06-26-2006, 04:38 AM
Absolutely! I agree. It is not my intention to go along that road. I was trying to answer a question without inciting rancour.
My pet peeve is that Tambrams have played their politics badly. I hope that is evident in between my lines.
We have had the benefit of close contact with politicians of all flavours. I lose count of those who claim that they know and work with many of the top leaders of Tamil Nadu. Access to the top line politicos is not our problem. It looks like we have failed to leverage the familiarity and friendship to protect and nurture our community.
Many of these politicians' kin have married into brahmins, which should mean something. To give an example, in 1973 when the Asians were kicked out of Uganda, the Aga Khan leveraged his friendship with Pierre Trudeau to open Canada's doors for non whites for the first time. Was that not revolutionary and a great achievement. Since then all other communities have also found place in Canada.
Taking the brahmins out of the equations might mean opening up of more opportunities for the majority of Tamils. Because of this, we need to find a way to cope with the situation and get on with life.
Tamil Nadu will flourish, and deep in our hearts, we would llike to be part of it. Inspite of such an animosity at my community, I cannot but have a pang of pride at the current trend where for the first time in 40 years, Chennai is on the forefront of Indian progress.
By and large, the Tambrams have worked with their nose to the grindstone, and done well in one place or the other. I suspect, though I am not sure of this, our average income and well being is in a respectable above party range. GSub has given us elaborate details of our ability to get on and prosper.
But I repeat, the high profile brahmins, have not served their community to its benefit. Commenting on current events, I can only give an example of the recent editorials of Tughlak & Kalki. In the light of the Sri Lankan army's atrocities committed on Tamils, we get a pious lecture on the behaviour of the Tamil Tigers. That won't wash with the Tamil community.
It betrays such an insensitivity to the Tamils. It is on such occassions, if Kalki/Tughlak cannot feel the pang of kinship, they better shut up. To do so otherwise, is a betrayal to your brethren (brahmins and others) who are already disadvantaged, and to whom you are bringing on more misery from your ivory towers.
Blood is thicker than water. Let us show that we are good Tamils too, and keep in sync with majority of the Tamil pulse. Is it so difficult to understand this?
I apologize to be so dramatic, but I see these blatant political & social insensitivity being committed so repeatedly ever so many years; we don't seem to learn; the result being that we do not have any friends or well wishers in Tamil Nadu. This isolation is not good for us.
Why are we not more politically astute? ?
<!--QuoteBegin-k.ram+Jun 25 2006, 06:19 PM-->QUOTE(k.ram @ Jun 25 2006, 06:19 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Anecdotal evidence does not make basis for sweeping generalizations. One can always choose a sample that is totally inadequate for such generalizations and the chosen sample can always be selected (among tons of many others that show otherwise) to reach to and confirm the intended conclusion. Please show the evidence and argue rationally and reasonably. Thanks. Not to downplay or condone any such stupid events, FWIW.
<!--QuoteBegin--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->I can only speak for myself. I used to go to Kerala during my summer vacations as a kid in the 1950s. When we (my grandfather with me) met certain people on the street, they used to stay a few feet away from us, close their mouth and address us. Certain other groups used to go uleleleing on seeing our approach. I never knew the significance of these gestures till long after I had grown up. I felt very ashamed that even unknowingly I was a party to an act of denial of human dignity. Maybe in Tamil Nadu things were different. Can't say.
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My pet peeve is that Tambrams have played their politics badly. I hope that is evident in between my lines.
We have had the benefit of close contact with politicians of all flavours. I lose count of those who claim that they know and work with many of the top leaders of Tamil Nadu. Access to the top line politicos is not our problem. It looks like we have failed to leverage the familiarity and friendship to protect and nurture our community.
Many of these politicians' kin have married into brahmins, which should mean something. To give an example, in 1973 when the Asians were kicked out of Uganda, the Aga Khan leveraged his friendship with Pierre Trudeau to open Canada's doors for non whites for the first time. Was that not revolutionary and a great achievement. Since then all other communities have also found place in Canada.
Taking the brahmins out of the equations might mean opening up of more opportunities for the majority of Tamils. Because of this, we need to find a way to cope with the situation and get on with life.
Tamil Nadu will flourish, and deep in our hearts, we would llike to be part of it. Inspite of such an animosity at my community, I cannot but have a pang of pride at the current trend where for the first time in 40 years, Chennai is on the forefront of Indian progress.
By and large, the Tambrams have worked with their nose to the grindstone, and done well in one place or the other. I suspect, though I am not sure of this, our average income and well being is in a respectable above party range. GSub has given us elaborate details of our ability to get on and prosper.
But I repeat, the high profile brahmins, have not served their community to its benefit. Commenting on current events, I can only give an example of the recent editorials of Tughlak & Kalki. In the light of the Sri Lankan army's atrocities committed on Tamils, we get a pious lecture on the behaviour of the Tamil Tigers. That won't wash with the Tamil community.
It betrays such an insensitivity to the Tamils. It is on such occassions, if Kalki/Tughlak cannot feel the pang of kinship, they better shut up. To do so otherwise, is a betrayal to your brethren (brahmins and others) who are already disadvantaged, and to whom you are bringing on more misery from your ivory towers.
Blood is thicker than water. Let us show that we are good Tamils too, and keep in sync with majority of the Tamil pulse. Is it so difficult to understand this?
I apologize to be so dramatic, but I see these blatant political & social insensitivity being committed so repeatedly ever so many years; we don't seem to learn; the result being that we do not have any friends or well wishers in Tamil Nadu. This isolation is not good for us.
Why are we not more politically astute? ?
<!--QuoteBegin-k.ram+Jun 25 2006, 06:19 PM-->QUOTE(k.ram @ Jun 25 2006, 06:19 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Anecdotal evidence does not make basis for sweeping generalizations. One can always choose a sample that is totally inadequate for such generalizations and the chosen sample can always be selected (among tons of many others that show otherwise) to reach to and confirm the intended conclusion. Please show the evidence and argue rationally and reasonably. Thanks. Not to downplay or condone any such stupid events, FWIW.
<!--QuoteBegin--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->I can only speak for myself. I used to go to Kerala during my summer vacations as a kid in the 1950s. When we (my grandfather with me) met certain people on the street, they used to stay a few feet away from us, close their mouth and address us. Certain other groups used to go uleleleing on seeing our approach. I never knew the significance of these gestures till long after I had grown up. I felt very ashamed that even unknowingly I was a party to an act of denial of human dignity. Maybe in Tamil Nadu things were different. Can't say.
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[right][snapback]52875[/snapback][/right]
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