Intelok as literature who to determine?

Book lacks intricacies of issue

I REFER to "Remove novel from syllabus" (Letters, Jan 10). The question is do we need a controversial book such as Interlok, whatever that means, to be dished out to Form 5 students especially at a time when the questions of race and religion seem to be so sensitive.
The book touches on caste which in itself is a sensitive and controversial topic even among Indians. Let me briefly highlight some historical facts.The caste system was brought into India by the Aryan invaders as a form of subjugation of the Dravidian peoples of India. It is basically based on the Sanskrit word varna, (warna in Malay, varnam in Tamil) which means "colour" – yes it is based on skin colour – the Aryan invaders were fair-skinned, and Dravidians, dark. The brahmins, who are fair-skinned, were the priests or priestly caste, followed by others like khastriyas, warriors, sudra, traders and the dalits (pariyyars in Tamil). The system was created to promote a specialisation of duties and jobs, which is why you have a person in a caste based on the job he does. However a person from a lower caste can improve himself by acquiring skills and education to climb the caste hierarchy. You have hundreds of sub-castes between the North Indians and South Indians.
The lowest caste (pariah) were known as the harijan by Gandhi, meaning "God’s children". Gandhi fought tooth and nail against the caste system. However caste continues to be a controversial subject in India, with many movements against it as it causes discrimination in employment and education. In Malaysia, the British exploited the caste system by imposing a divide and rule policy in plantations i.e. by placing high-caste supervisors of Indian origin in charge of the lower-caste plantation workers.
I am not an expert in this area and write based on information acquired from books and conversations with Indian elders. Suffice to say, the caste system is complex and can be considered a human failing. I don’t know whether Interlok’s author knows the history and intricacies of the system. To just bring up the issue without going into its intricacies is unfair. To write a book with scant under-standing of the subject is dangerous not only to the writer but to readers as well, as they will be misinformed. This is especially so if the book is made compulsory reading for secondary school students.
I can’t understand why the writer chose to dwell on an issue such as this which is capable of being manipulated by certain quarters. We have seen how racial issues are blown up by politicians and individuals. I understand that the book is about national integration, but clearly here the means does not justify the end.

Jeyaseelen Anthony
Shah Alam