India's Kalingas&Malaysia's 'keling' Controversy

[Guest guest]

Historical references to `keling' not meant as offense

 

"The first reference to the word `keling' in the Sejarah Melayu, for

example, occurs in the second chapter dealing with the exploits of

Raja Chulan, whom the emperor of China is said to refer to as `Raja

Keling'.

 

If this chapter is indeed, as some theorise, a distant memory of the

invasion of Rajendra Chola during the Sri Vijaya period (circa 1025

AD), one can surmise that the `keling' referred to in the chapter may

indeed be the Cholas of south India rather than Kalinga in the east."

 

Sabri Zain, Cambridge, UK

4:27pm Thu Aug 7th, 2003

 

 

 

I have been intrigued by recent articles in malaysiakini over the

controversy surrounding the use of the word `keling' and would like

to offer some historical perspective on the issue.

 

While the word may well have been derived from the name of the

kingdom of Kalinga (the modern state of Orissa), it has been used to

describe south Indians since early times, and not specifically to

inhabitants of Kalinga.

 

The Malay language unfortunately makes a similar mistake with the

term `Bengali', who are of course not really Bengalis at all, but

Punjabis.

 

The first reference to the word `keling' in the Sejarah Melayu, for

example, occurs in the second chapter dealing with the exploits of

Raja Chulan, whom the emperor of China is said to refer to as `Raja

Keling'.

 

If this chapter is indeed, as some theorise, a distant memory of the

invasion of Rajendra Chola during the Sri Vijaya period (circa 1025

AD), one can surmise that the `keling' referred to in the chapter may

indeed be the Cholas of south India rather than Kalinga in the east.

 

Many other references in the Sejarah Melayu refer to more recent

events during the Melaka Sultanate period - such as Hang Nadim's

visit to `Benua Keling' - which must refer to India generically,

rather than Kalinga in particular, as Kalinga had by then

significantly declined as a major power, following its destruction by

Asoka and later the Moghuls.

 

The Hikayat Hang Tuah itself has a whole chapter describing Hang

Tuah's voyage to `Benua Keling'. Portuguese accounts also indicate

that the majority of Indian inhabitants and traders in

 

Melaka were Muslims from the south of the subcontinent, with little

mention of people from the Orissa coast.

 

Furthermore, Orissa did not have a significant Muslim population -

Buddhism and Jainism played a much more important role in Oriya

culture and society. South India, on the other hand, did have a

significant Muslim population.

 

More contemporary British colonial writings refer to the `Klings' -

again, mostly in reference to immigrants from Madras and the

Coromandel coast, rather than the people of Orissa. Nicholas Belfield

Dennys in a `A Descriptive Dictionary of British Malaya' (1894)

defined `Kling' as "a general term for all the people of Hindustan,

and for the country itself."

 

Scareboeus is quoted in the September 16, 1887 issue of The Penang

Gazette as stating that "the word Kling is a most interesting one and

points to a connection between the Straits and India reaching nearly

as far back as the time of Alexander the Great, the only trace of

which remains in its continued application to the natives of southern

India." He adds that the word was not only used in the Straits but

all over the Dutch and Portuguese possessions in the East Indies.

 

What is important to note, however, is that none of these references

to `keling' - from the Sejarah Melayu in the 16th century down to the

British travelogues of the 19th century - were in any way used in any

derogatory sense.

 

It was simply a word to describe the people of South India or their

descendants in the Peninsula. I personally would hate to see a word

that has come down to us over the centuries and used in theepics of

Malay literature be suddenly struck out of our vocabulary in classic

Orwellian `new-speak' style - just because some people might think it

is a quick fix to address racism towards Malaysians of Indian

descent.

 

I realize myself that many people do use the word `keling' in a

derogatory manner and I deplore the use of terms such as `keling

mabuk todi' or `keling karam' - but I doubt if `India mabuk todi'

or `India karam' would be deemed less of a racial slur.

 

Banning a word is futile if you don't address the racism -

institutional or otherwise - behind its derogatory use. And that is

by far a more challenging task than striking a word out of our

dictionary.