Graded Inequality, Poverty, Epidemics and Mortality during...

Indian Journal of Dalit and Tribal Studies (IJDTS)60

Graded Inequality, Poverty, Epidemics and Mortality during the Great

Famine in Colonial South India

*Sathya.D

AbstractDrought, crop failure, poverty, hunger, epidemics,

and mortality along with failure of humanity in the form

(1876-1878) in Colonial South India. Famine and the misery associated with it is not a new phenomenon to

droughts, storms, avalanches and the like the people belonging to the lower strata faced more misery than the people of higher strata. Baba Sahib Ambedkar termed this

the great famine of 1876-78 in Colonial South India with special reference to poverty, epidemics and mortality.

Key Words: Famine, Social Crisis and Mortality.

University, Puducherry

ISSN : 2348-1757Indian Journal of Dalit and Tribal Studies (IJDTS)Volume-4 , Issue-2, July-Dec. 2016, pages 60--76

61

Famines are not restricted to natural causes but are also a

famines in the historical past in India. During the Colonial rule about

twenty two famines, the great famine of 1876 to 1878, resulted in

this famine in a single year.1

“the more one hears about this famine, the more one feels that such

seen before.”2

proclaiming at the Grand Delhi Durbar that her Majesty Queen Victoria

country was in the grip of the great famine.3

4

famine deteriorated because of some social evils like inequality

of inequality in any one of the forms, e.g. master-slave, bourgeois-

upper class- lower class. But in the context of Indian society it had its own typical feature, namely inequality varying according to caste

‘graded inequality’ by Dr. Ambedkar.5

1. 2. Complete disarmament of the Shudras and Untouchables;

Graded Inequality, Poverty, Epidemics and Mortality ........


3. and Untouchables:

4. Ban on the Shudras and the Untouchables occupying places of power and authority;

5. Ban on the Shudras and the Untouchables acquiring property.6

India by a wholesale disarmament of the people of India. But they forget that disarmament of the Shudras and the Untouchables was the rule of law promulgated by the Brahmins.”7

He further stated, “If the common man belonging to the servile classes in India is today so fallen, so degraded, so devoid

philosophy.”8

only made them inferior in society, but also made them weak economically leading to ‘poverty’. They worked as farm servants,

Great Famine

Graded In-equality

Poverty Epidemics Mortality

63

welcomed various ‘epidemics’ and widespread ‘mortality’.Figure 1:

with Poverty, Epidemics and Mortality.Review of Literature

The term ‘graded inequality’9 was given by Ambedkar as

studies. Smita Narula (2007), used the term ‘graded inequality’ to

to which certain deprived people of the society were subjected. She

every eighteen minutes, three Dalit women are raped, eleven Dalits

employed mostly in the scavenging work, which is the only economic opportunity available for them to earn for their survival. She further

graded inequality wherein the inequality is so ingrained that Dalit

in rank.”10

inequality’ along with Ambedkar’s strategies against the social

Hindu religion is not between the Brahmins and non- Brahmin, whereas it’s between the “Touchables” and Untouchables. During

believed that the communal award was the right of the untouchables

the things impossible.’ To struggle against inequality, he took further

to serve the interests of the Scheduled Casted from inside the government than from outside.” As a result of these strategies, in



against the ‘graded inequality’ that the ‘rights to equality’

11

Sukhadeo Thorat (2010) used the term ‘graded inequality’

equal opportunity in socio-economic aspects should be available

12

Thus in previous studies scholars used the term graded

occurred at the eve of independence and post-independence. The present paper uses the term ‘graded inequality’ with reference to the second half of the 19th

of the Great Famine.

of Orissa Famine in 1866. He discussed causes, courses and relief

balanced and prosperous. Many colonial policies like ‘Laissez faire’, along with natural causes were responsible for the poverty, which lead to frequent visit of famine in Orissa. The area of 12000 sq. miles

13

not directly related to food and it is dependent on command over food

such as, great Bengal famine of 1943, Ethiopian famine of 1973 etc. 14

65

Epidemics and mortality were interlinked with each other. Scholars discussed about epidemic disease along with mortality. Roland Lordinoise (1985) explained how epidemic and mortality

He explained the demographic crisis as follows: “Thus in August 1877, cholera, small pox and fever put together account for 86,866

cent. On the basis of these remarks, it can be stated that the peaks

which grow over a base of famine.”15 Leela Sami (2011), talked about

Dr. Cornish’s report in support of her arguments. She pointed that

were desperate to minimise the famine expenditure.16

Elizabeth Whitcombe, (1993), wrote about 19th century

She also explained the argument between Dr. Cornish and Richard

17

The present paper seeks: (i) To analyse how the concept

in Colonial South India. (ii) To examine poverty as a social crisis of the lower caste people in Madras Presidency and (iii) To study the

famine.



