Is history about to repeat?

These words of Sudershan Rao would not matter if it were not for the fact that he has been anointed as chairman of Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) by the Union Govt.

The theory propounded by Rao is easily debunked if one looks at the humiliation that Shivaji Maharaj the greatest of Hindu rulers of India of the last millennium had to undergo because of his caste.

Chanan Chahal in his Book The Evil of Caste states: “It is a well known historical fact that, Shivaji, after having established a Hindu kingdom in the Western part of Maharashtra, thought of proclaiming himself a king by having a coronation ceremony performed by a Brahman. But he was denied by the Brahmans by proclaiming that Shri Chattrapati Shivaji was a Shudra by birth. Therefore the coronation could not be performed, because he was not a Kshatriya. Even though the Kshatriyas had failed to defend the state, or regain it, from the Moguls, it took a Shudra warrior to take it back.

Brahman’s refusal to crown Shivaji, meant lot of the tribes would not follow him in battle, because he was not a legitimate king duly crowned, so Shivaji offered ten times as much to a Brahman called Gagabhat from Benares to perform the coronation ceremony on 6th June 1674. Even then the Brahman would not touch him with his hands to anoint his fore-head instead he used his left toe. The name of Shivaji is mentioned with great pride throughout India, as one of the greatest warriors who stood up to the Mogul might, but to a Brahman he was nothing, but a Shudra.”

Dr A L Srivastava in History of India (1000 to 1707 AD): “At his initiation into the rites of the twice-born (Dwija) Kshatriya, Shivaji's guru and other Brahmans uttered Vedic mantras, but Shivaji was not allowed to utter or repeat them…." 

S N Sadasivan in A Social History of India comments: “His military genius has belied the mythological monopoly of warfare handed down by the Brahminic fiction to an imaginary warrior clan called the Kshatriya. As H G Rawlinson says: "In appearance Shivaji was a typical Maratha". The Brahmins vied with one another to get into his services and although he was of the opinion that they should strictly confine themselves to religious life, he had appointed a great many of them in his administration from top to bottom. Shivaji borrowed the administrative system of the Mauryas, but neither they nor the imperial Guptas ever attached any importance to Kshatriyahood; yet it is amazing even to a frozen intelligence why Shivaji wanted to get converted himself as a Kshatriya…..

The Brahmins who served Shivaji for maneuvering his power from behind to their advantage, however, were disturbed when Shivaji legitimately aspired, that he should be made the monarch of the territories he brought by the sword under his control. Unlike in the days of the Mauryas and Guptas or even the Chalukyas, in the 17th century caste system had taken its most monstrous form and the entire mobilisation society was aimed at making caste laws fully enforced in its farthest interpretation. The Brahmins had made everyone a slave of caste and forged laws that the Kshatriyas of their ordination alone were entitled to be crowned as kings.”

Sadasivan further adds: “By his deed (karma) Shivaji would have been a super- Kshatriya but the more he conquered, the more his fame spread, and the more was the intra-communal jealousy and envy against him. The Maratha families who were equal to the Bhosales, did not want to be subordinate to Shivaji whom they looked down upon as a usurper and an upstart while they openly pledged their loyalty to Aurangazeb and the Mohammaden ruler of Bijapur. The hostile Marathas repeatedly endorsed the Brahmin view that Shivaji was a Sudra as any one of them and had no right to be a king although they were happy to be submissive to the imperial authority of Aurangazeb and the sovereignty of Adil Shah of Bijapur.

The Brahmins drew up a long list of his sins both by commission and by omission including inadvertent killing of cows that he might have unknowingly committed, during raids or battles for the expiration of which they fixed their own sums which Shivaji paid. At the instance of Gaga Bhatta 11,000 Brahmins with their wives and children numbering in all 50,000 souls, had to be sumptuously fed and supplied with clothes and other necessities on a liberal scale for four months, the expenses for which were entirely defrayed by their 

generous patron…”

The Maratha empire was built on the courage and bravery of the ordinary people despite vehement opposition from the Brahmins as is well documented. However, as soon as the empire was strong the brahmins ingratiated themselves to Shivaji and came to occupy the position of Peshva (Prime Minister). Thereafter, through typical cunning, the Peshvas did unto the Marathas what the camel had done to the Arab, and took over as de facto rulers. Later, the Peshvas meekly surrendered the gains of the Marathas and enabled the British to colonize the entire country.

The RSS an organization controlled by the Brahmins has propelled a backward caste Narendra Modi to the post of prime minister. The portents are indicative of a repetition of what the Peshvas did to the Marathas. Narendra Modi may soon find himself out-manoeuvred and the new Peshvas may take over the Delhi ‘gaddi’. Sudershan Rao is the first salvo fired by the RSS to clear the path.

In the light of these uncontroverted  evidence of the havoc that caste has played upon our country how can anyone say that the caste system worked well? And how can a person with such views be the chairman of  ICHR, the premier institute of historical research in the country?

(Radharao F. Gracias is a senior Trial Court advocate, a former Independent MLA and a political activist)