Philippe Godard, 10 Rue Pointelin. 39600, Arbois, France:
This refers to my article, “Brahminism is nazism (DV Oct. 16. 2002 p.8). I was a little surprised with this headline given to my write up. I have never written that “Brahminism is nazism”. and I don’t think so. I have explained it more precisely in my last email modifying the email you have published because I thought it was not clear. I have a criticism but it is from a European point of view. I don’t think you can lump together German Nazis and Hindu Vishwa Parishad or RSS or BJP because there is one important difference: the nazism is not only against the others (Negroes, Jews, Gipsies) that are on the German territory, it is also against the other countries that occupy German territories. I have published this year a small book (in French) about Nazism. After 1945, the Occidental intellectuals have used Nazism to promote democracy. These intellectuals have told us “Democracy is very much better than nazism (or communism)”. They explained that Hitler was a monster and that this monster only had made possible the nazi system and that the nazi system only can produce so much horrors and deaths. But the problem is this one: unfortunately not only the nazi system can produce so much horrors. Because the basis of the nazi system is not only Hitler. The nazis wanted a Lebensraum (vital space) and the Fuhrerprinzip (the direction of a all powerful chief with a superior thought). The Occidental intellectuals don’t (want to) understand that vital space means precisely a space without different people, without non-Germans, people in the case of the Third Reich. So, nazism means a vital space without different people and the Brahminism. means a caste system (according to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar), that means shudras and Dalits within the Indian space. I hope you understand this difference is very fundamental. In India, I understand perfectly that some Brahmins can be like nazis against Dalits for these Brahmins. may be Dalits are like untermenschen in the nazi ideology. But if you tell this directly to European activists, they will not understand. The work, here, would be, first, explain what is comunautarism and he hate the Brahmin State has against Dalits, and second explain the real politics of Brahmin leaders against the other communities. My English is too bad. Brahminism is nazism” is not my thought. Thank you.
Babasevak, 16-Oakwood House, 95-Corkland Road, Charlton, Manchester M21 8XW, UK:
Dr. Ambedkar memorial lecture, at the Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK, the 3rd prestigious lecture in this series, will be delivered by Prof. Colin Bundy, Director of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, on Feb.28, 2003. Prof. Bundy as Director of that Institute, generally called SOAS of London University, is well known in the academic world, particularly Asia and Africa. Our prospective speakers are Eleanor Zelliot, Runoko Rashidi, Nelson Mandela, Tony Ben, Amritya Sen and V. P. Singh. Main theme of these lectures will be relevance of Ambedkar ideologies relating to poverty, social and economic conditions among world’s socio-economically oppressed people. (babasevak @aol.com).
Jai Birdi, Vancouver:
Dalits from the Vancouver area have decided to host an international Dalit conference at Vancouver in May 2003. Further information may be accessed from www.dalitconference.com. Dr. K.P. Singh, a noted Dalit intellectual at Seattle (US) was given the mandate to establish and coordinate a committee to draft a declaration and cohesive policy document for this conference. The conference idea was mooted by Bill Basra, past president of Guru Ravidas Sabha.
Nishikant Waghmare:
Our RPI and Dalit Mayor of Bombay, Dr. P.T. Borale, former principal, Sidharth Law College, died in Bombay due to long illness at 88. Due to his good work for the Budhist and Dalits he gave the land for Chaytya Bhumi and the statue of Dr. Ambedkar near the Mantralaya was got the green signal, in BCM and Govt. office. (nishinirvana@yahoo.com).
K.C. Kapas, General Secretary, Confederation of OBC/SC/ST & Minorities of West Bengal. Calcutta:
I am 100% with you when you say that the “educated” and well-placed SC/ST/BCs have forgotten their brothers. Only a few persons are fighting for social justice. West Bengal is no exception to this rule. Ours is the oldest social organisation fighting for social justice and empowerment for SC/ST/BC and minorities in West Bengal. Our movement started in 1978. Till now the State. Govt. has declared only 60 castes as OBCs instead of 177 and therefore there is only 7% reservation in the State. Govt. whereas the Central Govt. provides 27% reservations for OBCs. However, there is no reservation in education in W. Bengal. We want all the 177 castes identified by the Mandal Commission to be declared OBCS.
