MIND-FILLED CASTE PREJUDICE: LABELING CASTE-DISCRIMINATING-PRIDE NAMES IN BIOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL CONTEXTS.

 MIND-FILLED CASTE PREJUDICE: LABELING CASTE-DISCRIMINATING-PRIDE NAMES IN BIOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL CONTEXTS.

Abstract:

In Hindu Vedic era, idealized value systems and exclusive social relationships are mostly shaped by caste divisions. It is required of members of various castes to behave respectively, upholding the varna systems sanctioned differences in values and labour. Though it is against the Indian constitution to practice "untouchability" as part of the caste system, "untouchability" is still practiced in many ways in society today. Many people are unaware that even though the caste-based discrimination is still existing in India, many animals also carries caste-privileged and discriminating names even today. For instance, labels that denigrate certain castes’ have been employed extensively in biological and social contexts. The uncommon caste-discriminating and caste-privileged—sophisticated—non-discriminating names for animals that still exist in India are discussed in this article.

Keywords: Prejudice, Caste-pride, Caste-discrimination, Animal names, Biological-Social contexts. 

The name “Pariah” refers to two endearing creatures: The Indian Pariah dog (picture 1) and the common Pariah kite, which is today known as the Black kite (Ali 1996) (photo 2). (Both are visible across India). Any native dog that is a stray or lives in a wild free-ranging environment is sometimes referred to as the "Pariah dog." In India, the most frequent raptor is the common Pariah kite (Ali 1996). These huge brown raptors graze gregariously around rubbish dumps, feeding on insects, lizards, rats, and frogs. The lower caste word pariah, which refers to these creatures, is associated with free-ranging, ugliness, blackness, filth, impureness, indifference, and inferior status.

Conversely, the Brahminy kite (photo: 3) is the bird with the higher caste name. This striking-looking raptor has a white head, neck, and breast beneath a brilliant rusty red colouration above (Ali 1996). Hindus see it as sacred and revere them as "Krishna Parundhu." Its name comes from the Hindu higher caste (depicts with lord Krishna), which was limited to temple priests who had to follow their varna. However, these days, a diverse range of higher caste individuals work in sophisticated white-collar jobs such as banking, entertainment, visual and print media editing, IT, and judiciary. The Brahminy starling, also known as the Brahminy Myna (see photo 4), is a little bird that has a noticeable black crown on its head, a yellow beak, and a brownish body colour (Ali 1996) and third, the blue-coloured, glossy Brahminy blind snake (picture 5), which is hidden beneath the ground in a forested area. Ruddy shelduck also known in India as the Brahminy duck (picture 6), It has orange-brown body plumage with a paler head, while the tail and the flight feathers in the wings are black, contrasting with the white wing-coverts. Brahminy river turtle or crowned river turtle (picture 7), symbolize ‘Kurma avatar,’ the turtles lay eggs in under water has a shell with a large, moderately flat, dark brown or black carapace (dorsal surface) and a yellow or black plastron (ventral surface). The preferred upper caste titles associated with these animals are superior, pure, beautiful, shining, and religiously revered.

The Social Background of the Term “Pariah” The Rig Veda, a revered Hindu text, states that the four primary social classes—Brahmana, or priests; Kshatriya, or warriors; Vaishya, or businesspeople; and Shudra, or servants—come from the body of Brahma, the Creator. The warriors are from the arm, the businesspeople are from the stomach, the slaves are from the foot, and the Dvija priests are born from the mouth of the Creator. According to the Rig Veda, “Pariah” and other members of the untouchables are called outcastes because they were born of their respective mothers’ yoni biologically, not from the body of Brahma, the Creator’s mouth, arm, stomach and foot.

The word “Pariah” is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language as "anyone who is a broken people, a social outcast, regardless of social position," and it evokes a far more rigorous social structure that only made specific individuals Pariahs. Tamil Nadu's caste system devalued Pariahs, or untouchables, as members of society. The term "Paraiyar," which is the Tamil plural of the caste name "Paraiyan," which means "(hereditary) drummer," is where the English word "Paraih" originated. However, in actuality, they were one of the four ethnic groups mentioned in the Sangam literature "Purananuru," who were experts in literature and art, clairvoyants, rulers, devout Buddhists, and strong opponents of the Vedic/Hindu religion. Although they make up 25% of India's population, members of this community prefer to be referred to as "Dalit"—a term that means "crushed/broken and downtrodden"—in modern times (Ghose 2003).

