Evaluation of Communalism in Costal Canara:From Independence to Intervention of Globalisation.‘

Everybody is worried about communalism and terrorism, the best way to deal with it is, not taking part in it’. I am using Noam Chomsky’s saying on Terrorism and fitting it into communalism after making little bit physical modifications. Communalism is a universal phenomenonwhich exists around the Globe irrespective of time, space and even Geography. In India communalism also has a history, it runs parallel along with secularism. It is hard to imagine and discuss the notion and reality of secularism, without discussing the notion as communalism. Communalism also not only breached the sanctity and the relevance of the secularism, but it also dragged or asserted the age old Indian Civilization into barbarism[1]. In India communalism germinated from its seed on around the first decade of the 20^th century itself. Around 1930’s due to the Muslim league politics and Hindu communalism it got nurtured. When India got Independence it tore up into two nations as India and Pakistan, the post partitioned space and time witnessed the blunder and barbarism, which is out of communalism took its expression through genocide and pogrom. The Post-Independence India also witnessed a series of communal riots and clashes around 50’s and 60’s due to various reasons, especially because of thetransition in the Indian societal, political and economic systems and structures. In 1963, to confront communalism, the then Prime Minister of India, PunditJawaharlalNehru had set up National Integration council. Again in the era of Indira Gandhi, especially on 1970’s, that is in Pre and Post emergency era once again nation experienced the quick mushrooming of the communalism. The globally exhibited phenomena, after 1990’s that is under the title as Globalization, also contributed to the emergence of the communalism in India. We have a long History of communalism and Scholars like Asgar Ali Engineer, Bipan Chandra, Sucheta Mahajan, Gyanendra Pandey and others exclusively, dealt the issue of communalism in India. Gyanendra Pandey’s, ‘The rise of communalism in Northern India is epitome in this. They used their own tools, visions, dimensions and approaches. So communalism or the issue of communalism has become anissue of general debate and even theoretical and also empirical[2]. But everybody’s view and opinion on communalism is that, ‘it is a complex phenomenon, in which one can’t definitely say certain things or generalize certain things’[3].

Coastal region of Karnataka is also effected and effecting from communalism. This Geography is a very distinct one and History, space and time. Even the dramatic changes in the field of Socio-economic fields or profile is also one of main reason for this. In this paper I am examining historically how the region underwent rapid change in its economy and society, and how that change made its repercussions over the society, including the outcome as communalism or the rise of communalism in coastal area. In this regard I also going to trace the reasons why communalism arises over Canara and also treating this rise of communalism historically, theoritically and empiricically. Representatively I am discussing certain episodes of communal clashes and its ambience. My special concentration is towards historically witnessed these social and economic changes and through the newly created identities, and their positioning and their politics[4].

As earlier I said coastal Canara has hardly witnessed major communal roits in History. One of the major communal roit broke out in post-Independent Canara, that is in 1968, centering around the port citiy of Mangalore. This roit is the frist such type of communal roit, in which the death toll was one. One of the landmark area or era in the History of India ,and also of Communalism Historyof India is Babri Masjid demolition, that is in 1992 December, and subsequent saffronisation of the Coastal belt during the later elections[5]. Although the issue died out so early, another important date in this is December 1998 Suratkal communal roit. In this stones are pelted into innocent people’s house  and later their houses also attacked physically. It was started due to a trivial issue that, a scrap seller from a minority community was alleged to have stollen scrap from a house. But this was created a kind of snowball of reasons that lead to the roit.

The next major episode in the communal roit’s history of coastal area that isthe attack on Evangellical church and on a protestant church, that is near a place known as Kulai in the vicinity of the Manglore. This incident reciewed national and also international attention.  The contemporary news papers of the World and India also carried the news of Pope’s, American Senate’s condamination responses report over the event. These Church’s has been vandalised after their claim as, church was very much intervened in proselytisation activities. This event also smitted or echoed in other area.

Another major event is on around 1999 is again a Suratkal incident. In this a Yakshagana banner was teared by the some group, that was triggered theroit. Soon communal tensions and roit spread to the core and the vicinity areas of the Suratkal like Suratkal, Krishnapura, Hosabettu, Thandabailu, Kana, Katipalla etc. It was also spread to Mangalore city, even neighbouringtaluk’s like Puttur and Bantwal too. The then Karnataka government claimed the death toll as 8 in it’s report, although independent enquiry claimed as 16[6]. The Government report also claimed the distruction of 165 houses, in which 98 are minority and 67 belongs to majority[7]. Government report also claimed that property of 50 lakh Indian rupees  has been distroyed and 100 people injured in stabings and attacks[8].

In above mentioned communal roit isvery peculiar in its nature because[9], one: many roiters had their earlier participation in the engineering of communal roits like HubliIdgaMaidanRoit, Datta-Baba Budangiri Incident in Chickmagalore and also buldozing many churches in Coastal area. Second: Rumours also played a dominant role in shaping of the communal roit, which I discussed above. Rumours like, “increasing police atrocities”, “employment of outside forces”, “rape of women”, “Killing, mass killing or death of Hindus or Muslims”, “attack on temple or Church or Masjid” and many more. These rumours  are very important in accelarating the communal roits and phenomena, irrespective of space and time and even Geography. We can also find or place these kind of rumours in the pre and post partition incidents and even in genocide as well[10]. Historian Bipan Chandra also stronglyand theoriticallyplaces this rumours as the agents of wildfire in communal roits. Whenever communal roit’s takes place these rumours becomes and acts as folk tail or fairy. Third: interesting feature of these roits is looting, Fourth: roits also spread to the villages nearby the national highways. Fifth: the biased, callous attitude of the police and the administration. Some time they acted as ancillary agents with the nexus also. Sixth: the roiters in communal clashes use to divide themselves into 3 or 4 or more groups. This feature also can be seen in partition post genocide. It is also a universalised feature and phenomena.Here one group confronts with police and other three or more engages in looting,butchering and  smashing of the innocent people and communities. Intrestingly it is also shown in Indian popular and parallal cinema, in that groups use to attack systematically, one after spilting into many[11]. Seventh;they did not adopt rape and that kind of act, and they also did not targeted the people from the  weaker sections of the society. Eight; feature is, communal roits also used, means to solve personal problems of individual eviction such as tenants, non-payment of dues or business rivalry. In most of the communal roits people who were died, majority of them belongs to backward castes,Byaris and Mapilla’s[12].

