If you believed in the grandeur and majesty of your ancestors, then it must have been derived from the many stories your Mom told you when you were young. As she made you look at the moon and deceived you into opening your mouth, swiftly inserting that bally concoction of rice with curd and curry into your mouth, telling you stories of Gods, kings, wars and ancestors.... You held those stories dear to your heart and with each rendering, some shine and sheen was added to the glorious past.
I had been waiting to read a period history by P K Balakrishnan on the caste system and Kerala History. Like all interesting off-beat books, this one is also out of print. The moment I found it with a circulation library, I snagged it. I still keep it and read excerpts from it as the imminent date of return is nearing. Now I have a deal with the travelling librarian who promised me that he will get it from me the day someone else requests the book. So I get to keep it for sometime(Why do interesting books always go out of print ? The best book on the Kashmir issue is written by Sisir Gupta. The book apportions blame equally on Indian and Pakistani sides and can be called a most objective assessment of the various dimensions of the issue. It may not be palatable to hawks on both sides of the border. Although published in India in the sixties, today it is not available. Only used copies are available in Amazon US)
Coming back to Kerala History, one could call this book a subaltern history which demolishes many popularly held myths and notions. These notions may have come from a mish mash of poorly made period movies, Ravi Varma paintings and a warped history that recites the stories of Kings. History, as they say is written by the Victors of brutal wars. Our mind fills with images of grand three storied castles, golden finery, women wearing anklets and clothes that flow from breast downwards in a single whole. And men, with their hair tied to the sides, brandishing thick mustaches, broad shaven chests and jewelry. There is delusion of wealth and prosperity all around.
The Mughals and other Deccan kingdoms derived their revenue from rent from agricultural land, which was later usurped by the East India Company and eventually the British Raj. This was a rich resource which went into building fortresses, treasures and patronage of beuty, arts, music and dance. The Book (Jathi Vyavasthithiyum kerala Charithravum) puts paid to all such elitist notions of Kerala's past.The kings of Kerala were no rentier class. Their income was not derived from agricultural land but from various sanctions and permissions.Women needed approval to cover their breasts, homes to adorn them with tiles, men to keep moustaches.... So one could imagine the leakage of income that could occur by a weak enforcement machinery and a populace that cared two hoots for taking permissions for such trivia. So all the rulers had was a false sense of self importance while the rest of the world mocked at them (much like bureaucrats of our day....)
And there were no grand buildings....two thirds of the landscape was occupied by deep forests. Even the reasonably wealthy class lived in low ceilinged houses with thatched roofs, which could be reduced to nothing in a flood or strong wind. The caste system cast its long shadow. The elite had the means to keep servants in large numbers. The Zamorin of Calicut would be preceded by a 100 Nair women who would carry brooms and clean the area as the king walked on it. . The Nambudiris are thought to have originated from Mangalore. Ezhavas from Sri Lanka. Nayars were a mish mash. All of them settled in a comfortable mad house that prescribed and maintained distances between each other.
The book is harsh on the elite castes, especially the Nairs and Nambudiris, and with good reason. Somewhere he describes the sight of men carrying lanterns and fire torches walking about to nest with their paramours, mistresses and wives in the dead of the night. While society imposed sanctions on whom one could sleep and have sex with, they appeared less moralistic on sex per se. The great wars by the martial race of Nairs were nothing but minor skirmishes. In other words, they were a bunch of poorly paid mercenaries, flexing muscles and tending to themselves. When called to war they would take their weapons and leave where duty beckons. And the evenings were spent with their loosely defined bed partners.
This book is a bit chaotically written. But a lot of effort has gone into its making. Historical works, gazettes and court proclamations are quoted to sustain the central theme of the book. The theme being that we have nothing much to be proud about.....The author is not an accomplished historian. But he has an engaging fictional style which brings the world before him alive. He has the ability to engage the writer and question his beliefs. I had read a biography written by M K Sanu about this immensely talented but under-appreciated writer. I only wish DC Books, the publishers, would come out with a new edition....
