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Cast(e)ing aspersions By Chandan Mitra(Editor-in-chief, Pioneer) Ghosh bongsho bado bongsho Bose bongsho daata, Mitra kuteel jaat Dutta *** (unprintable) Since early childhood, I have heard this loaded saying about Kuleen Kayasthas of Bengal, extolling the Ghoshes as great and Boses as large-hearted donors, while Mitras are termed wily and Duttas far worse. I used to be dismayed by the characterisation of my clan as scheming, but took solace in my mother's lineage being called large-hearted. Since many members of the family were either Ghoshes or Duttas, the saying always had me rather perplexed. But I do remember a Dutta in my class would get extremely riled each time he was referred to by the Urdu word that is definitely not fit to print. As I grew up, it became obvious that not only was this popular generalisation totally absurd but also must have been composed by some anonymous fawning bard on the payroll of a weird zamindar (presumably a Ghosh whose treasury was, perhaps, run by a Bose. The bard had probably been outwitted by a Mitra and harmed by a Dutta)! Upon coming to Delhi, I learnt many new generalisations about caste characteristics and picked up jokes like "Padha-likha Jat/ Solah duni aath". Making fun of Sikhs was commonplace; any less than intelligent observation or comment would promptly elicit the comment "Phir kar di na Sardaron wali baat!" I was also knowledgeably informed that if confronted simultaneously by a Kayasth and a snake, security demanded elimination of the former before tackling the reptile. Since some of my best friends in college and university happened to be Kayasth from UP, and I am myself a Kayasth from Bengal, I always felt somewhat offended by such compartmentalised stereotyping. But over the years, one learnt to live with these parables. Despite the disparaging tone of these popular perceptions, it was pointless taking umbrage beyond a point. Most of these remarks were not intended to offend and usually said in jest. Sikhs, in particular, always took such remarks in their stride; in fact most Sardar jokes, as Khushwant Singh has often written were coined by Sardars themselves. What prompts me to look back at these politically incorrect coinages is the sudden explosion of charges of casteism during the past week. It began with the arrest of the CMD of IDBI Mr PB Shetty on the complaint of a senior Scheduled Caste officer of his own organisation on the allegation of making a casteist remark. The police acted as it was compelled to under the statutes: An FIR was filed by the SC officer and the law clearly lays down that irrespective of the veracity of any such allegation, a case has to be registered and the accused produced in court. The IDBI matter is illustrative because the alleged casteist remark was made directly to the complainant and no witness was present in the room. Still, the law is so draconian that the chief of India's biggest financial institution was arrested and produced before a judge. This means it is actually very easy to frame somebody and haul him over the coals because the law gives greater weightage to the complainant's word than of the accused. Surely, this flouts the basic principle of everybody being equal in the eyes of the law. Some years ago, during the Mayawati dispensation in UP a similar law was widely used in to threaten and harass political opponents or difficult persons. A few days after the IDBI episode, the controversial CAPART chief L V Saptharishi alleged he was privy to some casteist remarks being made by two Election Commissioners. Fortunately for the ECs, the alleged comment was about Yadavs and there is no law under which people can be arrested for saying things about them! I am not remotely suggesting that the absence of such a piece of legislation makes non-SC communities fair game. My argument is precisely the opposite. All casteist or communal remarks are reprehensible. None should ever make them. Existing prejudices and stereotypes, as outlined in the examples I cited from my childhood and youth, need to be systematically exorcised from people's mindsets. But, equally, it is patently unfair to give a dog a bad name and hang it. Unless somebody has made an offensive caste or community-directed remark in public, in full hearing of several persons, no cognizance should be taken of such charges. As a staunch defender of Dalit rights and a promoter of their advancement, I acknowledge that they need special protection as well as laws aimed at ensuring their equality in society. Practitioners of untouchability, for instance, deserve the most stringent punishment. But other castes and communities have their rights too. Did anybody drag the BSP to court for raising the slogan "Tilak, taraju aur talwar/ Maaro inko joote char"? When members of the upper castes, if any, were categorically asked to leave the venue of BSP meetings, was it not an affront to their rights? Some years ago, newspapers widely quoted the then (undivided) Janata Dal in Bihar coining the term "Bhu-Ra-Ba-L" - shorthand for Bhumihar, Rajput, Brahmin and Lala (Bania). The underprivileged castes were urged to combine against Bhurabal and remove their control over the levers of power. Although strenuously denied later by Lalu Prasad Yadav, the term gained wide currency and undoubtedly helped him garner support on caste lines. If the ECs' alleged remarks, as claimed by Mr Saptharishi, were casteist, what was Bhurabal? Casteism cannot be defended in any form, but to eliminate it, double standards too need to be removed. If a derogatory remark against a Dalit or Yadav is wrong, it cannot be right against other castes either. Unfortunately, the compulsions of vote bank politics have made not just political parties but even the media and judiciary look the other way. The all-pervasive influence of political correctness makes the intelligentsia shirk from calling a spade a spade. This is not the way to combat casteism and related discrimination. The issue has to be faced squarely and a consensus must be reached for the promotion of social awareness across castes. Arguably, the downtrodden need more protection because they are usually at the receiving end of such distasteful prejudices. But that cannot give them the right to indulge in upper caste-bashing or use draconian laws to humiliate others. Also, it has become the norm for some politicians to accuse people and even institutions of caste bias if things don't go their way. So, the EC becomes casteist if it orders a repoll in Chhapra and the CBI the repository of upper caste bias if Ms Mayawati is quizzed in a case of assets disproportionate to known sources of income. I fail to understand the insecurity some of our politicians suffer from when they make such outlandish charges. But then such wild allegations evidently pay electoral dividends. It is believed that the Election Commission was charged with casteism with two aims in mind. First, it would put the Commission on the defensive and Mr Yadav's cohorts would be treated with kid gloves when elections happen in Bihar, probably in less than a year. Second, the allegation would raise the hackles of the Yadav community which would return to his fold en masse, reversing the process of vote fracturing seen last February. If such cynicism prevails, what's the point of moralising about eliminating the scourge of casteism? ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Ever feel sad or cry for no reason at all? Depression. Narrated by Kate Hudson. http://us.click.yahoo.com/LLQ_sC/esnJAA/E2hLAA/1dTolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> �������������������������������������������������������� This is ZESTCaste whose members watch India's painful journey to society's de-casteisation. Members are encouraged to post messages to [email protected] If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join Get all ZESTCaste mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], OR, if you have a Yahoo! 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