To honour and disseminate the writings of the Hindu sage and social reformer, Chattambi Swamikal (1853-1924), recently the Shri Vidyadhiraja International Study and Research Centre was set up in his birth place, Kannamoola, Thiruvananthapuram. Yesterday, Sep 05,2023, four books and two journals were released at a function held in the centre.
Abstract
European and Indian historians who studied the lives of the people of Kerala have
documented the plight of the
backward communities particularly of
the nineteenth and the early twentieth century.
Thanks to social reformers
like Sree Narayana Guru, Chattambi Swamy
and Sri Ayankali, a slow
transformation happened in the lives of
members of the backward
communities. One significant contribution of these leaders was the
attempt at sensitizing their communities to the need for education for
empowerment.
There are
several definitions of empowerment and writers
like Adams have pointed out
the perils of focusing on just one
definition. A minimal definition of empowerment which
one may adopt could be one which implies the capacity of individuals, groups and/or communities to
take control of their circumstances, exercise power and achieve their own
goals. (Wikipedia)
The investigator
while attempting a
review of narratives of empowerment in Kerala, noted the emergence
of a pattern. Most such narratives seldom
presented the empowerment process
as the coming together of two
parties- one desirous of
empowerment and the external
agency making the realization of
empowerment a smooth process. For instance, narratives of empowerment
particularly by the newly empowered attributed their success entirely
to own sacrifices
punctuated by struggle
and oppression. Similarly
there are narratives
that project the view that it was
solely by conversion to Christianity
that certain depressed classes became empowered. And in modern times we have come across assertions that it was open
resistance to the indignities of
inequalities through grass root level
political struggles that
empowerment happened in Kerala. A critical reading of such narratives
gave the investigator the impression that
such narratives are slightly
biased, or even lopsided.
But when the
investigator stumbled upon certain
official documents, published 100 years
ago, in the southern state of
Travancore, a completely different picture began to emerge.
The entries in the documents underscored the
enlightened vision of the
rulers who assiduously
attempted empowerment of own subjects
through policies and legislations. This prompted
the investigator to engage in a quest for historical truth.
This paper attempts
a review of three significant official documents published
one hundred years ago. The
review besides providing an insight into the socio-economic conditions of the 19th and early
20th century, reveals how
the vision, the
passion and the sense of concern for
the well-being of own people displayed by the rulers of the
state of Travancore, opened up an
avenue for empowerment. This along with
the steps initiated for
transforming the educational
scenario led to a
complete transformation of the
socio-economic well being of the
backward communities in Kerala. The
investigator concludes by attributing the current status quo and the
privileges which the once
termed backward communities enjoy
now, partly to the vision, initiatives
and support provided by the rulers of the state of Travancore.
Key words: Backward classes, Education, Empowerment, Travancore, Vision
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Cover page of antique books
which formed the primary source of the
study
