Attrocities against Dalits are not new to Tamil Nadu. Those who have read, Dalits in Dravidian Land would have come to know the torching of Dalits in Keelvenmani, attrocities committed on Dalit Women in Manjolai, and a host of other places . None of them involved a single Brahmin whereas other caste Hindus perpetrated them. These were powerful caste lobbies in Tamil Nadu. Kallars or Mukkulathor have a profound dis taste for Dalits, So has Vanniyars of North Tamil Nadu. Gounders in Coimbatore and other Kongu areas protested against abuse or misuse of Prevention of attrocities against Dalits act. Dravidian parties are silent. Again in all such instances CPM alone has protested.

The people who scripted the Uthapuram drama are influential Pillaimar who constitute the backbone of DMK support. Pillaimar are numerically less but a strong caste lobby. Infact, the majority of benefits under Dravidian movement have been usurped by them. DMK chief himself belongs to a section of this Vellalar caste called Isai Velalar. They could not admonish their own men.

If there were people who never did any physical labor, it was Brahmins and Pillais. Both of them depended on Temples for their livelihood. Brahmins were priests who entered sanctum sanctorum to do poojas to deities. Pillais were Odhuvars who sang Tamil hymns infront of Sanctum Sactorum, Pandarams who were flowersmiths inside premises of temples, Isai velalars who did musical accompaniment to procession of deities in temples. While Brahmins were proficient in Sanskrit which they ordained to be the language of worship Pillais grudgingly accepted their secondary role. In olden days, there was no ill feeling among these two communities. It is said, Saint poet Thiru Gnana Sambandar went to worship Appar or Thiruvavukkarasar when he could not find him. He was asking "Navukkarasar enguntrar" ( where is Navukarasar?) to which reply came " Ingutren Swami Ingutren" (I am here My Lord) from below the palanquin carrying Gnana Sambandar. Such was the mutual admiration they had for each other. But later on Pillais took upon themselves as saviour and custodians of Tamil culture as thier own patent right just as RSS had taken patriotism. Attempts were made to picture Brahmins as anti Tamil. Rajaji's well meant vocational education scheme was christened Kula Kalvi thittam and division was sown in Congress Party.

Years ago, Brahmin scholars like Senkalipuram Anantharama Dikshitar, Balakrishna Sastrigal, Needamangalam Krishnamurthi Bhagavathar were performing Hari Katha which was ridiculed by aethist elements like DK. to day we have people like Suki Sivam, Ilam Pirai Manimaran minting money through religious discourses. Thirumuruga Kirupananda Variayar spent his life time in Tamil religious discourses.

But if history repeats itself, one has to answer for all this duality.