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"With knowledge we get prestige and respect. We are valued in the community." — Dalit village health worker Surekha Sadafule of Maharashtra.
Yesterday was the 119th birth anniversary of the architect of the Indian Constitution and a great social thinker who revolutionised the social and political life of Dalits in India. It being a Government holiday, the city saw a number of celebratory functions held in different parts, beginning with the garlanding of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s statue and framed photographs.
Some of these functions scheduled for the evening in the open air were ruined because of the sudden summer rains which in any case did not dampen the spirit of Dalits in remembering Baba Saheb as he was respectfully addressed.
After all, he has done so much for redeeming their dignity and ameliorating their economic difficulties through Constitutional means, in a peaceful manner.
In a country where we have more than 13 crore Dalits (16.48 % of India's population as of 2008) out of a population of 120 crores, it is difficult to imagine amelioration of Dalits without the genius of Dr. Ambedkar. In hindsight, it appears that he was indeed a great visionary, a political Nostradamus who could see the future and be the first one to be the whistle blower, to ring the bell of caution, to the people of India. This is proof of his vision.
Speaking on the occasion of the first Republic Day of an independent India on Jan. 26, 1950, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar said: "If hereafter things go wrong we will have nobody to blame except ourselves. Not to lay their liberties at the feet of even a great man or to trust him with powers which enable him to subvert their institutions. Bhakthi in religion may be a road to the salvation of the soul, but in politics, Bhakthi or hero - worship is a sure road to degradation and to eventual dictatorship."
Unfortunately, our political Netas and people did not heed these words of wisdom of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. Therefore, it was not surprising that in the year 1975, the people of India laid their liberties at the feet of a great woman and trusted her with powers that ultimately enabled her to subvert our Constitution of which Dr. Ambedkar was the chief architect.
Indeed it was a road to degradation and dictatorship as Baba Saheb had rightly warned us all, way back in 1950. I am talking about the days of Internal Emergency which eventually changed the destiny of the Congress party and also of India, in retrospect, for their own good.
I would also like to remember Dr. Ambedkar for another important reason — that of his nationalistic approach in all he said and did. He was not parochial even for political reasons like our present day politicians who are both parochial and casteist. Probably he was one among a few tall leaders of immediate post - independence days who could only think of “India first and India last”.
It appears at a public meeting in Bombay (Mumbai) which was attended by leaders like Nehru and Morarji Desai, the then Chief Minister of Bombay State (which included Gujarat as well), B. G. Kher, the Chief Minister of Bombay State, had said, "I am an Indian first and a Maharashtrian next," during the course of his speech.
When Dr. Ambedkar’s turn came to speak he remembered B. G. Kher's remark and corrected it saying, "I would say I am an Indian first and Indian last." Indeed. It is not surprising, therefore, today he is not only adored like a demi - God to the point of being worshipped, but his writings and thoughts are also being studied and analysed in the context of nation - building in all its dimensions — political, social, educational and economical.
I think this is also an occasion to think about the ways and means, apart from the jaded reservation policy and the policy of subsidies, to emancipate Dalits and take them further towards the light at the end of the dark and depressing tunnel of oppression and denials. Perhaps, for this reason, Dalits should be armed with a very powerful weapon — the English language. Dalit leaders of eminence have opined and also believed English as a language of emancipation which will erase to a great extent the Hindu discrimination and the stigma of "untouchable" tradition.
The Dalit writer and activist Chandra Bhan Prasad is unhappy with the language policy of both Central and State Governments. He says the country today is run on an English language economy but our education policy has denied the Dalits and the poor people access to this powerful language which can empower Dalits and the poor of the country economically, with various job opportunities.
At present this opportunity is available only to the children of the rich and powerful like politicians, industrialists, bureaucrats and businessmen. The Dalits and the poor have to content themselves by sending their children to the free State schools where English is not taught, thus forcing them to remain deprived of better job opportunities, remaining menial labourers doing odd jobs. No wonder many Dalit leaders have pushed for teaching of English language in schools.
I guess this is a thinking in right direction, speaking from my own experience. I was born eight years before Independence and did my primary education in a village school where the medium of education was Kannada, but English was taught from the first standard itself with A, B, C, D as a language till SSLC. Therefore, when I went to college for my intermediate (last batch) where the medium of instruction was all English, I did not find any difficulty in understanding the lessons.
It seems there are organisations like Dalit Freedom Network, which are establishing English medium schools to cater to the Dalit community in some parts of the country. English, in today's world of “global village”, enables anyone who knows English to access both employment and economic opportunities. It is said the Dalit writer Chandra Bhan Prasad had even initiated a campaign for English by celebrating the birthday of Lord Macaulay, who was the brain behind the introduction of English as a language in Indian schools during the early 19th century. Whatever it be, in retrospect, English education helped our country produce political leaders, who could fight for freedom. It also produced leaders in other fields.
There is another trend being noticed today among rural Dalits. They are leaving the village and migrating to cities where life is freer and opportunities both for education and job are more. Migrating to cities, according Dalit activists like Chandra Bhan Prasad, will help them to escape the suffocating rural environment where Dalits are more susceptible to discrimination and ill - treatment than in cities. Even Dr. Ambedkar recognised this truth and found Indian cities more liberating than the Indian villages for Dalits. Well, the logic? The upper caste in village owns most of the land. The land was economic power and Dalits did not own land at all, or to the extent non - Dalits held.
And finally it is imperative for our policy - makers in administration to derive inspiration from the life and writings of Baba Saheb Ambedkar for, eventually, enabling Dalits to get the right kind of education, get economically empowered and find their rightful place amidst the communities of our country's pluralistic society.
Jai Hind:
Dreaming Big:
Born in 1961, Babai Sathe was the third of 11 children. To help feed her family, she worked on a farm. At age ten she was married to a man who beat her regularly. At 16 she contemplated suicide, but was saved by village health workers, who gave her a job — and hope. Today Babai Sathe is the sarpanch, or leader, of Jawalke. Adorning her office is a picture of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, an Untouchable revered for his struggle against discrimination. Her life, says Sathe, "is like a dream."
Courtesy: Star of Mysore and National Geographic
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