palaveri village in pallava-desha near kAnchIpuram hosted an agrahAra, where rAjagopAla, a reknowned shrIvaiShNava scholar resided. His son, popularly known as bAlAjI, also a scholar, was raised there till early 1990s (age 20). These are some recollections pertaining to shUdra-s (abbreviated as v4s).
Respect for v1s
On auspicious occassions like marriage, v4s used to provide grains and such the previous day to my father, and ask him to feast on them the next day, and come and bless during the event.
When a v1 passed by, the v4s would show respect. In case of a learned v1 like shrI rAjagopAla, they would stand up as he passed.
When shUdra-s entered the agrahAra, on their own accord, they used to remove their footwear.
Once I was travelling to kAnchi from bengaLUru on a sleeper bus. A co-passenger turned to me and realized by seeing my tilaka that I was a brAhmaNa. He asked another person to exchange spots saying : “A brAhmaNa is sleeping here; and I have just consumed meat. Please exchange”. Similarly, panchama-s used to, on their own accord, seat themselves elsewhere, rather than next to me.
Piety
The farmers would be entirely free of agricultural labors for much of the year. Then, they used to perform and enjoy plays based on rAmAyaNa and mahAbhArata all night long. They used to be shy of performing before my respected father, so he used to watch from far away.
The farmers would work in the fields all morning; and their wives would bring food. They would offer this food to an idol made of cowdung, and to the sun, before eating.
Farmers used to operate a picotah/ eta to draw water for irrigation. To reduce the effort they felt, they used to say viShNu-stotra-s.
tilaka
A shUdra would scold my father thus: “I used to watch your father with his thick tirumaN tilaka. Now you sit in the same place with your thin tilaka. Fie!”
Farmers used to wear tirumaN - so that it would be hard to distinguish Arya from shUdra without the yaJNopavIta.
In the village school, kids were taught well by the brAhmaNa and brAhmaNa-educated teachers. If a girl lost her forehead dot due to sweat, she would be expected to go and fix it using the kunkuma from the nAga-pratiShThA nearby. If a v1 boy went without tilaka, he would be sent back.
Temples
There was a viShNu temple in the agrahAra,
a gaNapati temple outside,
and yet another draupadi temple (with a kRShNa image as well).
During harvest, the first big-measure was offered to the temple. Similarly, the first calf was offered to the temple. Milk from such calves was used for abhiSheka etc..
Once in 1970s, a draviDianist climed the gaNapati temple and urinated there - he was thrashed. They did not return after that - other than coming around and giving anti-Astika speeches. Yet, dravidian parties remained the only contenders in local elections.
Even in 2024, v4s, via a trust they’d formed, grandly managed annual festivities at the draupadi temple; with mahAbhArata play starting at night 10PM.
kIrtanas
The v4s used to gather at a maNDapa every night for nAma-sankIrtana.
In the mArgashIrSha month, this used to happen before dawn.
tarpaNa-s
Every amAvAsyA, a v1 used to visit each v4 family,
carrying a book of ancestors,
to help them perfrom tarpaNa-s to their ancestors.
By 2020s, even v1 had left the monthly tarpaNa practice.
v3s and v2s
v3s of the village used to perform sandhyAvandanam.
There were no v2s in the village, but they existed in nearby villages; some of whom were disciples of shrI rAjagopAla of the village.
The v2s were carnivores.
Economy
During harvest, the first big-measure was offered to the temple.
The next one was for the village barber.
The one after that for the washerman.
Only then was the harvest partitioned between the owner and the share-cropper.
The basic needs of everyone in the village was thus met.
This system ran at-least until early 1990s.
If a person did not own land, a similar portion of the purchased grain was set aside for the barber and washerman.
The barber’s share would be the same irrespective of the number of heads he needed to shave in the family.
Similarly, the purohita was paid in kind, not cash.
Salt trader used to visit monthly. He traded 1 measure of rice for 5 measures of salt.