Blunders of Dravidian Movement

I think the Dravidian movement failed because of the following reasons.

1. Tamil centric political movement
     The movement didn't even spread to all the Dravidian regions and was confined to Tamil Nadu only. Instead of getting into politics, it should have become a social movement.

2. Lack of broader vision
     The Dravidian identity in those times was not just a linguistic identity but also was an ethnic identity. In this sense, it should have been pan-Indian movement encompassing all of the lower castes (OBCs and Dalits) of North India.

3. Misguided self-respect
    As long as self-respect meant rejecting humiliations heaped upon the castes by the purity-pollution rules, it was fine. However, when it became taking pride in your caste and thus developing a kind of tribal identity it became dangerous. The self-respect has turned into caste pride which has undermined homogenization process of Dravidian castes.

4. Quasi-patriarchal
     The leader of the Dravidian movement, E V Ramasamy, sent mixed signals on women's role. But it's still radical in those days. However, it doesn't seem to have changed much in case of Tamil society.

Random Thoughts - Love_Lust

There was a huge reaction over the astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson's following tweet on sex.

If there were ever a species for whom sex hurt, it surely went extinct long ago.

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) March 11, 2016

Many have tried to educate the astrophysicist about biological truths of different species.

However, that tweet reminded me this study on dopamine.

"It was believed that dopamine regulated pleasure and reward and that we release it when we obtain something that satisfies us, but in fact the latest scientific evidence shows that this neurotransmitter acts before that, it actually encourages us to act. In other words, dopamine is released in order to achieve something good or to avoid something evil," explains Mercè Correa.

I suppose even among humans the pleasure or pain of sex doesn't matter. We are involuntarily driven to seek sex irrespective of the outcome. So, even if sex hurts we are bound to try it again as we are constantly motivated(provided dopamine levels are normal). I'm tempted to say -if there were ever a species for whom motivation to have sex doesn't exist, it surely went extinct long ago- but there could be species that still mate without any motivation.

Tuluva-Malayali Matrilineal System - notes

What led to the End of Kerala's Matrilineal System

The article misses many points. The system was followed by most of the castes in Malabar and in coastal Karnataka region(including Muslims). According to anthropologist M N Srinivas, even Kodava society was believed to be matrilineal once upon a time. Therefore, theories of origin should go beyond Nairs. The 'Sambandham' wasn't observed among Tulu matrilineal castes of coastal Karnataka. Instead of considering the practice as a salient feature of the matrilineal system, it should be considered as a unique feature of Malayali region.

It should be noted here that Brahmins(Namboodiris) weren't matrilineal. Therefore, the point of view of the Sambandham changes within the Malayali society itself.  It shows the unquestionable grip Brahmins had over the society. Indulekha could be a flawed a story, however, it still rebels against a patriarchal overlordship. In fact, all the ideal picture given here about women having all the rights for rejecting suitors, the reality of older men of higher castes having their way with much younger women wasn't uncommon. We cannot forget the fact that there was always a caste hierarchy in that society.