The Courtesan, The Mahatma and an Italian 

Brahmin

    

Manu S Pillai.

                Almost after one year gap, I start writing review of a book.  It is a pleasure reading a book you like and it is a joy sharing what you have read with others.

 

            The book I recently completed reading is Manu. S Pillai’s ‘The Courtesan, The Mahatma and an Italian Brahmin’.  I was simultaneously reading two more books, but the short and crisp glimpses of history this book revealed was more suitable for the period of travels. I finished this book while travelling to many places including Hampi, where the ruins of Vijayanagar empire grandness of which surprised me.

            This book has a very interesting structure.  It is in three parts, part I covers the period before british raj and part two covers the period of British Raj.   Each of the pieces is not a complete essay in itself.  Each brief narration records an incident of history or the circumstances leading to or consequences following that incident.  These briefs kindle our interest about the personalities or phenomenon in the context of the incident.  This is a new kind of telling history, very interesting one,  that encourages and compels further reading.

            It is, in a way, an ideal book of enlarged titbits, suitable for those who are weary of reading long historical treatises.  This makes history more accessible.  It reveals a lot about historical processes and evolution of personalities and demolishes many of the assumptions and falsehoods spread by vested interests.

            First part covers the period before the British Raj.  It brings out the curious strategy of Robert D Nobili, an Italian missionary who adopts traditional rituals of Hindu Brahmins while preaching Christianity.  It records the Maratha ruler of Tanjavur who encourages a play ‘Sati Dana Suramu’ that exposes the scandalous behaviour of a Brahmin in pursuing women of low castes without shame who also justifies his high status. It makes fun of his learning of ‘Vedas’ and other sacred texts. 

            Another piece explores the contours of the story of Shakuntala, from Mahabharata to the poetic Abhijnanasakuntalam of Kalidas and how the latter rescues the character of the King and husband and whitewashes his sin.

            The story of Maratha untouchable worshipper Chokhamela, is similar to that of ‘Nanadanaar’ of Tamil Region.  Even the most ardent devotee, if he belongs to lowest of the caste, was not allowed anywhere near the deity. 

            It would not be convenient to our prejudice to know that Shivaji’s forces included Muslim warriors who were his faithful generals and that Auranzeb’s forces included Hindu Rajput rulers loyal to him.   In another short essay, the author indicates that the forces that obliterated Vijayanagar empire included Maratha forces that sided with the muslim sultans of a neighbouring states.  History does not fall into categories designed by political parties in twenty first century.  It evolves by the logic of power, revenue collection, land, sustenance of hierarchy and suppression of opposition.  There are hindu rulers' heirs who were given protection by the muslim rulers and there are muslim rulers' heirs who were protected by hindu rulers. (example Vijayanagar)  Some muslim rulers of deccan were originally Brahmins. 

            It tells the story of an pallava kingdom.  There was no heir with royal descendant at a particular point of time.  They searched for royal bloodlines of pallava kings.  A prince from Vietnam was anointed as the king of pallava kingdom in tamilnadu on the grounds that three centuries earlier, one of the pallavas had married into Vietnamese royal family.  They had  to ensure privilage of lineage, which was sacred and for that they could go to any extent.

            Contrary to popular myth that Dara Shikoh was not a man of absolute integrity, this book explains.

            Meerabai refused to be a sati and did not go into the funeral pyre with her royal husband.  He considered the god Krishna as her man and lived for him for many years after the death of her ritual royal husband.

The second part of the book deals with the british raj.

            ‘If there was no british raj’ collapsing moghul empire would have gone? Or Did the maratha’s or other groups had the capacity to rule at least major part, if not the whole of what is now India? These were interesting and imaginary questions.  Persian language had been the court, official and diplomatic language for more than 600 years before the arrival of british.  Would it have become official language? (As in 1858) Persian was much better known than the English all over the land of India.

            There are other stories normally not covered in other books of popular reading.  For example, (a) Resurrection of Balamani, who lived on her own terms (b) A Brahmin Women of Scandal, which tells the story of a Namboohiri women, who scandalised the whole caste by confessing and in the court that she had slept with reputed people (she named them) in her area.  Me too movement, in kerala of 19th century?

            This book has many interesting leads to follow.  It shows that history is not a boring chronology of events, but a play of characters involving dramatic moments of pain and glory, victory and defeat, that it is a complex process which disturbs and revises our current knowledge and understanding.   That it does without demanding much energy, is a credit to its author.   I an inspired to buy his earlier books.