Sources and MethodologyThe main sources of this current paper are collected from

Archives and several libraries. The primary sources are, Census Report of the Madras Presidency of 1871, Census Report of the Madras Presidency of 1881, The Famine Campaign in Southern India 1876-1878”, Vol. I, & II and the secondary sources are the

of three methods. The method was used to describe the famine events chronologically. The method was used to compare the concept of graded inequality with other variables such

used to discuss various data.Graded Inequality and Poverty

Poverty is the beginning of all sorts of social crises. It is not

causes for poverty. Moreover, from 1856 to 1871 the land revenue collected by the colonial government increased from 375 to 443 lakhs

75. 18 Col. Baird Smith said that, the sale of land for the payment of public revenue had almost disappeared from public record, while

19

labourers mostly belong to the lower caste people, who mostly depended on their master’s land. So when their masters sold the land, they were pushed into unemployment, which led them into poverty

itself varies according to the graded order in the caste structures.Graded Inequality and Epidemics

The debate between Richard Temple and Cornish shows the

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special envoy to Madras. David Hall Mathews observes how Richard Temple believed in hierarchical loyalty- which he called ‘imperial

system got a controversy. According to Temple, an Indian can survey with one pound20 of grain per day. But Robert Cornish was a Surgeon- Major and the Sanitary Commissioner, who physically examined 3000 persons and he noted that “a general tenancy to the leanness of all classes... ribs, collar and shoulder bones are all unusually prominent. But many had a fair amount of muscular development and clean,

anaemia.21 Elizabeth Whitcombe, used the annual sanitary report to

follows: Children born in the camps had “the wizened and spider-like in utero.

Of girls aged 12 to 14, barely 20 per cent had reached Puberty.

in birth-rate: in 1877, 25 per cent, in 1878, 50 per cent below the average of two previous years. Analysis of the breast milk of mothers

22

that an Indian needs minimum 30 ounce23 of grain per day. Finally,

argument while preparing Famine Commission Report of 1880.24

In India, for the Brahmins, the other caste people were inferior to

to them. According to Cornish, ’from 1876 to July 1877, 3250

outskirts of Madras: of these 1117 died’.25 The mortality shows the



line shows how many people died in 1876, the upper line shows the number of deaths occurred in 1877 and the middle line shows, the mortality due to diseases. If we compare the upper line with middle line, the death rate is not at all synchronized. There is a huge gap in

that people died due to epidemics. If it was true it should go together.

reports give the number of deaths due to epidemics, they might well

Table 1: shows the mortality rate due to epidemics.

MONTHMORTALITY RATE DISEASE

18771876 1877

January 61962 116195 85095

February 55432 104717 76489

March 47537 103652 74884

April 49244 89133 60931

May 51696 104086 69220

June 56750 108517 63143

July 65513 150719 77699

August 54994 173933 86866

September 47665 167994 80978

October 45053 141622 67918

November 56511 148393 82143

December 88027 147351 86833

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Figure 2: Mortality due to epidemicsSource: Sanitary Report of the Madras Presidency

26

in the Census report of 1871 and later it was added to the Census report of 1881. Nearly half millions of women (488,800) and

in the 1871 Census.27

Dr. Cornish commended the Madras government

making these servants record morality as due to ‘old age’, ‘fever’, or

28 The history of poverty lies hidden in census

Graded Inequality and Mortality

ryots (peasants), as the proprietors of the land, had to pay rent

even when there was no rainfall, the peasants had to borrow heavily



peasants at the mercy of moneylenders. Peasants became debtors to money lenders who were also village bankers and grain dealers.

