Madiga

Madiga is a Telugu caste from southern India.[1] They mainly live in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, with a small minority in Tamil Nadu.[2][3] Madigas are historically associated with the work of tannery, leatherwork and small handicrafts.[4] Today, most are agricultural labourers.[5] They are categorized as a Scheduled Caste by the Government of India.[6] Within the Madiga community, there are various sub-castes[7] include Bindla, Chindu, Dakkali and Mashti.[8][9]

Madiga
Madiga community members at a Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti meeting
ClassificationScheduled caste
ReligionsHinduism, Christianity
LanguagesTelugu • Kannada • Tamil
Country India
Populated statesAndhra Pradesh • Telangana • Karnataka • Tamilnadu • Maharastra
RegionSouth India
Population7.66 million

History

Matanga or Matangi is a synonym of Madiga in Maharashtra. The people of the Madiga community sometimes refer to themselves as "Matangi Makkalu" or "children of Matangi," as they consider Matangi their beloved goddess. Additionally, the term Matangi (Devadasi) is also used to describe certain dedicated prostitutes who are held in high regard within the Madiga community.[10]

Colonial writers such as Edgar Thurston and Siraj-ul-Hasan speculated Madiga derived from Mahadige or maha dige ra ("great man come down"). This is related to the common origin story that the Madigas originated from Jambavanta, who helped the gods out of a difficulty. Other stories claimed the Madiga caste was cursed to skin dead cattle because one of their ancestors slaughtered and ate the divine cow.

Madigas have their own classes, the priestly class is known as Madiga Dasari. The Sangaris, Thothis, etc. have different works for their community.[11] They are also village drummers who use Dandora or Dappu in festivals, death and marriage ceremony and announcements.[12]

In Old Mysore, the Madigas were one of the main Dalit communities, along with the Holeyas. The first social reform movements for their 'upliftment' were paternalistic upper caste-led movements that sought to make Madigas more like upper castes in customs and traditions. This included making them give up alcohol and traditions such as the buffalo sacrifice. Although initially the Madigas took to the movements with great fervor, they soon abandoned them when they realized the upper castes were still treating them with the same contempt as before. Thus they turned to secular modes of upliftment such as education and change of occupation, which was further opened to them by the reservation system.[13]

Distribution and occupation

Distribution

Madigas live mainly in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka, with small minorities in neighboring states. As per the 2011 census, in United Andhra Pradesh Madigas constituted 48.27% of the total Scheduled Caste population with a population of 6,702,609.[14] While Malas constituted 40.11%.[15] Around 3.4 million Madigas live in Andhra Pradesh and another 3.3 million lives throughout Telangana.[16]

In Karnataka, the Madigas make up 9.1% of the total Scheduled Caste population, totaling 953,913 individuals.[17] In Tamil Nadu, their population is recorded at 5,929,[18] and in Maharashtra, it stands at 15,318.[19]

In 2009, the term "Arunthathiyar" in Tamil Nadu was officially designated as an umbrella term encompassing various communities, including Arunthathiyar, Chakkiliyan, Madari, Madiga, Pagadai, Thoti and Adi Andhra with a combined population of 2,150,285.[20]

Occupation

The occupation of the Madiga community is primarily associated with tanning leather, making footwear, belts, pouches, toddy-containers and bags which were provided to different castes as needed. Additionally, the Madiga community is known for their expertise in crafting the traditional drum called the Dappu.[21] A significant portion of the Madiga population traditionally worked as cobblers. They specialized in crafting and repairing footwear.[22]

Some Madigas were traditionally engaged in various village services, including activities like horn-blowing, drum-beating, removal of animal carcasses, cleaning of public spaces and menial tasks. In exchange for their services, they received inam land. Those specifically involved in menial work were referred to as etti-Madiga. Their responsibilities included street cleaning, carrying government officials luggage, helping with revenue collection, maintaining peace as watchmen, household and farm chores for their landlord family.[23] In the past, Madigas were obligated to provide free labor under the vetti system to landlords for a certain number of days during peak periods of agricultural labour.[24] When payment was made, it was less than what was paid to the rest of the farmers.[16] In some areas, landlords allocated land to Dalits, mainly Madigas, and provided initial resources. In return, tenants worked on the landlord's fields for nominal wages and received only 1/3 of the crop after harvest, maintaining their economic dependence.[16]

