think beyond it even if they are educated!
That is the efficacy of a system which is rooted in the divine milieu. Its creators
are geniuses.
But not everyone is like this
postgraduate. There are a few Doms who get out of Varanasi and find good jobs
elsewhere. There are even some of them who marry a woman from a higher caste. “Money
makes the difference,” one Dom who married a Yadav woman says. Theirs was a
love marriage. But the woman’s family accepted the Dom husband for their
daughter because he was economically well-off. The old caste system is giving
way to a new one: one based on wealth.
The book is a straightforward
narrative that intends to present a journalistic picture of the Doms to
ordinary readers. As I reached the last page, I was struck by one thought. Why
don’t our leaders reform the system so that every one in it can live with
greater dignity? Instead of giving us more temples and pilgrimage centres, why
don’t they give us more centres of higher learning, institutions that will
enlighten us and make us better human beings? And change certain rituals which
are so deadly for the environment.
I know the answer. Nevertheless, the
question keeps coming up in my mind every now and then especially when I read
books like this.
I had no idea the caste system still worked like this. Interesting.
ReplyDeleteIndia is a country of lots of interesting things.
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteElitism exists in all societies - though by having such definitions, India does stand out... there are many of us who think the world be better for more equality; but reality is that humans are animals and animals must have hierarchy. They know no other way... YAM xx
Not equality but dignity is what I propose. Enabling every individual to live with dignity should be the mission of the Viswaguru, I believe.
DeleteNever heard of Varanasi.
ReplyDeleteCome to India. You'll hear of amazing places.
DeleteSeems to be a bold and courageously written book on the caste system. The system is deeply entrenched in India's soul and needs to uprooted from the system. The book appears to be a very good read. I will read it sometime soon.
ReplyDeleteHi Tom, the above comment is from me Jai. I am having some problems in commenting through my google account.
DeleteBlogger is cautious nowadays with comments. I keep getting warnings from them! India is a dangerous place for writers, according to the West. What can I say except Heil Modi!
Delete"Instead of giving us more temples and pilgrimage centres, why don’t they give us more centres of higher learning, institutions that will enlighten us and make us better human beings? " . We all know what is required for the welfare of the country and society at large. We also know why this will not be allowed to happen!
ReplyDeleteBut we keep electing them again!
Delete