The impending death of the Tamil Brahmin Community..
This is something that I have thought about for quite some time, the impending death of the Tamil Brahmin Community. Essentially a migrant community in search of better opportunities and security, this community is perhaps the most dispersed and urban of all Tamil Communities. Settled in Tamil Nadu for centuries this community witnessed mass migration from villages to cities such as Bombay, Delhi,Calcutta in the British times.With Bombay and Delhi becoming economic hubs,the future generations stayed on and picked up the cosmopolitan culture and married into other communities. Calcutta is perhaps an exception wherein there was a re-migration to other parts of the country and abroad due to economic reasons. Then came the migrations from Indian cities to the western countries again in search of economic prosperity and security. Though the first generation of migrants tried to retain their cultural identity, it is very clear that the future generations are slowly marrying into western communities. The last abode of this community is perhaps Madras, a city known for its conservative outlook. But again it is becoming clear that with cosmopolitanism hitting Madras and economic prosperity becoming a great leveler across communities, cross-community marriage is definitely on the rise.Thus it doesn't take an Einstein to predict that this community will die a slow death in a matter of 50 years or so. The absence of social rigidity in urban centers, economic prosperity and cosmopolitanism could be some of the reasons for the impending death.Frightful thought to some, but the event would indeed be a bellwether of a more progressive India...