Gurnam Singh Muktsar, 12 Guru Angad Nagar. Muktsar 152 026:
I have read Lahori Ram Balley’s comments about my writings (DV Oct. 16, 2002 p.15). Many times, directly or indirectly, he has asked you to avoid publishing my writings. As regards Balley’s criticism, I refer to his own book, Dr. Ambedkar Jiwan and Mission, p. 149-155. I had taken my facts on religious conversion from this hook only. Every Sikh and Dalit koows that Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar had made up his mind to embrace Sikhism. But the castiest Sikhs came in the way. M.K. Gandhi had also contributed his mischief. Younger people like me learn from elders like Balley. Balley’s book told us about the upper caste mischief and we are repeating it. Last year. I received a document from Giani Gurcharan Singh Kamal (Ottawa) who has narrated his personal experience when he had attended a conference at Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, where Babasaheb came to take a final decision on his conversion to Sikhism. He has narrated how Dr. Ambedkar was insulted by the “noise” of Jat Sikhs. The writer, G.S. Kamal, was an eye-witness to this incident. His article on this subject has received wide publicity in many papers. Babasaheb was keen to ombrace Sikhism. He was shocked to find casteism in Sikhism.
Prakash, TGT (M), Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Chikkajogihalli, Bellary dt. 583 126:
I was impressed by the book The Zionist Arthashastra, (The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion, Scientific Research House, Kuwait, DSA Reprint 2001) because of its historic significance. It is really a wonder that such a book is priced at mere Rs. 50. It is only the service motive of DV which could make this possible. In the past one year. I have came across various books on Dalits especially from the Blumoon Books. Delhi. Although volumes have been written on Dalit problems the media seems to be away from the influence. Coupled with it the illiteracy of Dalits is another added fuel. Is there no way to fight this obstacle? Your latest book, Brahminism (DSA-2002), has established it as the father of terrorism. You are right. The purunas manufactured by the Brahmins propagate the idea of Jagat Pralaya or sarvanasha to terrorise the gullible minds. In the “Debate on defects in DV coverage, Sukanta Mondal writes that the readers views published in Jan. 16, 2002 issue came out of sheer animosity and anger towards upper castes. The phrases are of journalistic interest since the poor situation of our country is known even to the laymen today. If he comes to Chikkajogihalli, I will show him the condition of Dalits living here, being at least a century behind the rest of the world. Your views on Satya Sai Baba (DV Feb. 16, 2002 p.11: “Is it possible to kill god?”) needs appreciation. As you yourself say on p. 19 “honest intellectual has to support all human rights struggle unconditionally”. The rationalists used Sai Baba as a platform to shine themselves in the international community. Now most of them are aged and lack stamina to continue further. Besides, they have not raised young successors but suppressed them brutally. So Sai Baba is at advantage. I also fully liked your welcome to another English journal for Dalits. The Dalit. In the age of economic liberalization when such an activity of coming of another journal is taken as rivalry and competition, your words prove that your prime concern is awakening of Dalits but non money-making. Please accept hearty congratulations for your devotion to the Dalit welfare.
Rajendra, Ambedkar Prathishtana, Thoralakki PO, Kolar dt.-563 137: There are few temples at Ayodhya that claim to be located on the birth place of Hindu god Rama. The people of Thailand believe that Ayodhya is in Bangkok. Tulsi Das, who is unparalleled in his devotion to Rama and who should have been alive when the temple was destroyed, makes no mention of it in the 50 years that he lived after demolition. Guru Govina Singh who had every reason to record anti-Muslim evidence having suffered personally in the hands of the Mughals, says nothing on the matter. Shivaji, the pride and icon of Hindu nazis, is wholly silent on the matter. Dayanand Saraswati who criss-crossed Faizabad several times participating in debates with moulvis and missionaries and had written extensively on Rama’s dynasty, makes no mention of this alleged atrocity. Even Vivekananda, a prolific writer and ardent proponent of Hindu religion and culture, is unaware of it. This item is taken from the Rationalist Voice, published from 2-1-444/16, 1st Floor, Nallakunta, Hyderabad-500 004. Editor M. Subha Rao.