neighbouring villages.29 Mostly these unfortunate agricultural

3 show the total mortality of lower caste people from 1871 to 1881 as per census reports. The heaviest loss of life was among the lower castes who were the agricultural labourers who died mainly

30 According to George Couper, if the famine mortality in 1879 be tested, it will be found that about 80 per cent of the deaths come from the labouring classes, and nearly the whole of

land as to be hardly removed from labourers.31

Table 2: Mortality of the Lower Caste People

Source: Kanmony Cyril.J, Dalits and Tribes of India.32

Mortality of the Lower Caste people

Figure 3: Mortality of the Lower Caste people

S. No. Caste Groups 187101. Brahmins 1095553 1122070

02. Upper Castes 3703206 3805482

03. Lower Castes 21742217 20758293

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Next to the agricultural labourers the vulnerable people were the out caste and other caste people. One among them were Madigars. They were skilled leather making people and their

no purchasing power to buy their leather. Since they were skilled only

out of their jobs. W. H. Glenny, a civilian in charge of the Adoni Taluk in the Kurnool district of the Madras Presidency, gave a

observed “accustomed as they are to be treated like unclean beasts by their countrymen, it was long before the idea dawned that the Government might be ready to save them also from death.”33

Generally, in South India, the Mussulman were considered as outsiders in the Caste system of the Hindus. The Mussulmans in Adoni Taluk of Kurnool District were considered as a bad class because they were polygamous. Among them the small peasant reaped a scanty

debt. So their bullock carts were taken by the land-holders in lieu of debt.

34

dancing women to gods and thereby to Brahmins who presided over

in the name of God was treated as sacred. The higher caste people who exploited the temple women were never named as the bad class

hierarchy is Tribal community or people those who lived in jungles. One among them were Yanadees, those who lived in the jungles along sea- shore areas of Nellore district. These people were wanderers

They used to sell honey and other hilly products in the plains. The great famine forced them to come out of the jungle to the village for survival. They were not treated as equally as other lower castes.35



These people were treated worse than the lower class people. That’s what Ambedkar called as ‘Graded inequality.’ They also wandered

Charity MeasuresIt is deemed as the duty of the government to give measures for

36

It was enacted to save the poor people of the country who were

William Digby, “In the year 1876 to 1878, the Indian Government will have expended on famine relief the sum of 11,000,000, that government having ruled over 250 millions of people. In England alone, during the same period, 21,000,000, will have been spent

annum.”37 Hence, it was proven that their aim was to get welfare

from the colony and to not to give welfare to the colony.

from the civil society worked towards saving the oppressed people.

Swamigal, much neglected but important person in history, also called as Vallar meaning “Great Giver.” He started a campaign against the caste system in the name of ‘Samarasa Suddha Sanmarga Sangam.’ He was generous towards the untouchables and opened “food for hunger” (Dharma Salai) in 1865 in Vadalur, in Tamil Nadu for all caste

38

as the Satya Shodhak Samaj (truth seeking society) for giving social 39

SNDP (Sree Narayana Darma paripalana Yogam) in Kerala for the

made them undertake many charitable works without disparity of

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people to think of him as equal to god. Digby recorded an incidence

the Rev. J. Davies Thomas.”40 Along with Germany and Switzerland,

France also sent Basel Missionaries one of its catholic missionaries

of Madras presidency.41

ConclusionThe concept of ‘graded inequality’ can be applied for

understanding the impact of the Great Famine in Indian society. During the great famine of 1876 to 1878, there was no messiah like

graded inequality. It is proved how ‘graded inequality’ further lead to

went unrecorded in the history of colonial India. It will be wrong to

were not the originators of caste hierarchy in India, but they were the followers of caste hierarchy which originated thousands of years back and which was strictly followed by the higher caste for their

Ambedkar’s ideas have to be translated into policy decisions

building social equality and economic welfare of all. The silent war against the caste system was started long before. But it is not yet over

restricted to text alone but should be registered in the mind of each and every individual.Acknowledgement

I thank my Supervisor, Prof. G. Chandhrika, Department of



History, Pondicherry University, for providing insight into the concept of graded inequality and guiding me in shaping my ideas for the paper.References

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