"Three Jewels of Buddhism": the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Buddham saranam gacchami. Dharmam saranam gacchami. Sangham saranam ...
“Fifty Years of Conversion: A Legacy Marginalised” Professor Dr.Umesh Ashokrao Kadam,
"Three Jewels of Buddhism": the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Buddham saranam gacchami Dharmam saranam gacchami Sangham saranam gacchami which is Pali for: I take refuge in the Buddha I take refuge in the Dharma I take refuge in the Sangha
Many people, organizations and institutions will be celebrating the fiftieth year of the conversion movement of Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar. This event which took place nearly fifty years back stirred the Indian Sub-continent by challenging the very ethos of Hinduism and has left its impact on the society up to date. For many it has been a land mark event, an event which elevated the position of the downtrodden, an event which took them nearer to equality, fraternity and liberty and an event which made the so called elites of the society to rethink about the established social values, customs and traditions. This core of paper is an attempt to highlight the importance of the Conversion Movement led by Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar and trace its contemporary relevance by reviewing some important aspects of the writing, speeches and ideology of Dr.Ambedkar and deals with issues related to the Conversion Movement such as Religion and Dhamma, Conversion, Untouchability, Ideology, Caste and Annihilation of Caste. Scholar, politician, and constitutionalist, Dr.Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (1891-1956) is modern India‟s towering symbol of protest against age old and contemporary forms of oppression. Born an „untouchable‟, Ambedkar became India‟s foremost opponent of the evil of untouchability and formulated the basis of affirmative action through the advocacy of fair and equal terms of social association. His deep sense social commitment touched the conscience of the Indian oppressed classes. Most of the scholars are of the opinion that Dr.Ambedkar seriously thought of the Conversion movement only after the Historical Yeola Conversion Conference held on October 13, 1936. But it must be noted that this event to had a along
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historical background especially the essential ground work which was done by Dr.Ambedkar since 1916. Hence it becomes imperative for us to take into consideration all these important life events of Dr.Ambedkar before analyzing the cause and effect relation of the Conversion Movement to recent times.
Important Events in the Life of Dr.B.R. Ambedkar related to the Conversion Movement:
Sr.No.
Year
Date
Event
1
1891
April 14
Born at Mahu (Madhya Pradesh) fourteenth child of Subhedar Ramji Sapkal and Mrs. Bhima Bai Ambedkar.
2
1908
January
Honoured in a meeting presided over by Shri S K Bole. Shri K A (Dada) Keluskar Guruji who presented him a book on the life of Gautam Buddha written by him. Entered the Elphinstone College, Bombay.
3
1916
May
Read a paper on „The Castes in India‟ before Prof. Golderweiser‟s Anthropology Seminar. The paper was later published in The Indian Antiquary in May 1917. It was also republished in the form of a brochure, the first published work of Dr. B. R Ambedkar. Wrote a Thesis entitled „The National Divident of India-A Historical and Analytical Study‟ for the Ph.D. degree.
4
1918
5
1920
January 31
Started a marathi Weekly paper Mooknayak to champion the cause of the depressed classes. Shri Nandram Bhatkar was the editor; later Shri Dyader Gholap was the editor.
6
1920
March 21
Attended depressed classes Conference held under the presidency of Chhatrapati Shahu Mharaj at Kolhapur.
7
1920
May
Memorable speech in Nagpur, criticized Karmaveer Shinde and Depressed Classes Mission.
8
1924
July 20
Founded the „Bahiskrit Hitkarni Sabha‟ for the upliftment of the depressed classes. The aims of the sabha were to educate agitate and organize.
Gave evidence before the Southborough Commission on Franchise. Attended the Conference of the depressed Classes held at Nagpur.
2
9
1925
March 20
Published „The Evolution of Provincial Finance in British India‟ dissertation on the provincial decentralization of Imperial Finance in India. Opened a Hostel for Untouchable Students at Barshi
10
1927
Started Satyagra at Mahad (Dist. Kolaba) to secure to the untouchables the Right to access to the Chavdar Tank.
