Thursday, January 21, 2016

Touch me not

As a kid, i was fascinated by Brahmins. There was something very scholarly about them. I remember once asking amma whether we can become Brahmins too. She explained that we can't become them but we can be like them. She was trying to plug in the fact that they are all into higher education. Nice move. Today, when i look back, i feel stupid to believe that wearing a punool would make me smarter. However, i still believe that Brahmins (who manage to stay off non-vegetarian food, including eggs) are classy. Of course, we can still debate how they consume milk and honey, wear leather belts and bags, etc. Despite these scientific anomalies, they are admirable in a society which is otherwise prone to noise and violence. [Nobody points out the fact that most of the earliest Indian immigrants in the USA were Brahmins who didn't have a lot in their pockets but worked and studied their way up. Contrast this to the early Indian immigrants in the UK who ended up spawning gang members and their secret handshakes.] Not to put them on a pedestal but if we are going to criticize them for the erosion of Hinduism—for which they are mighty responsible—then we should also be fair enough to give credit where it's due. 

Oh, wait. 

This wasn't supposed to be the highlight of this blog post. My concern was about how hardcore Brahmins won't have food in a non-Brahmin household but are OK with sharing microwave in an office pantry. The very machine in which even non-vegetarians warm their food. If that's not funny enough, how about them keeping money in their wallets which might have passed through the hands of a butcher earlier? 

Haha, just screwing with the modernity of things. 

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