P.Ramamurthi's Ariya Mayaya Dravida Mayaya

This article is a repost of an original work by

Rajesh Venkatasubramanian... a linguistics and history scholar from India...
he is also on my blog list :

He has done a meticulous work.. in translating from tamil to english..a very precious political work... regarding a prominent issue that ultimately became the foudning core for the current political base of Tamil Nadu and the DMK....



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"This is my translation from Tamil of a chapter titled "Ti.Mu.Ka. Valarntha Pinnani" of P.Ramamurthi's Ariya Mayaya Dravida Mayaya. Initially this was published as series of essays in Theekathir and then later compiled into a book form. The English work of P.Ramamurthi titled Freedom Struggle and Dravidian Movement is an abridged one which does not have the details of Tamil essays. "

~ Rajesh
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It was during this time that DMK raised powerfully the slogan of “waning south”. As mentioned above this slogan helped not only the aspirations of the raising capitalists in Tamilnadu. The DMK movement was useful to Tamilnadu government as well in the form of demanding the necessary resources and establishment of large scale public sector industries in Tamilnadu and irrigation projects in the form of constructing dams like Bhavani Sagar, Papanasam and Amaravati as laid out through the second five year plan. This movement was useful in pressing the central government to establish public sector units like Ennore Thermal Power station, exploiting the coal resources at Neyveli and through them establishing Neyveli Thermal power plant, establishing oil refinery unit in Chennai and through them establishing Naftha chemical fodder industry, establishing Nuclear power plant at Kalpakkam.

In this context it is not surprising that industrial capitalists in Tamilnadu who earlier during the freedom struggle supported Congress came to support DMK.

At the beginning the large scale support to DMK was extended by the owner of the Simphson group of companies Anantharama Krishna Iyer. The relationship between his family and DMK continued even after his death with Karunanidhi.

Even though the Communist party was a first opposition party to Congress in 1952 legislative assembly elections, it focussed on mobilizing the workers despite the fact that Tamilnadu was predominantly an agararian economy. Due to this reason, it did not gain wide support in rural areas except in lower Tanjore and Chidambaram Taluks.

On the other hand DMK could successfully campaign in the form of launching weekly, monthly and daily newspapers with the support of Capitalists.

Caught in illusion students in colleges and schools, a platform for DMK, campaigned for the party in each village.

The party tapped the economic problems faced by the rural masses in successfully campainging for their cause. But it neither moblized the rural masses who found various hardships due to excessive taxation, the rise in prices of commodities, debt, exploitation of land owners nor launched any movement. Since Communist party did not initiate or organize the movement of agricultural workers, their presence was confined to few pockets in the state. The space was occupied by the DMK leaders and students passed out from schools and colleges successfully campaigned against Congress rule.

Thirdly, even though the Communist leaders and cadres launched struggles for the cause of workers, they did not mobilize people through creating an awareness among them the land related issues and policies adopted by Congress, taxes, financial policies, joining of hands with foreign capitalists in establishing industries, receiving loans from American dominated World Bank and IMF and its consequences. On this basis the Communists failed to counter DMK’s campaign. All these are important cause for the growth of DMK.

In this situation, even after independence the problem of unemployement, the rise in the price of essential commodities, poverty with a lack of alternative politics and policies, DMK’s campaign among people created an attraction. To carry out such a campaign there existed a number of newspapers. To campaign in villages there were even enough youngsters. To run number of newspapers, the support from Capitalists in Tamilnadu was there.

Moreover, the fact that Communist party stood as main opposition in 1952 legislative assembly elections created a fear among Capitalists and land owners in Tamilnadu of their further growth. It is natural that in order to secure their wealth they were in look out for an alternative party. They also realized that DMK is the party they can rely on. Due to this, except the traditional capitalists like the TVS family who continued to support Congress, number of other industrialists and land owners while extending support to Congress also started extending considerable support to DMK.

All these are important cause for Communist party not expanding in Tamilnadu and the growth of DMK.

After gaining considerable ground, DMK decided to contest the elections in 1957. In order to nail in ground the DMK’s decision and to support in its election activities, the leading national – Hindu, Indian Express - and regional – Dinamani – newspapers and weeklies widely advertised the DMK conference held in Chennai in December 1956 or January 1957. Right from the beginning the importance and advertisements given by Indian national weekly and S.S. Vasan’s ‘Anatha Vikatan’ are beyond expectation. In eight pages it covered the party conference held at Chennai with pictures. Here comes a responsible opposition party, an opposition party that is DMK which will protect our property and wealth – an idea that has gripped the minds of capitalists in Tamilnadu and what else is a proof? The DMK leaders who campaigned during that election was given wide advertisement in the Tamil press!

