Vellappally Natesan: ‘Hindu Unity Is Not What I Am Aiming At’

‘The Kerala of today is not the Kerala of yesterday.’
‘What has seeped into this society is the feeling of hatred towards other castes and religions.’

IMAGE: Vellappally Natesan speaks at an SNDP meeting. Photograph: Kind courtesy Vellappally Natesan/Facebook

The two major groups among the Hindus in Kerala are the Nairs and the Ezhavas.

While the Nairs are considered a ‘forward caste’, Ezhavas, who are based in south Kerala — a similar caste group in north Kerala are called the Thiyyas — are classified under the Other Backward Class — OBC — category enjoying reservation.

These two Hindu groups have their own organisations: The Nair Service Society (NSS) for the Nair community; the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) for the Ezhavas.

Needless to say, there never was any love between the NSS and the SNDP.

The first effort to create a unified platform for the Hindu community happened in December 1950 under NSS founder Mannath Padmanabhan and then SNDP chief R Shanker, when they launched the Hindu Mahamandalam. But it collapsed soon.

Then in 2005, then NSS general secretary P K Narayana Panicker and SNDP leader Vellappally Natesan tried again. In 2012, they formed a Grand Hindu alliance which also failed in 2014 when the NSS snapped ties with the SNDP.

A few days ago, NSS General Secretary G Sukumaran Nair announced there would be an alliance between the NSS and the SNDP. But the alliance was short-lived.

The NSS board vetoed Sukumaran Nair’s idea of a Nair-Ezhava union, and it is back to square one again for Vellappally Natesan.

In the meanwhile, the central government conferred the Padma Bhushan upon Vellappally Natesan in the Republic Day honours list.

“Some religious groups grab all the benefits because they remain united as vote banks,” Vellappally Natesan tells Shobha Warrier/Rediff.

Sukumaran Nair announced that the NSS and the SNDP would join hands, but after the NSS board meeting, he retracted his statement.
What could be the reason for going back on what he had said earlier?

Sukumaran Nair is a good man, a simple, innocent man. He must have felt that in these times, it is essential to have unity between the Nairs and the Ezhavas. Otherwise, he would not have talked to me about that. We shook hands and he agreed to the union mooted by me.

Though he spoke about the need for a unity between the two communities which was based on the feelings of the people and society, it was the NSS board that had a final say in it.

But the board did not agree with the idea.

Perhaps there is politics behind it as those who are in the board are political leaders.

‘Those in the NSS board who are political wanted to veto the idea’

What do you mean by politics?

Remember we are going to have the assembly elections soon. And there are a lot of Congress people in the NSS board. I am sure they might have vetoed the idea.

Though Sukumaran Nair is in sync with my idea personally, when there is political pressure on him, he had to retract his statement.

The NSS board said that the SNDP is a political organisation, and that they wanted to keep a distance from all political parties… Is the SNDP political?

No. Had the SNDP been perceived as a political organisation, would Sukumaran Nair have agreed to my idea of unity?

Those in the NSS board who are political wanted to veto the idea. That’s why I say, the decision is purely political.

IMAGE: Vellappally Natesan at an SNDP meeting. Photograph: Kind courtesy Vellappally Natesan/Facebook

‘Nairs and Ezhavas unity will happen in Kerala’

Are you disappointed because for a very long time, you have been talking about the need for unity between the two largest Hindu groups in Kerala?

Unity of the Nairs and Ezhavas is not just my idea, it is the feeling of both communities.

What has happened now is just political.

I look at this as a small setback. So, if not today, it will happen tomorrow. It has to happen.

I am confident as that is what members of both communities want.

‘My idea of unity is not to make it political’

Do you feel Nair-Ezhava unity could change the political scene in Kerala?

My idea of unity is not to make it political.

It is not to bother or attack others. Such unity is necessary for our existence.

Also note that we have no plans to be a part of or associated with any political party.

If you are not going to be a part of any political group, what is the purpose of such a union?

It is to unite the communities at the social level. It will have no political connotation to it.

It is not to support the UDF (the Congress-led United Democratic Front) or the LDF (the CPI-M-led Left Democratic Front), the NDA (the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance), but to obtain social justice.

It is said that Nairs and Ezhavas constitute 35% of Kerala’s population.

It is not 35%. Ezhavas constitute 28% and the forward communities constitute 15%. It means 43% of Kerala’s population.

IMAGE: Vellappally Natesan being presented with a shawl at a meeting. Photograph: Kind courtesy Vellappally Natesan/Facebook

‘Christians in Kerala need support’

The BJP has always been talking about Hindu unity. Is that what you are also aiming at?

No, Hindu unity is not what I am aiming at.

More than a Nair-Ezhava union, what I have in mind is a union of Nayadi (hunting community) to Nasrani (Christian).

I used to talk about the union of Nayadi to Namboodiri. But now in the present circumstances, I feel what is needed is a union of Nayadi to Nasrani.

It is not just me, but the members of all these communities feel this way.

Why do you want to include Christians in the group?

Because they are very small in numbers and their voices are not heard.

Only the elderly Christians are left in Kerala while the youngsters have migrated to other countries. So, the Christians in Kerala need support.

As the first step, I wanted to unite the Nairs and Ezhavas, and that was the reason behind my talks with Sukumaran Nair.

I will go on to say that any community that wants social justice can join us.

What exactly do you mean by social justice?

Every community needs to have its share in every aspect of society, whether it is education or employment or politics. My goal is to see to it that every community gets its fair share in everything.

IMAGE: Vellappally Natesan being felicitated at a public meeting. Photograph: Kind courtesy Vellappally Natesan/Facebook

‘I am not against Muslims’

You have not included Muslims in the union. Are you against them?

I am not against Muslims. There are lots and lots of Muslims in this country who live with others in harmony.

But we are against those Muslims who want to create a country based on religion.

Though I spoke about the union of Nayadi to Nasrani, what I envisage is a secular front.

In this group, everybody is equal, and nobody is above any community.

The Kerala of today is not the Kerala of yesterday. What has seeped into this society is the feeling of hatred towards other castes and religions.

How can you change this feeling?

Only through unity, unity of those who are denied justice. Why do you think those religious groups that are united have an upper hand? Because they are united.

While we remain separated as different groups. When you are not united, your voice will be feeble, and nobody will hear you.

IMAGE: Members listen to Vellappally Natesan at a public meeting. Photograph: Kind courtesy SNDP Yogar Cyber Sena/Facebook

Will caste be a major factor in the coming elections in Kerala?

Caste has been a major factor in Kerala for quite some time, and it will continue to be.

Are you for a caste-based census?

Why not? Caste based census is needed so that you will know what the percentage of people in each caste is. And based on the data, let them get the benefits. That is social justice for you.

Without being in politics, how can you get social justice? Is political power not essential to get social justice?

You can get social justice without having political power, that is only if you are united. Then, you can bargain for justice.

Yes, some religious groups grab all the benefits because they remain united as vote banks.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff