Depiction of
Great Revolutionary Heritage
-New
Maharashtra Sadan, New Delhi-
During his visit to
India, Shri Prem Chumber, editor of popular weekly Punjabi newspaper ‘Desh
Doaba’ published from Sacramento, California, USA, requested me to
accompany him to a meeting with some social activists’ friends in New
Maharashtra Sadan on K.G. Marg near India Gate, New Delhi. The engrossing
discussion centered on various issues and subjects closely connected to taking
the Mulnivasi Bahujan movement forward in the time of confusion and stress and
went beyond the stipulated time.
Every state of the Indian union has a Sadan in the national capital. These Sadans have been set up under the scheme of subsidiary alliances devised by the Britisher between 1798-1805 after the battle of Plassey. Thereafter, it has undergone changes. Most of the princely states in the erstwhile Bombay province were from presently area under Gujarat state, hence, on formation of Gujarat and Maharashtra as separate states, state of Maharashtra established its first state level office in Delhi under name Maharashtra Sadan. The majestic and grand building of New Maharashtra Sadan was inaugurated by the President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee, the Hon'ble President of India on 4th June, 2013.
In the foreground of this splendid building stands three different statues of three great men who have played vital role in laying the foundation of making India a society based on the principles of liberty, equality, fraternity and justice. These revered names are Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Rashtrapita Jyotirao Phuley and Babasahib Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. It is a great cultural symbol and a token of gratitude to the cultural ethos of Mulnivasi Bahujan reformers who are prominent makers of modern India. It appears that this initiative was clinched after considerably hard and dedicated efforts of many Phuley-Ambedkarite leaders and activists. There is a separate story of great struggle of Ambedkarites, to which many opposing groups were to succumb, and accept the demand of installation of statute of Babasaheb in the front lawn area. It seems that discussion, arguments, counter arguments on installation of statue of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar's went on for months. It also appears that the position on the installation of statue of Babasaheb further worsened because of the argument of age of Chhatrapati Shahu ji Maharaja and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar as advanced by some mischievous elements. It was argued that Chhatrapati Shahu ji Maharaja was elder in age to Babasaheb Ambedkar and, hence, Dr. Ambedkar's statues should be installed inside the building i.e. in the concourse of the building and not at the forefront.
Some
enlightened Bahujan leaders aptly analyzing the whole position factoring in prodigious
and momentous contribution of Dr. Ambedkar in moving forward the struggle of
depressed and backward classes and also framing the Constitution of India and he being from Maharashtra,
decided to install his statue at the forefront of the New Maharashtra Sadan as
is done in the precinct of the Parliament.
This
is how you see the four standing statues of great revolutionary at the New
Maharashtra Sadan with Dr. Ambedkar's statue at the forefront. All four of them
fought virulently against the domination of upper castes against the Sudras and
untouchables.
Who can forget the humiliation Chhattrapati Shivaji has to face,
even when he was king, at the hands of Brahmins when they refused to perform
his coronation ceremony on the pretext of being a Sudra and showed utmost
disdain and disrespect to Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
While inside the building, the editor saw
the statue of Rajrishi Chhattrapati Sahu Maharaj of Kolhapur - a social
reformer of utmost zeal and a benefactor of Bahujans, who carried out a large
number of socio-cultural and religious reform in his state and under the
principle of representation provided reservation to untouchables in 1902.
Rashtrapita
Jyotirao Phuley in his book ‘Slavery’, highlights the conspiracies
woven by the Brahmins through religious scriptures against Sudras and
untouchables and says that they abrogated the right of education of Sudras and
untouchables as a result of which these groups remained illiterate for
thousands of years.
The lack of education lead to absence of intellect and
knowledge, the lack of intellect and knowledge led to lack capabilities to
articulate strategy of their own welfare and development, lack of strategy led
to lack of development, lack of development led to evaporation of wealth,
business, trade and commerce, without wealth Sudras and untouchable fell into
the prey and collapsed. All this horrible situation prevailed due to lack of
education amongst Sudras and untouchables. Therefore, the core of Phuley’s
efforts was on bringing education to Sudras, untouchables and women and for
this sole purpose he set a chain of 18 schools in the middle of 19th century
in area around Pune in Maharashtra and made his wife Mata Savitri Bai Phuley as
Headmistress. In modern Indian, she is the first lady teacher. This is the
first initiative to impart education to women, Sudras and untouchables. Not
only education but maternity homes and child care homes for women.
Babasahib Ambedkar in his book Annihilation of Caste[1] has said, ““……The Brahmins form the vanguard of the movement for
political reform and in some cases also of economic reform. But they are not to
be found even as camp-followers in the army raised to break down the barricades
of Caste. Is there any hope of the Brahmins ever taking up a lead in the future
in this matter? I say no. You may ask why? You may argue that there is no
reason why Brahmins should continue to shun social reform. You may argue that
the Brahmins know that the bane of Hindu Society is Caste and as an enlightened
class could not be expected to be indifferent to its consequences. You may
argue that there are secular Brahmins and priestly Brahmins and if the latter
do not take up the cudgels on behalf of those who want to break Caste, the
former will. All this of course sounds very plausible. But in all this it is
forgotten that the break up of the Caste system is bound to affect adversely
the Brahmin Caste. Having regard to this, is it reasonable to expect that the
Brahmins will ever consent to lead a movement the ultimate result of which is
to destroy the power and prestige of the Brahmin Caste? Is it reasonable to
expect the secular Brahmins to take part in a movement directed against the
priestly Brahmins? In my judgment, it is useless to make a distinction between
the secular Brahmins and priestly Brahmins. Both are kith and kin. They are two
arms of the same body and one bound to fight for the existence of the other.”
Therefore, he cautioned us by saying that they are not bound to participate in any movement of social reform as such movement would demolish their hegemony in the social-religious affairs of Hindus. Hence, the Bahujan themselves have to create and lead any such movement for their betterment.
Homer, the ancient Greek author of the Iliad and the Odyssey says, “The date that reduces a man to slavery takes away from him the half of his virtue.”
Most of Catholic
Christians may not like to hear the name Voltaire but he was revered as front
runner of French revolution. He was an outspoken advocate of civil liberties,
despite the risk this placed him in under the strict censorship laws of the
time. As a satirical and polemicist, he frequently made use of his works to
criticize intolerance, religious dogma, and the French institutions of his day.
He wrote more than 20,000 letters and more than 2,000 books and pamphlets.
Because of his well-known criticism of the Church, which he had refused to
retract before his death, Voltaire was denied a Christian burial in Paris. On
11 July 1791, when the National Assembly of France decided to bring back his mortal
remains to Paris, a million-people attended the
procession stretching throughout Paris.
The chains of mental slavery are worse that the physical slavery as it kills the aspiration and passion amongst the slaves to strive for freedom. Such is the thralldom of long spell slavery on Sudras and erstwhile untouchables that they have been reduced to live a life worse than animals. The life struggle and knowledge created by Rashtrapita Jyotirao Phuley, Rajrishi Sahu ji Maharaj and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar - a symbol of knowledge and global icon, are mine fields of gold which have potential to make Bahujans powerful and vibrant the moment they explore it.
Such is the power of true intellect that when it is dedicated honestly in the service of hapless humanity, the greatness touches the feet of such great men and women and make them icons for thousands of years before coming generation of people. Wish good sense prevail upon and we also move towards making this great nation as knowledge society where knowledge and not the caste is pre-dominant factor.
