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| Sunday, April 4, 2004 |
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| Sunday, April 4, 2004 |
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Reconstructing the world: B. R. Ambedkar and Buddhism
in India.
Dr Ambedkar believed that the caste system was shattering Indian society, so he wanted to reconstruct society. Johannes Beltz writes: "His analysis of caste is based on cultural and religious differences, not on ethnic exclusivism." This edited work is a wonderful research into Ambedkar’s ideas on how religion can be used as a constructive tool for a society steeped in superstitions and rituals. He desired a more humane religion, which would be bereft of the various ills. This work is a commentary as to how Dr Ambedkar adopted Buddhism and tried to mould it according to the changing times. The writers focus on Ambedkar’s preference for ethics and morality over religious authority and graded inequality. Oliver Herrenschmidt’s essay, for example, confronts the birth, prevalence and practice of the caste system. Reflecting Ambedkar’s viewpoint that "graded inequality prevents the rise of general discontent against inequity," it is a wonderful contemplation of the existence of the Hindu social order. Eugenia Yurlova brings out the difference between Dhamma and religion as preached by Dr Ambedkar. She tries to highlight Ambedkar’s eagerness to eliminate untouchability, which he termed as social pollution. Yurlova explores Ambedkar’s various writings to see the link between Buddhism and democracy. Adele Fiske and Christoph Emmrich research emphasises Ambedkar’s thought that true religion is one that deals with man’s relationship with other human beings without stressing on rituals and ceremonies. The interesting essays include one by Pradeep P. Gokhale that gives an account of Ambedkar’s efforts to reconstruct Buddhism in light of secular rationality and sacred rationality. Ambedkar’s 21-year pilgrimage to Buddhism is traced by Christopher S. Queen. Ambedkar was influenced by his teacher, John Dewey’s ideas on social improvement, democratic skills and his faith "in the power of human leaders and communities to solve their own problems without divine intervention". Uma Chakravarti, while giving the basic ideas of Buddhism, Brahmanism and the caste system exposes a lacuna in Buddhism that does not deal seriously with the question of gender-based inequality. Another informative paper is by G. Aloysis that explains the concept of rebirth in Tamil Buddhism as well as in Brahmanical traditions. Ambedkar’s proclamation that he would not die a Hindu led him onto a journey—a search for a religion for the Dalits, which would emphasise on equality, righteousness, non-violence and compassion. Maren Bellwinkle-Schempp’s essay traces the rise of centres where Buddhism evolved. Besides Ambedkar, Schempp attempts to show the efforts of Acharya Ishvardatt Medharthi in developing the cause of the Dalits in Kanpur. Timothy Fitzgerald’s essay is a must read, for he tells that Babasahib believed that it is "power which liberates, for it liberates individuals from ignorance, exploitation and degradation". Fitzgerald mentions that Ambedkar wanted to use the power of the state to bring about social reform and redistribute wealth. Martin Fuchs praises Ambedkar’s efforts to form a new society and also to go on a religious quest. Martin concludes that this effort of Ambedkar did not have much impact outside the Dalit community, but it pushed religion to the rationalistic limits. The work is commendable, as it helps us get an insight into Ambedkar’s views regarding religion and caste system. It is a dynamic work to understand the universal thoughts of Dr Ambedkar. His efforts to reconstruct and reinvent Buddhism are not known to many. This book removes that drawback. |
WHEN we think of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, the picture
that looms large is that of him as the chairman of the Drafting
Committee that framed the Constitution. However, Dr Ambedkar had many
other achievements to his credit, which give an insight into the
progressive thinking of one of the greatest Dalit leaders ever. His
conversion to Buddhism on October 14, 1956, was the culmination of years
of analysis of the caste system.