Nikhil SanjayRekha Adsule
(Speech delivered by Nikhil Sanjay-Rekha Adsule in Kathmandu, Nepal at the 8th Asian Pro Bono Conference as an introduction to his paper on ‘Dr.Ambedkar and his pro bono services in Access to Justice and reclaiming Humanity along with a presentation on India’s Social Structure i.e Caste system and its modus-operandi’)
Good morning friends,
It’s such a beautiful feeling to be in the land where Buddha – a radical philosopher and an ardent believer of revolutionary nonviolence was born.I am elated to be given this opportunity to speak explicitly about a hero who inspires me. Who shall be more apt than the person who reintroduced Buddha and his Dhamma in the land of India where Buddha was forcibly dispaced by Vaishnavite and Brahmanical tendencies and portrayed as an avatara of Vishnu.This statement assumes importance in this very land of Buddha as Dr. B.R.Ambedkar, my hero, crusader for Social Justice and Father of all the oppressed and suppressed in India, whom we fondly called Babasaheb came in Kathmandu and delivered a lecture, “Buddha or Karl Marx”. So, like our Father, here I am his son to speak and I thank the organisers for inviting me and let me pour my feelings here!
Everybody today here is in their National Dress. I am here in a dress which our beloved Father loved! India is still not a nation and dissected by the tendencies of Gender, Religion, Caste and Class differences. As I am speaking here at least 93 atrocities have been committed on dalits with the very slogan of Unity of all against Dalits. This statistics I am quoting from the official records, leave alone the non registered complaints by the state which is casteist and biased as well a mirror image of Society of India.The dress which I have worn(Three piece suit) is a portrayal of our assertion i.e Dalit Assertion! For centuries we were not allowed to wear new clothes. In some parts of India, our women were not allowed to cover their breasts in the name of culture. This was of course imposed in the name of tradition! Brahmanical traditions!
My Father Babasaheb fought against all this degraded and parochial social morality and came up with a concept of Constitutional morality to be imbibed in the very subconscious of populace of India. His craving for excellence and nation first led him to take the responsibility of framing the Constitution of Independent India and thus he is rightly called the Father of the Constitution of India which is under assault in India in this era of post truth. I believe in coming two days via my presentations you shall gain more awareness of his work for India in innumerable realms and which was tried to be kept hidden from people owing to the tendency to highlight the greatness of some naked Fakirs or so called Mahatmas who have come and gone, who have upheld the Varna hierarchy and Caste system in the name of efficiency and basically to save hinduism/hindutva/brahmanism. I hope you shall join me in my coming sessions on ‘Dalits and their situation in Contemporary India’ as well as ‘ Models of Gender Biases and Patriarchy in Contemporary India’ which shall question the system as well as bring to the forefront the issue of marginalisation among the marginalised! I shall conclude here and extend my warm greetings to all of you.
Jai Bheem!
Thank you!
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Nikhil SanjayRekha Adsule is an electrical engineer and is currently pursiing LLB from Savitribai Phule Pune University. He is an Ambedkarite who dreams of creating a Begumpura of genderless, casteless, classless society.