As a consequence DMK which for the first time contested legislative assembly elections could able to win 15 constituencies.

After 1952 the leaders of DMK almost abandoned anti-Brahmin propaganda. But time and again the party invoked the anti-Brahmin rhetoric when it was felt a necessary strategy.

One example, in 1953 I was serving as the leader of opposition party in Tamilnadu legislative assembly. I had to visit Kashmir. There was no personal work. My visit was related to one of the important national issue. The Chief Minister of Kashmir was raising the slogan of “independent Kashmir”. I had to negotiate with him about that issue. The news of my negotiation at Kashmir was widely known and reported in important daily newspapers. Even in Tamilnadu, Hindu, Indian Express and Dinamani reported the issue.

In those days there was no passenger flights to Kashmir except the military operated carriers. From Delhi to Pathankot the journey was usually in train and from there to Srinagar journey was in bus. The bus will go usually till Panihal on the first day. After staying for a night when bus reaches Srinagar the next day it will be around seven in the evening. Hence from Delhi the journey is usually three days.

When I held negotiations with Sheik Sahib on the first day, I received a letter from C. Subramaniam (serving then as Finance Minister of Tamilnadu, Assembly leader on behalf of government) stating that the legislative assembly will be convened next Monday. The negotiation with Sheik Abdullah had to go for 4,5 days. Due to this I was not able to reach Chennai and attend the assembly proceedings.

In that assembly session, on behalf of me deputy president of the Communist Party in assembly Comrade Kalyana Sundaram spoke against the intended introduction of Rajaji’s new educational policy. The debate went only for a day. On voting basis in assembly it was lost by a vote. Apart from comrade Kalyana Sundaram, comrades Jeevanandam, K.T. Raju spoke and participated in the debate. All members from our party voted.

The fact that I could not attend the session and vote in assembly and that the policy was through by a vote was an oppurtunity siezed by DMK who vigorously carried out false campaign. Karunanidhi and other DMK leaders toured all over Tamilnadu making propaganda against me. The following was their gist of propaganda: Rajaji, the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu was a Brahmin; To safeguard this brahmanical rule another brahmin P. Ramamurthi abstained from voting by not attending the assembly.

After Rajaji resigned, by the end of 1953 when Kamaraj became Chief Minister this propaganda almost came to halt. It was E.V.R. Periyar who campaigned by characterizing Kamaraj as “true Tamilian” and his rule as “true Tamilian rule”. Moreover the DMK leaders felt the need for support from the raising Brahmin capitalists of various sectors.

Moreover right from 1956 when the draft of the second five year plan was made and right from the day it was implemented, the differences of opinion within Communist party cropped up. The contradictory opinion within Communist party existed from the top to the lower levels. Led by S.A. Dange one group within the party citing the establishment of large scale public sector industries by Congress party pointed to the need to cooperate the Congress government whose policies were leading the nation in the path of socialism. On the other side me and Harkishan Singh Surjeet severely opposed the idea of Dange and his group. For the establishment of public sector industries in those days there was a need for a capital investment of Rs. 200 to 300 crores. No Indian capitalists possessed the force to mobilize this capital amount. These industries were on the other hand significant for India’s industrial development. To establish these industries and to import the necessary technology the government made negotiations with foreign countries for five years in vain. Only Soviet Union and Czkeslovakia came forward. These public sector industries will any way encourage the private players in a long run. The Indian government is still creating infrastructure and encouraging the capitalists in private sector to ally with multi national business magnates. Indian government is not even imposing a restriction leave alone imposing a ban on the multi national firms to invest in pharmacutical and other industrial sectors. Rather it encourages them.

From all this we opposed that Indian government is taking a path of developing the Capitalism in India. Due to the attitude of Dange section, the political campaign of the Communist party detoriated.

As if to their favour, the conference convened by Congress at Avadi near Chennai in 1954 passed a resolution of establishing Socialist pattern of society as its aim. Jawaharlal Nehru campaigned the resolution passed by Congress widely both outside and inside parliament. The press gave a wide advertisement of the campaign. The Indian capitalists knew very well that they are the one who is going to benefit for all the investment that go into the public sector industries. They knew that people will fall prey to the illusion of Congress’s “socialist” posture and that they are one who is going to benefit out of it.

The situation also helped DMK to let loose a vigorous campaign against Congress.