11
1927
April 3
12
1927
September
13
1930
March
14
193032
15
1932
September
16
1935
October 13 Historical Yeola Conversion Conference held under the Presidentship of Dr. Ambedkar at Yeola Dist., Nasik. He exhorted the Depressed Classes to leave Hinduism and embrace another religion. He declared: „I was born as a Hindu but I will not die as a Hindu‟. He also advised his followers to abandon the Kalaram Mandir entry Satygraha, Nasik.
1935
18
1936
Established „Samaj Samata Sangh‟.
Satyagraha at Kalaram Temple. Nasik to secure for the Untouchables the right to entry into the temple.
Delegated the Round table conference representing the Untouchables of India.
December 17
Started a fortnightly Marathi paper Bahiskrit Bharat Dr Ambedkar himself was the editor.
January 12-13
Signed with Gandhi the Poona Pact giving up, to save Gandhiji‟s life, separate electorates granted to the Depressed Classes by Ramsay MacDonald‟s Commmunal Award, and accepting, instead representation through joint electorates.
Dr. Ambedkar was invited by the Jat Pat Todak Mandal of Lahore to preside over the Conference. Dr.Ambedkar prepared his historical speech, „The Annihilation of Caste‟. The Conference was cancelled by the Mandal on the ground that Dr.Ambedkars thoughts were revolutionary. Finally, Dr.Ambedkar refused to preside and published his speech in book form in 1937. The Depressed Classes Conference was held at Pune. Dr.Ambedkar reiterated his resolve of the Yeola Conference to leave Hinduism. The Conference was presided over by Rao Bahadur N.Shina Raj.
19
1936
February
Dr.Ambedkar‟s Conversion Resolution was supported by the
3
29
Chambars (Cobblers) of East Khandesh.
20
1936
May 30
Bombay Presidency Convesion Conference (Mumbai Elaka Mahar Parishad) of Maharas was held at Naigaum (Dadar) to sound their opinion on the issue of Conversion. Mr.Subha Rao, popularly known as Hydrabadi Ambedkar, presided over the Conference. In the morning the Ascetics shaved their beards, moustaches, and destroyed their symbols of Hinduism in an Ascetic‟s Conference.
21
1936
June 15
Conference of the Devdasis was held in Bombay to support Dr.Ambedkar‟s resolution of Conversion.
22
1936
June 23
The Matang Parishad supports the Resolution of Conversion.
23
1937
September 17
Dr.Ambedkar introduces his Bill to abolish the Mahar Watan in the Assembly.
24
1938
January
The Congress Party introduced a Bill making a change in the name of Untouchables i.e. they would be called Harijans meaning so0ns of God. Dr.Ambedkar criticized the Bill, as in his opinion the change in name would make no change in their condition. Dr.Aambedkar and Bhaurao Gaikwad protested against the use of the term Harijan in legal matters. When the ruling party by sheer force of numbers defeated the I.L.P., the Labour Party group walked out of the Assembly in protest under the leadership of Dr.Ambedkar. He organized peasants march on Bombay assembly. The peasants demanded the passing of Dr.Ambedkar‟s Bill of abolition of Khoti system.
25
1939
December
The Conference at Haregaon was held under the President ship of Dr.Ambedkar to voice the grievances of the Mahar and Mahar Watandars.
26
1940
May
27
1941
January
Dr.Ambedkar pursued the issue of recruitment of Mahars in the Army. In result the Mahar Battalion was formed.
28
1941
May 25
Mahar Dynasty Panchayat Samiti was formed by Dr.Ambedkar.
29
1941
August
The Conference was held at Sinnar in protest of tax on Mahar Watans. Dr.Ambedkar launched a no-tax campaing. He saw the Governor. Finally the tax was abolished. The Mumbai Elaka Conference of Mahars, Mangs and Derdasis were organized under the Chairmanship of Dr. Ambedkar.