In coastal region we have number of people who directly or indirectly consciously giving their empirical and theoritical confrontations against the communal roits and communalism. We have left ideologues, liberal left thinkers, left extremists and many people, including some sort of centrists. Except centrists all are highly committed to their cause and to their analysis and they are freely expressing and also organising many activities to confront communalism. Although I personaly rate them high, but in the same while express pity on their analysis of the communalism in coastal canara,that is certain and welcoming,that argument of these people as, the reason for the communal tensions in Coastal Canara is the rise of right wing extremism and the politics,Being a student of History and Political science and even Sociology I acknowledge their limit and urge them to find out the reasons in an integral way and in a broader way,rather in a very confined narrow avenue. It means, I am empesising here is, the economic change and the linked social change, which is nurtured the historical evolution of communalism in India and coastal area .Right wing extremism and politics one part among them,we need to discuss the other elements too.I urge here to make some sort of theorisation too. The rise of Right activities and politics is also can be linked into this. The shift in economy and material life after the Independence effected over the masses and the society of coastal area in a greater detail.Bipan Chandra traces the seed of communalism through the Neharuvian economic policies itself[13].Coastal area also fealt the same method and mechanism of those paradigm,and we need to reconsider the roots of communalism with wide spectrum.

Historically the two districts which falls in coastal region of Karnataka is very sensitive and historically this geography made the way for developing new spaces and identities as well[14]. It was under the British presidency rule, although it was in the periphery of the colonial rule, the interaction of colonialism and modernity created a shift in society and social transition too. Modernity brought new enterprises like tiles, cashew processing, mechanized fishing and all also contributed to this social transformation. It also reflected in the de-territorisation of the population also. The communities and the people of this area also found first and second migration to the cosmopolitan cities like Mumbai, and others later into Gulf nations. Colonialism here also raised capitalism, but also re-inforced feudalism too, up to 1970’s land reforms, which islead by Smt. Indira Gandhi, the then prime minister of India. After the land reforms of 1970’s many land lords as Brahmins and Bunts lost their land migrated because of the push factor of the migration into cities like Mumbai and many and later in to the Gulf area. Again the local economy fell into the hands of Konkani’s, educational hegemony with Christian Konkani’s. There was no way left to the backward classes and poor classes to capturing the market or economy. Exept backward classes and cate’s, everybody had their own spaces in the contemporary economy. This created a kind of personal and social rift, anxieties between the existing classes and cast’s. There was a lot of contradictions too. Again these classes faced some problems regarding the implementation of the hand reforms too. A larger share of land yet did not transferred into the hands of those classes ,they were the earlier landlords. The same condition and status was experienced with the poor Byari and Mapilla community too.Around 1950’s and 60’s we witness a lot agrarian uprisings,that also shows this contradictions, This kind of engulfs and contradictions again accelerated the class and community anxiety and tensions. In 1970, 1980’s some what the effective implementation land reforms resulted again the process of  migration as second migration into cosmopolitincitiesand even into Gulf areas. The Bunt and Brahmin community of this area migrated into cities like Mumbai and others established Udupi hotels and some buisness’sand lead a very good life, and also retained their cultural, native linkages through performing yakshagana, Bhootakola, Naga Mandala and Kambala and other symbological activities. This ritulal and practices needed aalot money, people who resided in such cities lavishly spent a large some of money in to this .This flow and current uneven economy of the local residents stood oppositely.Eventually these also rised and riped Modern education and Banking in Coastal canara[15]. This too closed the way for these kind of backward classes, castes and minorities to compete with those peoples. So they entered in to the small business and markets. In the sane while Billavas, Mogaveers and other communitiesfealt the same experience. There was a kind of inferiority, uneven status and even uneven psychology created a kind of psychological and social disparity between the communities. This created a kind of tensions, contradictions and tensions among the society too.

After 1990’s the heat of LPG process also reached coastal canara especially the capital lords seen, and un seen masters acted a greater agents of widening the gap between the communities. This can be also seen as the Gulf Boom of 1970’s and 1980’s and the influx of money which was also created a kind of tensions and despair between the communities.

Globalised economy again radically changed the social and economic life of the people of canara. The unseen boss in the form of money, boating ships, or in the form of buildings,real estate ,construction and even in the form of black money again created tussles between the community too. There were a lot of clashes held in fishing areas of coastal canara at this juncture  are the clear example of this.

So I am much particular that the prevailed material life and economic and social change in the regions of coastal canara are fusioned other scens of communalism, including communilisation of an area, rather an asserting  a, not connected entities. We need to examine the rise and growth of communalism in coastal area as a historical and sociological dimension too.Here I also discussed certain things on Communalism in Canaraupto the intervention of Globalisation of 90’s.

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