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The other touchy thingâ.there is a
certain tendency for it to be more anti-baamun. That would have been the case
say 50 years ago.>
<Do positive responses of a few Brahmins or Kalitas willing to cut through the barrier of the caste divide apply universally to all of the Assamese society? Certainly not.> Our society is not really anti-bamun. Never has been. In the good old days when benevolent monarchy was the order of the day, a new king on his crowning ceremony vowed to protect âgoo, Brahmanâ (cows and the holy men). The society too needed them as priests, astrologers, teachers and even as zamindars as they enjoyed considerable landed property (including temples granted them by the kings for their loyal services.). Incidentally, a neighbour of mine, a Brahmin Barua told me that as they were priests to the royalty they never performed at private houses as professionals. What they did for living was landlordism for generations. Yes, we cannot escape evolution. Perhaps âcompartmentalizationâ is no different concept from that of âdivision of labourâ. The adherents of the bhakti cult or some other groups who do not want to continue our Vedic culture are simply trying to find alternative means to perform the ceremonies connected with birth, death, weddings etc. A European observer after witnessing one of the alternative wedding ceremony remarked: What was wrong with your old Brahmin priest? He could have very well done the job. Again it is quite right that positive responses of a few Brahmin or Kalitas cannot put a stop to caste barrier. Even the great Mahatma did not see total abolition of caste barriers before his death, although his contribution is enormous and then culminating in Dr Bhimrao Ambedkarâs epoch-making constitutional reforms. Indians are known to be the most racist people in the world. But the challenge, rather a formidable one, is coming from another quarter; the mushrooming of the love marriages.
I revert to the moot point. The negotiated marriages I spoke of were not deliberate attempts to set precedents but were products of unique circumstances. But one was such that that was really revolutionary and in that context I mentioned national honour to those who made it. I suppose I better stop here as we the Assamese residents of UK/USA are such small communities that a more elaborate discussion might lead to inroads into privacies. Thanks in any case. Bhuban Baruah Lakeside, UK |
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