Mediyaan YuvaOne of the oft-repeated things while talking about the Dalit politicians of today is that they keep their constituency in a perennial state of victimhood complex. They spend time, energy and money keeping their people reeling in this dangerous caldron of ‘imagined’ victimhood and oppression. For them, everything that has happened or not happened today has a backstory dating back to the Vedic age.
In this backdrop, it is very hard to believe that we had a Sage, a Yati who cared less about the backstory, never hid behind the smokescreen of victimhood and oppression, but worked very hard to provide a level playing ground and beyond for the people who were backward on most parameters compared to the rest of the society. What makes this great Sanyasi’s story interesting is that he faced discrimination, and there was always some force that tried to oppress him, but he never cried foul, claimed victimhood and used that as the trump card to win votes and elections. He analysed the situation objectively and came up with ways the backward community could swim against the tide and win.
Swami Sahajananda was born on January 27, 1890, in a Dalit family as Munusami (his Poorvashrama name), near Arani (140 km from Chennai). His parents, Sri. Annamalai and Smt. Alamelu were daily wagers. Seeing young Munusami’s intelligence and promise, he was sent to the local American Arcot Protestant Mission School. He moved to Tindivanam to continue his class six at American Arcot Christian Higher Secondary School. It only took a few months for him to memorise and recite the Bible, chapter and verse. The missionaries who ran the school were overjoyed; they were optimistic that another heathen would soon be ‘civilized’ and added to their fold. The priests at the missionary boarding high school started putting pressure on young Munusami to accept their ‘good news’. The youngster had other ideas. He was clear that Mother, Motherland and Dharma aren’t some fancy dress that can be changed at will. The enraged missionaries asked him to pay Rs. 60 as the boarding fees if he cannot convert. Sri. Annamalai had to take loans to pay the princely Rs. 60, and Munusami, who was now in class eight (1903), had to drop out of school subsequently. Munusami joined his parents doing menial jobs to support their livelihood and finance the loan. The family moved to Kolar in Karnataka, famous for its goldmines. Around this time, he came in touch with some Sanyasis and Yatis and started spending more time in spiritual and Dharmic contemplation. He was seventeen when he told his parents that he was going to take Sanyasa and immerse himself in spirituality.
He wandered around learning more about Sanatana Dharma and its scriptures from many Gurus. Yogi Neelamegha Swamigal, Dakshina Swamigal and Kailasa Swamigal were a few of the Gurus that Munusami had learnt from. He was not only a great Tamil orator but a fantastic writer, too1. He was proficient in Tamil and Sanskrit2. His travels took him to Karapatra Swamigal3 in Vyasarpadi, Chennai. Karapatra Swamigal took Munusami under his wings and gave him Sanyasa Deeksha and the name, Sahajananda. It is also said that Karapatra Swamigal asked Swami Sahajananda to move to Chidambaram4 (July 1910) and start his work among the people there.
From there, there was no looking back for Swami Sahajananda. The amount and depth of social work this great Sage did thereafter for the oppressed and backward classes of Tamil Nadu is immeasurable. He was later nominated as a member of the Madras Provincial Legislative Assembly (1926-32, 1936-47) and later entered the Madras Provincial Legislative Assembly from the Chidambaram constituency as a Congress nominee. He remained an MLA till he left the mortal coil and attained Samadhi on May 1, 1959.
Here are a few examples of the great work and views of Swami Sahajananda.
Nandanar Educational Trust.
Swamiji started Nandanar Educational Trust on July 7, 1916. Through this trust, he started a school for the children from the backward classes in Chidambaram. Swami Sahajananda went on a spiritual discourse tour of Malaysia, Singapore, Srilanka and Burma (now Myanmar) with the support of the Nagarathar community to collect funds for the school. The Nandanar School started in a makeshift hutment with 25 students. Later, Justice Sadasiva Iyer of Madras High Court laid the foundation for building a permanent structure for the school and expanding its operations. Swamiji approached the government of the day to allot the land required to build the school building. A few in power did their best not to let this noble request of Swamiji be fulfilled. This great Sage didn’t cry victimhood. He followed up and moved mountains, and finally, the Premier of the Madras Province, C Rajagopalachari, allotted a parcel of 52 acres of land for building the school.
Mahatma Gandhi visited the school twice, in 1926 and 1934, which helped mainstream Swami Sahajananda’s efforts among the Congressmen. During this time, the main focus of the school was on the education of women from backward communities.
Views on Hindi.
Swami Sahajananda’s views on Hindi are another revelation. This a complete change from the Dravidian divisive politics of those days, which was playing up the fear that Hindi would decimate Tamil and completely erase the language off the face of the earth.
He said, “Our children want to learn as many languages as possible. I am now teaching them Sanskrit. To progress, the people of our caste should learn as many languages as they can. In my mind, that is the only way ahead. I would suggest that in addition to making Hindi a compulsory subject in schools, we should also make it compulsory for employment. This is just my suggestion. I am not trying to force anything. The Harijan kids need to study all languages that come their way, including Hindi. This would hasten our progress and mainstreaming.”
Today’s average Dravidian and Dalit politician proudly flaunts his/ her ignorance of the language, Hindi and forces their constituency not to learn it. In fact, they go a step forward and prevent even the ones who are interested in learning Hindi voluntarily as another additional (third) language. The irony is that while the posturing and the preaching are only for the people of Tamil Nadu, they are proud in private that their own progeny are conversant in Hindi.
