NAMASUDRAS, THE WORST PERSECUTED “NATION” IN THE WORLD

Hindus vivisected India to break Dalit-Muslim unity

S.K. BISWAS, PRESIDENT, DALIT-BAHUJAN INTELLECTUAL FORUM, 387-A, J&K POCKET, DILSHAD GARDEN, DELHI - 110 095

The Bengali Untouchables, especially the Chandals (Namasudras), were the pioneering in liberating themselves from the Brahmin yoke and thus became the harbinger of the self-conscious independent movement of the Untouchables, by the Untouchables and even for the Untouchables of India. The race, called Chandals, have been one of the most ancient ethnic groups of people who followed Budhism. They had been mentioned in the old Budhist literature and the Sanskrit Ramayana etc. The Chandals were enumerated in the census by the British as Namasudras for the first time in the 1911 Census Report. This was the result of a calculated conspiratory process to hinduise (enslave) this numerically very large group who from time immemorial fought the Brahminism. In a democracy, number of any conscious group matters.

PIONEER OF ANTI-HINDU MOVEMENT

The democratic battle of the Bengal Untouchables that was started under the leadership of Guruchand Thakur from the 1880’s could send the first Indian Untouchable to the Legislature in 1921.

Guruchand Thakur sowed the seeds of ‘Separate Electorate’ for the Untouchables in Bengal long before the Round Table Conference or establishment of Simon Commission in (1928). Soon after 1909, the Namasudra leaders in Bengal demanded:

“We beg to add that, though our religious rites and their observances and social customs are similar to those of Brahmins, we have not the slightest connection with any of the Hindu communities. They have been continually looking down upon us with contempt and malice; have kept us under subjugation and total ignorance. We have been smarting under their yoke of bondage. It is absolutely absurd to anticipate that they would in future mix with us in social and religious performances. Thus we desire to be recognized by the Government as entirely a different community having separate claim to political privileges like Muhammadans.”

A disciple of Guruchand, Mukunda Behari Mullick, fought for ‘Separate Electorate’ since 1921.

NO TEMPLE ENTRY

Guruchand’s father, Harichand Thakur (born 1812) declared the Chandal Untouchables of Bengal as a distinct religious group completely separate from the (Brahmin) Hindu fold and had preached a new religion called “Matua” which tangibly defied all Hindu scriptures like the Vedas and Puranas, Brahmans, gods and goddesses.

He refused to recognize the Hindu places of pilgrimages and discarded all Brahminic rituals. He remained indifferent and never showed even interest in the Untouchables’ temple (Hindu) movement that occurred before his eyes and knowledge. He never supported those Untouchables who were beaten up by the Hindus while trying to enter Kali temple. Instead he built up a self-conscious, independent self-help movement under the banner of powerful Matua religion given by his father. Thus he brought a distinct identity and social consolidation of the Untouchables of Bengal. He brought tremendous socio-cultural awareness and encouraged a fighting spirit against the Brahminical exploitation and social order.

INDIA’S FIRST DALIT GRADUATE

Guruchand Thakur had given a call: “Educate, Agitate, Organise” in 1880 and launched a scheme of establishing schools in villages through an inter-linked network. He established over 1,000 schools in rural Bengal for the Untouchable children. Consequently, Bengal produced the first Untouchable graduate in India when in 1893 Panchanan Sarkar, an Untouchable Rajbansi, graduated from North Bengal Victoria College. He passed MA and LLB in 1897 and 1898 respectively. Raicharan Sardar, an Untouchable Poundra of South Bengal, became a graduate from the Calcutta University in 1901. On failing to get a govt. job, both Sarkar and Sardar remained as advocates. Shyamlal Sarkar, became the first Namasudra graduate in 1903.

DALIT-MUSLIM UNITY

It was Guruchand who was the first to raise demands for reservation in govt. services, a monopoly of the Brahmins and a few of their associates, for the Untouchables. He launched a united struggle with the Muslims of Bengal on this issue. The Dalit-Muslim united front even demanded creation of a separate state of Eastern Bengal with Dacca as its capital to avoid the domination of Calcutta-based Brahmins.

The partition of Bengal in 1905 was a crowning victory for the Dalit-Muslim struggle. A new law was passed giving reservation to the Untouchables and the Muslims of Bengal. “Proportional representation of communities in govt. jobs, the Act of 1906 of Assam-Bengal government” was passed. Shasi Bhusan Thakur, son of Guruchand, was the first Untouchable to get a reserved a job as a sub-registrar. Soon after graduation Kumub Behari Mullick became a Deputy Magistrate in 1908. The deprived people among Muslims were greatly benefitted by the Reservation Act.

GANDHI KILLS FUTURE OF DALITS

Furious Bengali Brahmins launched an agitation against the partition decision of Bengal (1905) by Lord Curzon because their domination over Eastern Bengal, where 80% population was Dalits and Muslims, would come to an end. Consequently the Partition of Bengal was nullified in 1912.

Once they secured govt. jobs, Guruchand’s next target was to capture political power. The Govt. of India Act of 1919 was amended to nominate Untouchables to the legislature. Advocate Bhiswadev Das, a Matua and a disciple of Guruchand, became the first Indian Untouchable to be nominated to the Legislative Council of Bengal (1921).

Five Untouchables—Nirod Behari Mullick, Panchanan Burman (Sarkar), Rasik Lal Chamar, Hem Chandra Naskar and Prassanna Kumar Raikat —were selected to the Bengal Assembly in the 1921 general election.

However the gem of the Namas-udra community, Mukunda Behari Mullick, was defeated by a Hindu stooge from a constituency thickly populated by the Namasudras.

M.B. Mullick, a lecturer of Pali language in Calcutta University, was defeated by a Congress (Untouchable) candidate (Rasik Lal Chamar). He then demanded separate electorate for the Untouchables as such a protective benefit was being enjoyed by the Muslims and Sikhs since 1909 and 1919 respectively. However, M. B. Mullick had to wait till Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar eventually achieved the same at the national level through the Communal Award of 1932 announced by the British. But M.K. Gandhi went on his fake fast-unto-death and snatched away the golden opportunity of the Untouchables to protect and chisel out their own fate.

WHOLESALE SLAUGHTER OF DALITS

Despite being branded enemy of the Untouchables by an impartial third party, the British, Gandhi along with his Hindu conspirators shamelessly continued his intrigues against Dr. Ambedkar and to force them to surrender. There came even a threat to launch wholesale massacre of Untouchables. But alas there was no resistance —not even a counter fast-unto-death to protect the sunshine of liberty in the form of Communal Award of the age-old servile Untouchables.

BENGAL PROTESTs Dr. AMBEDKAR BLUNDER

However Bengal showed a ray of hope. The Depressed Classes Association protested to the Govt. against the “Poona Pact”. They said Dr. Ambedkar should have consulted them before signing the “Pact”. It hailed the “Communal Award” as a “political advantage unprecedented and unparalleled in the constitutional history of India” and condemned the “Pact” as “Dr. Ambedkar’s political blunder”. Both the Namasudra Association and the Depressed Classes Association said Bengal was not bound by the “Poona Pact”.

Dr. Ambedkar too argued in the post-”Poona Pact” era against the mischief of joint electorate.

“The joint electorate is from the point of the Hindus, to use a familiar phrase, a rotten borough in which the Hindus get the right to nominate an Untouchable to set nominally as a representative of the Untouchables but really as a tool of the Hindus.

DR. AMBEDKAR BLOCKED FROM LOK SABHA

By declaring that Gandhi betrayed the Untouchables in the “Poona Pact”, he further disclosed that

“the Poona Pact is thus fraught with mischief. It was accepted because of the coercive fast of Mr. Gandhi and because of the assurance given at the time that the Hindus will not interfere in the election of the Scheduled Castes”.

As a result of the Poona Pact, history of India revealed startling facts that Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was never allowed to get into parliament as an elected member after the constitution was promulgated. Consequent to the “Poona Pact”, the greatest Untouchable organizer and thinker, Kanshi Ram, who founded the Bahujan Samaj Party, also miserably failed to get elected to the Lok Sabha after his initial victory from Hoshiarpur (Punjab) and Etwa (UP). All along he had to be satisfied as a Rajya Sabha member.

At a Pune meeting to condemn the “Poona Pact” in 1982, Kanshi Ram called it the destroyer of hopes of the Untouchables and the starting point of the “Chamcha age”.

BENGALI DALITS ELECT DR. AMBEDKAR

Even the communist Brahmins of India did not like the separate electorate to Untouchables. M.N. Roy (Narendra Nath Bhattacharya) condemned the British “interference” in the affairs of India.

But the politically mature, numerically strong Untouchables of Bengal elected Dr. Ambedkar to the Constituent Assembly thus proving that the Bengali Dalits stood as a Himalayan road-block to the march of Brahminism.

But the cunning BSO destroyed the future of Dalits and Muslims by vivisecting India into three parts. The process of partition was indeed the beginning of disenfranchisement of the Untouchables of Bengal and the Punjab. Maximum concentration of Untouchables was in these two provinces.

Together with the Untouchables, the Muslims could have changed the very history of (undivided) India but the Brahminical jati interest prevailed over the well being of India.

