Shireesha Swaero Chitlapally
Bheem Deeksha is a distinctive month, started by RS Praveen, former IPS officer and former Secretary of Telangana Social and Tribal Welfare Institutions. Bheem Deeksha is a unique month commencing on the birth anniversary of Manyawar Kanshiram on 15th March and ending on the birth anniversary of Babasaheb Dr. B R Ambedkar on 14th April. During this one month, Swaeros also observes the birth anniversary of other pioneers like Jagjeevan Ram and Jotiba Phule.
Swaeroes network comprises alumni of social welfare residential institutions, Bahujan communities from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, and students in universities across the country like Azim Premji University, Delhi University, JNU, UoH, Osmania University, Pondicherry University, Rajasthan Central University, Central University of Punjab, IITs, NITs. Swaeroes across the globe observe this Deeksha to attain self-discipline in dismantling the prevalent social evils. Can anyone observe Deeksha? Yes, people who believe in egalitarian principles regardless of their caste, class, gender, religion, race, and identity can practice this Deeksha with perseverance.
Roots of Bheem Deeksha
The adverse living conditions with oppression and distractions, disabled the downtrodden sections from accessing resources and opportunities, thus making them remain poor. As a marginalized citizen in this Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, and Democratic Republic country, to tackle social and economic poverty, exterminate social evils like caste and religious acts of barbarity, patriarchy, and safeguard rights, provide access to education, health, and employment opportunities one has to embrace an inclusive and secular ideology like “Swaeroism” an alternative social and cultural transformation movement initiated in Telangana.
Swaeroism teaches one to tackle structural oppression with knowledge, embrace culture with scientific temper, freedom, and sovereignty, and practice what one preaches. Swaeroism helps one discover their inner potential. To dismantle the inferiority complex and assert our identity the suffix “ Swaero” was added to names.
“SW means ‘state welfare’, and ‘aeroes’ means the sky’s the limit to dream, achieve, and have no reverse gears. The term ‘Swaero’ made it to the Oxford English – English – Telugu compact dictionary, in 2023. Many often ask “Who can be Swaero?” Swaero is not confined to a region, religion, or caste. It is open to everyone who believes in and practices egalitarian ideas can be called Swaeros.
Swaeroes movement has started diverse, ingenious academic and cultural programs to transform the lives of deprived communities, children, and their families not only in schools and colleges but also in villages. Bheem Deeksha is one of the programs initiated to lead the righteous path, acquire knowledge, and promote well-being and health.
Rules of Bheem Deeksha- “We are what we do”!
In the month-long Bheem Deeksha, the day begins with one waking up early in the morning, reading hour about eminent leaders like Gautama Budha, Jotiba Phule, Savitri Bai, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Periyar, Kanshiram, Komuram Bheem, Kalekuri Prasad, Alishetty Prabhakar, and other anti-caste writers and thinkers works. It is followed by engaging in physical activities like running, walking, Zumba, meditating, or any other form of fitness activity. One gives up unhealthy eating habits, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, pan or other tobacco-related substances. One visits Ambedkar Knowledge Centers, Village Learning Centers, and Social Welfare hostels as well as engaging with communities in slum areas.
Below are the Swaeroes Ten Commandments, reading and practicing form an integral part of the Deeksha:
1. I am not Inferior to anyone
2. I shall be the leader wherever I am
3. I shall do what I love and be different
4. I shall always think big and aim high
5. I shall be honest, hardworking, and punctual
6. I shall never blame others for my failures
7. I shall neither beg nor cheat
8. I shall repay what I borrow
9. I shall never fear the unknown
10. I shall never Give up
These commandments are the guiding principles for Swaeros. If we closely observe the commandments, each sentence is crafted aiming to demolish the structural inferiority of marginalized children, build their confidence, make a disciplined and dignified lifestyle, opt for rational choices, and build a sense of gratitude to pay back to society and a habit of never giving up for anything.
What sets this Deeksha apart from others is its implementation and for being unique. The idea behind this is to bring an instrumental change in the personal as well as the lifestyle of a community. Every rule in this Deeksha enables us to subscribe to the powerful habits, ideas, knowledge, and reforms that result in being committed, self-disciplined, punctual, potentially, intellectual, and rational human beings.
