Harmonious
village life
From the accounts of elderly people, it is presumed that the village
of Narayana Guru had very good communal harmony. Ezhavas and Nairs jointly
managed the Manakkal Temple of Chempazhanthy, and Nanu went to a village
school of a Nair teacher. We do not hear that the sun-burnt peasants
like the Pulayas shared this equality.
A
'good' slave accepts the norms of slavery and shows his worth by making
himself loyal to the creed of servitude. This was very true of the feudal
system of 19th century India. Communities insulated with untouchability
lived in relative peace. Narayana Guru's uncles, Raman Vaidyar and Krishnan
Vaidyar were no exception, and indeed they cared very much for the preservation
of their own insulated tribal clan.
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