Dr. B. R Ambedkar is not just a name but it's an emotion for me. You will agree with me that if you know him a little, you will try to know more about him. Reading him is like depicting the reality of our nation based on the centuries of caste systems. All might not know the emotion of what a Dalit or Adivasi feels when they are discriminated on the basis of caste they belong to. I come from a Schedule caste community. I never knew much about Babasaheb other than him being the drafting member of the Constitution. But when I went to Maharashtra for my Undergraduate degree, I really got to know what exactly he has done for us.
Not just for any particular community but for the whole nation. It's not our fault that most of the people don't know about him but it's the government which has never let us know about him and his experiences. The reason behind this can be that most of the time the government has been formed from the so called dominating caste. They never wanted the pedagogy to be in such a way to help us know about these real gems apart from showing just some heroic dominating caste freedom fighters and minister's since history. When I was reading the autobiography of Dr. B. R Ambedkar i.e., waiting for a visa, I got to know that what not he has faced in his life because of just belonging from the Mahar caste of Maharashtra.
As an individual I believe that if any person in this earth, belonging to any caste, creed, religion etc. follows the ideology of Babasaheb and read about him will definitely value education. If they educate themselves, they will also have the zest to educate their communities. Through this the whole society can be educated and people will become more aware about their rights and responsibilities. Still in States like Jharkhand, Bihar etc. the literacy rate is low and among them the uneducated populations are mostly from Dalit and Tribal communities due to which the lands and forest are being sold to the outsiders with just cheating them and giving them false hopes. I remember, once during my undergraduate, one of my classmate said me that- "Why in this particular Institute students are mostly following the leftist ideology?" (A person with left wing- political view).
This was the time when I was just getting to know about few eminent persons like Jyotiba Phule, Periyar, Dr. B. R Ambedkar etc. I just smiled to his question and said- "You find the people in a particular university following the left wing ideology difficult then think about those people who are surviving each day with the sophisticated varna system in which the rightist believe and follows blindly, how dificult it might be being a liberal."
I didn't wanted to argue with him so, I ended the conversation after that. One of my friend in my post- Graduation once gave me an advice that "Never expect a rational thinking from a religious person because they won't see things critically rather they would relate everything with religion and myths behind that." I really find those words of him as wise and to be followed throughout my life. So, on the occasion of 133th birth Anniversary of Dr. B. R Ambedkar, I want everyone to read about Babasaheb and educate yourself, Organise people and agitate for a better future.
Jai Bhim!
Thanks for patiently Reading
~Regards
Pallavi Kumari
B. A in Social Work ( TISS)
M. A in Social Work ( RGNIYD)
Email ID- pallavi1999nivi@gmail.com