A widely discussed and debated rule of Bheem Deeksha is that of “abstaining from eating meat and drinking alcoholic beverages” for the entire month. This is not an imposition and is unrelated to the concept of purity and pollution. With alcohol consumption, the amount of damage caused to marginalized people in some states is immense. In Telangana, people often tend to have meat and alcohol in combination and the daily wages of these marginalized sections sometimes end up buying these two; leaving little for other essential needs. This situation can lead to challenging living conditions and may even result in verbal and physical abuse within families, particularly among women. To gradually overcome addiction, it is necessary to adopt healthier habits and incorporate them into daily life to improve living conditions.
The practices of Bheem Deeksha align with the 22 vows of Navayana Buddhism i.e. propounded by Babasaheb Dr. Ambedkar. However, it is essential to note a clear distinction between these two. Bheem Deeksha or Swaeroism does not promote any religion but exercises egalitarianism and anti-caste Ideology. At its core, what I feel is that Swaeroism is an alternative social and cultural transformation movement promoting egalitarian values, advocating inclusivity of all religions, dismantling the barriers of the caste system, and standing contrary to all the prevalent social inequalities.
My Experiences of Bheem Deeksha
I am a first-generation learner hailing from a village in Telangana. I did my schooling in Telangana social welfare residential institutions and completed my Master’s in Development Studies at Azim Premji University, Karnataka.
Being a student from a marginalized community, an elite space like APU is challenging. Your culture, language, lifestyle, and access to almost everything are not connected. Socialization, communication, and grouping for assignments, projects, and presentations are distinct. An unconscious sense of inferiority may hinder one from expressing oneself and integrating into mainstream social and academic culture. It feels like something is imposing on and ostracizing You. Your experiences are unlike theirs. The discourse of feminism, caste, and class ideas is dominated by Savarna and Left feminists. Sometimes it is gibberish. Here is where Swaeroism guides me to find my space, between right and left. To counter the barriers, the Ten Commandments act as the catalyst and are instrumental in my growth and participation. The marginalized students at APU with the support of liberal Professors created a safe space for all the marginalized students of Dalit, Adivasi, and Minority (Bahujan) communities from various parts of the country, named “Savitri Ambedkar Cultural Club ” in the University. Every year we observe “ Bheem Deeksha” at the university and conduct book reading sessions and group discussions on gender, caste, social movements, and contemporary debates in society.
We also celebrate “Phule Ambedkar Memorial Week” on the Campus every year. We invite intellectuals, writers, and activists across the country for discussions and conduct cultural events. This is the space for the students who are coming out for the first time to learn and present their skills, and knowledge, and assert their Ideology.
Bheem Deeksha – 2023
I have been observing Deeksha for the past four years and year by year I could see my growth. For 2023, I picked up five books. The first book is “Annihilation of Caste” by Babasaheb, “Modhuguphoolu” by Rangacharya, “Charithralni Cherigiposthu” by Joopaka Subadhra, “Dalita Kathalu” by Guda Anjaiah, and “Rayakka Maanyam” by Joopaka Subadhra.
I chose “Annihilation of caste” to understand the caste system in India, its genesis, ways, and importance of annihilating caste in society, and the thought of Ambedkar. The other books are about Dalit History, Dalit women’s stories, their struggles and exploitation by Savarna feminism, the emergence of communism in Telugu states, and how communism sidelined the struggles of Dalits and used them to build their interests. One must know their history, our ancestor’s struggles, and resistance, which leads to the question of Who am I now? What can we do with our potential to accomplish social, economic, and political transformation? It was exhilarating to read books on Dalit History, Dalit women’s stories, the emergence of communism, and how it exploited Dalits in Telangana.
