As we have seen, Brahmins were steadfastly preoccupied with authenticity during the colonial period and claimed the Brahminic as the national. In the 1990s, the political context had so dramatically changed that the chances of a Brahmin’s political survival hinged on his denial of his Brahmin identity . . .
Mani Shankar Aiyar was carefully demonstrating in public that his Brahmin identity was essentially false.