Bourgeois Narayana Guru - EMS Namboothiripad! ÌáV×bÞ ÈÞøÞÏà ·áøá!_ ¨.®¢.®Tí ÈOâÄßøßMÞ¿í

---- Comments by Guruforum

First of all, what does it mean? The word "bourgeois" is used by Communists with a specific meaning which is not exactly the same meaning the word originally stood for. Oxford Online dictionary gives:

bourgeois A adj. 1 Of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or resembling, the bourgeois; middle-class; conventionally respectable and unimaginative, humdrum; selfishly materialistic; capitalistic, reactionary.

Orig., a (French) citizen or freeman of a city or burgh, as distinct from a peasant or a gentleman. Now, any member of the middle class. 2 In Communist or socialist writing: a capitalist, an exploiter of the proletariat.

bourgeois the bourgeois classes, not the nobility middle-class, property-owning, propertied. 2. bourgeois values materialistic, capitalistic, non-Communist, money-oriented. 3. bourgeois way of life conventional, ordinary, uncultured, philistine, uncreative, unimaginative.

bourgeoisie The bourgeois collectively; the middle class.

So even though the word originated in French as a word for "citizen of burgh" and meant "middle class" (as opposed to peasant or noble man), when Communists use it, it only means "a capitalist or exploiter of the proletariat". It is certainly not an honourable term, but used only with a derogatory meaning. As the dictionary shows the related meanings are not good at all – uncultured, conventional, ordinary, selfishly materialistic and reactionary.

Namboothiripad started the note with a comment on Raja Ram Mohun Roy who was a great reformer of his time (1828!). EMS himself notes that Roy died before the Communist Manifesto was even written (1848) not to talk about the Bolshevik Revolution. Still EMS seems to expect that it would have been better if Roy were not a 'bourgeois' but a proletariate or even Communist!

Was Narayana Guru a Bourgeois?

Let's ask the question: "Was Narayana Guru a Bourgeois?" in any sense of the term? Even with the good meaning (without any reference to Communism) 'bouregois' are oridinary, conventionally respectable and unimaginative, humdrum; selfishly materialistic; money oriented and uncreative! Narayana Guru was none of these. The only adjective which even remotely fits Guru is "middle-class" if we make it "lower middle class" ( on economic terms).

Guru was not ordinary

Guru was not selfish

Guru was not materialistic

Guru was not unimaginative

Guru was not money oriented

Guru was not uncreative!

If we take the Communist meaning too into consideration a bouregois is capitalistic, reactionary and an exploiter of the proletariat.

Guru was not a reactionary!

Guru was not an exploiter of the proletariat!

Yet Mr Namboothiripad classified Guru as a simple cheap bourgois reformer! The Communists of the 40s, 50s and 60s had this disease! Everyone should think in terms of Communist Manifesto! Everyone except the Communists are reactionary in the best case and fascist in the worst case. This is not the only time Namboothiripad made such foolish statements. Once in the late 80s or early 90s EMS criticised SNDP leaders as the torch-bearers and sycophants of the British Empire! The obvious reference was to Asan who was recognized by the Prince of Wales with a Shawl! Also some SNDP leaders like C Krishan were not interested in the political struggle against the British. [C. Krishnan supported the British rule because he believed that freedom for rule without freedom from serfdom was meaningless. He was suspicious of the national freedom that would be won without putting an end to the social inequalities.]

Guru is the biggest social reformer and revolutionary India has seen since Budha. Guru was far ahead of his times. Many later Communists including A.K.Gopalan were heavily influenced by Guru's message. Communist Party in Kerala was benefitted by these teachings. CPI/CPM used Ezhavas and harijans as vote bank especially during 50s, 60s and 70s. In the early 30s while EMS was an intermediate student at St Thomas College Trichur, he was not a communist at all. When the inmates of the Ezhavodayam Lodge celebrated Bolshevik Revolution with Lenin's Picture (Trichur 1932) EMS was not a communist. Later EMS joined State Congress and by 40s left State Congress and became a Communist.

EMS was a shrewd politician, probably more shrewd person than a politician. EMS was a 'hidden savarnan' though very few in Kerala had the courage to speak this out! A.K.Gopalan Nambiar shed his caste name and became A.K.Gopalan. K. Kelappan Nair became K. Kelappan, Mannath Padmanabhan Nair became Mannath Padmanabhan, but ultra revolutionary E.M.Sankaran Namboothiripad did not become E.M. Sankaran! EMS wanted to use all the benefits and privileges of the caste name. And he used it quite effectively to subjugate all the CPM folks around him!

Another interesting thing was a failed attempt to intall EMS as the acharyan of reformation movement in Kerala! Neither EMS nor CPI/CPM parties contributed anything to take the basic mentality of the people forward. CPM/CPI people are not less superstitious or less religious compared to others. Instead the leaders of these parties wanted the downtrodden to remain downtrodden! Only then they can be used as the vote bank! The existence of the party was based on 'lack of progress' rather than progress! (Cª Yh¡mJq¤¨T Ac¤fÜ·¢v C.F«.Fo¢¨c h¨×¡j¤ ±m£ c¡j¡iX L¤j¤l¡´¡u ±mh¢´¤¼Y¤« Actph¡i FÉ¢¨Ê¨i¡´©i¡ ±dY£Jh¡´¡u ±mh¢´¤¼Y¤« hc«d¢j¶©k¡¨T c½w Ac¤gl¢´¤¼¤.)[Ramesh Babu, Kerala Kaumudi, Aug 2000]

Current Events

Guru does not need any certificate from CPM/CPI parties or any other political party for that matter. Political parties used the low caste people as the vote bank all these years. K.R.Gowri was used by CPM and Gowri Amma faithfully stood for the party (and against the interests of Ezhava and low caste people) only to be kicked out when the time came for her to become the Chief Minister of Kerala. Later V.S.Achuthanandan too was stabbed from back and could not lead the government. Today both these leaders are trying to persuade Ezhava votes to get into the Assembly again. Too late. The time is up and it is high time both these retired!