Dr.Ambedkar founded the „Mahar Panchayat‟.
4
30
1942
31
1944
32
1944
33
1946
December
Dr.Ambedkar submitted a paper on “The problems of the Untouchables in India” to the Institute of Pacific Relations at its Conference held in Canada. The paper is printed in the proceedings of the Conference. The paper was subsequently published in December 1943 in the book form under the title Mr. Gandhi and Emancipation of the Untouchables. Dr.Ambedkar founded “The Building Trust and the Scheduled Caste Improvement Trust”.
June
Dr.Ambedkar published his book What Congress and Gandhi have done to the Untouchables- a complete compendium of information regarding the movement of the untouchables for political safeguards. Dr.Ambedkar attended the Shimla Conference.
October 13 Dr.Ambedkar published his Book- Who were the Shudras? An inquiry into how the Shudras came to be the fourth Varna in the indo-Aryan Society. Dr.Ambedkar was elected Member of the Constitution Assembly of India.
34
1946
November
Dr.Ambedkar‟s first speech in the Constituent Assembly. He called for a „strong‟ and „united India‟.
35
1947
March
Published „States and Minorities‟, a Memorandum of Fundamental Rights. Minority Rights, safeguards for the D.C. and on the problems of the Indian States.
36
1947
April 29
Article 17 of the Constitution of India for the abolition of Untouchability was moved by Sardar Vallabhai Patel in the Constituent Assembly and it was passed.
37
1947
August 15
India got Independence. Dr.Ambedkar was elected to the Constituent Assembly by the Bombay Legislature Congress Party. Dr. Ambedkar joined Nehru‟s Cabinet as the first Law Minister of Independent India. The Constituent Assembly appointed him to the drafting committee, which elected him as the Chairman on the 29th August 1947.
38
1948
October
Published his book The Untouchables. A thesis on the origin of Untouchability. Dr.Ambedkar submitted a memorandum “Maharashtra as a Linguistic Province” to the Dhar Commission. The Linguistic Provinces Commission.
5
39
1948
November 20
The Constituent Assembly adopted Article 17 of the Constitution for the abolition of Untouchability.
40
1950
May
Dr.Ambedkar‟s article „The Buddha and the Future of His Religion‟ was published in the journal of Mahabodhi Society, Calcutta. Dr.Ambedkar addressed the Young Men‟s Buddhist Association on “The Rise and Fall of Hindu Women”. Dr.Ambedkar spoke on the “Merits of Buddhism “at the meeting arranged on the occasion of Budha Jayanti in Delhi.
41
1950
September 1
Dr.Rajendra Prasad, First President of Independent India laid the foundation stone of Milind Mahavidhyalaya, Auranagabad. Dr.Ambedkar delivered a speech on the occasion. (This printed speech is available with Mr.Surwade.)
42
1951
February 5
Dr.Ambedkar, Law Minister introduced his “Hindu Code Bill” in the Parliament.
43
1951
July
44
1951
September 9
Dr.Ambedkar published his first speech in book form under the title “The Rise and Fall of Hindu Women”.
45
1954
May
Dr.Ambedkar visited Rangoon to attend the function arranged on the occasion of Buddha Jayanti.
46
1954
June
The Maharaja of Mysore donated five acres of land to Dr.Ambedkar to build the proposed Buddhist Seminary to be started at Banglore.
47
1954
September 16
Dr.Ambedkar spoke on the Untouchability (Offences) Bill in the Rajya Sabha.
48
1954
December
Dr.Ambedkar participated as delegate to the Third World Buddhist Conference at Rangoon.
49
1955
April 3
50
1955
May
Dr.Ambedkar established Bhartiya Buddha Mahasabha (The Buddhist Society of India).
51
1955
December
Dr.Ambedkar installed a statue of Lord Buddha at Dehu Road (near
Dr.Ambedkar founded “The Bhartiya Buddha Jansangh”.
