The Last Brahmin: Life and Reflections of a Modern-day Sanskrit Pandit, by Rani Siva Sankara Sarma, pp. 197, + vii.—Reviewed by H. L. Richard
The last Brahmin is the father of the narrator of this story. The narrator is thoroughly modern and has little respect for traditional Brahminical ways, seeing egalitarianism as a superior ideology. The last Brahmin’s worldview is especially highlighted in comparison with that of his oldest son, the elder brother of the narrator. The elder brother had converted to Hinduism, abandoning the true Brahminical tradition of the last Brahmin.
The opening paragraphs of Chapter 8 illustrate this point.
Recently, a friend of mine told me of an incident which had fascinated him; he had read it in a book. That fifty-page book, written by Perugu Rami Reddy from Aditya Nagar of Karnool, has the title, Are Brahmins Hindus? The incident that fascinated my friend is as follows.
Once, the writer was travelling from Rayalaseema to Konaseema. At Ravulapalem, some people helped an aged Vedic pandit to get into the bus. He came and sat next to the writer in the bus. Watching the pandit’s clothing and appearance, the writer, just to begin a conversation, asked him, “Are you a Hindu?” “No! Can’t you tell I am a Brahmin?” said the old man. “Aren’t Brahmins Hindus?” asked the writer. “No. True, some say that there is something called ‘Hindu religion’ or ‘Hinduism.’ But this term, this so-called Hinduism, is nowhere to be found in the Vedas or Puranas or anywhere else. I am surely only a Brahmin,” said the Veda pandit. (p. 45)
The last Brahmin remained true to the older tradition (“the ancient order” of teaching Sanskrit from pandit to student. He was deeply dismayed by the betrayal of his eldest son, also an expert in Sanskrit, into Hinduism. he was less concerned about the younger son, the narrator, who was never a good student.
The last Brahmin views the centuries of Islamic rule of India quite passively; Brahminism was allowed to flourish with its traditional pattern of teaching. It was the colonial era that brought the great disruption into Brahminical life. the newly developed monstrosity of Hinduism wants to homogenize and promote Brahminical ways among non-Brahmins. This is a total violation of “the ancient order.”
With fascinating reflections and interactions among the varying worldviews of the family, the problems of modernity, Hinduism and Brahminism are powerfully portrayed. This novel takes one to the opposite end of the social spectrum of the two Dalit novels also reviewed here, but it shows that the crisis of identity is widespread in modern India (as indeed across the world.) What it means to be Brahmin, what Hinduism is or should be, what lies ahead for the traditional Indian culture, are crucial questions just below the surface of this impressive novel.
The knowledge explosion of the modern world presents massive challenges for those who wish to remain broadly informed across cultures and fields of study. The growth of English as an international language now opens up, through translation, insights into vernacular visions that otherwise remain isolated except for the multi-lingual.
The reviews here only scratch the surface of a rich source of cultural learning, a source that must be seriously engaged by those who wish to develop a deep understanding of India.
- H. L. Richard is an independent researcher focused on the Hindu-Christian encounter. He has published numerous books and articles including studies of key figures like Narayan Vaman Tilak (Following Jesus in the Hindu Context, Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1998), Kalagara Subba Rao (Exploring the Depths of the Mystery of Christ, Bangalore: Centre for Contemporary Christianity, 2005), and R. C. Das (R. C. Das: Evangelical Prophet for Contextual Christianity, Delhi: ISPCK, 1995).
