Editor's note: This is the first of a four-part series on the changes in Mangaluru and coastal Karnataka's socio-political mileu over the years. The series traces the region's transformation from a tranquil coastal town to a hotbed of communal tension.
The port city of Mangaluru (or Mangalore) is an example of how historians and politicians trained in the thoughts of noted philosopher JS Mill and his indology tend to perpetuate stereotypes of Indian cities. These stereotypes are created in such a way that they would fit in the templates influenced by the historicism of the West.
Over the years, Mangaluru has earned sobriquets such as 'communal cauldron’, `Hindutva laboratory’ or `Rome of the East’. Such nicknames are disconnected from the social fabric of the city. However, if we are to examine the current narrative about Mangaluru, we see that the city has made a departure from its history.
“Though the oral historians connect the growth of Muslim population to the arrival of Arab merchants, it is historically wrong,” says Prof Surendra Rao, former head of the department of history, Mangalore University. “The Arabs were trading with Mangaluru even before Islam. The Muslims in south India were never invaders, but were traders. They mingled well with the natives and the majority Hindu community,” he says.
An aerial view of Mangaluru. Image courtesy: Rajesh Shetty /101 reporters.
“Things are not the same now. Whenever there is an election round the corner, politicians with an eye on community-based vote banks try to whip up hatred among different communities. Like me, many elders in Bhatkal sent emissaries in villages and Jamaats to cool nerves by asking them not to be carried away by malicious propaganda. It worked in the 2013 and 2014 elections. Our Hindu brethren did the same thing. But we both are not sure about the future. Bhatkal is a crucible of faiths; Jains, Christians, Hindus and Muslims have lived together in harmony for ages”, says Dr. Zameerullah Sharief, former Principal of the Anjuman College and presently the senate member of the Karnataka Folklore University.
Citing his state award-winning poem ‘Shamiyana,’ Dr. Sharief says that when a Shamiyana is stitched, fabrics from every colour are used with each colour representing each faith. “There is a Hindu festival of Hanuman which is called Maruti Jatra, during which a stationary chariot is built by the devotees. Even today, our Hindu brothers ask permission of the Muslims to erect the structure, which is readily given” Dr. Sharief adds.
But there were stray events of communal flare ups in the otherwise peaceful region. In 1993, Dr. Chittaranjan, a BJP MLA was gunned down by unidentified people. But both the communities rose to the occasion and tranquility returned. Similarly, three youths — Riyaz, Yasin and Iqbal — hailing from this town became big time terror elements by joining ranks with the Indian Mujahideen. But they could not do much to destroy the communal harmony in the region.
Mohammad Beary, a Muslim community leader said, “At this point of time in national politics, we seek protection, equality and empowerment, and not just appeasement”. His argument flies in the face of political parties which have always preached the politics of appeasement.
Historically, Muslims in Mangaluru were traders with some interests in industry and services. After 1970, a wave of migration to the Gulf region started. Abundant skilled labour and educated professionals from Mangaluru, Udupi, Kasargod and Kannur in Kerala joined the Gulf rush. Once the Gulf money started flowing in, the region became affluent. As was the case elsewhere, the majority of the rich happened to be Muslims, says Dr. Rao
Till the late 1980s, coastal Karnataka was proud of its religious diversity. It was a region where different faiths lived in harmony and peace. However in the 1980, when the Jan Sangh, the predecessor of today’s BJP ruled the Udupi Municipal Council, they began to woo religious communities. Importantly, Udupi was the first municipality in the country which saffron forces had won with popular votes. Even so, the Hindu fundamentalists did not have much clout in the region, till it won the Mangalore Lok Sabha seat in 1991. This triggered a chain reaction, with other communities including Islam, Christianity, Jainism and Buddhism joining hands with the “secular” Congress.
Thereafter, around 2000, the polarisation along religious lines became more pronounced. The battle lines based on religion were drawn, with the Congress party’s minority appeasement on one hand and the BJP and other Hindutva fringe groups on the other hand. The deprived class and oppressed castes, as happened elsewhere, were the first to fall prey to this divisive politics.
The growing affluence of the region grew hand-in-hand with religion. While there is no doubt that the the animal spirit of entrepreneurship have been unleashed in coastal Karnataka, a lot of money has flown into refurbishing and building places of worships. The coastal region is dotted with several well-known temples, churches, basadis and mosques that have become international pilgrimage centres.
“The majority of the NRIs, irrespective of their religious affiliation, make a vow to build a place of worship. When they return home with enough money, they fulfill their promise to God”, say officials of the state endowment department.
The citizens of Mangaluru are fast becoming —to borrow the words of political historian Benedict Anderson — an imagined community. Adding fuel to the fire are political campaigns orchestrated by the media.
M Raghuram is a Mangaluru-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters
Published Date: Oct 03, 2017 01:01 pm | Updated Date: Oct 03, 2017 01:01 pm
