" बिन माँगे मोती कहाँ , और क्यूँ माँगे हम भीख ;
ऐ दलित ! अपने अधिकारों को , छीन के लेना सीख..."
As the unquestioned leader
of depressed classes and the principal architect of the Indian constitution ,
the name of Dr. B.R. #Ambedkar will always be remembered in Indian history. His
entire life has been a saga of relentless crusade for social justice and a
symbol of revolt against all oppressive features of the Hindu society. He was
not just a social revolutionary but also a prolific scholar, a lawyer, an
economist and a true ‘Bharat Ratna’
indeed. He played a vital role in shaping the modern Indian society. Even at
the peak of India's freedom struggle with the British (a struggle of our past and present) , he was fighting for social
and economic equality (our future). His own struggle had started the moment he was born in a poor mahar family but as non-violence was to Mahatma Gandhi, education was to #Babasaheb.
With his resoluteness and hard work he went up against all odds and became the
first person ever from the backward
classes of India to earn a law degree and various doctorates from Columbia university
and the London school of economics.
"When
everyone else was worried about bread ,
he chose pen;
He
righteously rose to the position,
apt
for extra-ordinary men..."
He firmly believed that “cultivation of mind should be the ultimate
aim of human existence”. His endeavor for pursuit of knowledge continued
till his last breath. He founded ‘bahishkrit
hitkarini sabha’ in 1924 to educate and unite the depressed classes and rouse self consciousness and self respect
among them. He started many publications including ‘mooknayak in 1920’ to agitate the people against the oppression,
which was the need of the hour. He knew knowledge and unity, strengthened with agitation can bring down anything.
Dr. Ambedkar has left a
legacy so rich that it is nearly impossible to match his steps but after more
than 66 years of independence the BIG QUESTION is “Are
we anywhere near to what Babasaheb
set out to achieve ?”. He believed ideas need propagation as much as plants
need water to flourish. His garlanded idols have definitely cropped up all over
the country but unfortunately his ideas are scarcely witnessed. Parroting his
name on politically crucial occasions and social gatherings is not enough but
sadly this is where most of his ‘followers’
now stop. Times have changed and so should we. The first challenge is to
transform and redirect the feeling of raw , stifling anger against the upper
castes into intra-community caring and unity. We should come forward and
socially help and mentor each other for the betterment of the backward
community on the whole . Dalits
should realize that government policies and programs and all legal and
political protections can only facilitate them but cannot fully change the
society on their behalf. They should stand tall and open up new grounds for an
innately positive moral and social identity and accept the fact that dalits and non-dalits are here competitors in many ways but are not enemies. Dr. Ambedkar himself drafted the constitution to ensure equality of all citizens
and made special provisions to safeguard socially and educationally backward
class’s interests but if they cannot help themselves, nobody else can.
Two of the most
important contributions of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar have sadly been misconstrued by dalits and non-dalits alike. First was the introduction of positive
discrimination of depressed classes. The idea was to break monopoly by
proportional representation and bring all backward classes on one platform
(SC/ST/OBC) to break the caste system. This step has been criticized and
opposed all along but more so in the past few years. Nevertheless, it has survived for so long because it is the
least expensive and politically most rewarding of all policy options. However,
it is a matter of debate that ‘whether reservations have been successful or not’
but it is a common notion that it has benefited only a small section of the
backward classes. It must, however , be admitted that even if this small number
can throw up leadership for the community to bargain for the larger interests
and help a lot more people around them, the purpose is more or less met.
Although more and more people are willing to lend their hand forward, the
numbers are still not enough to make an imprint on the larger front or just to
shut the opposition. As a result, a lot many of the backward classes are still
suffering. Moreover, the over-estimation of the amount and effectiveness of
preferential treatment reinforces the notion that enough (too much) is already
being done and nothing more is called for. This mindset prevents non-dalits, private sector or even the
‘developed dalits’ to come forward
with a small or large contributions. Also, the fact that ‘Dr. Ambedkar professed
for pursuit of knowledge his whole life’ has lost place to his contribution to introduction of reservation policy. People feel more proud of his contribution to the reservation system than his hard work for his own education against all odds, when there was not just 'no reservation' but also no place for a so-called untouchable in the whole education system. Many people still rely more on
reservation than their own hard work which Babasaheb
must have never intended to. The reservation system should compensate for the
educational, social and financial background and not for hard work. It will be
a tribute to the legend if we can remain true to this simple fact. His another
contribution was rejuvenating Buddhism in India. He accepted Buddhism after a
lot of research and study with the sole aim of abolishing discrimination
against the backward classes. But it is unfortunate to say that this
discrimination still exists in India to the extent that it can be seen even among different backward classes clubbed
together by Babasaheb himself as ‘SC/ST/OBC’
with the intention of uniting them as one. It is unwise, illogical and unfair
to be riding on both the boats simultaneously. Even Buddhism is based on
rational thinking and reasoning and is free from any form of discrimination or hatred.
But neither Buddha nor Babasaheb is among us anymore and their
ideologies are waning very fast or at least being bent for personal or political gains by
politicians, communities and even the dalits
themselves. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar has certainly succeeded in bringing about a very evident change in the life style of backward classes and practically influenced every single person belonging to depressed classes or not, in some way or the other but a lot of ground work (primary education, health, unemployment)still needs to be done for the overall development. He has done more than any human could possibly do for the depressed
classes and bring them this
far. Now it is
upon them to rise to the occasion and help him achieve what he has always dreamed of and the mindset of the people certainly needs to change for this to happen and for the greater good of the Indian society as a whole.
Note: The word dalit is not used in any derogatory sense here but to denote all the depressed classes clubbed together.
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