Literacy, The Bane of Kerala!

This post argues that literacy is the main obstacle to progress in the most literate State of India. Literacy by itself just makes people aware of their rights and entitlements but not about their responsibilities to the society. Literacy does not give them the power to discriminate between good and bad character and conduct as well as between right and wrong behaviors. 

Such a community becomes an easy tool to be exploited by the politicians and the criminals - by the lawmakers and the lawbreakers! Let us look at the current social landscape of Kerala. Some of the major ongoing issues that have recently dominated the news headlines are:

1. The rebellious and lawless attitude adopted by political parties and devotees against the Supreme Court's landmark ruling allowing women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala temple.
2. The Catholic Church rallying behind a rape-accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal, instead of supporting the nun victim. Mulakkal, who was heading the Diocese of Jalandhar, stepped aside last month on being accused of raping a nun, and remained in a Kerala jail for over three weeks before getting a conditional bail. The Catholic Church has shed all pretense of neutrality to rally behind the rape-accused Bishop.
3. The sexual abuse case against CPI-M legislator, PK Sasi, who has been accused of sexually harassing a woman leader of the youth wing DYFI. It became a high-profile case when the woman complained to CPI-M Central leadership after the State leadership failed to respond and tried to suppress the case. Now the CPI-M maintains that the party is conducting an internal inquiry and it would take appropriate action after that. Also, both the Kerala Police and the Kerala State Women's Commission, refused to register suo-motu case against the accused MLA.
4. The horrific abduction and sexual assault of a leading film actress that has shaken the women in the Malayalam film industry out of their comfort zone. This issue has now become a direct confrontation between the two bodies in the Malayalam film industry, namely the male-dominated AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Artists) and the women-only WCC (Women in Cinema Collective). WCC has launched a scathing attack on AMMA over its decision to reinstate superstar Dileep, who is accused of masterminding the abduction and assault of the actress.

Kerala - A Progressive State 

What is the common thread in these four incidents? Before answering this question, let us note that these incidents are happening in a state that has the highest literacy rate of 98.9% among all Indian states, very high sex ratio of males to females in the population, and low rates of female infanticide. Kerala also has the highest Human Development Index of 0.79 in India.

With all these high social development indicators Kerala is perceived as a progressive state. However, it also has a very dark side. As per the data from Kerala police, crimes against women are increasing year after year and more and more women are becoming the victims of rapes, cruelties, harassment, as well as physical and mental abuse by men.

With this background information let us try to answer the earlier question: What is the common thread in the four incidents mentioned above? The answer is contained in two words – patriarchy and misogyny. The former is a social system in which males hold primary power and predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of property. The latter refers to the dislike of women, contempt for women, and ingrained prejudice against women. Ironically a large majority of women in Kerala accepts every kind of discrimination and harassment meekly and without question.

What Ails Kerala?

Now, what is the root cause of this unimaginable phenomenon in a State that boasts of the highest literacy? The answer may surprise everyone. In my opinion the reason is the high literacy rate of Kerala! This may seem like a contradiction, but let me explain.

Let us try to understand what literacy brings to the table. It enables a person to read and write; it empowers people to take action about their lives and allows them to participate fully in society. This high-level of literacy is reflected in the fact that 60% of the Keralites reads the printed newspapers, while the average readership of the country is about 16.5%. It has created an enlightened public that is keenly aware of political and social issues, and well-informed about their rights and entitlements. 

It has also turned the general public into a combative and aggressive militant force, in support of political or social causes, and typically favoring extreme, violent, or confrontational methods. Even the younger generation, that depends on electronic media for their news, learning, and entertainment has developed these same traits. They acquire their 'gyan' through provocative channel discussions, troll messages, and fake video clips that provide instant source of pleasure and gratification.

However, we need to realize that literacy does not endow people with the power to discern, to discriminate, to reflect on things, to look at problems from all sides, to analyze deep-rooted issues, to examine ethical aspects, and to arrive at right solutions. 

In the absence of these qualities, literacy often becomes a perilous weapon, proving the popular dictum: 'A little knowledge is a dangerous thing'. It makes the people blindly follow their leaders, and the politicians never miss an opportunity to exploit the people through religion and caste system for their survival.

Current Situation

In the current chaotic situation of Sabarimala issue, the religious leaders also corrupt the minds of believers, whose behavior is mostly controlled and dictated by emotions rather than rationality. There are also social activists with vested interests who are instigating the temple devotees, many of them women, to take law into their hands.

In the case of the nun rape case, when Bishop Franco Mulakkal returned from Kerala to Jalandhar, he was given a grand welcome by the current Bishop, a large number of his supporters, as well as nuns who outnumbered others.

In the case of the sexual harassment against the Kerala Marxist MLA, the Chairperson of State Commission for Women, M.C. Josephine, dismissed the charges citing lack of a formal complaint. She went on to say “We are all human beings, mistakes do happen. People inside the party may also have committed such mistakes.” Ironically, it is a women MP, PK Sreemathi, that is heading the internal inquiry commission, which is delaying the report without coming to any conclusions!

While the whole of India have generally lent support to the ‘MeToo’ movement, the people at the helm of AMMA have not welcomed it; they even condemned the prompt actions taken by the Bollywood fraternity against the accused persons.

In Kerala, there is an Independent MLA, PC George, who habitually belittles women. He called the raped nun a prostitute; he had also made similar remarks on the film actress who survived the kidnap and rape. In spite of such serious allegations the MLA goes scot-free.

Women Need to be Diligent 

In all these incidents, it can be seen that women are equally culpable and are to be blamed for their silence against the atrocities on their own folk, and for their passive support to the menfolk. Women who speak up and stand up for themselves resent the patronizing and patriarchal attitudes of men.

For Kerala to become a really progressive society, this mindset against women has to change. We have to see the Supreme Court's judgment on Sabarimala in a broader context, understand its long term gains, and learn from the history how similar rituals and beliefs have been eradicated from the society for the benefit of all.