Skip to main content

Tamil Nadu brahmins are at cross roads, their future scenario remains uncertain

By NS Venkataraman* 
For over 70 years now, brahmin community in Tamil Nadu have been abused, insulted and even physically attacked on some occasions by those who claimed that they were part of the so called dravidian movement. However, brahmin community silently and helplessly ducked under pressure and showed no signs of resistance or fight back.
Of course, in the recent past, the intensity of the hate campaign against brahmin community reduced somewhat in Tamil Nadu, though it has not been stopped. This has been so, probably due to the fact that there have been no resistance from the brahmins and the hate campaigners derived vicarious satisfaction that further whipping the brahmins would be like “whipping the dead snake”.

Migration from rural areas

The net result of such situation is that brahmins have largely vacated from villages and rural areas of Tamil Nadu and have moved to the big towns and cities, where they thought that their presence would not be noticed and they would be lost in the crowd. Further, the size of the brahmin families have also shrunk and brahmin population have been steadily declining over the years.
The overwhelming view of the brahmin community is that Tamil Nadu is no place for brahmins and steadily, they are seeking pastures elsewhere and are moving to other states in India and abroad. Perhaps, those who still live in Tamil Nadu are senior people who cannot move away due to age and being at the retirement stage and those who could not move out of Tamil Nadu in spite of their efforts or due to other reasons.

Reservation policy

Today, due to the reservation policy of the Government of Tamil Nadu, the so called forward class brahmins have been eliminated in calculated manner in the reservation quota, which is more than 65% for government jobs and educational institutions run by the government. Such reservation policy is now in force even in Indian Institute of Technology, which are supposed to be elite technical institutions offering high standards. Therefore, brahmins have to seek admission in the unreserved quota which are small percentage in open category. Due to this restrictions, many brahmins are unable to get admission in these institutions. Brahmins have now become conspicuous by near absence in government departments in Tamil Nadu and in educational institutions run by government of Tamil Nadu.
Of course, there are still some miniscule number of brahmins in high and middle level positions due to their success in competitive examinations conducted by central government departments and central government run public sector organisations. Today, brahmins are mostly employed in the private sector units. Some brahmins still remain as owners of medium and large scale industries in Tamil Nadu. This is due to the fact that such units were set up long back and they are still in top position due to succession based on hierarchy.

Changing lifestyle

Due to such climate of hate, there have been considerable pressure on the brahmin community that have been steadily built up over the years. Such pressure have resulted in considerable changes in the social structure and life style of brahmins. Perhaps, the situation is developing where some of the brahmin youth, both boys and girls have become self critical of their lineage. Such ongoing changes have resulted in conditions where the brahmin community could be diluted in the coming years due to frequent occurrence of inter caste marriages by brahmin boys and girls not only with Indians but also with foreigners.
The traditional religious practices of brahmins are getting diluted or even given up in some cases. With number of Tamil brahmins going out of the country and settling abroad as citizens with no plans to come back to India, they inevitably get themselves absorbed in overseas culture.

Changing historical role

Historically and traditionally, the brahmin community has been entrusted with the duty and responsibility to preserve the vedic knowledge, which are accompanied by various mantras ( hyms ) and other procedures. The number of brahmins who still learn, understand and try to preserve such holy hyms are declining rapidly. Of course, special tuition centres ( known as vedhapatasala ) are being organized by individual groups but most of these tuition centres do not get enough students in spite of free stay and boarding and stipend facilities offered. Obviously, this means that brahmin families and brahmin youth are looking for their future elsewhere and not in traditional brahmin life pattern.
Like adding fuel to fire, the present Tamil Nadu government is interfering in the management of Hindu temples and is taking steps to appoint priests who are not brahmins. In such condition, the position and job prospects of brahmins as priest in the temples are rapidly getting eroded.

Economic disparity

Today, there is considerable economic disparity between the brahmins themselves. While some of the brahmins have reasonably educated themselves and have managed to remain in middle class at economic level, there are section of brahmins who largely make their living by working in temples as priests and by offering their services during religious ceremonies. Most of such brahmins are in distress due to financial issues. As a result, most of them would like to move away from their present avocation and ensure that their children do not follow the practice of their parents.
Such poor brahmins desperately want to educate their sons and daughters to improve their financial status in life. However, with government educational institutions largely being denied to them due to reservation policy, they have to necessarily admit their children in private educational institutions, where fees are exhorbitant. Having no other way, they take the risk of admitting the children in private educational institutions and run from pillar to post to get donation from trusts and kind hearted individuals. Often they find that some donations are hard to get adequately, since the fees in the private educational institutions are exhorbitant.

