Its hard to find something about Dr Ambedkar that has not already been said. What is a fire in winter? What is water when you are thirsty? What is the blue sky above us? Dr Ambedkar’s influence is ubiquitous and synonymous with human rights and justice. He was a man far ahead of his time, as shown by his amazing Hindu code Bill- giving women personhood, rights to land and inheritance. His selfless and exhausting struggle against the forces of oppression and casteist discrimination, apathy and barbarity reveal a rare human being, an exceptional, compassionate and just man.
When we deify Babsaheb we do a disservice to him and his legacy. Why is that? Dr Ambedkar certainly deserves devotion, respect and praise. He showed saintly and fiercely compassionate qualities. But the problem in deifying someone, in putting them on a pedestal, means you rob them of their humanity and you absolve others, or us, his followers of the need to follow in his footsteps, to carry forward his legacy of fighting for justice, of standing with the oppressed, of selfless service and unselfish incorruptible altruism. This Ambedkar Jayanti, we should not just worship Babasaheb, we should BECOME Babasaheb. Practicing social work, purifying the mind, being generous and working for justice carry forward his living legacy much more than another concrete statue.
Now in India it feels like every person wants to be their own Raja. In politics there is a lot of egotism, self service, a lot of doing good things only when the cameras are rolling. The original party of Dr Ambedkar has split into so many small groups. This fracturing and self serving attitude in politics damages Ambedkarite’s strength as a group to work for justice and meaningful change. The cut throat attitude amongst the neo middle class to forget their roots, to adopt the behaviour of upper castes and instead of honouring and empowering the poor, patronising or exploiting them is very sad.
Now more than ever we need solidarity and to work as a group to save the planet and humanity. When it’s every man for himself the world is a horrible and harsh place to live. We all need to listen as much as we speak, to be compassionate, selfless and humble and work for the greater good. There is nothing wrong with self-confidence, but egotism and selfishness are destroying the world. Dr Ambedkar could have stayed overseas or just worked in a comfortable private job and amassed wealth for himself. He didn’t. Instead he chose the hard path of social service. He helped others help themselves.
Let’s make Dr Ambedkar’s legacy truly meaningful and actually follow what he taught, not pollute his legacy with self-serving ego and greed.
It is a great shame more non-Indians don’t know about the amazing humanitarian work about this great man, this great bodhisattva. His legacy is truly astounding. In a decade in Nagpur I personally saw how far Scheduled Caste people have come because of the tireless struggled of Babasaheb. We need to remember his actions, and emulate them, not just worship his personality.
As a Buddhist nun I also encourage Indian Neo Buddhists to truly explore their adopted religion so their conversion is not just in name only. It’s kind of embarrassing to convert to a religion and not know its essential teachings, isn’t it? There are so many teachings on even YouTube now, there is no excuse to be ignorant. Buddhism is a perfect accompaniment to the Teachings of Doctor Ambedkar. These two philosophies are not exactly the same, because Ambedkarism is humanist and aims to create a perfect and just world here and now. Buddhism aims to free one from ignorance and the dissatisfactory nature of samsara and negative emotions and to liberate oneself and all beings to Nirvana. But meditation, ethics, compassion, generosity are so essential for human happiness. Meditation also refuels one’s resolve, energy and peace/wellbeing to continue in the work of justice, to have a happy family life and to face the struggles of life. Life is very hard without inner peace. Buddhism is a well of deep wisdom we should all drink from. In the modern world many Ambedkarites are well educated and capable of embracing a more broad view of Buddhism, more than perhaps the preliminary foundations laid down in the Buddha and his Dhamma. But that does not mean this book is not an essential foundation for socially engaged Buddhism.
After 12 years of running a charity in the poor areas of Nagpur with Ambedkarites and running a girls home, women’s job training and 4 tuition centres and helping 2000 poor Indians a year, I am honoured to have shared my life with you and to be part of your community. Remember, BE Ambedkar.
Jai Bhim!
-Ayya Yeshe is an Australian Bhikshuni who lived in India 14 years and Directs Bodhicitta Foundation, a charity empowering Indian Buddhists www.bodhicitta-vihara.com
*दलित टाइम्स उन करोड़ो लोगो की आवाज़ है जिन्हें हाशिए पर रखा गया है। *
महिला, दलित और आदिवासियों के मुद्दों पर केंद्रित पत्रकारिता करने और मुख्यधारा की मीडिया में इनका प्रतिनिधित्व करने के लिए हमें आर्थिक सहयोग करें।
