Swami Anand Thirth: Untouchability, Gandhian Solution on Trial

Swami Anand Thirth: Untouchability, Gandhian Solution on Trial (1987) is a scholarly monograph by Reverend Athanasius Mathen Abraham Ayrookuzhiel (A. M. A. Ayrookuzhiel) that analyses the social reform work of the Kerala-based Hindu monk Swami Anand Thirth. Published for the Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society (CISRS) by ISPCK, the book reconstructs Anand Thirth’s lifelong struggle against untouchability and examines how his experiences reveal both the promise and the limits of the Gandhian approach to social reform.

Rather than offering a celebratory biography, A. M. A. Ayrookuzhiel presents a historically grounded and critical account. Drawing on the Swami’s memoirs, personal papers, interviews, and historical sources, he traces the development of Anand Thirth’s convictions, his encounters with caste prejudice, and his attempts to confront social exclusion in temples, markets, public roads, and political organisations.

Summary
Publication History
Critical Reception
References
External Links

Summary

A. M. A. Ayrookuzhiel’s narrative situates Swami Anand Thirth within Kerala’s reform movements from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century. As a young man exposed to both nationalist activism and caste oppression, Anand Thirth’s later decision to take sannyasa was driven not by withdrawal from society but by a desire to challenge deeply rooted discrimination. Using the Swami’s own writings, Ayrookuzhiel reconstructs episodes that reveal the harsh realities of caste and the limitations of existing reform efforts.

1. Introduction

The opening section outlines Swami Anand Thirth’s long public career fighting untouchability. Ayrookuzhiel describes meeting the Swami in 1979 and gaining access to his personal papers. This material makes it possible to examine how Anand Thirth’s views developed and how his experiences often aligned more closely with Ambedkar’s scepticism about Hindu reform than with Gandhian optimism. The Introduction also explains Ayrookuzhiel’s use of the term ‘Dalit’, chosen deliberately over older labels that carried hierarchical connotations.

2. Sannyasa for the Sake of Outcastes

This section places Anand Thirth’s early life in the context of Kerala’s renaissance movements. Born in Tellicherry, he grew up at a time when leaders like Narayana Guru, Ayyankali, and Karuppan were challenging caste-based exclusion. His school years contain early experiences of discrimination, while his involvement in nationalist activities shaped his ethical outlook. His eventual choice of sannyasa is presented as a commitment to social responsibility — an effort to serve communities subjected to systemic marginalisation.

3. Attempts to Create a Counter-Culture

A. M. A. Ayrookuzhiel describes Anand Thirth’s exploration of religious and ideological alternatives. The Swami read widely, attended Ramakrishna Mission programmes, studied Gandhi’s writings, and even considered Christianity and Islam as potential spaces of equality. Yet his memoirs express disappointment that many religious institutions avoided confronting caste directly. These experiences pushed him to imagine a counter-culture that could challenge caste ideology, not merely reinterpret ritual or doctrine.

4. A Dream Betrayed

This chapter highlights the clash between reformist hopes and lived reality. Anand Thirth’s memoirs recount multiple incidents of violence, humiliation, and exclusion — from public spaces, religious spaces, and civic spaces — demonstrating how deeply caste prejudice was embedded. His encounters with the Nayadi community, among the most oppressed in Kerala, left a lasting impression. Ayrookuzhiel uses the phrase “a dream betrayed” to highlight the distance between reform rhetoric and social reality.

5. Against the Sacred Abodes of Untouchability

Here A. M. A. Ayrookuzhiel turns to Anand Thirth’s involvement with Sabari Ashram and movements surrounding temple entry and public pathways. The Swami’s attempts to accompany lower-caste children to temples, markets, or public roads were often met with resistance or violence. These struggles reveal how sacred geography — temples, shrines, and ritual spaces — reinforced caste segregation. Challenging these “sacred abodes” became central to Anand Thirth’s mission.

6. Prejudice vs the Law

This section examines the tension between legal reform and actual social practice. Anand Thirth’s participation in the Civil Disobedience Movement, marches, and satyagrahas demonstrates his commitment to structural change. Ayrookuzhiel describes courtroom exchanges and police interactions that reveal how law alone could not overcome entrenched caste prejudice. Even when anti-untouchability laws existed, social attitudes often nullified their effect.

7. Conclusion

The concluding section underscores Anand Thirth’s persistence despite setbacks, violence, and institutional resistance. Ayrookuzhiel presents him as a reformer shaped by Gandhian ideals but forced by experience to recognise their limitations. The Swami’s life becomes a means to evaluate the gap between moral appeals and the structural realities of caste. Ultimately, the monograph suggests that genuine liberation requires transforming social and cultural foundations, not merely reforming ritual practice or expecting goodwill from dominant groups.

Publication History

The book was published in 1987 by ISPCK for the Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society (CISRS), Bangalore. Although the version preserved in the scanned volume appears as part of a collected works format, it was originally released as an independent monograph. The study draws on interviews, memoirs, and documentary material assembled over several years.

Critical Reception

While not as widely known as Ayrookuzhiel’s later studies on Dalit theology, the book is valued for its clarity and documentation. Researchers cite it for its:

detailed reconstruction of caste practices in Kerala;
careful use of the Swami’s memoirs and personal documents;
critique of the limits of Gandhian social reform when confronted with entrenched prejudice;
early articulation of themes that later became central to liberation theology in India.

References

A. M. A. Ayrookuzhiel, Swami Anand Thirth: Untouchability, Gandhian Solution on Trial (Bangalore: CISRS / ISPCK, 1987).
Archival, memoir, and field materials referenced in the monograph.