The concept of Catholic guilt has received some interest from
psychologists and the layman over the last few decades. But aother community
that has been suffering from a similar affliction over the same period
has been largely ignored by them. That is the middle class Malayalee.
The Middle Class Malayalee too occasionally suffers from a paralyzing
guilt that is usually unleashed in him when he perceives himself as
going against the middle class ethos. He feels that twang of guilt when
he has to defend his choice of not trying for a Government Job to his
relatives. He feels it when he has to defend his interests in a
corporate environment. He feels it when he has defend his way of
dressing, his choice of life partners or even his financial matters. He
forever tries to fight this invisible enemy. He sees the enemy in the
face of a few archetypal characters--the boisterous relative or the nosy
neighbor for example. But the real enemy is always within. Largely
elusive.