After the 1960s, significant changes occurred in Madiga livelihoods. The introduction of the Green Revolution led to more capital-intensive farming and mechanization, increasing the need for laborers.[25] Additionally, industrially-produced goods began dominating rural markets, undermining the traditional occupations of Madiga leather artisans. This pushed many Madigas as agriculture laborers, increasing their dependence on landlords. The Green Revolution benefited the upper castes but left landless Madiga and Mala laborers facing continued exploitation.[24]

Politics

Early politics related to Dalits, including Madigas, in Andhra Pradesh was centered around welfare schemes for them, a form of politics most typical of Indian Congress. With the rise of the TDP (Telugu Desam Party), social polarization took on a political hue: with Dalits being considered "rebellious" if they did not support the TDP. In Telangana, Dalits and other backward communities formed the main base of the Left parties, who helped bring an end to the vetti system and other injustices committed by the landlords. However, in areas where the Left was not strong, the Dalits followed patronage systems and supported the Congress party, which was led by their Reddy landlords.[16]

Initially, during the 1991 Indian general election, the DMS (Dalit Maha Sabha) was unable to turn the Dalit anger after Tsundur massacre into setting the political discourse. However, after the Bahujan Samaj Party - Samajwadi Party alliance came to power in the 1993 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, the DMS thought they could create a similar victory in Andhra Pradesh. With the political aspirations of the Dalits and some other backward classes (like the Gollas) awakened, Kanshi Ram's 1994 tour of Andhra Pradesh garnered significant popularity and spurred the awakening of leaders not only within the Malas, Madigas, and other Dalit castes but also among marginalized leaders from the Backward Classes (BC). But when the media focused on the BSP in Andhra Pradesh, the Dalits felt that the local media was biased and only talked about problems within the BSP. This sudden rise of Dalit voices made the Congress and TDP change their election strategies. The Congress tried to get the votes of BSP supporters, and the TDP introduced popular programs. The TDP's efforts paid off, and they won big in the 1994 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election,[26] while the BSP didn't do well. People believed that the Mahasabha, which had originally aimed for social change, moving into politics, was bad for the fight against caste discrimination in Andhra Pradesh. This led to the breakup of grassroots activists and their leaders.[16]

Madiga Dandora movement

In 1994, Manda Krishna Madiga and Dandu Veeraiah Madiga formed the Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti (MRPS) to demand the categorization of the SC reservation quota to ensure equitable distribution of state allocations for all the constituent castes in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, with implications extending beyond these states.[27] This movement, more popularly known as the Madiga Dandora movement, held dharnas, mass rallies, rail rokos, and other activities to publicize for the demand of sub-classification within the Scheduled Caste category, with a focus on securing internal reservations for the Madiga community and other marginalized Dalit subgroups. This demand arose due to the growing disparities within the SC category, with some communities having more access to educational and employment opportunities than others. The MRPS has united not only the Madiga community but also other smaller marginalized groups, often referred to as "satellite castes," who face similar socio-economic challenges. The movement's bipartisan approach, engaging with various political parties to push for its demands, has drawn both support and criticism, with some accusing it of dividing the larger Dalit movement.

Their agitations led to a commission headed by justice Ramachandra Raju to examine the issue. In 1997, the commission published its report which found that reservation benefits had mainly gone to the Mala and Adi Andhra communities, and neither the Madiga or Relli had proportional representation in the quota. The commission recommended a four-fold classification of SCs for reservation benefit: 1% for group D (Rellis and related), 7% for group C (Madigas and related), 6% for group B (Malas and related) and 1% for Adi Andhra.[28]