In English, the word “Pariah” was first used in 1613. The lengthy era of British rule in India is likely largely responsible for its usage in English and its expansion in connotation. A prominent member of the Pariah caste, M. C. Rajah was one of the Pariah community's powerful supporters. In 1928, while serving as a member of the Madras Legislative Council during the British colonial period, he headed the All India Depressed Classes Association. He was the driving force behind the decision to remove the word “Pariah” from official government gazette (Gupta 1985). Thus, since the turn of the 20^th century, the use of this term in historical records of society has been scrutinized. Gandhi renamed it "Harijans" (children of the God Hari/Visnu, or simply, children of God) because he could not endure the name "Pariah". In a national TV discussion, Indian politician Subramanya Swamy critiqued former LTTE head V. Prabakaran as a Pariah, while former prime minister of the United Kingdom John Major stated Saddam Hussain, the former president of Iraq should be tied-up and beaten like an international Pariah. When referring to the structure of eusocial insect communities, zoologists use the term "caste," yet the social role of caste in India differs from its biological function in insect societies. "Comparing biological evolution with human culture or technological change has done vastly more harm than good," as biologist Stephen Jay Gould (1991) correctly noted. Furthermore, the custom of naming animals according to their caste has managed to avoid the attention of sociologists and biologists for millennia. The English word “Pariah” definitely denigrates an Indian caste that is native to the country. It carries the connotation of an outcast when used in the news media (Agoramoorthy 2007). Prominent journals like Science in the US and Nature in the UK still use this term in social contexts. For instance, Libya's scientific development was described in a Science article as going from "Pariah to Science Powerhouse," and an opium addict was called a "Social Pariah" in a Nature article (Aldhous 2005; Bohannon 2005). The term “Pariah” was recently used in the articles "Facing the Pariah of Science" (Nagay et al., 2020) and "Messiah or pariah? by Larrauri (2024) papers published in scientific contexts. However, this word “Pariah” has been used twice in a biological context in India's Current Science publication (Agoramoorthy 2005); other journals ought not to adopt this biological model. The mass media must exercise restraint when using language that discriminate against caste since the United Nations conference against racism, racial discrimination, and xenophobia, which was held in South Africa in September 2001, linked racism with casteism. Common phrases that are still in use that express pride and discriminating connotations in many social circumstances are Brahmanal café, Agrakaram (Brahmin hamlet), Kalani (“Pariah” hamlet) and Cheri bhasai (“Pariah” dialect). In English, the word “Pariah” apparently conveys an undignified meaning that is undermining to an indigenous caste group. In the contrary, the “Pariah” caste group is an amplus suppliers of intellectuals, social reformers, scientists, politicians, bureaucrats, business people, writers, cinema celebrities (Directors, Musician, Actors and Technician), sports(wo)men, etc. so, the negative connotation of the word “Pariah” use in social and biological context should be avoided or eliminated. Concerning historical ties, the Paraiyar are now openly asserting their Pariah identity. For example, the term wasn't derived from drummers; rather, it came from the fact that "Parai" is a grain measurement device, indicating that they were the landowners/jamins. Be it in temples, homes, weddings or anywhere else for that matter, one sight you are sure to witness is that of the Nelpara. Para was the traditional paddy measuring unit used in Tamil Nadu and Kerala households till the advent of modern alternatives.

In conclusion, we propose that the use of prideful (Brahminy) and caste-discriminatory ("Pariah") terms in biological and social contexts be avoided or deleted since they are associated with historical societal prejudices that are undermining Indian unity. However, caste pride in society drives the oppressed class to mobilize and get agitated once more, and the usage of these names in biological and social competitions mimics caste prejudice and discrimination.

Photos:

1

         

                     

Indian Pariah dog                                                   Black kite previously called as Pariah Kite

Brahminy kite                  Brahminy starling or Brahminy myna       Brahminy blind snake             

Ruddy shelduck or Brahminy duck                      Brahminy river turtle or crowned river turtle

References:

Agoramoorthy, G. (2005). Disallow caste discrimination in biological and social contexts. Current Science. 89: (5), 727- 727.

Agoramoorthy, G. (2007). 'Avoid using caste names for India's beasts'. Down to Earth. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/environment/avoid-using-caste-names-for-indias-beasts-5480

Aldhous, Peter (2005) ‘‘Drug Rehabilitation: Cold Turkey, Vietnamese Style’’, Nature 433: 568–569.

Ali, S. (1996) The Book of Indian birds. Mumbai: Bombay Natural History Society. Bohannon, John (2005) ‘‘From Pariah to Science Powerhouse?’’, Science 308: 182.

Ghose, S. (2003) ‘‘The Dalit in India – Caste and Social Class’’, Social Research 70: 83–109.

Gould, S.J. (1991) Bully for Brontosaurus: Reflections in Natural History. New York: W.W. Norton.

Gupta, S.K. (1985) The Scheduled Caste in Modern Indian Politics: Their Emergence as a Political Power. Delhi.

Nagy, P., Wylie, R., and Eschrich, J. (2020). Facing the Pariah of Science: The Frankenstein Myth as a Social and Ethical Reference for Scientists. Sci Eng Ethics. 26, 737–759. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-019-00121-3.

Larrauri C.L. (2024). Messiah or pariah? Psychosis, science, and finding meaning in lived experience. Schizophrenia. 10: 67; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41537-024-00486-w.

Author: Dr. K. Narasimmarajan is a Wildlife Scientist in the fields of nature. He was born in Tamil Nadu, India and currently working as independent conservationist working on conservation ecology of wild otters in the Western Ghats region. He has conducted wildlife research on threatened animals for the past 10 years covering various parts of the country. wildlife9protect@gmail.com; Mobile: +91-8940906799.