Udayor Blog

P R J Pradeep

Alex V.Koshy, from New Jersey, USA has circulated a message regarding the high rates of suicides among the Hindu community in Kerala, India. This as refutation of another article by Dr Babu Suseelan, based in Pensylavania. Myself a Psychiatric Social Worker based in Kerala I feel compelled to answer some of the points raised. Leaving aside for now the religious dimensions of it. I know from personal experience that majority of the suicides are due to economic compulsions, directly or indirectly. And that because the state economy is taken captive by those with international capital. They alone can live in today’s Kerala, cost of life has sky rocketed. Old vocations including agriculture are near dead. And the resources are monopolized by the moneyed, who also control state power through vote bank politics. Islands of Christian Muslim rich in an ocean of Hindu poverty. With all its resultant social vices.

About history, the Syrian Christians of Kerala, to which community the writer seems to belong as he claims centuries of history, are by all known records refugees or traders to Kerala. Given refuge in Kerala, what can be seen by referring to the history of West Asia. They came from old Syria, today fragmented in to Turkey, Syria, Iraq etc. Nazrani, the other name means the one from Nazreth. The seat of the Patriarch, their religious head, is still at Antioch now in Turkey. When Vasco da Gama visited Kerala in 1497 they were 20,000 strong as the Portuguese accounts narrate. Obviously batches after batches came later, and they were intermediaries in the spice trade of Malabar. Then their numbers swelled through conversions, numbers they knew mattered. They allied with the European Christian nations and till 1947 were the close allies of the British. Hundreds of historic documents establish this, when communities like the Nairs were fighting for freedom. How they were targetted by freedom fighters like Velu Thamby in late 1800s, their taking refuge in the British Fort with the British at the time.

When the Portuguese came they went and told that they will support the Portuguese to oust the local kings, the Zamoothiris, to have a Christian kingdom. That is their own one time saviors. They did it with the French, Dutch and the British as a close perusal of history tells. Post-colonial Kerala is not yet talking about that history as yet. They prospered during the time, at the cost of the natives. The Dutch governor Moens laughs at the concocted records they produced, the infamous copper plates, claiming that they owned land in Kerala, as the Dutch Records of Travancore elaborates. They wanted 'their lands' restored by the Dutch. Based on this copper plate, which was 'produced' at the time for the purpose. As Christian historians themselves have said they were masters of concocting history. Starting from the fake story of St. Thomas. They still do that and the Nilakkal episode in 1980's saw them plant a fake 'archeological' cross in a forest to claim ownership. Thrown out by the alert Hindus.

The writer claims that the Syrian Christians 'salvaged' Kerala, the missionaries invented Kerala. They should know 'Malabar,Kerala was the richest and the most noble land in the whole world' . No, it is not written by any Indian communal forces, but by Marco Polo the world traveler. See the 'Travels of Marco Polo'. What did the Syrian Christians do, they invited colonization, yes some scholars tell that they did it and directed Vasco da Gama to Kappad, Calicut in Malabar ( See Sanjay Subrahmaniam, 'Legend of Vasco da Gama') Then after centuries of colonial onslaught what do we see in Malabar, old name of Kerala. Poverty, suicides, unemployment, devastated nature. The only rich are the Christian and Muslim segments who have access to international capital. Can any one deny that, their arrogance, as they also have gained state power through vote bank politics. How they persecute the peaceloving Hindus in every field of sciety. Castigate them as 'communal fascists'. Drive them to caste wars, putting one caste against the other.

And who runs the conversion machine all over India if not the Syrian Christians of Kerala, mainly those living in and around Kottayam and Thiruvalla. Terrorist camps of another kind. Have they not made it a big business and made money by fooling the western donors. Let them ask themselves, look around about that 'charity'. We have enough records of individual agencies doing that but will not want to publish it right now. Some of them are doing work, and also because that can lead to a backlash in north Indian hardcore Hindu belts. The Hindus are still generous, they were. Why even when all their lands are taken over by the Christian community, say in Kottyam district, or their businesses sold out to minorities, with no capital base to fight back, they are not angry about the aggression, only killing themselves. Otherwise Kerala would not have had these secular debates.

Now, the favorite of the all powerful Christian - missionary lobby for few centuries has been the myth of caste oppression. How they neutralized the leading communities like Nairs. Can they deny that the Syrian Christians were not practicing caste separation, were not keeping slaves as was normal in those days. Read history before you once again spit venom on the 'old landlords'. How are they treating the Dalits now. How they use the Dalit Christians. Using the poor low castes as cannon fodder. Are there no social separations now, say between a peon and a Chairman. What did they do in the tribal belts of Kerala now, they offered heaven to the tribals and sneaked in to the settlements. Asked them to 'praise the lord' and then threw out the poor tribals. Later the tribals would have retaliated, their indeed was violence. They escaped by changing federal statutes making encroachment on tribal lands illegal, made own laws, then offered them public lands with their clout in government decisions. Can any Syrian Christian savior clarify what happened.

Remember Kerala is captured and post-Kerala society is realising what happened. All powerful Christian media can not keep the lids on now, neither can they make the other Hindu communities responsible for all the problems. As many of you know naked truth is now openly being discussed, clever allegations of 'communalism' in a state ruled by Muslim League and Kerala Congress can not run any more. How else can they have thousands of educational institutions when the majority community has hardly few hundreds. How can all the land sales be towards Christians all from Hindus. Why are the Christian segments cleverly stopping demands for economic surveys to see the real situation. There is only one solution, simple, aggressors will have to retreat from all areas they captured. Hindus cannot be allowed to die out as the minorities wallow in luxury.

Globally also how are the rich nations now controlling the world all Christian is a valid question. And in an indebted world where debt servicing kills millions in Africa and Asia alone, how can the idea of Christian love and charity be convincing. Severely indebted India itself is being drawn further in to the vortex of neo-colonisation under the WTO. The Syrian Christian lobby in Delhi is presiding over that. From M O Mathai with Nehru, PC Alexander with Indira to Victor George with Rajiv and Sonia they were always present in the shadows. Who leads the conversion activities all over India, to have a share in the cake, all in the name of god. And if Christianity is the answer why are the Dalit Christians or the fishermen in Kerala in such bad state though converted centuries back. When the trader Syrian Christians flourished. Obviously they are not clever and did not know the commercial applications of faith. And for education with swelling number of private schools in the Christian segment why are the state run schools perishing. Who was running the education ministry all these years. Why the managements take the bribes in minority schools and governmnet gives salaries. So let us be more practical, that civilized remedies are sought for a crisis. Confrontation will only lead to more and more conflict and that can be damaging to all sides.