Inter-Caste Untouchability: The Struggle for Education at Kavvayi

Abstract

Intra-caste discrimination, a significant manifestation of untouchability within the Indian caste system, extended beyond traditional inter-caste paradigms. Underpinned by the Hindu system’s hierarchical structure and binary notions of purity and pollution, “inter-caste pollution” historically served to perpetuate caste-based stratification and legitimise discrimination against marginalized communities. The exclusion of Pulaya children from the Kavvayi Fisheries School, justified by concerns of ritual pollution at a proximate Mukkuva temple, exemplifies this internal stratification and the persistence of untouchability within ostensibly “polluted” caste groups. This incident underscores the pervasive nature of caste-based exclusion. Social reformer Swami Anand Thirth’s pivotal role in challenging this discrimination, through sustained advocacy and strategic use of print media, catalysed a resolution, ultimately leading to the school’s relocation and the admission of the Pulaya children. This case study from colonial Malabar illuminates the complex interplay of ritual purity, social hierarchy, and activist intervention in the history of caste-based discrimination and social reform. This event is characteristic of the social reform movements of the 20th century in colonial Malabar, which aimed to challenge the caste system and promote social equality. Leaders like Swami Anand Thirth were instrumental in these movements, fighting for the right of Harijan children to attend schools and for the overall social and economic upliftment of their community.