Caste, Religion, and Obscenities of Customs

Abstract This article discusses the works of Athippakkam A. Venkatachala Nayagar (1799–1897), a radical secular thinker of 19th-century South India. Nayagar was part of an atheist organization called Madras Secular Society, and was one of the founding members of a lower-caste association. He wrote two significant works that challenged the dominance of Brahmins and other upper-caste communities in the Tamil country. His works have spawned reprints from both anti-caste secular organizations and caste associations, which occupy polarized positions on social issues. By building on Joseph Blankholm’s Secular Paradox , this paper explores the paradoxes generated by these reprints. It also critically studies the efforts undertaken by both groups to reconcile these paradoxes through multiple negotiations with caste, religion, and secularism. Through Nayagar’s case, it explores the intricate relationship between secular organizations and lower-caste associations in the colonial and post-colonial public sphere.