Delivered a speech “Why Religion is necessary”
6
Pune).
52
1956
February
Dr.Ambedkar completed his book “The Buddha and His Dhamma, Revolution &Counter-revolution in Ancient India”.
53
1956
March 15
Dr.Ambedkar wrote and dedicated the Preface of The Buddha and His Dhamma.
54
1956
May 1
Dr.Ambedkar spoke on BBC London on “Why I like Buddhism”, Also, he spoke for the Voice of America on “The Future of Indian Democracy”.
55
1956
May 24
Dr.Ambedkar attended a meeting at Nare Park organized on the eve of Buddha Jayanti, Shri B.G.Kher, Prime Minister of Bombay was Chief Guest. This meeting was the last meeting of Dr.Ambedkar in Bombay.
56
1956
October 14 Dr.Ambedkar embraced Buddhism at an historic ceremony at Diksha Bhoomi, Nagpur with his five million of followers. Announced to dissolve S.C.F. and establish Republican Party.
57
1956
November 20
Delegate, 4th World Buddhist Conference, Khalinadu, where he delivered his famous speech „Buddha or Karl Marx‟.
58
1956
December 6
Maha Nirvana at his residence, 26 Alipore Road, New Delhi.
59
1956
December 7
Cremation at Dadar Chowpatti- Now known as Chaitya Bhoomi Dadar (Mumbai).
By taking a glimpse of the above events one immediately gets to know the amount of ground work undertaken by Dr.Ambedkar to finally come to the conclusion of converting himself and a large population into Buddhism. The conversion movement does not only stands for simple change in religion but it is in itself is a challenge to the established elitist ideology. So it becomes imperative for us to understand the parameters of the movement in proper perspective by reading some high marks at length. I) Religion and Dhamma:1 The first thing we will have to do is to understand, what is Religion? And then try to understand How Dhamma differs from Religion? 7
1. The word „religion‟ is an indefinite word with no fixed meaning. 2. It is one word with many meanings. 3. This is because religion has passed through many stages. The concept at each stage is called Religion tough the concept at one stage has not had same meaning which it had at the preceding stage or is likely to have the succeeding stage. 4. The conception of religion was never fixed. 5. It has varied from time to time. 6. Because most of the phenomena such as lightening, rain and flood, the occurrence of which the primitive man could not explain, any weird performance done to control the phenomenon was called magic. Religion therefore came to be identified with magic. 7. Then came the second stage in the evolution of religion. In this stage, religion came to be identified with beliefs, rituals, ceremonies, prayers and sacrifices. 8. But this conception of religion is derivative. 9. The pivotal point of religion starts with the belief that there exists some power which causes these phenomena which primitive man did not know and could not understand. Magic lost its place at this stage. 10. This power was originally malevolent. But later it was felt that it could also be benevolent. 11. Beliefs, rites, ceremonies and sacrifices were necessary both to propitiate a benevolent power and also to conciliate an angry power. 12. Later that power was called God or the Creator. 13. Then came the third stage that is this God who created this world and also man. 14. This followed by the belief that man has a soul and the soul is eternal and is answerable to God for man‟s action in the world. 15. This is, in short, the evolution of the concept of Religion. 16. This is what Religion has come to be and this is what it connotes- belief in God, belief in soul, worship of God, curing of the erring soul, propitiating God by prayers, ceremonies sacrifices, etc.
How Dhamma Differs from Religion: 1. What the Buddha calls to be Dhamma differs fundamentally from what is called the Religion.
