Racial Profiling : The global villain

Trayvon Martin

"You know, when Trayvon Martin was first shot, I said that this could have been my son. Another way of saying that is Trayvon Martin could have been me, 35 years ago," Obama told reporters as he made an unannounced entry into the White House press room.

"There are very few African-American men in this country who haven't had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a department store. That includes me," Obama said.

"And there are very few African-American men who haven't had the experience of walking across the street and hearing the locks click on the doors of cars. That happens to me, at least before I was a Senator," he said."There are very few African-Americans who haven't had the experience of getting on an elevator and a woman clutching her purse nervously and holding her breath until she had a chance to get off. That happens often," the President said.

This was what the ruler of the most powerful democratic country said just yesterday. He has been speaking about the acquittal of the killer of Trayvon Martin, a black teenager. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/us-jury-finds-zimmerman-not-guilty-of-killing-martin/1141811/

Look, how the discrimination on the basis on race is being practiced in US. It is not only in our country, but even in most developed and civilised countries the things are no different. Racial profiling is not a new thing in Western countries and America. Nelson Mandela spent his entire prime time in prison only because he fought against racial discrimination in  another continent.

Like the President, I too turn the clock back by 35 years. Traces of dicrimination based on caste were yet to disappear from the villages of Keralam by then. I shall narrate some objectionable practices a section of the people in my village followed those days.

Our village has back waters on 3 sides. There are paddy fields all around. People regularly cultivated in these fields depending on monsoon. Monsoon never failed us those days. The green canopy of the paddy fields was like looking at a tantalising colour painting . In the lush green canopy, white coloured cranes made beautiful dots. At the back drop of the thick array of coconut trees these paddy fields proclaimed the prosperity of the village. These were the scenes that kept the serenity of the villages intact for a long time.

The tranquility of the village was at times disturbed by a few gun shots. There were some strange men, who occassionally decended on our village to hunt for birds using some crude guns. These men were unwelcome guests to this sleepy village, but no one had the courage to turn them back. An air borne bird suddly collapses, writhing in pain and then breathes its last. That was painful. We hated these heartless predators on two legs. They bundled the lifeless creature into a jute bag, almost nonchalantly. Hey Ram, this poor creacture also would have felt the ultimate pain, did You notice that?

That was how my village was once upon a time. There was no dearth of water. The paddy fields acted as water collection points during rains. But during summer this water disappears and the salty water from the back waters enters. This contaminates the underground water. The few wells and ponds we had in the village turn saline in this process. People in our village faced shortage of drinking water. Still, a few remained potable. One among them was the pond in our compound
 

This pond was called "Sarpa kulam". It was adjoining the "Sarpa Kavu." Sarpakavu is a place where the "Nagarajan" the Snake King was worshipped. It is a small group of trees growing thickly to form a tiny forest. There are 6 such Sacred Groves in our compound. Though the Sarpakavus are still maintained with minimal reverence, the "sarpa kulam" is long gone. There is not much water in it and with the lack of maintenance, it is almost dead. Almost every pond in our village is facing this fate. The ponds are fast turning to lands to make place for new dwelling places.

The "sarpakulam" was considered a sacred entity. This pond was an abundant source of clean water. Even in peak summer, it offered water. We used this water to drink and cook. Of course, to drink, we boiled the water. with a pinch of Jeera added in it. That was and is the practice of Malayalees - whereever they are- since time immemorial.  People from the neighborhood also used the pond water. But, for others, there was a rider. Our grandparents did not want people from other castes get into the pond and collect water. They had to bring their vessels, keep them on the edge of the pond and wait for anyone of us to turn up. We took our own vessel, collected water from the pond and poured into theirs! To me, now it looked like a minor verson of the dirty aparthied practiced in South Africa till the recent past
 

Luckily for us, the children, we never felt we were from different caste backgrounds. Our football team, the Victory Sports Club, was a happy mix of boys from many castes. No discrimination was followed. Our parents did not poke their noses in this matter, fortunately. Still, many of our best friends did not have permission to enter our house. They were restricted to stay outside. The white coloured cross bars of the window on the East side of our house remind me of a few faces and the unfair acts we did to them. These were the bars on which our good friend Radhakrishnan aka Radha held his hands and stood for a long time to talk to us. He had a lot of time to spend with us as he dropped out of the school at an early stage itself. Many of the guys who came to our house to play with us were offered food, but they were asked to wash the plates after eating in them if they were happend to be from different castes. The funny thing is that we had to wash the plates and glasses we used at our neighbourhood house! That was the home of our guru Kunjamma. They were a step ahead of us in the racial order. Everyone did it without complaint because, it was all acceptable to one and all

Occassionally, some tribal women came to our village seeking alms. They were kept far away from the forecourt of our house. They sat at least 20 meters away from the front door. They had their own plates to take the food we offered. Many of the house holds did not give anything to them. For the little things we offer, they had to wait for a long time outside, but they did wait patiently for it. Eeven if, they had to leave the place empty handed, I don't remember, if they had expressed any ill feelings. But, the general feelings of the public was that these people come to villages to steal!  They were looked down upon by everyone in the village. On sighting them, the children haunted them, abused them and made fun of them as if they were aliens appeared from no where.

That was an old story which we are ashamed to tell now. It should never have been done, but that was how the society was functioning that time. Now the situation is totally different, well, at least in the open. No more seemingly uncivilized barriers. Every caste members participate in functions in every home, be it marriage, death or birth. They eat together and all are permitted to enter anyone's house. That is a happy tiding in the social set up of Keralam. That was the magic created when Sreenarayana Guru proclaimed " I had consecrated an Eezhava Sivan" after consecrating a Sava temple. People like Sreenarayana Guru fostered peace and amity between different sections of the society instead of creating divide between them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narayana_Guru

The most interesting news is that, my mom's assistant is a distant relative of the old man who ran a barber shop in our village! She cooks food in our house which everyone of us eats without any kind of inhibitions. Is it apt to use the phrase 'the wheel has taken a full circle'  here?

I only wish our younger generations grow without being influenced by narrow thinkings in the name of their social standings . Castes and religions shall be kept as exclusive private parts and it shall be taboo to 'expose' them in the public domain. Possible? Yes yes, why not? For a moment, my fingers, without my permission, went into a crossed position....