Transcript (PPTX, 602KB)

Relevance of Ambedkar
in Contemporary India
Siddharth Khandare
PhD Scholar (UOH)
Relevance of Ambedkar
• Politics
• Nationalism
• Culture
Politics
• “Ambedkar became poster boy”
- Mangesh Dahiwale
•Co-opting Ambedkar -B.J.P,Congress and Others
•Deshbhakti = Shivsakti+ Bhimsakti
•“I have proud of being Gujrathi because Maharja
Gaikwad has given Fellowship to Dr. Ambedkar”
- Modi
•In Maharashtra Modi unguarted land of
Indumil for Amedkar’s memorial
•He also Inaugurated Ambedkar’s house in UK
•B.J.P. putting Ambedkar in Hinduttav fold
and showing anti- Muslim
• R.J.D in Bihar supported reservation and
showed R.S.S. and B.J.P are Anti-Ambedkar
Nationalism
Politics of Regionalism
“To saying instead of ‘I am Maharashtraian’ one should have to say I am Hindi. I am
Asian. I am cultured citizen of the World… Marathi is good language. I know it
very well. I can write properly. But how it is appropriate to me with only
Marathi? I want unity of entire India. Therefore one should have learned Hindi
language which is able to understand entire Indian. It is not appropriate for me
of language- devotee such as My Marathi, My Gujrathi, My Bengali, and My
Kandy. There should one language for entire Indian. Therefore we should learn
initiatively Hindi as a necessary language…
let teach Hindi to entire people of India. Consequently,
huge question of nation will be resolved… I understand
Bengali well. And also I understand Gujrathi… One
language, one life, one religion these are the pillar of
onenationhood. Hence, I am feeling more warmth
towards Hindi unity rather than unity of Maharashtra…
with Hindi one should have learned English also for
development of your relationship with entire
world…don’t try to involve me like a nationalist in
narrow movement such as unity of Maharashtra. (
Janta: 2001, 278 translation mine)”
Anti-National Hindu texts
• RSS mouthpiece ‘Panchjanya’ defends Dadri
lynching saying that “Vedas order is killing of
sinner”
• Union minister of state VK Singh regarding
death of two Dalit children in an attack in a
Haryana village, Said “the central government
cannot be held responsible if someone stones
‘a dog’.”
How Hinduttav is Anti-National
• Hindi writer Tufail Chaturvedi who edits the
journal Lafz states the article ‘Is Utpat ke Us paar’
(The other side of this disturbance)’ as
“ वेदाका आदे श है की गौ हत्त्या करणे वाले पतकी
के प्राण लेलो. हम मै से बहुतोण का तो यह
जीवन मरण का प्रश्न है ! ’’
(Vedas order killing of the sinner who kills a cow.
It is a matter of life and death for many of us)’’
Why burned down Manusmirti
• Ambedkar rejected Manusmiriti, Shastras and
Puranas. Which teaches violence, inequality,
and discrimination. He argued in The
Annihilation of Caste as: “It is no use telling
people that the Shastras do not say what
they are believed to say, grammatically read
or logically interpreted. What matters is how
the Shastras have been understood by the
people. You must take the stand that Buddha
took.
You must take the stand that Which Guru
Nanak took. You must not only discard the
Shastras, you must deny their authority, as
did Buddha and Nanak. You must have
courage to tell the Hindus, that what is wrong
with them is their religion-the religion which
has produced in them this notion of the
sacredness of caste. Will you show that
courage? (( Rodrigues BRA P.290)
Democratic Culture
• Ambedkar’s Struggle became Culture of
Ambedkraite
• Bhim Jaynti, Dhammachakra Parivartandin ,
Mahaprinivarndin
• Bheem Geete, Buddha Geete,
• Waman Dada kardk Sings as:
पैदा हो तो भीम सा नर पैदा हो ! (2)
सर झक
ु ाने वाले तेरा सर क्या है
सर मै तेरे भीम का सर पैदा हो !
येक नया आंबेडकर पैदा हो !
पैदा हो तो भीम सा नर पैदा हो !
Namvistardin tribute to Dr. Ambedkar
Marathwada University, Aurangabad.
Thank You