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2. What Buddha calls Dhamma is analogous to what the European theologians call Religion. 3. But there is no greater affinity between the two. On other hand, the differences between the two are great.. 4. On this account some Europeans theologians refuse to recognize Buddha‟s Dhamma as Religion. 5. There need be no regrets over this. The loss is theirs. It does no harm to Buddha‟s Dhamma. Rather, it shows what is wanting in Religion. 6. Instead of entering into this controversy it is better to proceed to give an idea of Dhamma and show how it differs from Religion. 7. Religion, it is said, is personal and one must keep it to oneself. One must not let it play its part in public life. 8. Contrary to this, Dhamma is social. It is fundamentally and essentially so. 9. Dhamma is righteousness, which means right relations between man and man in all spheres of life. 10. From this it is evident that one man if he is alone does not need Dhamma. 11. But when there are two men living in relation to each other they must find a place for Dhamma whether they like it or not. Neither can escape. 12. In other words, Society cannot do without Dhamma. 13. Society has to choose among one of the three alternatives. 14. Society may choose not to have Dhamma, as an instrument of Government. For Dhamma is nothing if it is not an instrument of Government. 15. This means Society chooses the road of anarchy. 16. Secondly, Society may choose the police, i.e. dictatorship as an instrument of Government. 17. Thirdly, Society may choose Dhamma plus the Magistrate wherever people fail to observe Dhamma. 18. In anarchy and dictatorship, liberty is lost. 19. Only in the third liberty survives. 20. Those who want liberty must therefore have Dhamma. 21. Now what is Dhamma, and why is Dhamma necessary? According to Buddha, Dhamma consists of Prajna and Karuna.
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22. What is Prajna? And why Prajna? Prajna is understanding. The Buddha made Prajna one of the two corner stones of His Dhamma because he did not wish to leave any room for superstition. 23. What is Karuna? And why Karuna? Karuna is Love. Because, without it Society can neither live nor grow, that is why the Buddha made it the second corner stone of His Dhamma. 24. Such is the definition of the Buddha‟s Dhamma. 25. How different is this definition of Dhamma from that of Religion. 26. So ancient, yet so modern is the definition of Dhamma given by the Buddha. 27. So aboriginal yet so original. 28. Not borrowed fro anyone, yet so true. 29. A unique amalgam of Prajna and Karuna is the Dhamma of the Buddha. 30. Such is the difference between Religion and Dhamma. A large part of Dr. Ambedkar‟s writings have a direct bearing on Hinduism, most of which remained unpublished and in the initial draft from during his life-time. In these studies, which he undertook mainly from the second half of 1940s, Ambedkar argued that Buddhism, which attempted to found society on the basis of reason and morality, was a major revolution, both social and ideological, against the degeneration of the Aryan society. It condemned the varna system and gave hope to the poor, the exploited and to the women. It rallied against sacrifices, priest craft and superstition. The Buddhist Sangha became the platform for the movement towards empowering and ennobling the common man.
II) Conversion: What made Dr.Ambedkar to change his religion was it a challenge to the established „Hindu Religion‟ or was it a matter of self identity and pride for the „Untouchables‟? The answers to this can only be found out in the idea of Conversion propagated by Dr.Ambedkar. A large majority of Untouchables who have reached a capacity to think out their problem believe that one way to solve the problem of the Untouchables is for them to abandon Hinduism and be converted to some other religion. At a Conference of the Mahars held in Bombay on 31st May 1936 a resolution to this effect was unanimously passed. Although the Conference was a Conference of the Mahars the resolution had support 10
of a very large body of Untouchables throughout India. No resolution had created such a stir. The Hindu community was shaken to its foundation and curses, imprecations and threats were uttered against the Untouchables who were behind this move. In all four principal objections have been urged by the opponents against the conversion of the Untouchables:
1. What can the Untouchables gain by conversion? Conversion can make no change in the status of the Untouchables. 2. All religions are true, all religions are good. To change religion is a futility. 3. The conversion of the Untouchables is political in its nature. 4. The conversion of the Untouchables is not genuine as it is not based on faith.2
