6/15/2015

Ambedkar:UniversalastheSun|Navayana

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Ambedkar:UniversalastheSun

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S.Anand

Goodeveningandwelcomeeverybody.JaiBhim!thissaluteistotheAmbedkaritemovementwhatLalSalamisto
comrades,andwhatAzadiistoKashmiris,whattheBlackPowersaluteistocivilrights.Thoughwechoseadatethatwas
availableatIndiaHabitatCentre,IamgladthisbookisbeingdiscussedonadaythathappenstobeKanshiRams
birthday.

B.R.AmbedkarwecanallseehimonthestageloomsonusliketheSun.Forthepast15minutesyouheardhisvoice
froma1955BBCinterviewwherehedenouncesGandhiandhismanufacturedMahatmastatus.

AliandMeenaon
Kitaabnama

AsadZaidiisadearfriend,publisherofThreeEssaysPress,andpoetofrenowninHindi.Heimmediatelyagreedtobe
partofthisconversationwithArundhatiRoy.Imthankfultohim.ArundhatiandIhavetravelledalongwayourfirst
conversation,in2003,wasoverAmbedkar,andwhyshehadnotreadhim.Sincethenwehavecomealongwayandthis
editionofAnnihilationofCastebearstestimonytothat.

Kitaabnamaepisode84,
"AustralianwriterAliCobby

Someintenseconversationshavebeenhappeningaroundthisbookfornearlyeightyyearsthiseveningwewillbemerely

Eckermanninconversation
withMeenaKandasamy",

continuingthatconversation.LetmebeginwithwhatAmbedkarsaysinAoC:Casteisnodoubtprimarilythebreathof
theHindus.ButtheHindushavefouledtheairallover.

wil....

Inmyreckoning,theairinthisHabitatCentre,too,isfouledbycastebreathingpeople.

News
Ourbookswillbeavailableat
theWorldBookFair2015at
theIndependentPublishers
Dist....
BRAmbedkars
AnnihilationofCastenow
availableinMalayalamwith
DCBooks
S.Anand,publisherof
Navayana,tellsuswhatwe
losebysilencingN.D.
Rajkumarsvoic....
ArundhatiRoydeliversthe
2014LancetLectureThe
HalfLifeofCaste:TheIll
Healthof....
More

Navayanalikes

In1936,whentheHindureformistgroup,theJatPatTodakMandalofLahore(ForumforBreakupofCaste)invitedDr
BhimraoRamjiAmbedkartodeliveritsannuallecture,itaskedforandreceivedthetextofthespeechinadvance.Itfound
thecontentsunbearable.Ambedkarhasanticipatedthisforhebeginshisundeliveredspeechwithaninjunctionfrom
theManusmriti:VarnanamBrahmanoGuruAmongvarnas,theBrahmanistheteacher/preceptor.AnUntouchable,
howeverqualified,beingaskedtopresideoveraconferenceofcasteHindusin1936was,asAmbedkarhimselfpointsout,
anactofgreatdaring.For,asAmbedkarsays:
IhavequestionedtheauthorityoftheMahatmawhomtheyrevere.Theyhateme.TothemIamasnakeintheir
garden.TheMandalwillnodoubtbeaskedbythepoliticallymindedHindustoexplainwhyithascalledmetofill
thisplaceofhonourIshallnotbesurprisedifsomepoliticalHindusregarditasaninsult.

TodaypoliticallymindedDalits,atleastasectionofthem,haveregardedthisactofNavayana,runbyapersonborninto
thebrahminvarnaannotatingit,andgettingawriterofthediligenceandintelligenceofArundhatiRoytowritethe
introductionasahistoricalreversalofthatinsult.Thisisasitshouldbe.

AmbedkarsutterancesinthisundeliveredspeecharedeeplydisturbingperhapsevenmoresoforaDalit.Iquote:
TheMandalknowsbestthereasonswhichledittotraveltoBombaytoselectapresident,tofixuponamanso
repugnanttotheHindus,andtodescendsolowinthescaleastoselectanantyajaanUntouchabletoaddressan
audienceofthesavarnas.Asformyself,youwillallowmetosaythatIhaveacceptedtheinvitationmuchagainstmy
will,andalsoagainstthewillofmanyofmyfellowUntouchables.IknowthattheHindusaresickofme.IknowthatI
amnotapersonagratawiththem.Knowingallthis,Ihavedeliberatelykeptmyselfawayfromthem.Ihaveno
desiretoinflictmyselfuponthem.Ihavebeengivingexpressiontomyviewsfrommyownplatform.

Ifthisisthepainfulstoryoftheoriginofatextthatisamongthemostradicalandimportanttextseverwritteninthis
subcontinent,thensurelythosewhoaretodaysayingthisgestureofabrahminannotatingthetextandanonDalit
introducingittotakeittoawideraudienceareactsthatneedtobeviewedwithsuspicion,andevencontempt.Would
suchanaudiencehaveturneduptodayhadthisbeenanentirelyDalitrunDalitledenterprise?WouldCaravanand
OutlookgivesomuchspaceforaDalittospeak?Thesearequestionsthatwecannotduck.Butthen,thesearethevery
questionsofrepresentationandprivilegequestionsofstructureandpower,ofentitlementthattheeditionofthebook

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Ambedkar:UniversalastheSun|Navayana
wearediscussingtodayisallabout.

Freedomofexpressionisnotanabsolutevalue.Somehavemoreofit,somehavenoneofit.Thereforequestionsbeing
askedbyasectionofDalitsaboutthiseditioncannotbedismissedasidentitypolitics.Itisjustlikewhattherighttovote
wasforAmbedkar:hewantedtoaugmentthevalueofDalitsbyensuringthemadoublevoteandyouwillfindinthis
editionofAoConeofthefinestdefencesofthedoublevote.