Earlier, TDP and Congress in the state made efforts to categorize SCs based on their level of backwardness, but these initiatives were met with legal challenges. In 2013, the movement gained significant momentum when Krishna Madiga, met Narendra Modi. During this meeting, Modi promised to amend the Constitution to implement internal reservations within the SC category.[29] In a related development, the A.J. Sadashiva Commission, in its report submitted in 2012, has recommended internal reservation within the 15 per cent Dalit quota in Karnataka.[30] However, despite this promise, the amendment remains unfulfilled to this day, leaving the aspirations of the marginalized SC communities unaddressed.[31]

Religious Conversion and Caste Identity

While the majority of Madigas adhere to traditional practices within their villages in Rayalaseema and Telangana, most of those residing in Coastal Andhra have embraced Protestant Christianity. Notably, the act of converting to Christianity was prevalent among Dalits in Coastal Andhra. Among them, the Madigas and Malas chose to affiliate with the Baptist and Lutheran denominations respectively, while still maintaining their caste identities.[32] It's worth noting that most of the individuals who adopted Christianity continue to identify as Hindu to secure their eligibility for Scheduled Caste reservations. This is due to the fact that Christians who disavow any caste affiliation are not eligible for these reservations.[33] Consequently, Dalits who opt for Christianity risk losing their eligibility for the government's affirmative action program. This program, established in accordance with a 1950 presidential order, extends its benefits exclusively to those who identify as Hindu, Buddhist, or Sikh.[34]

  • The activists Lelle Suresh and Sabrina Francis made a documentary on the condition and culture of the community, titled Mahadiga, which was released in 2004.[3]
  • 1940 Lo Oka Gramam film directed by Narasimha Nandi in 2010 portrays caste-based societal dynamics during the 1940s, offering a perceptive examination of the prevailing prejudices. The film's perspective serves as a representation of the era's social intricacies.[35]
  • Palasa 1978 film released in 2020 tells primarily about the caste discrimination in India and untouchability in the 1970s period.[36]