MUSLIMS DID NOT VOTE FOR PARTITION

After the “Poona Pact”, the struggle of the Untouchables got weakened. It was reduced to a saga of survival. And the greatest blow even for the very survival of the Untouchables in the post-Poona Pact era came out of the conspiracy to vivisect the country.

On the July 23, 1947 a decision was taken to partition India into three parts —East Pakistan, India and the West Pakistan. Entire Muslim community was to be driven out to Pakistan. However, only the mainstream Muslims left India.

It was the Hindus and not the Muslims who decided and voted for the vivisection of the country.

In the case of Bengal even “veteran communist leaders” like Jyoti Basu and Ratan Lal Brahman (from Darjeeling) under the leadership of Uda Chand Mahatab, the Maharaja of Bardwan, voted for partition (by 58 to 21) along with Shyama Prasad Mookerjee (Hindu Mahasabha), Bidhan Chandra Roy (INC), Sarat Chandra Bose (brother of Subash Ch. Bose), Kiron Shankar Roy and others. The vivisection was also sponsored by G.D. Birla who perhaps got nervous with the existence of Ispahani industrialist.

Muslim leaders under the presidentship of Md. Nurul Amin with overwhelming majority (by 106 to 35) voted against the partition of Bengal. Still partition took place as the condition of voting was to vivisect India even if only one group votes for partition. And the minority Hindus voted “yes partition”.

BENGALI DALITS MADE REFUGEES

As a consequence of the withdrawal of Muslims from India and the partition of Bengal, Dr. Ambedkar lost both his political ally as well as his membership of the Constituent Assembly. Once again he was thrown into the mercy of Hindus. He had neither the capacity nor any chance to get elected to the Constituent Assembly as his supporters in Bengal were disenfranchised after the vivisection of the country into three different sovereign countries. The powerful Untouchables of Bengal, politically conscious and socially integrated, were reduced to rootless refugees for eternity. (In Bombay, the population of Untouchables was not of much significance compared to Bengal, Punjab and Madras). At this stage his all-time enemies came to the rescue of Dr. Ambedkar who was helped by the Congress to become a member of the Constituent Assembly (which was initially constituted in 1946) once again in July 1947.

J.N. MONDAL AS PAKISTAN LAW MINISTER

Not only that. Dr. Ambedkar was unanimously elected chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution for the “free India” by its seven members on Aug.30, 1947. His strongest support base, J.N. Mandal, (the Untouchable leader of East Bengal), as a consequence of partition of India and Bengal had to resign as Law Minister from the Nehru Cabinet of the interim govt. and shifted to Karachi, capital of the new sovereign country, Pakistan, to join the Pakistan Government as its first Law Minister. In Pakistan, it was none but J.N. Mandal who got the historic privilege to inaugurate the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan.

Both the national leaders of the Untouchables got irrevocably weakened and separated. The two never could come closer to build up a formidable battle against the enemy. These incidents obviously created tremendous international political pressure on India’s Brahminical rulers who to save their face thought Dr. Ambedkar would be a weak and safe candidate to draft the constitution of India. When the enemy helps what remains to be protected?

DALITS LOSE VOTING RIGHTS

Dr. Ambedkar’s movement for separate electorate (for 15%) was nothing but the Untouchables’ freedom movement. The movement was developed into a national movement, a movement of the Bahujan Samaj (80% to 90% population) by Kanshi Ram.

This movement was again scuttled with the enactment of the India Citizenship Amendment Act of 2003 which simultaneously took away citizenship as well as the franchise right of the millions of Untouchables and sudras who came to India from East Pakistan/Bangladesh as a result of the partition in 1947.

The Act was a double-edged sword as it granted double citizenship to the Non-Resident Indians. The Untouchable Namasudra, Poundras and Rajbansis, who had any remote ancestral connection with erstwhile East Pakistan or East Bengal have been terrorized to surrender to the ruling castes or political parties as a result of this Act.

ORPHANS OF THE WORLD

In violation of the International Human Rights (clause 30) that no human being can be without citizenship right and the individual is to choose his citizenship, the millions of Untouchables of Bengal have been denied citizenship and had to go without voting right.

As long as they vote for the Brahminical ruling parties it is OK but when they choose their party they are “non-violently” tortured, strictly as per Hindu laws. There is none to stand by these “orphans of the world”.

BRAHMINISM SWALLOWED DHAMMA

If Budha was for non-violence why his Bhikhus learnt martial art?

KULDIP KUMAR

Babasaheb revived Budhism centuries after its death but once again Brahminism has infiltrated it and sabotaged it from inside and outside using vegetarianism, meditation, non-violence and other such nonsense. What he attempted to revive and what he preached in his book, The Buddha & His dhamma, is the system that Budha actually taught. The Brahmins have a wicked strategy called saam, dan, bhed, dand for annihilating their enemies and that is how they succeeded.

