LIVING LIKE A MANGROVE TREE

Kallen Pokkudan with Mayilamma, activist in Plachimada against Coca Cola. Photo by Vinod Kumar

The activities of Kallen Pokkudan who planted and preserved mangroves for the last two decades are the alternate dalit and environmental politics differ from the established/brahmanical one. But the established/brahmanical cultural reading and media look this man as nostalgic one man figure who preserves mangrove forests. Kallen Pokkudan himself fights against this romantic thought and declares that his environmental actions are reactions against brahmanical way of life and thinking, which supports caste system and suppression in India.  The doings of Kallen Pokkudan has more significance because he tries not only to balance the eco system, but preserves the ecological variety of rivers for the lively hood of the people like dalits live by side and  politically attack the hidden politics in the  brahmanical ideology of Vegetarianism. He asks, "How can  dalits who live by the riverside can be vegetarians? Their only resource is river. Their food is nothing other than fish..."  The  brahmanical attack on non vegetarianism is not only on food habits, but that is a political attack on dalits and other downtroddens those who are non vegetarians.


Kallen Pokkudan who was born to a dalit peasant family of Ezhome village in Kannur had the experience of feudal suppression and attrocities from Muslim and Hindu lords from the childhood itself. Unlike others he reacted against the cruelty of lords against the dalit peasant workers and farmers. He was attracted towards communist party and became an active worker of the Communist party. But later he realized that even in Communist party which speaks of socialism; there is discrimination on the basis of caste.

After leaving the party, he started planting mangroves. He planted more than a lakh of mangrove trees in the wetlands all over Kerala. He campaigned for the preservation of mangrove forests. At the beginning people called him as mad, and environmentalists did not notice him. But later, organizations, political parties, environmentalists, scientists were keenly observing this man and his activities.

Kallen Pokkudan says, while planting mangroves, he is preserving the whole ecosystem and the society. The varieties of fish and other water beings lay their eggs in mangrove forest and life gets flourished in the river. This helps the community of fishermen and farmers for their livelihood.  Mangrove forests are shelters of different varieties of birds also. But the land mafia now days in Kerala destroyed the mangrove forests and built up flats by filling wet lands in the riversides. In 2004 when the tsunami was hit, the areas having mangrove forests were least affected by the tides.


Kallen Pokkudan has written a biography “Kandlakadukalkidayil ente jeevitham” (My life in mangrove forests). But the book edited by Thaha Madayi deals only with the life of him related to Mangorve forests. His son, Sreejith Paithalen realised that he has a greater political life and that has to be recorded. Now Sreejith Paithalen completed the book “Kallen Pokkudan, the political life” about his father’s political history in Ezhome village and its significance in the subaltern societies of the whole world. The book discusses the Dalit and subaltern life in Ezhome village and their fights and struggles which was not recorded by the brahmanical historians in India. Kallen Pokkudan has written another book “choottachi” describing the fish verities of rivers in Kannur. His elder son Aanandan who is an school teacher edited the book.

As an environmentalist and a political thinker he received many psychological and physical attacks from different corners of the society. Even then he interferes with various issues in Kerala like farmers agitations in Muriyad, and agitation against Coca Cola in Plachimada, etc., Kallen Pokkudan is living like a mangrove tree rendering life to the society and generations.

TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE CASTE

Soumya, director of the documentary "Twinkle twinkle little caste" receiving the Dr. Ambedkar foundation award in Mancheri, Kerala.

“Caste has been annihilated in Kerala” is the biggest lie that heard from different social, cultural and political spheres of Kerala. Those who preach ‘caste has been annihilated’  can’t understand what really caste is. It is the psychological suppression of dalits in various instances, stages and spheres of life and expelling from power, money and knowledge in the present world. The people who enjoy all the benefits of caste system avoid the debates against caste in kerala and are in the classical idea that “Untouchables are now no longer untouchables”. But it was proved to be wrong in a Nursery school in Malappuram.

Some upper caste parents withdrew their kids from the nursery school of Oothalakandy village in Mancheri taluk of Malappuram district. They told a strange reason ; “our children will lose their culture by interacting with the sc/st students”. They sent  their kids to other nursery schools were elite castes study. And one upper caste parent who is an school teacher said “his kid is really getting bored while studying there”. What may be the culture of a home that ‘produces’ a kid who is bored while playing with other kids?

The teacher of the nursery, Rejitha, strongly reacted against this nasty custom of thrashing caste system on the kids . She presented this issue in different venues and added that the kids from the dalit colonies need  more attentions for their education and other needs. But her voices were ignored by the  political leaders, local government bodies  and other authorities. At last, she told the issue to her neighbor Soumya, who was a Mass Communication student of mine. We decided to do the documentary about this and went to the village for the shoot. We took the interview of two Panchayat members who were leaders from Communist and Congress parties. They opined; there is no caste discrimination, but students were moving from this nursery school to  English medium nurseries. Mr. Narendran of Oothalakandy colony cried in front of the camera and said, the people of the dalit colony in Oothalakandy are being ill treated by the external society.

