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The Khatiks of Kanpur and the Bristle Trade: Towards an Anthropology of Man and Beast

due to the so-called post-Ayodhya riots in 1992 as they were considered to be in the forefront of several brutal killings. Although Kanpur is a known centre of turmoil and turbulence due to the frequent outbursts of violence in its history, the more recent events were unique as for the first time a Scheduled Caste took a violent stance against the Muslims. At first glance, this is amazing as there had been peaceful coexistence between the Muslims and the Scheduled Castes in the city both at work and in times of leisure. Violence is also incongruent with the prevalent identity construction of the Scheduled Castes, who have until now perceived themselves as victims of upper caste Hindu dominance only. Over the last 30 years, the city of Kanpur has changed considerably. Earlier, white Zebu cows dominated the streets (Majumdar 1960), and although these cows constituted a substantial impediment for the traffic, they were patiently avoided and their paths circumvented by the people. Nowadays, pigs have taken over this public space. Large numbers of black, grey and white pigs roam the streets of the city. Even in the best residential areas, they feed in peaceful coexistence with the cows on large garbage heaps which are piled up along the roads. The public ignores these animals as long as they do not cause road accidents. This is because the Hindus regard cows as 'sacred', while the Muslims consider pigs as 'abominable' animals (Harris 1985). However, another reason for ignoring the animals is that retaliations are feared from their owners-and this has been markedly so after the riots-if they are harmed or hurt. One may legitimately ask how pigs began to appropriate public space in Kanpur, and whether this fact can in any way be seen as symptomatic of the aggravated Muslim-Khatik relationship. The economic and political analysis is not so much the focus of this paper as much as issues that relate to a future formulation of an anthropology of man