Nadars and Ezhavas

Our survey of business communities till now has focused on castes within the ambit of the classical Hindu chaturvarna social hierarchy comprising Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras. We started with the traditional mercantile communities clubbed under the Vaishya order (Banias, Marwaris, Jains, Parsis, Chettiars, etc.), followed by Brahmins and other ‘white collar’ professional classes. The latter included Kayasthas, Khatris, and the Bengali bhadralok—communities whose entry into business was predicated upon their strong educational base and a secure presence in the civilian and political establishment. From these we moved to the intermediate castes, covering landowning peasant communities such as Kammas, Reddys, Naidus, and Gounders who have made a successful transition from the field to the boardroom over the last century. In the conventional varna scheme these communities, along with other ‘dominant castes’ like Patidars, Marathas, and Jats (whom we shall examine in later chapters), were categorized as Shudras.1