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Forgotten traditions By Chandrabhan Prasad Should all Dalits/Adivasis become English speaking by October 25, 2106, the 306th birth anniversary of Lord Macaulay, it is possible that most of them will have got uprooted from their traditions. They will have stopped toiling at landlords farms; dignity of Dalit women will have been restored. If not machines, some one else will be skinning dead cows, and people will be shinning their own shoes. The English-speaking Dalits will have stopped scaling toddy/coconut trees. Dalits will have stopped chasing field rats in search of extra protein. Even their dress code will have changed. Most of them will have gone into suit & boot. The English speaking Dalits will have broken all their traditions, the way Dr Ambedkar broke all the traditions, when he spoke English. Post-October 25, birthday of English the Dalit Goddess, many a right thinking Indians have expressed fears that by going English, Dalits will have lost touch from their traditions, cultures, languages, and their knowledge systems. Unarguably they are not wrong in their apprehensions. But, so have the English speaking non-Dalits, who have got uprooted from their traditions, cultures, languages, and knowledge systems. Was English learning part of the caste-Hindu tradition? Yet, millions of them abandoned Sanskrit in favour of English. Was crossing the seven seas part of the caste-Hindu traditions? Yet they went to England and the US for Western education, and many never looked back. Are they repenting for that? Are they asking their children to return and study in India? Was the Western education part of the caste-Hindu tradition? Yet, millions of them abandoned Vedic education in favour of education implanted by Lord Macaulay. Are they repenting for that? Are they returning to Vedic education? Was suit & boot part of the caste-Hindu tradition? Yet, millions abandoned their dhoti and langot in favour of suit & boot. Are they repenting for that? Are they telling their children to wear dhoti and langot? Was e-mail system part of the caste-Hindu tradition? Yet, millions of them have abandoned pigeon powered mail delivery system in favour of e-mail system. Are they asking their children to return to the pigeon powered mail delivery system? The critics of English as the Dalit Goddess are themselves abandoning their traditions. The English speaking non-Dalits have in fact considerable amount of contempt for their own people who have remained rooted to their traditions. For instance, do the English speaking Brahmins have any thing to do with those Brahmins who recite Sanskrit mantras and perform rituals? Do the English speaking Kshatriyas have any thing to do with those Kshatriyas who sport large moustaches and live in the countryside? Do the English speaking Vaishyas have anything to do with those Vaishyas who sell goods seating cross-legged in their shops? Remember, it is not class divide, it is simply cultural. A Sanskrit knowing Brahmin may be richer presiding over a large temple complex, and yet, he is culturally virtually ex-communicated from English speaking Brahmins who preside over newspaper editorial boards. A Hindi speaking Kshatriya may be richer because of agricultural land, tractors and remains culturally ex-communicated from English speaking Kshatriyas who may be a teacher. A Hindi speaking Vaishya with large property may be richer but remains culturally ex-communicated from an English speaking Vaishya who may just a sales representative. The world over, a person's progress is judged more by his cultural advancement than by wealth he may possess. The cultural advancement is measured as how far a person has distanced himself from his tradition. Those rooted to their traditions are often perceived to be backwards. In societies like India, westernised persons are considered advanced and become role models for others. If millions of non-Dalits have got into good lives by abandoning their traditions, why can't Dalits be allowed to walk a similar trajectory.