Yes,therearehundredofeditionsofAoCandtheyarefreelyavailableonthenet.Yet,theprivilegedcasteshavehadthe

DalitCamera
Ayoutubechannel
showcasingmarginalised
voices

Videos

privilegetoignorethistexttheyhavehadtheprivilegetojettisonanyseriousdialogueonAmbedkarsradicalideas
carriedforwardbytheDalitmovementsofIndiaforoversixtyyears.Whileamajorityoftheprivilegedcastesare
blissfullyignorantofitsexistence,AnnihilationofCastehasbeenprintedandreprintedlikemostofAmbedkarslarge
oeuvrebysmall,mostlyDalitownedpresses,andreadbymostlyDalitreadersoversevendecades.Itnowhasthecurious
distinctionofbeingoneofthemostobscureaswelloneofthemostwidelyreadbooksinIndia.Thisinitselfilluminates
theirongridofthecastesystem.

PunithaPandian,editorofDalitMurasu,aTamilmonthlyofoverfifteenyearsstanding,onseeingtheNavayanaedition
ofAoCwrotetome,sayingsince2007,DalitMurasuhadpublished17,000copiesofAoCinTamil.Heendedhisletter
saying,ButtheresnotasingledebateinTamilNadusofar.Imgladyoumadeanationaldebateinasingleday.

However,assomeoneaskedonFB:PatanahibookfairsmeinSamyakPrakashanyaGautamBookCentrekestallkeandar
yehlogkabhigaye?ThisquestionisposedtothekindofreadershipthiseditionofAoCostensiblyseekstothepeople

Stronginculture,not
weakinpain

gatheredheretoday.Toaddtothisquestion:dowekeepAmbedkarconfinedtoSamyak,GautamandDalitMurasuand
thousandsofsuchDalitplatforms?

Arelatedandimportantquestiontobeaskedis:whatisitthatwedowithprivilege?Sharpenitintoaweaponandwieldit
againsttheverybanyantreeofbrahminismthatentanglesuswithitsrootsintheair?Orshouldwejustenjoytheshaded
comfortofthistree?Ibelieveitistheformerthatthiseditionofthebookattempts.Navayanahasbeenanattemptto
createaplatformtoengagethosesmugaboutcasteprivilegetointerrogatethatprivilege.Navayanais,inmyview,a
necessaryhistoricalmistake.Itwillpass.Butfornow,itwillstay.

ThisannotatededitionofAoCcomesinaseriesofbooksthatNavayanahasdoneoverthelasttenyears:byBhagwanDas,
NamdeoDhasal,SharmilaRege,NamdeoNimgade,N.DRajkumar,KanchIlaiah,AjayNavaria,MeenaKandasamy,
PremanandGajvee,GailOmvedt,K.Balagopal,Siddalingaiah,GoguShyamala,DurgabaiVyam,AnandTeltumbdeand
manymore.

ArundhatiRoyslecture
atColumbiaUniversity

IfAmbedkaristhewriterImostadmireamongthosedead,ArundhatiRoyisoneofthewritersImostadmireamong
thoseliving.Andinthiseditionofthebook,Ihavemanagedtosandwichmyselfbetweenbothofthem.Thatsmyprivilege
andhonour.

WhileIunderstandtheanxietyandpoliticsoverwhogetstointroduceorannotateAmbedkar,Idostronglybelieve
Ambedkarbelongstoall.Afterall,annihilationofcasteissomethingthosewhohavecastehavetoundertakethecaste
Hindus,Touchables,asAmbedkarcalledthem.

AndIbelieve,AmbedkarisliketheSunheisasuniversalastheSun.HeilluminesthelivesofDalitsasmuchashe
illuminesthelivesofnonDalitswhethermostnonDalitslikeitornot,whethermostDalitslikeitornot.HeistheSun
that,asNamdeoDhasalwritesinhispowerfulOdetoDrAmbedkarin1972,movesonlyfromonefreedomtothenext.
AnnihilationofCasteisAmbedkarscallforrebirthandregenerationinthislife.Hiswasacalltodestroysomethingugly

MorganChuaon

inthosewhopracticecastesothattheymayhaveasenseofthegenuinebeautyofthehumanitynestingineachperson.To

Tiananmen:25th
Anniversary

turntoDhasalagain,Everyoneis,asamatteroffact,ascompleteastheSun.

More

SpeakingtoaDalitaudiencein1942,Ambedkarsaid:Thebattletomeisamatterofjoy.Thebattleisinthefullestsense
spiritual.Thereisnothingmaterialorsocialinit.Foroursisabattlenotforwealthorforpower.Itisabattleforfreedom.
Itisabattleforthereclamationofhumanpersonality.YoucanapplythisanywheretothestrugglesofRomasin
Hungary,inKashmir,inManipur,ortotheLGBTstruggleagainst377.

Ambedkargenuinelywantedtheprivilegedcastes,too,togetintouchwiththeirhumanpersonality,whichissmothered
bycaste.AmbedkarwasandasectionofDalitstodayisdeeplyscepticalofsuchapossibilityIrespectthatscepticism.

ItisfortheHindusandeveryonewhopractisescastetomakeabelatedefforttoprovethemwrong.Itistimetoridthe
airofthefoulnessofcaste.

(ThisisthewrittenversionofAnandsopeningspeechattheDelhilaunchofAoCon15March2014.)

Leaveyourcommenthere
Youmustbeloggedintopostacomment.

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Ambedkar:UniversalastheSun|Navayana

NavayanaPublishingPvtLtd,2013.Allrightsreserved.

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