"Though, I was born a Hindu, I couldn't help the fact but I solemnly assure you that I will not die as a Hindu." -Dr. Ambedkar (13th October 1935 at Yeola, Nashik)
Are you Dalit, Ambedkarite, Neo-Buddhist?
Or just a blind follower of Ambedkar?
Are you casteist, religious or anti-Ambedkar??
Or just a person who knows Ambedkar??
Do Ambedkar's struggles mean something to you??
Does his dream of Enlightened India,
Has ever ignited the energy within or motivated you??
What Ambedkar has meant through the movement, have you understood??
Mook Nayak to Bahishkrit Bharat
and from Janata to Prabuddha Bharat
The name of newspapers itself represent
Ambedkar's Vision.
Why did Ambedkar state,
'Educate, Agitate and Organise'??
Did he mean to form different organizations??
Or to come together as one???
Different identities of today,
have their own way of expression,
It is progressive, It is impactful,
Yet, don't you think, we have lost the purpose?
Buddha, Jyotiba, Ambedkar, and so does other anti-caste social reformers,
have not just fought for your rights, but also for the upliftment.
Hence, inspired by their struggles, and Buddha's quote 'Bahujan Hitay, Bahujan Sukhay'
Manyavar Kanshiram introduced the term 'Bahujan'
The SCs, STs, OBCs together are the majority,
We are the vote, we are the nation.
Together is the struggle for unity,
Together will be The Enlightened India.
Jai Bhim
P.S. I usually don't write any explanation, but I feel necessary to address the following issue.
I have a critic, on the celebration of the term 'Dalit'. Ambedkar himself has never used the term, and though he struggled for equal rights for the depressed classes, he on the other hand also worked on several other unspoken issues. Why he is termed as Dalit leader? Celebrating April (Birth month of Ambedkar) as Dalit History Month does support the fact of Ambedkar being called Dalit. The term 'Dalit became popular by people coinciding Ambedkar's movement, as the term was used by Jyotiba Phule in his texts and speeches. Later in the 1970s, Dalit Panther a revolutionary organization was formed which made the term a socio-political, literary, and cultural symbol. As Ambedkar embraced Buddhism and emphasized the change in name and religion to conquer the oppression, prominent members including Raja Dhale (co-founder of Dalit Panther) themselves rejected the term Dalit as an identity. Raja Dhale advocated the term 'Ambedkarite' as a social and political identity. So why is the term 'Dalit still in existence??
Whereas 'DBA' (Dalit Bahujan Adivasi) a term is been very popular among the people in the movement. Why do we need such terms?? Bahujan itself is an umbrella term for SCs/STs/OBC. Bahujan in 'DBA' is a representation for several OBCs who are unprivileged, as there are many upper castes in OBCs and they can't be included in it. I have a question why we need to separate OBCs as Bahujan and Dalits and tribals as different communities. Buddha who quoted 'Bahujan Hitay and Bahujan Sukhay' where bahujan represents the majority. Manyawar Kanshiram too quoted Buddha's perception of Bahujan.
'Dalit' itself means broken, but through the poem, I want to point that we all are broken. We are not united, we have our own identities, agendas. The day we understand Ambedkar's vision, the day there will be movements together as one, as 'Bahujan', we will be close to fulfilling his dream.