Ramdevo Paswan, K/165 Hanuman Nagar, Patna-800 020: Jambu Dwip was the oldest name of India Agnidhra was the first and the last king of the Dwip. In a written reference. Prince Vritrasur of Nagaland was the first man who established a kingdom in Babylone. Moving downwards, a cosmopolitan city named Assyria arose to a very glorious and prosperous centre enjoying the privileged seat of the govt. of Assyrian empire. Lastly, during the fith century BC (1) Arminia (Syria, Juda and Egypt combined). (2) Persia and (3) Assyria (called Tripur in Rudra Samhita) were put to fire by the King Balshegar under suspicion of having a hand in murder of King Nebuchadnegar of Babylone. This historical event lead to the fall of the Assyrian Empire of India The Brahmins (Jews of the Old Testament called Aryans in history) call all other countrymen as Anaryans. Changing the history of the country, manipulating the shastras and Vedas of Jumbu Dwip together with command of Manu Smriti have been their well-thought-out ways of sovereignty in India. This may be treated as a translation of my book, Narender Puran Part I, II and III in English. It may appear surprising that the sun never used to set in the Indian Empire. This knowledge may not feed a man. But it is history of a country which keeps the spirit of nationalism alive to a boundary of the country. British empire is gone. But the British people live in their country as a British. Do we live as an Indian in India? Who called and still treat us as Untouchables” Hastinapur House is gone. But its history is alive in the Mahabharat twisted stories. The Ramayan calls them dwija. But it does not mean a Brahman. History is history of events, may be prosperous or unhappy. But, why the people in govt,, should try to keep the countrymen in dark of their history? The British believe and preach selling the coat for purchase of books”. But we love the Ramasar which is a book of our slavery and false legends of its hero, who is our enemy. So goes the legends of Mahabharat. But why the Govt of India spends a huge amount of the public fund over it? Is it different from “destroy the history of the country and encourage your own? I have conveyed the message of our ancestors in Narender Puran
Dr. Ram Parshad. Dr. Ambedkar Welfare Mission Punjah, Mohali-160059: The Scheduled Castes Retired Officers Social Forum has been formed with its headquarters at Panchkula. It will work for the liberation of the oppressed Dalits, During the past over 5 years of “free India” we have suffered stepmotherly treatment by the upper castes who usurped all the fruits of development. This is the result of hidden conspiracy of the upper castes. There is a gross lack of sincerity on the part of Dalit politicians and Dalit elite also. So, we can call this Dalit elite as awakened elite. No. Unless the Daltis have a missionary zeal to work for the society they cannot be called the awakened elite. Efforts were made carfier also by the retired officers but their efforts remained futile. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar said that the educated people of “my society had betrayed me”. It is, therefore, the paramount duty of all of us to pay back the debt. About 90% of our Dalit elite have not so far recognised the powers of men and media, not to talk of field work. They have not even recognised the national and international role being played by the Dalit Voice from Bangalore, the Voice of Budha from Delhi, Begampure dawasi from Muktsar, Punjab, and the Bahujan Sanghatak from Delhi. It is a misfortune that they do not understand the role of the media. On the other hand Brahminical forces are playing havoc by spreading the Ram Rajya culture. Books worth lakhs of rupees are available at the Dr. Ambedkar Study Circle Library. Sector-37. Chandigarh, where hardly any elite is seen showing interest in reading the books.
P.S. Sridhara Murthy, Advocate, No.25-Gandhi Bazar, Bangalore-560 004:
“Once upon a time non-vegetarianism was prevalent among us (Brahmins) and we gave it up. Even now many Brahmins are meat-eaters. It is good that they are, otherwise weakness sets in. There will be no protection for the country, or the system.”
said Viswesha Theertha Swami of Pejawar mutt, speaking to the editorial team of Agni, a Kannada journal. whose representative he had invited to clarify his position in view of the journal’s criticism of the swami in its earlier issues. (source Agni, 31-5-2002)
Lajja Ram, Advocate. 58 Muzaffarpura, Hapur. Ghaziabad-245 101 A Muslim, Christian. Parsi, Budhist or a Jain is called as such because he has embraced his particular religion. Historically speaking the foreigners including the Aryan invaders entered our country from the Western side, specially the Khyber-Pass. They called the original inhabitants occupying the area situated on the Eastern side of the Sindh river, by the name of Sindhu. Etymologically, a Sindhu happened to be addressed as a Hindu with the passage of time. On the basis of historical aspect every aboriginal of India came to be known as a Hindu irrespective of his category as a Kol. Bhil, Santhal, Nag or Dravid. In this scene, every original inhabitant of the Indian subcontinent came to be known and named as a Hindu. We must understand and clarify specifically that none of the primitive inhabitants of India has given to himself the name of Hindu, Nor should an aboriginal inhabitant be proved on his being called as a Hindu by the invaders. In the collective sense an original inhabitant is either an Adivasi or Bharatwasi Aliens including Aryans, Muslims. Christians excluding converted ones and Hoons (Jat and Gujars) are neither Adivasis nor are they Bharatwasis in the true sense. They cannot claim to be Hindu. Aryan and Hoon tribes were barbarians devoid of any sense of civilization. The Aryans are not aware of the particular region of the Siberian plans from where they in hordes proceeded to Western countries. Europe or Iranian plateau or the Indian subcontinent. Being totally rustics, each Aryan group embraced the religion and adopted the civilization of the country they invaded and settled themselves therein. So the Aryans of Germany are Christians, those of Iran are Muslims while Arian race in India call themselves Hindus and have developed their own religion under the nomenclature of Hindu religion. Apprehending their ouster from the Indian soil by the aboriginal, the Aryans individually and collectively are trying their level best to establish that they are the original inhabitants of India. In his book. Satyarth Prakash, Dayanand Saraswati has said that the Aryans owe their birth to the Kashmir valley from where they started to spread to other parts of the world. The Hindu world is conspicuous by its absence in the ancient scriptures like the Vedas. Puranas. Dr. B.R Ambedkar be not misunderstood when he declared that as he was not born a Hindu, nor would be alive as such.
