Dear J,
The discussion about Vairamuthu and Rama is important. The ones who further spread that slander are Brahmins. They claim that they are the only people who are entitled to talk about Rama all the time. The real issue here is that Vairamuthu is not a Brahmin. A Jiyar has previously asserted that Vairamuthu is black, and so he is Kakasuran. If we fail to comprehend this racism and casteism, we can easily fall prey to deception. This gang did not accept Kamban until recently due to casteism. The fact that Kamban was a Saiva and belonged to the Uvachar caste was an obstacle for them to accept him.
Even today, they slander Vairamuthu. If you ask them whether Kamban is better than another common Brahmin poet, they will be perplexed. Some scholars among them say that even Nammalvar belongs to a lower caste. As one commentator wrote, even if the Vaishnava wisdom is in it, it can’t be fully accepted because Nammalvar is a Shudra, just as a bowl of rice is useless in a dirty vessel. Everyone knows how they trivialize the scriptures and great epics in their speeches. They are small-minded individuals lacking intellectual depth. As you mentioned, they claim that only they are entitled to belittle our tradition, and no one else is allowed to do so. They are petty people; there is nothing more to say.
Raj Chellathurai