After 1957 elections, there was a debate within Communist party on the question of Dravidian movement. Although DMK placed the demand for “Dravida Nadu” and campaigned for it, it in fact voiced the concerns of capitalists in Tamilnadu. It is natural that in the course of Capitalist development the competition among capitalists is inevitable not only within a particular country but also outside countries. It is also natural and inevitable that in a country like India, a contradiction between the well established monopoly capitalists and the emerging regional bourgeoisie will emerge.

In the growth of democratic process, it is necessary to take these contradictions into account and use it to oppose Congress rule. If it is not used in right direction the regional populace will fall prey to ethnic chauvinism. Did not the maturity of contradiction of Capitalism lead to second world war?

The Communist party in Tamilnadu did not follow this approach. Taking recourse to this approach is not an oppurtunism. It is a necessary strategy and principle to develop Communist movement and moblize and organize people based on their experience towards the path of Socialism. It is a practical way of Marxist-Leninist political philosophy.

Stalin very cleaverly used the situation even before and when the contradiction in global capitalism matured into second world war. How effective was the strategy turned out to be for Chinese revolution when the Communist Party in China tapped the contradiction between Capitalists in China who were dominated by the imperialist forces and Siange sheik! The strategy made the revolution effective!

Similarly ever since freedom struggle took armed revolutionary turn in Vietnam how effective was the strategy tapped by Uncle Ho in finding contradiction between French and English imperialism on the one side and national bourgeoisie on the other. Not only this but also a cleaver manner in which he tapped the contradiction amongst imperial forces is important.

It is not possible to win a revolution by simply believing in these contradictions. Going ahead with such a belief will only end up in the rule of Capitalists. Rather the reasons for a victory in revolution are their political feelings, mass support, revolutionary practice and struggles. But the contradiction is tapped to make the revolution possible and acute. The inability to use them result in a disaster for Communist movement and provide strength for bourgeois parties. The Communist movement in Tamilnadu should not lose this oppurtunity.

But precisely this mistake was committed by the Communist movement in Tamilnadu till the election of 1957. After 1957 election a contradiction on this issue cropped up within the Communist party in Tamilnadu after prolonged debate and was taken up to the level of Polit bureau. The polit bureau rectified this mistake and helped in reconciling the differences in the party in Tamilnadu.

It was decided later that the party has to align with the DMK and fight for the cause of people. When it was implemented there was a protest staged together by DMK and the Communist party against raise in the prices of essential commodities. As a consequence I was nominated for Rajya Sabha post with a support from DMK representing Communist party which then had only 4 legislative assembly seat.

Slave Labor ... in the US...?

An interesting article from BBC news... south asia..

"Indian men in US 'slave' protest

The Indian workers claim they have been kept in poor conditions
Almost 100 Indians who moved to the US for jobs have marched hundreds of miles to Washington DC in protest at being forced to work "like slaves".
The Indian ambassador


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7316130.stm

MVP....

For this season... 2007-2008....

with 10 games left... it is again time to name the leagues " MVP"...

Defined as the MVP...of the regular season... it decorates the very players of the era... this era being this decade....

The Best player of this decade has been overlookek every year by conventional excuses..." the team is no1, doesnt make the other players better than him." etc.

Here are my rankings for the MVP... in order who of who deserves it most...:


I consider : skills, impact, stats, wins, clutch,, and game winning shots..


1. KOBE
The best player for many years... He scored 36 points/ game.. didnt get it for not winning enough games.. Now he is near the top in wins.. and i still the best player in the game: best shooter, best game winning player

2. Baron
His team makes the most number of difficult shots.. no insidre game they play 5 shooters/ skilll players.. with a small forward playing center... Davis runs the whole team.. they are the new phoenix suns. His team is ranked 8th in the west .. but they are above Lebron


3. Ginobilli:

Best player for the spurs last 4 years... won the 2005 championship.. with great game winning shots... Scores the big points at the end... He is the Superstar that chose to just be a basketball player...
He does all the work.. the touch shots.. and clutch play.. Duncan as usual gets all the credit.



4. Paul:
New orleans in number 1, at will be near the top... first playoffs for NO... 20 and 10 assists... He can do it all... No weakness...He is Kidd and Nash in one.. He looks like he is 10 years old...

5. Lebron James:
The east is weak... his team is no 13 in wins... lower than the guys above him. He scores 30points... no1 in the league...The other guys are better shooters than him.. He is great... MVP of the EAST... but the west is just oo good in competetion.. and star guard play...