They say Brahmins constitute 3% of India’s population but I have contacted and verified hundreds of people who claim to be Sharma and found that 2/3rds of them are in fact either SC or BC who pretend to be Brahmin. So the Brahmin population is not more than 1%.

GENOCIDE OF SIKHS

After Pushyamitra committed regicide of Emperor Vrihdarth, they committed genocide of Budhists. Millions were butchered. The murders committed by Pushyamitra were attributed to their Brahmin Parshuram. That murderer, Parshu and Pushya, is one and same person. Just to give religious sanctity to the genocide of Budhists, the Parshu tale as avtar of god was concocted.

Look at the cruelty of these people. Punjab genocide is another proof. Two decades back Sant Bhindranwale tried to rescue Sikhism from Brahminic claws but Brahminic forces hit back. Large-scale murders of Sikh youths were arranged through Sikh policemen. Even Supreme Court kept silent. Whoever dares to challenge Brahminism will be smashed.

But dand (killing) alone was not adequate to wipe out Budhism from India. So they adopted the method of saam. Editor V.T. Rajshekar says, “The Brahmins infiltrated and sabotaged Budhism from inside and outside”. This strategy is called saam.

JAINISM KILLED

Saam is in fact slow death but a perfect poison created by Brahminism. Any movement against Brahminism is killed through saam. Through saam they join the movement against them and inject poison into its veins. Slowly that movement is dead or becomes part of Brahminism itself. Jainism is the most glaring example. We find no Jain who does not worship Brahminic gods. Jains have permanently lost their separate identity. Brahminism has completely swallowed it. Similarly, they have injected their venom into all other movements right from the day of Budha to Ravidas and Kabir.

Nagarjuna was one such Brahmin from South India. Kumaril Bhatta was another wicked fellow. They first became bhikhus. And then injected Brahminic venom (its gods and rituals into) Budha Dhamma. They declared Budha as god. They concocted Jataka tales which propagated that Budha had many rebirths. All these are against the very root of Budha Dhamma because the moment Atma and rebirth entered the Dhamma, the morality, the very base of it, vanished. Budha was declared an avtar of their god Vishnu. Beef-eating Brahmins got converted themselves into cow-worshipers, declared Budha as “apostle of ahimsa. As Budha became “nonviolent”, Budhists too could not raise weapons against their enemy No.1. Meditation, vegetarianism and non-violence and nonsense rituals were injected into Budha Dhamma.

Finally they turned Budhism and Brahminism as two sides of the same coin. Today we find very little difference in Budhist and Brahminic rituals. Had Emperor Asoka not sent out the message of Budha to other countries, the Budha Dhamma would have met the same fate like Jainism. So how many of us (neo-Budhists) are true Budhists? Our Editor is right that we neo-Budhists are imitating Brahminical Budhism.

BUDHISTS FOLLOWING BRAHMINISM

In the last two decades BSP has emerged as a big Dalit force. Truly speaking after a gap of 20 centuries, we have an opportunity to challenge Brahminic authority. This is all due to the emergence of BSP. So to ensure their survival, they need to finish BSP.

So, it is high time that instead of fighting on petty issues, let us sit together and chalk out strategies to save our movement. Kanshi Ram is no more with us. If Mayawati succumbs to Brahmin designs our movement will go decades back.

Did Budha preached non-violence? No. All martial arts were initiated by Budhist bhikhus. What was the need to learn martial art if the bhikhus were to be nonviolent? They learnt it just to save their dhamma. Thus, Budha Dhamma never taught cowardly non-violence. The bows and arrows carried by tribals (erstwhile Budhists) prove that they did not follow cowardly non-violence.

It is true that Budha never taught violence. But he never advocated meekness or cowardice.

He forbade slaughter but not meat-eating under justified circumstances. Even his most famous follower, Emperor Ashok, did not leave the habit of meat-eating. His stone edicts very clearly tell that the king used to eat meat of deer and peacock. Only the Brahmin intruder preached non-violence to Budhists but their own octopus gods carried weapons in all their eight hands. They sacrificed animals in yags and enjoyed their meat. Hence they were able to thrash Dalits/Budhists physically as well as mentally.

Budhism our people (Dalits) embraced is nothing but Brahminism in another name. Our Budha viharas resemble Brahminic temple. You simply cannot differentiate between the two. Same chanting of unknown slokas, same ringing of gonds and bells. The only difference is that of the statue. Today Budhism is infected with casteism, god, soul, rebirth and all nonsense rituals. Babasaheb’s book, The Buddha And His Dhamma, has not been accepted by all Budhist organizations infected with Brahminism. So we need to cleanse Budhism to make it Budha’s Dhamma.