Notable people

Arts

Film

Literature

Politics

Social Activists

See also

References
  1. Ilaiah, Kancha (2009). Post-Hindu India: A Discourse in Dalit-Bahujan, Socio-Spiritual and Scientific Revolution. SAGE Publishing India. p. 51. ISBN 978-93-5280-197-8.
  2. "Social ostracising of Scheduled Castes still rampant in society". The Hindu. 16 October 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  3. Madhav, K. V. S. (9 September 2004). "Starring Madiga and dappu..." The Hindu. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  4. Gundimeda, Sambaiah (14 October 2015). Dalit Politics in Contemporary India. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-38104-4.
  5. Still, Clarinda (1 April 2009). "From Militant Rejection to Pragmatic Consensus: Caste among Madigas in Andhra Pradesh". Journal of South Asian Development. 4 (1): 7–23. doi:10.1177/097317410900400102. ISSN 0973-1741. S2CID 154301741.
  6. Jammanna, Akepogu; Sudhakar, Pasala (14 December 2016). Dalits' Struggle for Social Justice in Andhra Pradesh (1956-2008): From Relays to Vacuum Tubes. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 222. ISBN 978-1-4438-4496-3.
  7. "అట్టడుగు ఆక్రందనలు వినాలి!". Sakshi (in Telugu). 5 September 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  8. "ఎస్సీ రిజర్వేషన్ వర్గీకరణ పోరాటానికి విరసం మద్దతు". avaninews.com. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  9. "ఎమ్మార్పీఎస్ కు విరసం మద్దతు : వర్గీకరణ న్యాయబద్దమంటూ లేఖ".
  10. Thurston, Edgar; Rangachari, K. (1909). Castes and tribes of southern India. University of California Libraries. Madras : Government Press.
  11. Teltumbde, Anand; Yengde, Suraj (2 November 2018). The Radical in Ambedkar: Critical Reflections. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. ISBN 978-93-5305-313-0.
  12. "The undying beat of the Dappu: How a traditional drum signifies dignity, revolution for the Madiga community". Firstpost. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  13. Chandrasekaran, Lalita (1992). "Social Mobility Among the Madiga of Karnataka". Sociological Bulletin. 41 (1/2): 119–144. doi:10.1177/0038022919920107. ISSN 0038-0229. JSTOR 23620176. S2CID 148185178.
  14. "India - A-10 Appendix: District wise scheduled caste population (Appendix), Andhra Pradesh - 2011". censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  15. Jammanna, Akepogu; Sudhakar, Pasala (14 December 2016). Dalits' Struggle for Social Justice in Andhra Pradesh (1956-2008): From Relays to Vacuum Tubes. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 222. ISBN 978-1-4438-4496-3.
  16. K, Srinivasulu (September 2002). "Caste, Class and Social Articulation in Andhra Pradesh:Mapping Differential Regional Trajectories; Page 40" (PDF). Overseas Development Institute, London.
  17. "India - A-10 Appendix: District wise scheduled caste population (Appendix), Karnataka - 2011". censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  18. "India - A-10 Appendix: District wise scheduled caste population (Appendix), Tamil Nadu - 2011". censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  19. "India - A-10 Appendix: District wise scheduled caste population (Appendix), Maharashtra - 2011". censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  20. "Tamil Nadu Government Gazette" (PDF). Government of Tamil Nadu. 12 March 2009. p. 3. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  21. "The undying beat of the Dappu: How a traditional drum signifies dignity, revolution for the Madiga community". Firstpost. 12 April 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  22. Manohar, Thallapally (1 January 2018). "Traditional Economy and Religious Life of Leather Working Madigas". INSTITUTE OF STUDIES ON LEATHER WORKERS (ISLW), Warangal.
  23. Khare, R. S. (March 1974). "The Madiga: A Study in Social Structure and Change . T. R. Singh, K. S. Mathur". American Anthropologist. 76 (1): 144–145. doi:10.1525/aa.1974.76.1.02a00720. ISSN 0002-7294.
  24. "Caste, Class and Social Articulation in Andhra Pradesh: Mapping Differential Regional Trajectories; Page 13, Page 19" (PDF).
  25. "Land and Income Inequalities in Rural Andhra Pradesh" (PDF).
  26. Ratnam, K. Y. "The Dalit movement and democratization in Andhra Pradesh". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  27. Still, Clarinda (6 July 2017). Dalit Women: Honour and Patriarchy in South India. Taylor & Francis. p. 39. ISBN 978-1-351-58819-5.
  28. Satyanarayana, K. (October 2014). "Dalit reconfiguration of caste: representation, identity and politics". Critical Quarterly. 56 (3): 46–61. doi:10.1111/criq.12137. ISSN 0011-1562.
  29. Teja, Charan (24 August 2022). "Madiga Dandora: A force no political party can ignore or control". The News Minute. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  30. "Politics in Dalit quota". Frontline. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  31. India, The Hans (8 July 2019). "Education key for development of Dalit: Dr Praveen Kumar". www.thehansindia.com. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  32. Senftleben, Martin. (1992). Influences of Hinduism on Christianity in Andhra Pradesh. OCLC 634626847.
  33. "Centre Appoints Commission To Examine Possibility Of SC Status To Dalit Converts: A Change Of Heart?".
  34. M., Ashok Kumar; Robinson, Rowena (2010), "Legally Hindu: Dalit Lutheran Christians of Coastal Andhra Pradesh", Margins of Faith: Dalit and Tribal Christianity in India, New Delhi: SAGE Publications India, pp. 149–168, doi:10.4135/9788132106043.n7, ISBN 978-81-321-0467-4
  35. "1940 Lo Oka Gramam | filmibeat.com".
  36. Manda Krishna Madiga Great words About Palasa 1978 Movie | TV5, retrieved 15 September 2023
  37. Bhuvaneshwari, S. (18 September 2019). "Report sought on denial of entry of Dalit MP into Gollarahatti". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  38. "Who was Bangaru Laxman?". India Today. 1 March 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  39. DHNS. "Govt will protect 'tainted' KPSC ex-chief: Anjaneya". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  40. jangir, suresh. "TDP's Dalita Tejam aims at creating awareness on SC welfare schemes". The Hans India. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  41. Staff, T. N. M. (22 April 2018). "I'm a Hindu and not Christian, says TDP MLA Anitha after old video goes viral". The News Minute. Retrieved 27 September 2023.

Further reading
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