Animals in language

[Guest guest]

http://www.centralchronicle.com/20070126/2601302.htm

 

Animals are not pariahs

Hindu religion generally considers life forms as sacred and it has

developed sanctity by association, such as the swan, eagle and bull

that serve as vehicles for the major deities such as the Brahma,

Vishnu and Shiva, respectively. Some animals such as the Hanuman

langur, cobra and elephant are sacred themselves since they are

revered as Hanuman, the monkey god, Naga, the snake god and Ganesha,

the elephant god. But what many do not know is the fact that some

animals do carry caste discriminating names.

Two of India's fascinating birds carry caste names. One is the common

pariah kite (Milvus migrans) and the other is the brahminy kite

(Haliastur indus)- these birds of prey can be commonly seen in

villages, towns and cities across India. The pariah kite derives its

name from the untouchable lower caste 'pariah'. These large dark brown

birds with forked tail when in flight are excellent acrobatic flyers.

They feed on a variety of food items that include insects, spiders,

worms, mice, lizards, frogs, and small birds and also leftovers from

kitchen.

 

The distinguished looking brahminy kite has bright rusty red colour

above with white head, neck and breast to abdomen. This bird derives

its name from the 'Brahmin'. The local name for the brahminy kite in

the south Indian language, Tamil is ' Krishna parundu'. It refers to

the Hindu God Krishna.

 

These birds are held sacred by the Hindus. Similarly, the brahminy

myna (Sturnus pagodarum), a gorgeous bird, which is grey above and

reddish fawn below with glossy black crown and long recumbent crest is

called 'Papathi nahanavai' in Tamil? Papathi meaning woman belong to

'Brahmin' caste and 'nahanavai' meaning 'fragrance mouth'.

 

Although the origin of the domestic dog from wolf has been

established, details about where and when the domestication occurred,

is not clearly known. The pariah dog is often used as a generic term

for any domestic dog that is a stray or lives in feral condition,

without any geographical restriction.

 

According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language,

'the word pariah can be used for anyone who is a social outcast',

independent of social position, recalls a much more rigid social

system, which made only certain people pariahs. The caste system of

India placed pariahs, very low in society. The word pariah has

extended in meaning, came into English from Tamil paraiyar, the plural

of paraiyan, the caste name, which literally means " (hereditary)

drummer " and comes from the word parai, the name of a drum used at

certain festivals. The word is first recorded in English in 1613. Its

use in English and its extension in meaning probably owes much to the

long period of British rule in India. India's father and social

reformer, Mahatma Gandhi, renamed the word 'pariah' to be 'Harijans'

(children of the God Hari/Visnu, or, simply, children of God). Today,

however, people prefer to use the term 'dalit' from the Sanskrit

language, meaning 'crushed and downtrodden'. They use this word as an

identity of assertion.

 

'The moral progress of a nation can be measured by the way in which

its animals are treated' said Mahatma Gandhi. But neither Gandhi

during his time nor any biologists and sociologists of today realised

the implications of caste names in the animal society, and question or

debate on the ethical usage of such names. In reality, when a name to

identify an animal has been used for a long time, people get used to

it and seldom ask questions on the origin, history, and ethical usage

of the word.

 

Despite the fact that the word 'pariah' in English undoubtedly

undermines an indigenous caste group from Tamil Nadu, international

mass media including journals and magazines continue to use this

prejudicial word in social contexts since it attributes the meaning of

an outcast.

 

The common pariah kite can be simply called the common kite and the

brahminy kite can be referred as the red kite that are the substitute

names for these charming kites.

 

The dog, man's best friend can be identified as the domestic dog; when

they are stray or free-ranging, can be referred to as feral or stray

dogs. The word 'pariah' should not be used in any context-sociological

and biological-since it resonates a past humiliating social prejudice.

 

Prof at Tajen University, Taiwan

 

Govindasamy Agoramoorthy, Down to Earth Feature