Page 196 - Communication Processes Volume 3 Communication Culture and Confrontation

Memory and Social Protest 171

being an evil graha (inauspicious planet) in astrology—is worshipped
by Dom, Dusadh, Bhangi and Mang castes. This might have been the
reason for Varahmihiri not to give any importance to this shadow
planet in his works.
Similarities between the symbolism of Rahu and Chuharmal are
obvious. Table 5.2 shows the homology of both.

Table 5.2
Symbolism of Rahu and Chuharmal
Myth of Rahu Myth of Chuharmal
Cutting off the head of Rahu Cutting off the head of Chuharmal
by god Narayana by landlord or zamindar
Role of Narayana who cuts off Rahu’s Role of the zamindar who cuts off
head in the ‘Samudra Manthan’ Chuharmal’s head in the forward-caste
version
Amrit snatchers Snatchers of crops of farmers
worshipped by Dusadhs worshipped by Dusadhs and other
similar lower castes

By giving a higher religious position to physically and spiritually
strong mythological heroes whose deeds of bravery are absolutely
anti-social in view of the morality of the Great Tradition, subaltern
culture significantly raises a protest against the philosophical and
ontological basis of the dominant culture. There are long traditions of
transformation of symbols of criminals into myths of god. We can even
name this as anti-tradition. Not only this, lower-caste people usually
incorporate these symbols in their genealogy. Ranjit Guha (ibid.)
construes these symbols as the symbols of their primordial history.
There is a long series of such myths (Table 5.3).
In Baghelkhand, a cultural region of Madhya Pradesh, especially
in villages around Satana, a Shanipujak (worshipper of god Shani)
community is present. They are originally of the Teli caste and primar-
ily worship Shani in their homes, but many villages also have temples
dedicated to the god. Shani god is regarded as ‘paapgrah’ (evil planet),
ritually worshipped in Indian astrological systems. Teldan (offerings of
oil made by Telis), for example, or attaching iron to boats, horses shoes,
etc., are usually rituals related to the lower castes. The narrative iden-
tity of the planet Shani, although clearly fixed, still keeps on attaching
with it narrative identities of many lower castes, and remains associated