Allow me to provide a brief overview of the books I have read. The first one is “Modugu Poolu”, a book written by Dasarthi Rangacharya. This is my first book to understand the emergence of communism in Telugu states. The author explains the lives of Marginalized people under Nizam’s rule and the domination by (Zamindars, Avvaldars, Tehsildars) Upper castes, dominant castes, feudal landlords, Police, and middlemen. The vulnerable living conditions of Dalits, tribes, and serving castes during those times were inexplicable. Reading newspapers (Akhbaar) was a crime. Tax collection tactics used against farmers, the impoverished, and other underprivileged groups amounted to severe forms of harassment. The writer also speaks about the exploitation of Tribal hamlets by Zamindars and Feudal lords at the rate of their interests. Overall, he talks about the emergence of communism from those incidents.
The second book is Cherithralni Cherigiposthu ” written by Jupaka Subhadra. She has written about the living experiences of marginalized Bahujan women, Sex workers, Bar dancers, Sanitation workers, and Bahujan women in the Entertainment sector. The book also discusses the triple burden faced by Dalit women and their gender roles. She mentions the powerful unrecognized hidden women figures in Dalit History and by the mainstream like Dr. Narsavva, Ellamma, Kodurupaka Rajavva, Savitri Bai, Behenji, Rohith Vemula, Kalekuri Prasad, and other writers. The way Subadhra questions the “Uri Ordinance” is impeccable. The book addresses the ‘Lakshimpeta’ massacre. Questions the poetry and writings of Sri Sri and Chalam who wrote about feminism from the lenses of Upper caste women but never spoke about the Marginalization and double burden of Dalit, OBC, and Adivasi women. She discloses the distinctions between Savarna and Bahujani feminism and elaborates on the Hindu code Bill. She expounds on how communists’ writings, caste Hindu writings, and Savarna feminist writings owned the characters of ” Seetha, Urmila, and Ahalya ” and how they excluded the women of marginalized community characters like “Thataki and Surpanakha”
I developed a habit of reading different books including Anti-Caste and other modern authors on wide topics. Structurally marginalized individuals often face barriers in engaging with their cultural heritage and the thoughts of eminent leaders for numerous reasons. To engage in academic spaces, and counter the narratives of mainstream ideas of exploitation and marginalization, it is crucial to habituate to reading. To inculcate and develop a culture of reading habits, Dr. RS Praveen Kumar Swaero has initiated Bheem Deeksha. It is also important to know the ideas, thoughts, and philosophies of great thinkers like Basava, Mahatma Phule, Ambedkar, Savitri, Periyar, Kanshiram, Kalekuri, and other anti-caste nobles.
The books I read for the 2023 Bheem Deeksha paved a path for me to navigate through the basic understanding of caste, class, culture, gender, communism, and politics. Apart from the books I read during Bheem Deeksha, in 2023, I read, “Ikigai, The Untouchable Spring, The Alchemist, Why I am Not a Hindu, The Clash of Cultures, and Man’s Search For Meaning”. All these books gave me an entirely different perspective about life and Society. To inculcate a disciplined lifestyle, one must first be ready to change. In a democratic country like India, one must always engage in political discussions and for one to be engaged in discussions, one must read.
My reading list for Bheem Deeksha 2024
For Bheem Deeksha-2024, I have collected the whole set of K.Balagopal’s books to study in-depth analysis of caste, gender, class, communism, politics Dalit movement, and Naxalism from the 1980s and to the 2000s in Telugu states. Dr. K. Balagopal was a pragmatic writer and founder of the Human Rights Forum in the United Andhra Pradesh. He penned many articles on Marxism, Maoism, Naxalism, human rights, and developmental Issues and documented the extrajudicial killings by government forces in Andhra Pradesh.
Bheem Deeksha provides an opportune time to reflect on our existence, who we are, what we are doing, and what we are going to do and instill great ideas, ideologies, and habits that shape our personality for the betterment of our community lives. Dr. RS Praveen Kumar says “If not Now, then When? If not You then Who?” Every day is a chance to try to be better. “Let’s get educated, organize, and agitate”.
Jai Bhim, Jai Phule, Jai Savitri, Jai Bhirsa, Jai Ilamma and Hul Johar!
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Shireesha Swaero Chitlapally is a postgraduate student in Development Studies at Azim Premji University.
