Casteism to path of renaissance, news-picture exhibition at CPI state conference evokes curiosity

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The story of the resurrection of the common people from the chains of untouchability and caste system is told in the news-picture exhibition at the venue of the CPI state conference.

Organizers show the news clippings published in the media to convey the history of colourism and inhumane practices that are hard to believe in modern times. The exhibition is a direct picture of bad practices that went on in the country.

The report 'fine for entering a tea shop' published in Kerala Kaumudi on January 1, 1925 shows the evidence of such bad practices. The published news is as follows: 'In Edapalli, an Ezhavan could not bear his hunger and walked into a Nair's coffee shop asking for a single cup of tea. The poor Ezhavan did not know that it was a Nair's shop. The shopkeeper. When he started asking who and what is his caste, he said, 'Chovan' without going against his conscience. Immediately, a Nair official who was the station officer and peacekeeper of the place reached there by luck or bad luck. When he found out that he was Ezhavan, the officer imposed a fine on him,

The order issued in 1912 granting educational benefits to the Paraya classes, the permission to use public roads for all, the order to waive certain cesses for Chettis and similar castes, the permission given in 1865 for Ezhava women to wear upper clothes, the permission to lay roof tiles, the proclamation of 1865 prohibiting the slave trade and news in various newspapers are on display.