Introduction to Essays on Dalits, Religion and Liberation

This page reproduces the full text of the introduction to Essays on Dalits, Religion and Liberation (2006), written by K. C. Abraham. In this introduction, K. C. Abraham reflects on Rev. A. M. A. Ayrookuzhiel’s scholarship, his engagement with Dalit struggles, and his contributions to the study of religion, culture, and liberation in India.

Abraham Ayrookuzhiel was a scholar with a commitment. His research work was guided and controlled by his commitment to the Dalit struggle. The present volume, a collection of his articles written at various occasions is a fitting memorial to this creative scholar.

In the 70s, we both worked at CISRS (Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society). When he came on board we did not know anything about him except that he was a scholar in religious studies at Oxford and that he was invited to join the staff of CISRS by the Director, M.M. Thomas. But Abraham proved to be a scholar with a difference. He was not a classical scholar who would be steeped in the philosophical edifice or the contours of doctrinal discussion of religions; but like his mentor, was concerned about the interaction between religion and social realities. For MM and Devanandan before him, a socially engaged Hinduism held the key for understanding and shaping Indian realities. Ayrookuzhiel, however, went beyond these scholars. For him, the Dalit struggle constituted the acid test of a religion’s relevance in India. It was his conviction, born out of his painstaking research that the Dalit religion and culture were colonised by Hinduism. For him, this religious colonisation was the root of all the political and economic oppression. Dalits can be liberated only, when they recover their own culture and religion which have been forcefully usurped by dominant castes. This process of appropriation of what is legitimately theirs is, according to Abraham an urgent task. He embarked on this task through his patient, life-time research.

Alas, he could not complete his academic work as a debilitating illness snuffed out his life at a relatively young age. Towards the end of his life, in a conversation he confessed to me that he had not written his magnum opus and that he wanted to summon up all his energy to that task. But death came too soon and his ambition remained unfulfilled. Nevertheless in this collection of essays we have glimpses of his insights into his path-breaking research of Dalit history and culture. Of course the articles have already been published in different journals. But here they are brought together and they will inspire and challenge us to do further research.

In this introduction, I may be permitted to mention some features of his project of study. One, a deconstruction of Dalit history and culture. The most prevalent idea that Dalits are part of Hinduism is rejected by many scholars starting with Ambedkar. But Ayrookuzhiel is emphatic on the Hindu colonisation of Dalits. The conquest of Dalits for economic exploitation by the dominant castes led to the suppression of their identity. Their God and symbols of divinity were now co-opted by the dominant castes. For this reason, Abraham, observes that, “the culture and religion that govern the Dalits are not their own making, serving their own interests opus proporium but they are the making of another people, serving another’s interests opus alienum. It is a religion and culture which expresses their alienation not their creativity. It is the product of their enemy” (p.2). This post-colonial reading of the Dalit history and culture is the corner stone of Abraham’s research. This is a process of deconstruction based on patient enquiry. Abraham’s this signal contribution in this area should be acknowledged.

Two, a process of reconstruction. The process of deconstruction gives rise to a process of reconstruction of Dalit history and culture. It is not an easy task as the present religious and cultural forms are distorted by alien powers. To wade through gross distortions and to construct even a facile shape of the authentic culture of Dalits is a task that requires the help of several disciplines. Abraham has raised a profile of authentic culture through his discovery of myths, stories, festivals and other cultural acts of Dalits. He has provided imaginative interpretation on them and we are enormously enriched by them. They have opened up new avenues of further research.

Three, Subversive language of theology. It is widely recognised that theology employs different languages to articulate the faith of a community: myths, stories, parables, metaphors, analogies and concepts. But observing the marginal communities, we now know that they have resorted to subversive forms of language. Their stories, even their humour, are a way of mocking at the images of God and divinity of the dominant groups and protesting against the social system that oppresses them. At several places Abraham has introduced the song of Pottan Theyam. In fact we are indebted to him for this discovery. The image Pottan is a counter-culture figure, and the revolutionary potential of this image has been brought out in all his interpretations. The powerless can express their protest only through their songs and dances: They are potent arms that pierce through the false consciousness of people and certainly destabilise the power of dominant groups. It constitutes a moral challenge against Brahmanical system.

Abraham rightly observes, “that there is a vast amount of folk songs, stories and myths that speak of Dalit protest, conflict and persecution by caste Hindus. While some of it is being collected and published much remains as oral traditions in the worship and cultic practices of the Dalits” (p.82).

Final comment: Readers will recognise that here we do not have a book where a key idea is systematically developed. But some of the creative writings are in fragments. The fragmentary nature of these essays does not in any way diminish the value of this book. On the contrary, it will generate new initiatives in research and create waves in our moral consciousness. How else it could be when one listens to Pottan who says:

These words may be listened to as Abraham Ayrookuzhiel’s own. A passionate scholar whose legacy CISRS has rightly and appropriately honoured by the publication of this book. More work has to be done in this area. I hope many Dalit scholars will be inspired to follow his lead.

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