Of the four objections the first is the most important and the most serious one. To this Dr.Ambedkar had answered it by his deeds and his noncompromising belief in the Buddhist religion. But the question persists its nature today in a different form and need to be seriously debated and answered objectively not only theoretically but practically, and this can be done only with the proper understanding of the nature of Dhamma as interpreted by Dr.Ambedkar through his writing on the Dhamma of the Buddha. Dr.Ambedkar‟s attraction to Buddhism is basically on account of its moral base and absence of irrationality. On this account it has been the subject of admiration and awe of scores of intellectual people. A person like Einstein had opined that it was the only true religion suitable for the scientific age. Dr.Ambedkar must have had multiple motives behind embracing Buddhism. Basically he was in search of a religion as an instrument of internal control on individual‟s instincts‟ and social behavior. He had a social need of an appropriate cultural identity for his people after they discarded the chains of Hinduism. He was moreover aware of the aberrations that had crept in Buddhism and had to redefine it to present its rational version. Basically, he included many a rational interpretations presented by scholars like Dharmanand Kosambi, and left a mirror to posterity to have a glimpse of his worldview. This worldview, does take cognizance of the material reality of living, subscribes to law of causation, relies on humane rational to interpret the world and finally embodies a carving for changing it. Although, there is no difficulty in understanding or empathizing with his decision, the claim of Buddhism could be the substitute for Marxism or a liberating philosophy for the whole world is not only anachronistic but also grossly magnified idealistic hyperbole.3 11
III) Untouchability: The thesis on the origin of Untouchability brought forward by Dr.Ambedkar is one of the pioneering efforts to the exploration of a field so completely neglected by everybody. Dr. Ambedkar‟s book on the Untouchables deals with interesting questions such as: Why do the Untouchables live outside the village? Why did beef eating gave rise to Untouchability? Did the Hindus never eat beef? What made the Brahmins to become vegetarians, etc? To each one of these questions he has supplemented answers in his very novel thesis. It comprises of the following propositions: 1. There is no racial difference between the Hindus and the Untouchables; 2. The distinction between the Hindus and the untouchables in its original form before the advent of Untouchability was the distinction between Tribesmen and Broken Men from alien Tribes. It is the Broken Men who subsequently came to be treated as Untouchables. 3. Just as Untouchability has no real racial basis so also it has no occupational basis; 4. There are two roots from which Untouchability has sprung: (a) Contempt and hatred of the Broken Men as of Buddhist by the Brahmins. (b) Continuation of beef eating by the Broken Men after it had been given up by others. 5. In searching for the origin of the Untouchability care must be taken to distinguish the Untouchables from the Impure. All orthodox Hindu writers have identified the impure with the Untouchables. 6. While the Impure as a class came in to existence at the time of the Dharma Sutras the Untouchables came into being much latter in A.D.400.
IV) Ideology: Dr. Ambedkar‟s works is replete with ideologically combative stances. He distanced himself from classical liberalism and engaged with Marxism. Brahmanism and Gandhism constituted his bete noires. He reformulated Buddhism as an ideology explaining and engaging with the world as Marxism had done for many years. Ranade, Gandhi and Jinnah4 is an excerpt from an address entitled Ranade, Gandhi and Jinnah delivered on the 101st birth anniversary of Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade at the Gokhale Memorial Hall, Pune on 18th January 1943. A preface of the published version of the address sums up its thrust: 12
I am no worshipper of idols. I believe in breaking them. I insist that if I hate Mr Gandhi and Mr Jinnah – I dislike them, I do not hate - it is because I love India more. That is the true faith of a nationalist. I have hopes that my countrymen, will some day learn that a country is greater than the men, that worship of Mr Gandhi or Mr Jinnah and service to India are two very different things and may even be contradictory to each other.5 Caste, Class and Democracy 6 is taken from What Congress and