At the crossroads

Certainly, brahmins in Tamil Nadu are at the cross roads and the future scenario for Tamil speaking brahmins remain uncertain. It appears the brahmin community in Tamil Nadu is in a state of crisis.
---
*Trustee, Nandini Voice of the Deprived, Chennai

Comments

Post a Comment

TRENDING

Wave of disappearances sparks human rights fears for activists in Delhi

By Harsh Thakor*  A philosophy student from Zakir Hussain College, Delhi University, and an activist associated with Nazariya magazine, Rudra, has been reported missing since the morning of July 19, 2025. This disappearance adds to a growing concern among human rights advocates regarding the escalating number of detentions and disappearances of activists in Delhi.
Post a Comment
»

How community leaders overcome obstacles to protect forests and pastures in remote villages

By Bharat Dogra  Dheera Ram Kapaya grew up in such poverty that, unable to attend school himself, he would carry another boy’s heavy school bag for five kilometers just to get a scoop of daliya (porridge). When he was finally able to attend school, he had to leave after class five to join other adolescent workers. However, as soon as opportunities arose, he involved himself in community efforts—promoting forest protection, adult literacy, and other constructive initiatives. His hidden talent for writing emerged during this time, and he became known for the songs and street play scripts he created to promote forest conservation, discourage child marriages, and support other social reforms.
Post a Comment
»

‘Act of war on agriculture’: Aruna Rodrigues slams GM crop expansion and regulatory apathy

By Rosamma Thomas*  Expressing appreciation to the Union Agriculture Minister for inviting suggestions from farmers and concerned citizens on the sharp decline in cotton crop productivity, Aruna Rodrigues—lead petitioner in the Supreme Court case ongoing since 2005 that seeks a moratorium on genetically modified (GM) crops—wrote to Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on July 14, 2025, stating that conflicts of interest have infiltrated India’s regulatory system like a spreading cancer, including within the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR).
Post a Comment
»

The GMO illusion: Three decades of hype, harm, and false hope

By Sridhar Radhakrishnan  Three decades of hype, billions of dollars spent, and still no miracle crop. It's time to abandon the GMO biotech fairy tale and return to the soil, the seed, and the farmer. “Trust us,” they said. “GMOs will feed the world.” Picture a world where there is plenty of food, no hunger, fields grow without chemical pesticides, children are saved from malnutrition, and people live healthily.
Post a Comment
»

Sandra Gonzalez Sanabria: An inspiring life from Colombia’s Amazonian valley

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  In the village of Héctor Ramírez, known as Agua Bonita, in La Montañita, Caquetá, Colombia, a vision of peace and renewal is unfolding. In the pre-2016 period, this would have been nearly impossible for outsiders to visit, as it was the epicenter of violent resistance against state oppression. However, after the Peace Accord was signed between the Colombian government and former revolutionaries—marking the end of a 70-year insurgency that claimed over 400,000 lives until 2025, including civilians, rebel fighters, and security personnel—things began to change. Visiting Agua Bonita during the Global Land Forum in Bogotá revealed a village of hope and resilience. Former FARC revolutionaries have settled here and transformed the village into a center of peace and aspiration.
Post a Comment
»

Overriding India's constitutional sovereignty? Citizens urge PM to reject WHO IHR amendments

By A Representative   A group of concerned Indian citizens, including medical professionals and activists, has sent an urgent appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to reject proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) before the ratification deadline of July 19, 2025. 
Post a Comment
»

Indigenous Karen activist calls for global solidarity amid continued struggles in Burma

By A Representative   At the International Festival for People’s Rights and Struggles (IFPRS), Naw Paw Pree, an Indigenous Karen activist from the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG), shared her experiences of oppression, resilience, and hope. Organized with the support of the International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL), the event brought together Indigenous and marginalized communities from across the globe, offering a rare safe space for shared learning, solidarity, and expression.
Post a Comment
»

Activists allege abduction and torture by Delhi Police Special Cell in missing person probe

By A Representative   A press statement released today by the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) alleges that several student and social activists have been abducted, illegally detained, and subjected to torture by the Delhi Police Special Cell. The CASR claims these actions are linked to an investigation into the disappearance of Vallika Varshri, an editorial team member of 'Nazariya' magazine.
Post a Comment
»

India’s zero-emission, eco-friendly energy strategies have a long way to go, despite impressive progress

By N.S. Venkataraman*   The recent report released by OPEC’s World Oil Outlook 2025 has predicted that by the year 2050, crude oil would replace coal as India’s key energy source. Clearly, OPEC expects that India’s dependence on fossil fuels for energy will continue to remain high in one form or another.
Post a Comment
»