Apart from cultural illiteracy and hate campaign in public space, such announcements also have some dynamics in the hyper-connected digital worlds of memes and social networks. Hence, the current wave of anti-Brahmin actions has to be understood in that context.

Linguistic Ethnic Nationalism + Marxism = Secessionist Nazi Cults

Dravidian polity has consistently used the term Aryan as a racist slur against Tamil Brahmin communities. The official magazine of Dravidian movement proclaimed on 28-09-1955: "If we are to lynch the Aryans in the middle of the roads in broad day light all day long, today none shall care to question that". However, in reality that was not the case. The Tamil Nadu government, then led by K Kamaraj as chief minister, did not hesitate to take action against Dravidian propaganda demeaning the sacred thread.

Subsequently, the cultural reality and strains of real politics made even Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) refrain from rabid anti-Brahmin rhetoric. In 1955, C N Annadurai, who later became chief minister, explained that if they could destroy caste system by destroying Brahmins – the same way Hitler did with the Jews – it would be "sensible to an extent". But, he explained that the caste system, which he described as 'Aryanism' had become a part of Tamil society at large, and hence they had to resort to campaigning without violent means.

Deep down they had strong hatred for Hinduism, which despite all social stigmas, still provided a democratic religious system, and hence it was an obstacle to their totalitarian ideologies and theologies. So, anti-Brahminism is aimed not just at Brahmins, but its ultimate aim is to destroy Hinduism and Hindu communities. Naturally, institutional and anti-Brahmin political movements get support from Christian and Islamic expansionist forces.

In 1950s, a bishop from Madurai, in his book on church and Dravidian movement, called the movement a time bomb that they have developed to destroy Hinduism. In 2017, Mathimaran, a rabid anti-Hindu Dravidianist, who calls Subramania Bharati a 'Brahmin-Hindu supremacist' is a guest in Christian institutions. The remarkable consistency in supporting the worst forms of anti-Hindu racial hate ideologies by Christian institutions is telling.

Soon after Tony Joseph wrote a distorted report in The Hindu on the Aryan invasion and migration question as being settled through genetics in favour of the invasion/migration hypothesis, WhatsApp messages started spreading in many groups. In one of the groups of my old collegemates, a friend shared a message she had received. It went like this: "The report of Tony Joseph had struck terror in the hearts of Brahmins in Tamil Nadu as it conclusively exposing them as aliens to this land. The report proves Tamils to be the original inhabitants of the land." And it ended with the usual call to share: "If you are born a true Tamil share this message with other Tamils and spread the awareness."