Gandhi have done to the Untouchables, published in 1946. The chapter from which it is excerpted has the title, „A plea to the foreigner‟, referring to the foreigners in general and the Labour Government, led by Clement Atlee in particular, who, Ambedkar felt, sympathized with the Congress. Ambedkar refuted the belief that the Congress was fighting for the freedom of the country. He advanced a class analysis of India and in the process made a double critique – how an inadequate conception of democracy made the foreigner embrace the Congress because it represented the upper castes and the upper classes in India. Gandhism 7 ia an excerpt from What the Congress and Gandhi have done to the Untouchables, from the chapter with the same title. It is a critique of certain central tenets of the Gandhian ideology, particularly in terms of its bearing on the Untouchables. One of Dr.Ambedkar‟s most important arguments against Hinduism was that caste and untouchability did not let Hindus act as a community. There is the emphasis on moral order for which he sometimes kept company with Edmund Burke.8 Further, there is the privileging of human agency along with freedom and education for which he falls upon John Dewey.9 He rarely gave a reductive picture of religions but went into the sociological moorings that threw up diversity of beliefs and practices. 10 At the same time, he admitted that commonly held religious beliefs had an impact on socially differentiated constituencies. He found a lot of doctrinal cleavages within Hinduism.11 He had no great fascination for the bhakti saints for failing to attack Shastras, which provided the normative and sacral grids of sustaining and justifying unjust social institutions.12 V) Caste: Dr.Ambedkar made a close study of the institution of Caste, the changes and resilience it displayed, and its impact on social relations. He ascribed most of the evils of Hinduism to this institution and called for its annihilation. Castes in India, their Origin, Mechanism and Development
13
– this essay was written for the anthropology
seminar of Dr. A. A. Goldenweisser, at Columbia University in 1916 and published in the
13
journal of Indian Antiquity, in Aigust 1917. In the essay, Ambedkar identified the chief characteristic of caste as endogamy superimposed on exogamy in a culturally homogenous ambience. Here, the Durkheimean functional explanation regarding the reproduction of caste has gone along with its description as „an enclosed class‟, a la Max Weber. He saw the caste system as the ranking of castes following the example set by the Brahmins. Annihilation of Caste
14
Ambedkar was invited by a Lahore
based organization, called the Jat-Pat-Todak Mandal, a forum for social reforms, to address its annual conference in May 1936. The address that Dr.Ambedkar drafted went beyond the limited agenda of the Mandal and demanded the rejection of the Shastras that justified the caste system. Ambedkar also repeated the pledge made at the Yeola conference that he might not continue to remain in the Hindu fold. When the Mandal sought to rein in the radical thrust of the address by trying to omit certain passages, Ambedkar cancelled his appointment with the Mandal and published the report independently. Reply to Mahatma.
15
Gandhi reviewed
Annihilation of Caste in the Harijan, dated 11th July 1936 and felt that no reformer should ignore the address. In its issue of 18th July 1936, he made an extended comment on Hindu scriptures and how to interpret them.
VI) Annihilation of Caste: It is a pity that caste even today has its defenders. The defenses are many. It is defended on the ground that the caste system is but another name for division of labour and if division of labour is a necessary feature of every civilized society then it is argued that there is nothing wrong in the caste system. Now the first thing to be urged against this view is that caste system is not merely division of labour. It is also a division of labourers. Civilized society undoubtedly needs s division of labour. But in no civilized society is division of labour accompanied by this unnatural division of labourers into watertight compartments. The caste system is not merely a division of labourers which is quiet different from division of labour – it is an hierarchy in which the division of labourers is graded one above the other. In no other country is the division of labour is accompanied by this gradation of labourers. There is also a third point of criticism against this view of the caste system. The division of labour is not spontaneous; it is not based on natural attitudes. Social and individual efficiency requires us to develop the capacity of an individual to the point of competency to choose and to make his own career. This principle is violated in the caste system in so far as it involves an attempt to appoint tasks to individuals in advance, selected no on the basis of trained original capacities, but on that of the social status of the 14
parents. Looked at from another point of view this stratification of occupations which is the result of the caste system is positively pernicious. Industry is never static. It undergoes rapid and abrupt changes. With such changes an individual must be free to change his occupation. The above stated view is one of the most important views brought forward by Dr.B.R.Ambedkar through his writing on the subject of Annihilation of Caste which also supported his ideology of Conversion to a larger extent.
