Why upper-caste Hindus of Kerala became Christians

livemint.com:

Now and then, when this column irritates a type of patriots, they call me “rice bag" on X.com. By this, they imply that I had converted to Christianity in exchange for a bag of rice offered by a missionary. I am offended by this high-carb insult; I would rather be accused of renouncing my religion for a bag of avocados, or even asparagus.

The insult is also oddly funny, and it would have been especially hilarious to my grandparents. Many of the people who called me “rice bag" or their ancestors would not have been allowed to enter the homes of my grandparents, at least through the front door. My people, though some of them were poor landowners, considered themselves high caste and looked down upon not only other Christians, but also most Hindus.

Unlike in most Indian states, the Christians of Kerala are a part of the social and economic elite. Many consider themselves ‘upper castes’ even though a section of them believe their ancestors were the early Christians who came from the Middle East and settled in Kerala around 2 CE. But some Kerala Christians are specific about their lineage—they say they were Brahmins who had converted.

There are ‘Brahmin Christians’ in Goa and Mangalore too. In case you did not guess it, they love the idea that they were Brahmins once. I don’t find this very interesting.

What is fascinating though is this question: Why would high-caste Indians in olden days renounce their exquisite privileges for Christianity? Recently, a bishop in Kerala had had it with Christians who claimed Brahmin heritage. He lamented that they hosted feasts to rejoice their lineage and invited him, too. He said their claim is bogus; Kerala’s Christians were not Brahmin converts.