Nair Girl, a photo taken by British Photographer Willam in year 1914
This single photo talks lot. Nairs were seen as an upper caste, a caste that co-rules and administers, who makes laws of land as well as owns the land. Nair community girls and ladies have a special status. The heritage and legacy of families are driven by female lineage, not male lineage. This means husbands, fathers etc have no role in Nair families, where ladies and mothers are key to every matter of succession. Though male members of Nair family controls the property, in eyes of law as well as social customs they were mere managers who can’t hold any piece of land or house in their name, as every single property was in name of ladies of family.
Untill 1930s, institution of marriage was prohibited in Nair families. There was no legal provision of marriage, husband-wife relationship etc in Nair families. A lady of Nair Household can enter into co-habitation (in today’s terminology- Live-in relationship) with men of higher castes (Nampoothiris or Varmas or even among Nairs) and this co-habitation was called as Sambandam. The lady or man can either choose each other and with consent of elders of family, the male just gives a white mundu to lady. The acceptance of Mundu was considered as symbol to enter into lady’s bedroom. A Nair lady can take N number of Mundus from any men and sleep with N number of men. When a lady wishes to terminate a relationship with the man, the mundu can be returned or a thread be taken out of mundu and broken into two pieces, symbolizing end of relationship. Upon breaking of relationship, the man cannot enter back into lady’s room or house and ceases all rights.
The mother holds absolute right of children and no rights of father be affected over children. Even father’s name or any sign of lineages won’t be allowed over children. Like any other castes untill 1920s, Nair ladies doesn’t cover their upper part of body, rather worn heavy jewellery instead exposing barebody.
Those who jump to protect culture today, must remember, this was also a culture. Had our forefathers protected that culture today, those who jump for cultural protection can’t do the same.
Culture is not static. It changes in accordance to time. Some cultures over a period becomes wrong, some becomes right, then it again goes wrong. The whole process is a cycle. Accept it and accept to learn changes in culture in change of times.
Just History 