Since 1970’s sections of leftists in Kerala have been unleashing a motivated, malicious and fake campaign that Nairs are genetically lazy and because of that the community has gone bankrupt. They mocked Nairs as lazy bums who sold their land for a luxurious life, and were unwilling to do hard work.
The factually spurious and slanderous campaign portrays Nairs as obscurantists full of conceit, and observes that because of false prestige Nairs are unwilling to do certain category of jobs and businesses which are lucrative, but lack dignity. Is the allegation of the leftists true? What is the reality?
First of all, the allegations are big lies spread with mala fide intentions. The leftists want to mislead Nairs, destroy their morale, and divert their attention from the duplicity of governments that ruled Kerala. They also want to cover-up their dishonest work. Since Nair population is significant in a large number of constituencies in Kerala the left knows the danger of Nairs realizing the injustice done to them and voting against the left en masse. So the left misled Nairs that the economic crisis they faced was their own making and not because of the government policies. Then, what is the truth?
That the Nairs faced a financial crisis by 1970's is true; But the reason for the financial crisis that engulfed Nair households was not what the left propagated. it was the making of government policy; the Kerala Land Reforms Act brought by the left by the end of 1960's. The act took away the food crop cultivating land (paddy, coconut and other crops) of Namboothiris and Nairs to distribute among the landless. The same government however didn’t dare to bring cash crop (rubber, spices etc) cultivating land called plantations owned mainly by Christians under the act and so they were not affected. There is no denying the fact that land reforms were essential and the landless poor had to be given land; however it should also be added that Kerala land reform was implemented unilaterally with ulterior motives. The plantations were not included in the act because rich minority groups influenced the government policy. The reason they argued was plantations brought foreign exchange to India. But they forgot that food crops fed the poor of Kerala. When land was fragmented agriculture in Kerala suffered. Till then Kerala produced enough rice for the people in the state. Afterwards, the production of food crops suffered and at present Kerala depends on import of food grins and other crops to feed the population.
Nair community was mainly into agriculture and military service in the past during the rule of Kings till 1947. When India became free and a democratic government came to power, martial communities like Nairs lost their monopoly in military service. When agriculture in Kerala suffered Nairs also suffered. So the economic crisis faced by Nairs was the result of the crisis in agricultural sector in Kerala; not because Nairs were lazy. The leftist propaganda of Nair laziness was a pretext to prevent Nairs from protesting. Actually it was the responsibility of the government to help farmers who grew food crops. The government didn't help those famer families who lost land to venture into new jobs or businesses. Farmers are the backbone of any country or stat as they feed millions of people. To destroy Nairs Kerala's leftists destroyed the state's agricultural sector completely. The Nairs didn't realize the true nature of the motivated acts of the leftists which they publicised as progressive.
Nair farmers didn't commit suicide
It goes to the credit of Nair farmers that they didn't commit suicide despite leftists destroying agriculture sector completely by unscientific land reforms and destroying the peaceful relations between farmers and agricultural labourers. The left concocted stories of excess of landlords which were a travesty of truth. But, many believed it. Though it took some time, the hardworking Nairs to come out of the crisis, and venture into other jobs. Now Nairs are back with a bang.
The government should have implement land reforms in food crop cultivating lands judiciously. Plantation land and industrial land should also have been brought under its ambit, causing minimal damage to food crop cultivating lands. In fact, food crop cultivating land should have been preserved as it provided cheap rice and coconut for the poor. But since the Government was bent on destroying social order, they confined reforms to land of Nairs and Namboothiris.
Representation of Nairs among migrants from Kerala
It is a wrong notion that Nairs never ventured out of their villages unlike Muslims who migrated to the Middle East and Christians of Travancore who migrated to Malabar and cleared forests for rubber cultivation. A study by CDS has found that among the different communities in Kerala Nairs lead in internal migration ie migration to other Indian states. The majority of people who migrated to other Indian states in search of job from Kerala are Nairs. Look at the list of political leaders/businessmen from Nair community who made a mark in their fields in other states/countries:
Former Tamil Nadu chief minister M G Ramachandran, former Singapore President Devan Nair, Former African National Congress leader Billy Nair, former Fiji president Mahendra Chaudhari also had partial Nair origins, first mayor of Mumbai K Madhavan, former MP from outer Delhi C. Krishanan Nair were all proof of the enterprising Nairs. No other community from Kerala has such an illustrious lineup of leaders who made it big elsewhere. Only Kerala Muslims match Nairs in this aspect. It means the left mockery of Nairs is a farce believed only by their blind followers.
Kerala’s policy making was always controlled by powerful minority groups who fabricated stories to portray Nairs as villainous feudal lords who faded after India got independence. It is the fault of Nair community that sections among us swallowed such myths hook, line and sinker without questioning. Communists and Congress which ruled Kerala denied us our due and to justify their neglect they unleashed the propaganda that Nairs fell into crisis because they were lazy.
Return of Nairs
By the end of 1990s the rise of knowledge based economy saw Nairs slowly returning to prosperity. Despite lack of reservations in government jobs hard working Nair youth have managed to find a place in the civil services beating others in competition. You still find lots of Nairs among IAS, IPS and IFS officers and in Army. India’s present Naval chief is from Nair community. A new breed of Nair businessmen have emerged who include: B. Ravi Pillai, PNC Menon, CK Menon, Rajiv Chandrasekhar etc. Nair technocrats are making it big in the US and Europe. The current CEO of the French corporate Chanel, the biggest luxury fashion house in the world, Leena Nair is an example of hardworking modern Nair women. Our rise is not anybody’s magnanimity or due to the largesse of any political party. We won it through our hard work. We can be proud of ourselves.
