Brahmins are descendants of invading Aryans who enslaved the native people.”
~Jyotirao Phule
Colonization is usually misperceived as physical and structural occupation of the British in India but the fact of the matter is India is not exclusively colonized by British but the Brhamans and their forefathers also colonized India racially, religiously , politically, and culturally through ‘ Brahmanical Social Order’. The colonization of Brahmins is not sudden, but it’s an outcome of the slow subjugation and marginalization of millions of indigenous Dalits.
To explain this dominance of Brahmins and the subjugation of Dalits needs to turn the pages of history that give a true understanding of how the caste system in India is used as a structural tool by the foreign invaders ‘Aryans and how the ‘Aryan Invasion Theory is rejected and supported for the foundation of the caste system and its impact on India’s social fabric.
A Brief History of Indian Communities
“Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.”
~George Orwell
In India before the arrival of Aryans and then Muslims and the Britishers, the local people, particularly from “Indus Valley Civilization” were living without strict racial and political discrimination, like a sovereign equality in modern International Law there’s human being equality and people were organized with the spirit of freternity and human dignity under the law of nature.Historically, like Eurocentric epistemic colonization Dalits among other indigenous communities in India have been labeled as low caste and untouchable through literature and knowledge. Naturally, there are no anthropological evidence of social hierarchies rather these are socially constructed and framed.
In the context of Dalits Dr.B.R Ambedkar totally convinced that Dalits were not outcast but systematically made them. In ancient times communities used to adopt different livelihoods for their social necessities according to the landmass where they were living and like wise in India indigenous communities adopted and these become their socially constructed identies which have been exploited by the Brhamans to establish caste based hierarchies.
Karl Marx’s Dialectical Materialism” is pertinent to understand this social construction that how forces of production determine the relations of production or social relations and on the basis of these social relations superstructures are developed to maintain the these relations in favor of haves at the expense of haves not. So, this was very decisive factor in India to develop political system and political economy in favour of Brhamans.
Aryan Invasion Theory- A controversy
Aryan Invasion Theory was proposed by William Jones, who was appointed as a judge in Calcutta in 1770’s.The main assumption of this theory is that Brahmins belong to Aryan that were came from Central Asia including modern day Russia and Ukraine. The assault of Aryan resulted in making locals slaves or “Das” and with the course of time this Das become untouchable and Shudras, it is evidently supported conditionally by the stories narrated in Rig Veda.Jones identified similarities in European directs and Sanskrit.Max Mueller supported this assumption and the stories of battles between light cleaned Aryan and dull cleaned local communities.
In this connection a controversy started in India over the assumption of this theory as some upper caste Brhamans and BJP leaders in do not accept that Aryan came and made subjects the local communities rather they argue that Sanskrit is exported or spread by the Indians to Europe.Although someone prominent leaders including B.R.Ambaidekar rejected Aryan Invasion Theory because it give the foundation for the racial superiority of Brahmans as a decedents of Aryan superior race.But many Dalits scholars supported Aryan Invasion Theory to justify the the invasion of foreigner in India that resulted enslavement of local communities.
Jyotirao Phule supported this assumption in his well-known writing ‘Gulamgiri’.Iyothee Thass also partially supported “Aryan Invasion Theory’ and argued that Aryan came and hit Buddhism to establish the caste system.In both cases whether negation and acceptance Dalits have been subjugated and marginalized.
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BJP Government and Dalit’s Plight:
“And today? Has the reality for Dalit youth changed? The same contempt on campus, the same isolation in hostels, the same feeling of inferiority in classrooms, the same violence – and sometimes, the same death. Because caste is still the biggest admission form in this country.”
~Rahul Ghandi
To get deep insight regarding venomous casteism and communism in a cinematic way, then ‘Masaan’ and ‘Homebound’ are worth watching movies directed by Neraj Ghaywan. From a complete introduction for identity to getting education and jobs in India for low caste, particularly for Dalits, is a daunting task. School of Dalits have been demolished by the current BJP government, and Dalit girls have been harassed and raped by the Upper Caste, but at the same time, there is hope that one day this discrimination and humiliation of human beings will end, which will lead to Brahminical decolonisation.