Farmers and the importance of farming reforms.
Swami Sahajananda’s thoughts about the farmers were practical and, therefore, politically incorrect. His views were sympathetic to the landless farm workers. He doesn’t take kindly to the people in power who want a reduction of land taxes. He thinks these people are siding with the landed gentry and ignores the plight of the poor farm worker who toils in the lands of the rich. He says, “It is understandable that we need to be sympathetic to the tiller, the farmworker. But some cry that their milk lacks sugar. This section of us isn’t worried if the tiller, the farmworker, gets food on his plate if they are clothed properly if these people even have basic sanitation facilities and medicines and other essentials. We are more worried about a reduction in land taxes while the workers are undergoing what a little insect would when caught in a candle flame. The landlords who extract every ounce of work out of these poor people don’t care to remunerate them post-harvest. They take months to even check accounts and reconcile. It is a shame that even when the reconciliation process is on, the landlord attempts to hand over the seeds of the next seasonal crop, asking the poor tiller to move on.” These thoughts are very interesting in the backdrop of the recent “farmer” unrests Bharat has seen. The objections we saw came from vested interests – politicians, activists and lobbyists. We never heard the voices of the farmworkers and the smaller farm owners.
Dravidian Hinduphobia.
The great Sage didn’t mince any words expressing his thoughts about the Hinduphobic Dravidian movement and their brand of atheism. He said, “Divisive literature shouldn’t be allowed. The kind of views that the black shirts publish in their weekly, Kudiarasu is despicably Hinduphobic. It isn’t something that we can allow our people, especially children, to read and imbibe. It is a shame that many of our Harijan brethren, influenced by these people, have started shunning our religious marks and not applying Vibhooti or putting Namam on their foreheads. This is atrocious.” It is a shame that the vested interests have been successful in ensuring that these words of Swami Sahajananda haven’t reached our Dalit brothers and sisters even today.
The role of proper sanitation and hygiene in eradicating untouchability.
Swamiji considered the lack of proper sanitation and personal hygiene as one of the main reasons for untouchability. He lamented, “The backward classes contribute Rupees Five Crores to the exchequer as revenues from the sale of alcohol. I wonder why the government of the day cannot allocate five lakhs from this and use that for improving hygiene and providing basic sanitation facilities for the backward classes.”
He also said, “The government of the day should exploit the power of the visual medium, through cinemas, about ways and means of keeping your surroundings and house clean, the ways one can prevent communicable diseases and the means of addressing it, god forbid one acquires them. Doing such a campaign using cinemas wouldn’t cost much and would be most effective.”
Justice delayed is justice delayed.
Swami Sahajananda was most concerned about the backlog of cases in our courts. He lamented how the general public would lose confidence in the judiciary because of its delay in dispensing justice. He said, “The courts don’t dispose of cases in quick time. Recently, the high court pronounced a judgement. The irony here is that this case has ended (today) after four or five years of the passing away of both the plaintiff and the defendant in this case. What benefit does the general public enjoy because of a judiciary that functions this way?” Unfortunately, the backlogs continue to date, and there is also this doubt in the public’s mind that the judiciary is more receptive and concerned about dispensing relief to the rich and famous, while the poor and needy run from pillar to post to get a hearing.
To close, this great Sage, Swami Sahajananda is an example that the people who call themselves the champions of backward classes must emulate.
Thirukkural says this.
மனத்துக்கண் மாசிலன் ஆதல் அனைத்தறன்
ஆகுல நீர பிற. (34)
Manathukkan masilan adhal anaitharan
Aagula neera pira
Meaning: True moral integrity lies in being flawless in your thoughts. Everything else is loud and blatant posturing.
Swami Sahajananda had courage and flawless thoughts. He was clear that Dharmic conduct and education are the two things that will uplift the backward class in our society. He never shied away from expressing his mind about these two things and rolled his sleeves and got into the thick of things to effect the change he envisioned.
Unfortunately, today’s champions of the backward classes remain the antithesis of Thirukkural 34. Their politics is only about posturing and remaining wailing victims. It would do them good to read, understand and emulate Swami Sahajananda.
Notes and references:
1Swami Sahajananda has written the foreword for the books that the great freedom fighter and marine entrepreneur Sri. V O Chidambaram Pillai wrote. One can see Swamiji’s command and control over the language, Tamil reading these forewords
2It is said that he learnt Sanskrit from Prathivadi Bhayankaram Srinivasachary of Srirangam
3Karapatra Swamigal got his name from a practice he followed. He used his hands as the vessel/ plate from which he ate his food. In other words, he never used a vessel or plate to eat from. He only ate what his hands could hold as his meal. Karam, hand and Patra, the vessel. Meaning, someone who used his bare hands as the vessel for food.
4While most attribute Swami Sahajananda’s choice of Chidambaram as his headquarters to Karapatra Swamigal, there is also this school of thought that says that Swami Sahajananda himself has attributed his move to Sri A Murugesan Pillai
https://tamilhindu.com/2010/02/saint-who-reduced-the-untouchability/ (Tamil)
https://nirappirikai.blogspot.com/2010/10/1890-1959.html (Tamil)
Thamilar Puthagangal – Oru Arimugam, Edited by Subbu (Vijayabharatam Pathippagam, 2016)
Speeches of Swami Sahajananda in Madras Provincial Legislative Council and Assembly, Compiled by V Ravikumar (Manarkeni Publication, 2010)
-Article by RBR