When this is the gloomy picture before us, what is the point in talking about who influenced whom in our Editor’s conversion at Patna?

True, the picture is really gloomy, as our Editor says. VTR is not an ordinary person who could be influenced. He has taken years to arrive at this conversion decision.

VTR’s integrity, sincerity and credentials are beyond doubt. He has raised very fundamental questions. Babasaheb’s first commandment is “Educate”. Let us educate ourselves about the shortcomings, pros and cons etc. of our movement, our organization and all that.

We could not see a second Kanshi Ram or Mayawati in BSP today. Similar is the position of DV. We need to establish an ideology-based organization to carry on the “Three Commandments” of Babasaheb. (jaikuldip@rediffmail.com)

What use conversion if it doesn’t help you fight Brahminism?

GURNAM SINGH MUKTSAR, 2 - BHAGAT SINGH NAGAR, B/H BUS STAND, MUKTSAR - 152 026

My forefathers once quit Hinduism, a religion of hatred and exploitation, joined Sikhism, a religion of human love, equality, brotherhood and liberty. Sikhism is a total revolutionary rebirth of Budhism against Brahminism. But even such a revolutionary Sikhism has been completely hijacked by Brahminism. A man like me, a devout Sikh, is finding it difficult to continue. Though I have deep love and faith in Sikh religion founded by Dalit saints and Guru Nanak, I doubt if I can come out of the darkness.

There are continuous conversions throughout India. All conversions are from the hated Hinduism to Budhism, Islam, Christianity and Sikhism. Conversion is going on and it must because no free person can live in the gas chamber of Brahminism.

Religion of hate: Over 90% of people in Budhism, Islam, Christianity and Sikhism are converted from Dalit-Backward-Moolvasi of India. They did a good thing in quitting this religion of hate and discrimination. But how many of them got awakened out of this flood of conversions? They simply changed their gods, worship, rituals, beliefs, bhajan, recitations, place of worship, holy books and pujaris. What changes the conversion have brought about in the mind of these converts? Nothing. If they have created anything it is more hate between themselves as Muslims, Budhists, Sikhs and Christians. To the vaidiks, all those who converted continue to be low caste neechas.

Killing each other: By conversion, they have further strengthened Brahminism by playing into the hands of the enemy by hating, fighting and killing each other as it happened in Orissa recently. Each converted fellow should have become the blood enemy of Brahminism out to liquidate the enemy. This did not happen.

I asked Budhists why they became Budhists? The answer was “Budha’s Dhamma is free from all human discriminations”. Sikhs, Muslims and Christians all boast of their religion. But their behaviour did not change after conversion. If the converted does not get transformed, without full faith in human equality, love, brotherhood or liberty what is the use of conversion? They left Hindu dharma for what? Is it not to become better humans? Did we become better humans? We have generated more hatred among religions. We have broken human relationship. What then is the use of conversion?

It is better to remain as shudras and Chandalas. If in gurudwaras, churches and masjids we are all allowed to worship as equals why we cease to be equal when we go out of the house of god? Once we are out we get totally divided and hate each other. That is how we are ruled by a micro-minority of Hindus and hence we are badly beaten, raped, kicked, killed, burnt, abused all over India. In every religion that we get converted, our people are all divided into Aroras, Bhappas, Jats, Dalits and Backwards just as in Sikh religion. They are nowhere united except within the gurudwaras. Why we don’t understand this serious problem? Intellectuals of every religion also boast of their dharma. But they rarely talk of the prevailing supreme truth in society.

Better remain as Ambedkarite: We hate the Hindu dharma. Fine. We are not Hindu and were never Hindu. We are slaves of (Hindu) upper castes. But when we quit this hated dharma, why we continue to be slaves? Puppets in upper caste hands? By converting we only increased the number of slaves but we nowhere got rid of human slavery and hate.

I think it is much better to remain as an Ambedkarite in any religion you like. Keep your religion but become an Ambedkarite for total liberation.

If conversion is necessary, then get converted in crores. A conversion that does not target the Hindu terrorist socio-cultural content and transforms us totally, then such conversion is useless.

We need heaven on earth: After Babasaheb’s death what happened to his Dhamma? Mahayana Budhists took over. It became limited to a few castes. In Maharashtra, it became the monopoly of Mahars and in Punjab of Chamars. In what way conversion helped the Chamars of Punjab? Did it promote their social change which was the real and sole object of conversion from the religion of hate and exploitation? Islam and Sikhism are revolutionary religions. But all the converts are busy finding god. That is all. I have read Budha, Quran and Guru Granth. Even Christianity is a fight between goodness and evil. Christianity stood for goodness. But the masses have been tamed by their priests.

All religionists are waiting to go to heaven —after death. But not on this earth. To get a seat in heaven, they are ready to suffer hell on this earth.

For me religious conversion means social and human betterment here, right on this earth. Conversion should be aimed at total war on the tyranny of the ruling Brahminical class.

Muslim elites surrender to Brahminism

JAFFAR ALI, ABU DHABI, UAE

Muslim intellectuals and enlightened youths here are eager to meet you. Enlightened Muslims in all Indian Muslim organizations know you very well. You have been carrying on a struggle like Prophet Mohammed against Brahminism in India. This has inspired many Muslims and they have started to agitate. This is the first fight by Muslims after the failure of all Muslim organisations led by moulvis who have a single-point agenda of “establishing Allah’s rule”. But they have failed to see through the Brahminical tactics because they have failed to study the “Hindu mind” and the caste system. To them everybody is a Hindu who is not Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Parsi. They also think Hindu as the majority community and believe Dalit, Tribal, BCs are all Hindu. This biggest mistake of moulvis worked to the advantage of Brahminical rulers. It is only recently a new movement has started under KFD. I was present when KFD president, K.M. Sharief, told you that “We know you, sir, from many years and our fight against Brahminism was inspired by your writings”. You inaugurated PDP (party) of Abdul Nasser Madani at Calicut and visited him many times including the Coimbatore Jail where he was confined. You visited all parts of India and abroad. Libyan leader Gaddafi invited you to Tripoli. Your recent visit to Pakistan brought you a hero’s welcome but the Indian media blacked-out the whole thing. I am closely associated with you for the last 15 years. Muslim revolutionaries have great respect for you. Yet why Muslim leaders are not joining in your fight against Brahminism? This is bothering me and my friends here. It looks the Muslim elites have decided to surrender to Brahminism. But the masses will not. Muslims in India are suffocated and dying without dignity. They are dubbed anti-national, terrorist but the fact is they are innocent. They have no media to prove they are innocent. Muslim men are in deep slumber.

Mayawati rattles all parties in Maharashtra

DR. V.D. CHANDANSHIVE, COTTAGE VAISHALI, SHAHU NAGAR, NANDED - 431 602

After installing a majority govt. in UP, Mayawati visited Maharashtra on Nov.25 last to address a record breaking rally at Shivaji Park, Bombay. But not a single TV channel covering the event focussed its camera on the crowd assembled on the ground. This is the typical media mischief pretending to report and yet concealing the actual presence of the gathering.

MANUWADI PARTIES SCARED

Looking at the reactions of Manuwadi political parties in Maharashtra anybody can see the scare the rally has created among them. Sharad Pawar feels that the BSP would eat into the vote bank of Congress but the Congress thinks BSP would hit the sugar lobby of Sharad Pawar. BJP and Shiv Sena said their vote bank would remain intact as BSP did not make inroads into the OBCs. All these parties have put on brave faces but in the heart of their hearts they have been frightened by the entry of Mayawati in Maharashtra. In UP elections, the BSP had caused damage to the Congress and NCP in not less than 12 Assembly segments having polled just 4% votes. If everything goes well, this time it would undoubtedly give a jolt to BJP and Shiv Sena. The BJP and Sena bosses through their party organs create a false image that the BSP’s Shivaji Park rally was to woo the migrant UP voters of Bombay despite the fact that the rally was attended by people from all over Maharashtra.

R.P.I. REACTION

As usual, Maharashtra’s RPI leaders expressed their beggarly reactions. They neither seem to learn nor teach anybody but appear comfortable with the number of their splintered voters pitching into get the Congress and NCP candidates elected. If one looks at the reactions of these worthies one can obviously gauge their utter childishness.

They have shouted in one voice and said if Mayawati is an Ambedkarite, she should first become a Budhist and then come to Maharashtra. Being Budhists for over 50 years, what these leaders have done for the spread of Budhism to materialize the dream of Budhist India seen by Babasaheb?

CONGRESS STOOGES IN B.S.P. GARB

In fact these very people are responsible to bury deep the entire Ambedkarite movement in Maharashtra as a result of which the movement could not grow outside Maharashtra. Their subconscious fear is if Mayawati succeeds in Maharashtra these leaders would be rendered irrelevant and they will have to close down their shops. But one thing is clear they neither have intelligence nor strategy to stop the Mayawati hurricane. The RPI leaders in Maharashtra can do nothing without an eyewink from their mentors. The Congress was successful in breaking Kanshi Ram’s BAMCEF in 1986-87 and quite a few big shots like Rajiv Gandhi, Arjun Singh and Shankar Rao Chavan from Maharashtra were involved in causing the split throughout India because BAMCEF was a money-generating machine for the Kanshi Ram movement. Since then the Congress big bosses have seen the consequences of BSP politics in North India in general and UP in particular. Kanshi Ram’s revenge against the Congress has been completed by Mayawati in 2007 UP elections.

But in Maharashtra the Congress has seen to it that Congress stooges masquerade as BSP leaders. They masquerade as BSP leaders but during elections actually work for the Congress. A saintly leader like Kanshi Ram was fooled by state’s BSP leaders for over 25 years. After him Mayawati has been making changes through her UP in-charge of Maharashtra. But all is not well with BSP as far as its state leadership is concerned. The vestiges of Congress stooges are still present in BSP and unless they are thoroughly removed BSP is not going to see the light of the day in the state. So before the parliamentary and assembly elections this purification drive should be given first priority.

BEWARE OF MEDIA HYPE

Kanshi Ram has pointed out three enemies of Bahujan movement: money, mafia and media. Of these, mafia has been countered to a great extent but money and media still play the mischief. In 2004 Assembly elections, both money and media misuse was largely resorted to by Manuwadi parties. Particularly the media hype was very cleverly used to deceive the BSP leadership in Maharashtra. By reading the media reports you could conclude that BSP was emerging as a formidable force in Maharashtra. But nothing of this kind happened. The media — along with the stooge leadership of Maharashtra BSP — wanted the people to believe the false scenario it had created.

This time also the Manuwadi political parties of Maharashtra would try their best to misuse money and media. Money they have in plenty. They can pay up to Rs. 5,000 per voter to purchase them. If mafia fails, they resort to money. If money fails, they resort to media, according to the situation that arises during election times. The best remedy to counter these hurdles is to consolidate our vote bank by convincing them or by hammering upon their minds the invaluable power of right to vote, which has over the years transformed parliamentary politics in the country.

Caste-wise consolidation of vote in favour of BSP is the only solution to defeat Manuwadi political parties. Each caste must be represented in proportion to its population.

Rattled by Mayawati’s mammoth rally, Sharad Pawar arranged a separate Dalit rally at Parbhani on Feb.9 and his stooge RPI’s Athawale has planned a Dalit rally at Shivaji Park (the same venue where Mayawati spoke) on Jan.17.

DV Dec.16, 2007 p. 6: “Fed up with RPI, Dalits shift to Mayawati”.

Book on Ayyankali promotes Dalit-Muslim unity in Kerala

MANJOOR GOPALAN, KANAKKARI P.O, KERALA - 686 632

The English book, Ayyankali: A Dalit Leader of Organic Protest, reveals that its authors, M. Nisar and Meena Kandasami, are noted Dalit writers. Even though the book is small in size its contents are rich, valuable and helpful to get a comprehensive history of the social structure that prevailed in Kerala during the period up to 19th century.

The book has three chapters. The first two are the result of a comprehensive study of the caste system and the allied social order that existed in Kerala up to the 19th century. The authors say:

KERALA’S FIRST FARM LABOUR STRIKE

Every nationality in India shares the caste system, Kerala is no exception. Although different in form and structure in practice, the complex caste system prevalent in Kerala in the 18th and 19th centuries resembled the other linguistic nationalities in several aspects and was characterized by graded inequality. Life in Kerala in this period was controlled and dominated by several caste practices justified by the system of Keezhmaryada. The Kerala experience of jati practiced in all walks of life was in no way different from that prevalent elsewhere. (p.11).

The book is not limited to a biographical aspect of Ayyankali but it deals with the social and economic structure of that period. The book is, therefore, the result of a deep study of the history of Kerala written by noted historians like D.D. Kosambi, T.H.P. Chentharassery, Romila Thapar, Irfan Habib, Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai, M.G.S. Narayanan etc. The book portrays a slice of Kerala history, the social and economic dimensions of the feudal system also.

Chapter 3 deals with the social conditions of the Dalits that forced Ayyankali to work towards emancipation of the downtrodden. The living conditions of the Dalits then have been beautifully analysed:

The hegemonic powers had always squeezed and extracted the labour of the Dalits whose bonds with soil went back to several centuries. These sons of the soil were always at the bottom of the social hierarchy during both the colonial and pre-colonial times, never acquiring material resources or power. Consequently they could never gain economic or social status. (p. 67).

Important social activities of Ayyankali have been discussed in the book borrowing from the works of T.H.P. Chentarassery, Sanal Mohan, Abhimanyu, N.K. Jose, Veluppila T.K. etc. Ayyankali’s early struggle to assert civil rights have also been explained.

