Ankush Uttam Helode
“Unfortunately, I was born a Hindu untouchable but I will not die a Hindu” (DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR: WRITINGS AND SPEECHES, Vol-3,pg98)
With a view to reviewing the political and social situation in the light of his ten-year-old relentless social struggle, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar decided to hold a conference of the Depressed Classes at Yeola (District Nasik) on October 13, 1935, and announced that he would not die in the Hindu religion. For him, religion was important, but it had to be based on equality, fraternity, and liberty. After studying all religious scriptures, he gravitated toward Lord Buddha’s Dhamma, which he discovered was based on equality and was opposed to the Varna system, which is why, in his book ‘Revolution and Counter-Revolution,’ he argues that the history of India is nothing but a battle between Buddhism and Brahmanism.
As an Untouchable Mahar, he lived the life of a broken man in a community without representatives. Despite his education from the best universities in the world, he understood how difficult it was to reform social conditions without the assistance of the State. So, as his first attempt, he submitted a statement of the Untouchables’ demands in the political sphere to the Southborough Committee. In 1928, he again submitted a memorandum to the Simon Commission to safeguard the interests of the Depressed Classes (DCs). Later, at the Round Table Conference in 1930-2, he argued for separate electorates for the Untouchables, as well as social and political safeguards to protect the interests of the DCs. This was the result of political and intellectual efforts of Dr. Ambedkar for the political representation of the DCs.
The Untouchables were not part of the Varna system; they existed outside of the four Varnas, and their primary function was to serve all four Varnas. This was the state of the Untouchables; they were Hindus without equality, rights, or justice. Mr. Gandhi opposed separate electorates because he believed the Untouchables to be a part of the Hindu religion and separate electorates would mean an attack on national unity. He believed that the problem will be created by what was actually the solution. However, he, unlike Dr. Ambedkar, never fought to achieve sustainable social respect for the Untouchables.
Dr. Ambedkar claimed that leaving the Hindu religion was necessary for self-respect, representation, unity, dignity, and other reasons. Inequality is the foundation of Hinduism, and Buddha fought against inequality throughout his life. Ambedkar discovered that the Dhamma of the Buddha can be the new path for the Untouchables.
Dr. Ambedkar converted to Buddhism on October 14, 1956, along with nearly 3,65,000 of his followers in Nagpur. It not only changed his path, but also the lives of many marginalised people.
Dr. Ambedkar said on the day of his conversion, “Religion is for man and not man for religion. For getting human treatment, convert yourselves, convert to getting organized, convert to becoming strong, convert for securing equality, convert to getting liberty.” In one of his speeches Ambedkar said, “My social philosophy may be said to be enshrined in three words: liberty, equality and fraternity. Let no one, however, say that I have borrowed by philosophy from the French Revolution. I have not. My philosophy has roots in religion and not in political science. I have derived them from the teachings of my Master, the Buddha.” (DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR: WRITINGS AND SPEECHES, Vol-3 ) Ambedkar tried to incorporate Buddhist principles when drafting the Indian Constitution.
Before conversion, on September 30, 1956, a meeting of members of the Scheduled Castes Federation was held at the residence of Dr. Ambedkar. A resolution was passed to convert the Federation into a new political party, i.e. Republican Party of India. After his death, Dadasaheb Gaikwad and other Dalit leaders formed the party on October 3, 1957.
Eleanor Zelliot in her book ‘Ambedkar’s World– The Making of Babasaheb and the Dalit Movement’, explains that “the thought behind the new party was much like the expectation which accompanied the conversion — that the Untouchables would be brought into a larger group.” Also, Sociologists like Gail Omvedt believed that his conversion to Buddhism was more of a political protest in this regard.
Dr. Ambedkar worked to set the stage for the RPI to act as a potent political opposition to Congress while keeping in mind the requirements of parliamentary democracy. He gathered everyone from the Depressed Classes and the Untouchables under the umbrella of Buddhism. While the Untouchables were socially and ideologically bound to the Hindu society, he was well aware that in the parliamentary democracy of India, political power belongs to those who are socially conscious and aware. Ambedkar’s struggle was to free the Untouchables from the confines of Hinduism and help them build together an identity for representation.
However, Ambedkar passed away 1.5 months after conversion, and the Republican Party of India could not be the major political party as Dr. Ambedkar had envisaged.
Conversion to Buddhism was a major step toward entering independent Indian politics, as he had worked for an organised and issue-conscious group of Depressed Class people. He was aware that the issues of the Untouchables would not be resolved without politics, which is why he tried to obtain political representation for the Untouchables with the assistance of the British State in India. However, in independent India, political power was concentrated in the hands of a few upper castes Indians, and there was a pressing need for people to vote for their dignity and representation.
This was one of Dr. Ambedkar’s mottos, but he also wanted a dignified life for his people, and he was well aware that Gandhi’s idea for untouchables and the Hindu religion would not provide that to these people. Thus, politics influenced Dr. Ambedkar’s conversion, but there were also more intellectual and rational arguments presented by Babasaheb Dr. Ambedkar as to why he chose Buddha’s path of ‘Maitri.’
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Ankush Uttam Helode did his B.A Political Science from Garware College, Pune. Now he is pursuing Master of Arts in Public Policy and Governance from Azim Premji University, Bangalore.