But Rejitha teacher clearly attacked the caste system prevailing in that area and added the political leaders also support this. She said; as a Nursery school teacher she is having contact with almost everybody in the village and she knows what is happening there. There are all sorts of psychological and social suppression against the people of the Colony. Elite castes used to  remark against the colony by saying “they will never develop....we have done so many things to them....” She asks “Who are these people to define the people of colonies....? Are these people  developed...? I know what is happening in the backdrop of every elite caste house in the area....” She says English medium is not the reason for upper castes to withdrew  from the nursery, but it is caste for she is a degree holder and knows very well to teach English. And one parent who is a school teacher who had withdrawn his kid from the nursery school ‘suggested’ some development schemes for the upbringing of the people of the colony. He told us to build some “cultural centers or libraries”. Teacher reacted ; " people who have culture may talk about the cultural centers".

The documentary was screened before the Media in Malappuram in a press conference. The situation there was unimaginable. Soumya, the director of the documentary and Rejitha teacher were expecting some positive reactions for they were presenting a serious issue. But some of them taught Soumya how to make a documentary. But the documentary which was  'standard less' according to some of them grabbed four awards in from different realms of society including film festivals. Soumya got the fellowship for the best upcoming director in the VIBGYOR short international film festival of Thrissur.

The documentary made so many controversies in Malappuram. Rejitha teacher  got so many threats from different corners of the society. And there was an allegation from the political spheres that it was a planned effort by Rejitha teacher to demoralize the people of Mancheri. On the other hand,  people of  the colonies started questioning political leaders for their grants and rights in the meetings of local governing bodies. This documentary broke a great myth established by the Communist party that caste has been eradicated in Kerala. The issue was discussed in the international level by the blog.insighty.com. The link of the discussion is http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=595. You can watch the documentary in the following link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiEPG1t2aF8

UNDERWORLD MEMORIES OF UNTOUCHABLES

Peringeel is a small village of Ezhome Panchayat in Kannur district of Kerala.  The name Peringeel came from the expression Perumkeezhil which means extreme lowest. My father was born and brought up in this village. The people of Peringeel were treated as extreme lowest people in caste scenario of social culture in Kerala.

Peringeel, the shelter of  farmers belong to the Pulaya community, is a place surrounded with full of rivers and paddy fields . Larger share of areas are marshy places namely kaippad and the other portion paddy fields. Peringeel is one of the few villages in Kannur and Kerala having cultivation of rice in Kaippad besides the paddy field. It is one of  the few villages having excellent variety of rice cultivation in Kerala using the conventional farming methods without the influence of green revolution that spoiled the Indian agriculture.

Now, a total of 10 families are occupied here. Years ago the place was crowded with some 25 families . But no government schemes reached here, many of the families here got converted to Christianity and shifted to the nearby hillsides at Kottila and Pilathara in search of better job and life. Years back, in this locality there were only tatched huts made of mud bricks and grass and now also the situation is not different.

Before the Indian independence, the people here were the slaves of landlords. They had to work according to the tenants of law in day and night. The King of Kolathunadu-Valapattanam was the Supreme owner of whole of the land. He distributed the land under him to various Namboodiri, higher caste Hindu people. They again distributed to the sub tenants, like Mappilas, Muslim lords Thiyyas and Nairs, higher caste Hindus. The Sub tenants would arrange cultivation in the land under them choosing the slave people from the locality. Very minute quantity of payments was made towards wages. In fact a feudal system was prevailing at that time.

But in monsoon the entire area will be covered with water and flood. Everywhere the footpaths are muddy. People cannot ever move without country boat. In rainy season people vacates their houses and reach their safe places for rescue. In spite of flood and water, drinking water has to be brought from the nearby villages crossing rivers and bunds and walking kilometers. Because of marshy and filthy area and surrounded by rivers bearing salt water, drinking water is not available in the wells here. They have to rely upon pipe water, which are not properly supplied all the time.


Underworld memories of Untouchables, the documentary is a 'payback' to this village from where I learned compassion for other beings. Underworld memories of Untouchables is the memories of three generations of people in the village of Peringeel. They speak about the grievances, attorcities, discriminations thrashed by caste system in their life and society. The documentary politically analyses the present condition of caste system in Kerala, which is otherwise known as God’s own country. The documentary clearly states that it is power; education and money are the three important things that can uphold a suppressed society.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnDeTjrxOy8