The Navhind Times Thursday, 03 March 2003 A Mahanth’s Message MAHANTH Sudhir Pujari, the grandson of Ramdasbuwa Pujari of Kala Ram temple at Panchavati in Maharashtra, has made a forthright statement that his grandfather had committed a “big social mistake” by not allowing Dr B R Ambedkar and his associates to enter the temple for darshan of the deity. It was after this incident of March 2, 1930 that Dr Ambedkar felt compelled to renounce Hinduism and convert himself to Buddhism. On that day Dr Ambedkar along with about 15,000 Dalits marched to the 212-year-old temple to protest against upper caste exploitation and discrimination. Had he and his associates been allowed the perform the darshan, the socio-political scene today might have been entirely different. This denial proved to be a turning point in Dr Ambedkar’s life and Dalit politics in the country. It was after five years of this incident that Dr Ambedkar convened a meeting of the Dalits and said that though he was born a Hindu, he would not die a Hindu. Mahanth Sudhir says,”If my grandfather had permitted entry to Dalits, Dr Ambedkar would have stayed in the Hindu fold, and there would not have been a division of Hindus.”
What is most interesting is that Dr Ambedkar’s associate, Dadasaheb Gaikwad, who marched with him to Kala Ram temple, was a close friend of Mahanth Ramdasbuwa. What was more the Mahanth had even financed him to contest election. This revelation of Mahanth Sudhir is quite interesting as it makes it clear that it was not merely the issue of being untouchables that was the stumbling block in allowing them to enter into the temple. Obviously it implies that there were other social factors and forces which were responsible for it. Unfortunately even after seventy-five years of the incident no sincere effort has been made to totally change the background under which the Mahanth had to take this action. Instead of any attempt to assimilate this section into the mainstream, the political leaders have been working to widen the chasm and putting one against each other. The Dalit population is around 18 crore in a population that has now crossed the 100-crore mark. While at the public level the Dalits are accepted as a part of Hindu community, they have been in reality treated with hostility and repression, and have been the target of calculated attacks from the other castes. In fact they have become a soft target, and this has been happening in spite of resurgence of Dalit movement. The issue of conversion has also acquired a broader dimension; they have virtually acquired the character of a product in the political market. What is very disturbing is that governments in the states appear to have surrendered their political will to stand by them and to stop their exploitation and check their alienation. A Human Rights Watch report underlines that the “ Dalits live a precarious existence, shunned by much of society because of their rank as ‘untouchables’ at the bottom of the caste system. They are discriminated against, denied access to land, forced to work in degrading conditions, and routinely abused at the hands or the police and of higher-caste groups that enjoy the State’s protection”. The upper-lower caste divide was there in pre-British period. However, it cannot be denied that the divide-and-rule tactic of British colonialism made us believe that Indians were merely a disparate conglomeration of human tribes loosely held together. But unfortunately the Hindutva movement — primarily launched as a counter-movement to this splintering of India, and seeking to provide a broad basic foundation on which a consolidated and mighty Hindu Nation could stand—became an instrument to alienate the weaker sections of the society from the mainstream. An analysis of the agenda of Hindu nationalism in the historical perspective will reveal that the Dalits are perceived to present a threat to the nationalist agenda. It is really heartening to note that Mahanth Sudhir Pujari has initiated a process to undo the 75-year-old mistake and has decided to adopt 25 Dalit students on behalf of Janasthan Peeth. He would also bring up 50 children and educate them properly. Though very belated, at least Mahant Sudhir has made a beginning and this should be an eye-opener and also an example for others. It is unfortunate that even today the discrimination against the Dalits is rampant, notwithstanding a number of legislations protecting their rights and providing for penalties. It has been proven time and again that mere laws are not enough for social, political and economic empowerment of the Dalits. What is needed is a strong social movement to create a discrimination-free society. This is the message that Mahanth Sudhir has sent forward on behalf of his erring grandfather.
