No, not a Single letter is seen – Poykayil Appachan (1879-1939)

 

Poykail Appachan (1879-1939), revolutionary Dalit leader and social reformer was born in Eraviperoor near Thiruvalla.  He changed his name Kumaran to Yohannan on joining Marthoma Church.  Though he became a preacher, he realized that even after conversion, Dalits continued to be marginalized and discriminated against by Church.  He founded Prathyaksha Raksha Daiva Sabha (PRDS) on 1909, where he himself was the God, for the liberation and empowerment of all sections of Dalits without discrimination.  He preached his new philosophy that instead of being something that comes after death, salvation should be visible here and now.  He declared that both Hinduism and Christianity would fail the cause of the Dalits and he even burned the Bible in one of the meetings.

Poykayil Kumara Gurudevan, “Appachan” nominated to Sree Moolam Praja Sabha in 1921 and 1931, and argued for legislative measures in favour of Dalit people.  He opened the first English Medium School for Dalit community and established spinning mills for the betterment of the Dalit people.  He was also a member of SJPS of Ayyankali.  He was an ardent writer who used his literary kills to criticize the evils of the society.  His song and speeches drew people to his meetings.  His poems speak of injustices and brutalities faced by the downtrodden and the wretched.  “No, not a single letter is seen’ was recited at the famous Raksha Nirnaya Yogam held in Kulathoor Kunnu in 1910.  It speaks about the criminal silence of history on its being asked to speak about the history of the people of his race.  The downtrodden people don’t find room in the history books and so he says that it is his duty to speak about his people.

So many histories are seen on many races.  Even after scrutinizing each one of the whole histories of the world, not a single letter is seen on the race of the speaker.  It was a pity that there was no one on this earth to write the history of the downtrodden in the olden days.  So the poet, Poykayil appachan mentions the story of his people who lived in Kerala since the ancient times and how they became demons.  He says that he has no shame to say the faults of his caste, though his men blame him as a cursed one.  He concludes the poem by asking two questions.  How is it possible that all blame the marginalized till the end of the earth?  How can God, who shaped everything, allow these kinds of injustices to happen on earth?  In this way, Poykayil Appahan talks about the silence of everyone on the injustice done to the Dalits.  Thus, along with the other renaissance leaders like Sree Narayana Guru, Ayyankali, Chavara achan and Vakkam Maulavi, Poykayil Appachan too gets a place among the great men who shaped Kerala modernity by his words and deeds.

----Thulasidharan V