WHO AM I ?

Famous psychoanalyst of 20th century Erik Erikson had coined a term "Identity Crisis". It is the difficulty faced by people in an adolescent age in defining their identity/roles in life. They will have no idea about the action they are supposed to take in their house, in a marriage, in a school or even be able to make logical decisions in life. This was a psychologic problem which demands a medical attention. 

But this is a broad concept which could be extended well beyond the above said situation. People who have a well-defined personality still faces this crisis about the roles they have to play in the society. They have difficulty in making their choices. Not because of their medical conditions, but because of the social situations existing in the society they live in. 

The blacks all over the world have faced this crisis, Jews in Nazi Germany faced this crisis, Arabs in Israel are facing this crisis, Dalits in India is facing this crisis. 

Am I supposed to drink water from this well? Am I supposed to talk to a person from a higher caste? Will someone hurt me if I walk along this road? Am I allowed to visit this temple? Am I allowed to wear this dress? Am I allowed to cover my body? These doubts create an Identity Crisis in the minds these people. 

Pariyerum Perumal BA BL, a Tamil movie by Mari Selvaraj, brilliantly depicts this crisis faced by the so-called lower class people in the society. The lead protagonist, after whom the movie is named, is born in a lower caste family. At the beginning of the film, he is conditioned to the way of life in his village. He does not want to challenge the existing norms. But the loss of his pet dog "karruppu" sparks a light in him. This is further ignited when they are denied justice by an upper-class police officer. An elderly in the village Raja, who had come in support of Pari, inspires him to be a lawyer. Pari is a brilliant student who has difficulty in mastering the English language. He is racially abused in his college ( Government Law College, Tirunelveli) for his weakness in English. Jyothi Mahalakshmi a.k.a Jo, an upper-class girl in his class, feel sorry for Pari and promises to help him. Their relationship grows which causes further trouble for Pari.  The movie explores the discriminations faced by Pari and how it affects his thoughts and decisions. 

Kadhal and Sairat are some of the movies that had similar themes. But Pariyerum Perumal is different from them by being more emotional and less violent. Jo's family is very aggressive towards Pari but her father feels sorry for him. Teachers in the college are also divided in the same sense. Some of them abuse Pari, some feel sorry for him. The movie focus on how the situations escalate the crisis in him and how he learns to tackle these problems and move forward in life. The relationship between Pari and his father is also excellently portrayed. 

The song "Naan Yaaru" deserved special mention, for it has excellently showcased the crisis faced by the protagonist. The lyrics are penned by the director himself. The symbolism in the song is excellent. Blue color (color of Lord Krishna) is used to brand a Dalit. Even the dog of a Dalit is treated as a Dalit dog. This branding is never gone from the person how hard he tries and will take him to the grave. Even the President of India is no exception. 

The English teacher in college insults Pari for securing his seat through reservation quota. This is a prejudice that many higher caste people carry with them. The film really helps us to understand why reservations are needed in society. 

The crisis faced by Dalits will create serious emotional and physical challenges as faced by the protagonist. These challenges will destroy the self-confidence of any human being and will prevent them from coming out of their miserable life. So, it is the duty of the law to make sure that the minimum amount of opportunities are made available for them by some means. Reservations make sure of that this is done. As envisioned by Dr: B R Ambedkar, the aim of reservation is not to uplift the Dalits from the financial difficulties, but also to make sure that they are given a role in the critical decision making positions in the country. (Pari's principal is a Dalit)

Many of my friends from Kerala had said to me, "These kind of film does not happen in malayalam" , "The malayali fim makers are not upto the mark. They do not take subjects like this". 

I would like to remember my friends, these kind of films were made in the Malayalam industry in the past. But these days  such films do not find much space in our society becasue we did not have to face such troubles. We never made friends by looking which caste/relegion they belonged to, even when our parents made such suggestions we always have rejected those thoughts, we never think about the caste when we invite our friend to our house. 

But in the current scenario, this movie will be a good reminder for us keralites. It shows us what our society was a few years back. It shows us how cruel human beings can be. It shows us the merciless side of the caste system. 

As fellow human beings, it is our duty to make sure that we will be able to cure this disease. 

The question is HOW CAN IT BE DONE?

It can only be done achieved through abolishing the systems which oppress a certain class of people. The deeds of Ambedkar, Nehru, Gandhi, Rajaram Mohan Roy, Periyar, Narayana Guru has shown us the path. We have to follow it.

WHEN WILL THIS DISCRIMINATION BE OVER?

The last lines of the movie answer this question. 

"Neenga neengala irukkira vareykum, naanga naaya irukkunam ennu neenga ninaykira vareykum, inge onnume marathu sir. "

"AS LONG AS YOU (UPPER CASTE) DON'T CHANGE, AS LONG AS YOU WANT US (LOWER CLASS) TO BE DOGS, THIS COUNTRY WON'T CHANGE.