From the biography: How social reformer Ayyankali fought for dignity and justice for Dalits
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This might seem like a highly inflammatory statement, but it is true that there are times when infringement of the law becomes a necessity. The aim of law is to ensure that every individual can exercise their freedom and enjoy their rights as a social being, with the tacit corollary that they do not deny another’s right to the same. However, there was a period in Kerala’s history when caste hierarchy and associated norms existed as a law in itself. Caste norms regulated an individual’s life and were enforced via coercion by upper-caste Hindus and implemented through mute and submissive compliance by the Dalits. In such a society, it was impossible for the Dalit to conceptualise freedom and justice without defying the laws devised by the caste-regulated social system.
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Even today, unwritten caste rules continue to determine social interaction between individuals and communities in infinitesimal yet crucial ways, impacting even the legal system and the manner in which laws are interpreted. During Ayyankali’s time, it was an accepted “given” that the upper castes maintained their hegemony, which they implemented through undemocratic and unjust caste norms. The aim was to safeguard and nourish, as well as ensure and perpetuate its continuance. For that...