The establishment of the Sadhu Jana Paripalana Sangham (SJPS), and its activities have been analysed. Under the control of SJPS a Samudya Kodathi (community court) functioned to sort out grievances of Dalits. The functioning of the court had integrated the Dalits with the SJPS.

Ayyankali’s continuous agitations for the right to education have been analysed in the book. When Dalit students were denied admission in schools, Ayyankali and his associates organised the first-ever strike of farm labourers. The Dalits strike came to an end with great success.

Considering the social activities of Ayyankali, he was nominated as a member of the Shrimoolam Praja Sabha where he spoke on his people’s problem on education, land, job, power etc.

The efforts of Ayyankali for liberation of Dalits have been explained in the book:

He always exhorted his people to achieve progress through faith in god, modern dress and cleanliness, obedience and discipline. He appealed to the upper castes not to oppose attempts of reformation among the oppressed in relation to the customs, manners and mode of dressing. (p. 89).

COMMUNISTS ENSLAVED DALITS

The book deals with all the important contributions of Ayyankali who devoted his entire life for the emancipation of the Dalits. He instilled self-confidence in the Dalits and Backward Classes who had been divided into several castes.

The last part of the book raises certain pertinent questions regarding Ayyankali and his interventions. The readers are expected to give appropriate answers. However there is one question: “How did the communist movement influence the lives of the Dalits?”

Those Dalit activists involved in the communist work had become mere stooges of upper castes. They were treated only as workers. Administrative powers had not be given to them. They were made to remain only as the servants of the upper castes. Social justice has no place under communism. In fact communist movements sabotaged the revolutionary movements of the servile classes led by Dr. Ambedkar and Periyar E.V.R. etc.

The book is valuable to the Kerala Dalit movement pioneered by Ayyankali who was the first Dalit revolutionary.

Yet another significance of the book is its main author being a Muslim from Kerala it will help Muslims to study Dalits and thereby promote Dalit-Muslim unity. We congratulate the Other Books, a Muslim literary organisation, for this thoughtful contribution to Dalit-Muslim unity.

********************

AYYANKALI: A DALIT LEADER
OF ORGANIC PROTEST

M. Nisar & Meena Kandasamy

2008 Rs. 150

Other Books
1st Floor, New Way Building, Railway Link Road Calicut - 673 002.

INDIA SHINING

India gets no.1 status in children’s death

New Delhi: Over 2.1 million children die annually in India before reaching their fifth birthday, 50% of them not surviving even 28 days. About 55 million or one-third of the world’s underweight children under age five, live in India with the worst affected states being MP, Jharkhand, Bihar, Gujarat, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, UP and Meghalaya. These are the findings of UNICEF’s latest “The state of the World’s Children-2008” released on Jan.22. The report places India on no.1 spot in children’s deaths across the globe—one child dying every three seconds.

—(Times of India, Jan.23, 2008)

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Unsafe to foreigners

New Delhi: Incredible India which saw over 5 million foreign tourists arrive in 2007, seems to have suddenly become a scary place for women travellers as there is a spate of cases of sexual attack.

—(Times of India, Jan.23, 2008)

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Muslims become paupers

New Delhi: Despite all claims of the UPA Govt. in addressing the concerns of minority communities such as Muslims, the enrolment rate of children from these communities at the primary level is abysmally low. It’s only 9.39%. These figures were disclosed in the “Flash Statistics: Elementary Education in India” which was aimed at reviewing progress of school education in the country. The statistics prepared by the National University of Educational Planning and Administration were released here on Jan.22 and the figures on Muslim enrolment were included for the first time in such a study, HRD Ministry officials said. Though the apparent survival rate of Muslim students at Grade-V has improved over the last couple of years — from 67.15% in 2004-05 to 72.73% in 2006-07, statewise variations are a matter of concern. While Kerala has a survival rate of 115.40, for Bihar and UP the figures are 54 and 68% respectively. For Karnataka however the apparent survival rate of Muslim children at Grade V has dipped marginally — from 98.22 to 2004-05 to 95.61%.

—(Deccan Herald, Jan.23, 2008)

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Schools without teacher

New Delhi: Unversalising elementary education can be a tall order. Particularly when the schools do not have an adequate number of teachers. The latest statistics on elementary education in India again paint a sorry picture of teacher availability. In 2006-07, no less than 18 of India’s 35 states and UTs had over half their primary schools with just 3 or an even smaller number of teachers... The all-India average for primary schools with 3 teachers or less was as high as 60.33% in 2006-07.

—(Asian Age, Jan.25, 2008)