That is my village people. Burdened and yet unbroken and even
unembitterred. It is out of that reality that a change will come that
will sweep the world.
Komakkambedu Himakiran Anugula I've wondered what the origin of the term Dalit was.
Aparna Krishnan Why would anyone name a strong (even if violated) community 'Broken' ? I also would like to search the origins.
Aparna Krishnan I can only see the native Americans as Unbreakable. Even if technically defeated.
Komakkambedu Himakiran Anugula turns out the term means "oppressed"; It was Ambedkar who popularized it's usage.
Aparna Krishnan Literal
meaning is Broken. Coming from a statesman like that I would not
dismiss it. But I am sure there must have been many internal debates on
the matter then,
Komakkambedu Himakiran Anugula yes, there is also the Gandhi angle and the term "Harijan" which is actually despised by many.
Aparna Krishnan And why was 'Harijan' despised ? Is it really that condescending ?
Komakkambedu Himakiran Anugula Back
in India, Ambedkar devoted himself to improving the lives of
untouchables. He soon found himself in conflict with Gandhi, who had
declared himself an untouchable by choice. They disagreed at both the
symbolic and the practical level. Both men recognized
the power of abandoning the term “untouchable”. Gandhi proposed
Harijans (people of God) as a substitute. Ambedkar rejected Harijan as
patronizing, preferring the term dalit (oppressed). Gandhi wanted to
improve the lives of Untouchables by appealing to caste Hindus to
abandon untouchability. Ambedkar recognized that it was easier to change
laws than to change people’s hearts and heads. He preferred to lead
dalits in campaigns designed to improve access to education and to
secure basic civil and religious rights, including the right to use the
public water system and to enter temples.
In 1935, after an unsuccessful five-year campaign to gain the right to enter Hindu temples, Ambedkar decided if you can’t beat them, leave them. He declared “I was born a Hindu, but I will not die a Hindu” He urged untouchables to “change your religion”: reject Hinduism and convert to a religion that doesn’t recognize caste or untouchabliity.
Both Christianity and Buddhism fit the description, but Ambedkar leaned toward Buddhism, which had ceased to be a living religion in India when Muslim invaders destroyed its temples and monasteries in the twelfth century, On October 4, 1956, after twenty years of study and writing on the subject, Ambedkar and thousands of other dalits converted to Buddhism in a massive ceremony. In the following years, more than four million dalits declared themselves Buddhists and stepped outside the mental framework of the caste system.
In 1935, after an unsuccessful five-year campaign to gain the right to enter Hindu temples, Ambedkar decided if you can’t beat them, leave them. He declared “I was born a Hindu, but I will not die a Hindu” He urged untouchables to “change your religion”: reject Hinduism and convert to a religion that doesn’t recognize caste or untouchabliity.
Both Christianity and Buddhism fit the description, but Ambedkar leaned toward Buddhism, which had ceased to be a living religion in India when Muslim invaders destroyed its temples and monasteries in the twelfth century, On October 4, 1956, after twenty years of study and writing on the subject, Ambedkar and thousands of other dalits converted to Buddhism in a massive ceremony. In the following years, more than four million dalits declared themselves Buddhists and stepped outside the mental framework of the caste system.
Aparna Krishnan I
know. But do you find the word patronising yourself ? I am trying to
understand the different perspectives. And Gandhi, though from the
inherited position of the repentent-caste-superior (also yours and mine
actually, as of any non-SC !), did as much for the harijan cause as
Ambedkar.
Komakkambedu Himakiran Anugula Well, if I were from that community/ies, I would not like to be called a son of Hari, a Hindu God!
Aparna Krishnan Actually
that is not so.Of course, I can only speak for my village(s), and my
exposure is limited and not pan-India. But here the people revere
Gangamma and Munneshwaradu and Balali and Krishna(murthy) deeply. That
also does not mean that structured properly, they will not fight for
their rights. But the sense of gods and reverence runs deep. Jesus is
also appropriated !!
Komakkambedu Himakiran Anugula true...but not for the politically conscious ones.
Aparna Krishnan I would like their politics to emerge from their worldviews. Sometimes I wonder if it is being defined from outside also.
Komakkambedu Himakiran Anugula it surely is. That's why they need more empowerment.
Aparna Krishnan Religion,
religiousness ... these concepts have been rejected by the educated, external leadership. I wonder where and how these would
figure were the people to define their own paradigm and struggle. In
all these nitty gritties lies the foundation and sustainability and
ownership of movements.
Kannan Thandapani I
find attempts to attribute ulterior motives to the usage of the word
Harijan by Gandhi, totally ignorant. However, since the word is now not
preferred by a majority of those who it refers to, I am happy to use the
word Dalit. The word Dalit may also become offensive some day in the
future.
Komakkambedu Himakiran Anugula Ambedkar was the one to denounce "Harijan". I'd be careful before calling him ignorant.
Dalit is also not preferred by many South Indians. There is a movement to simply use their caste names as their identity. As they wish!
Dalit is also not preferred by many South Indians. There is a movement to simply use their caste names as their identity. As they wish!
Aparna Krishnan I
do not think anyone has accused Gandhi of 'ulterior motives' in the
terming. The perspective of an SC, and the perspective of the upper
caste well aware of the oppressions his community was party to, are
bound to be very different. It is essential each
gets a sense of the other, Because the final concern is the same. Yes,
the habit of owning up the caste name seems eminently sensible. The
Maalas have no sense of apology about their caste name !
Komakkambedu Himakiran Anugula In
spite of his good intentions, Gandhi was seen as a proponent of the
upper caste Hindu hierarchy. His failure to understand that people
ingrained in such a system will never let go of the privileges and treat
others as equal was what led to both Periyar & Ambedkar parting
ways. Gandhi was human after all.
Kannan Thandapani Point
taken...should have been more careful. I meant ignorant about Gandhi
and the context. But disagreement with the choice of the word is one
thing -which is what yours and Ambedkar's are - personally, I too am not
a big fan of that word; but I have seen some recent diatribes about the
motives of Gandhi and was referring to that.
Komakkambedu Himakiran Anugula Haha, ayyo let's leave the bhatks and their diatribes out of this!
They're funny people.
They're funny people.
No comments:
Post a Comment