CONCLUSION
Although the Dalits have wrested significant gains in various domains of social life during the last five and half decades, the relative gulf between them and the non-dalits seems to have remained the same if not actually increased. On the other hand the emerging world order signified by the process of globalization is bound to change the grammar of oppressed people‟s struggles all over the world. The Dalit too, therefore, will have to wage now and in future a revolutionary struggle at one and the same time on two fronts marked by caste and class. Dr. Ambedkars thought process is essentially rational and the underlying objective undoubtedly radical. He never took an absolutist trans-historical position. He was all the time trying and revising weapons necessary for the total emancipation of the dalits. His position calls for extensive and, more importantly, critical debate. Annihilation of caste class and gender injustices and inequalities demand open mind and ever green icon of revolutionary activist. Ambedkar free from the dross poured on him by most of his opportunistic followers is the leading ranks. Endeavors to build revolutionary theory are bound to generate disagreements and controversies and that is how they should be. Religion was the institution envisaged to control the organization at the level of an individual and the society to curb their latent exploitative instincts. It was a philosophical device that would regulate their lives, including the interface between them at the most primary level. Ambedkar viewed it as a code of behaviour, a way of life that is upheld by the multitude. He insisted that this code should be based on and be compatible with the precepts of modern science. The religion as normally defined or that became a pill of opium for Marx, was not the religion of his concept either. When ultimately he embraced Buddhism he claimed to have used the criteria of modern science. Buddhism, as it was propounded by Gautama the Buddha hardly qualified to be called religion in so far as it did not have even a single of the three necessary features of religion – belief in God, permanent entity and a set of rituals. But it is a matter of opinion whether its institutionalized 15
form that we are familiar with still remains its uniqueness. Shunning the futile debate, it could be definitely said and has been acknowledged that the Buddhism that he embraced was far more radical than ita familiar version. His „Buddha and His Dhamma” is replete with instances where he reconstructs and redefines Buddhism with near- scientific approach. Hence its important for us to understand the Dhamma as delivered by the Gautam the Buddha and as observed by Dr.Ambedkar and then try to answer it with our rational conscience the practice of the same in our day to day life. Dhamma of Ambedkar is fundamentally social necessities that to for a greater cause i.e. formation of social solidarity and rise the society even above the principle of equality. His Dhamma keeps up the essence of liberty in the society and like wise is responsible for sustaining the spirit of enquiry among modern men.
NOTES AND REFERENCES
1. Rodigues Valerian (ed), The Essential Writings of B.R. Ambedkar, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2002, pp.57-59. 2. Ibid., p.219. 3. Teltumbde Anand, „Ambedkar’ in and for the Post-Ambedkar Dalit Movement, Sugawa Prakashan, Pune, 1997, pp.86-87. 4. See selected excerpts of the speeches of the members of the Constituent Assembly, Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar: Writings and Speeches, (henceforth) BAWS, Vol.1, Bombay, Government of Maharashtra, Department of Education, 1994, pp.221-9. 5. From BAWS, vol.1, p.209. 6. From BAWS, vol.9, pp.201-17. 7. From BAWS, vol.9, pp.274-97. 8. For a lucid presentation, see I.Krammick, The Rage of Edmund Burke, New York, Basic Books, 1977. 9. Ambedkar‟s favourite among Dewey‟s work was Democracy and Education, New York, Macmillan, 1916. 10. From BAWS, vol.5, pp.422-44. 11. See Riddles of Hinduism, BAWS, vol.4. 12. From BAWS, vol.1, pp.87-8. 13. From BAWS, vol.1, pp.5-22. 14. From BAWS, vol.1, pp.47-80. 15. Ibid., pp.86-96. 16
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