David, Advocate, 52/25-Battai St., Velapadi, Vellore 632 001:
The Editor of DV and few persons like Raju Thomas of Madras cry over the Brahminical violence on Dalits and suggest the quitting of Hinduism for their liberation and the strengthening of “caste identity“. These suggestions do not reflect the present conditions of Dalits in India. The then British Govt. granted special benefits to those Dalits who profess Hinduism. Under the Govt. of India Scheduled Castes Order 1935 and now at present. the Indian Govt. is granting special privileges and benefits and the valuable political reservations in Parliament and state assemblies to the Dalits who profess Hinduism under the Constitution of Scheduled Castes Order 1950 enacted under the Article 341 (1) & (2) of the Constitution of India. Please remember. Dr. Ambedkar was alive when both the Orders were passed and he was the architect of the Indian Constitution and he did not oppose the same as he thought that the Dalits would think that he was the cause of passing such orders which made them to enjoy the benefits and would he grateful and would follow him at the time of agitation. But alas he was alienated and Dalits went behind the Congress to get political reservations, an avenue that made them to amass wealth. In such circumstances how will the Editor and his followers think that Dalits would follow their call? Hindu religion is built upon the religion followed by Dalits and so the Dalits think that Hindu religion and their gods reflect their religious rites and rituals. Hence the Editor and his followers who suggest the quitting of Hinduism by Dalits and strengthening their “caste identity” should suggest a practical plan. They should also think that the subcastes among Dalits are not for one united front. Because each subcaste, after the DV Editor gave a call for strengthening each subcaste identity, has started quarreling for proportionate share of benefits thereby creating disunity among Dalits. Why not the Editor and his followers organise a mass movement of Dalits to fight for separate electorate in election? If this demand is won, then we can certainly expect the unity of Dalits and will lead to strengthening of “caste identity” not on the base of subcaste but Dalits as whole. Light a candle than curse the darkness. I hope this appeal of mine will enlighten the Editor and his followers and make them abandon their oft repeated “quit Hinduism”, “strengthen caste identity” demand.
Singha Chowdhury, Ramkrishna Pally. D.S. Lane PO. Howrah dt., 711 109:
The BJP (Brahmana Jati Party) seemed to have scored a remarkable victory after engineering a coalition with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). It has been successful in creating a clientele, though tiny, yet so easily gullible, among the Dalits who have begun to believe under cunning persuasion of the Brahmins that it is not they but the BCs who are the Enemy No.1 of the Dalits. Such a Brahmin stratagem is time-tested. Anyone who has some familiarity with the Vedas knows how the Brahmins advocated the application of “divide and rule” to their advantage the graded hierarchy of the varnas, all under their command by using one against the other (vide Yajurvede). Then the Kshatriyas have been put against the Vaishyas, the Vaishyas against its sudras and sudras against the An Sudras whenever it suited their interests. The sudras were occasionally put against the Kshatriyas. Parasurama did not extirpate the Kshatriyas from the surface of this “world” in the central India single-handedly by his axe. He had the sudra army behind him, Debyani and Sharmistha quarreled bitterly in the Mahabharata to depict the depth of animosity between the Kshatriyas and the Brahmins, Indra, the most elusive and wily figure in the Rigveda was busy offering bribes to buy one section of the people against another. The same tradition is still continuing. There was not a tiniest dot of patriotism in the whole gamut of literature created by the Brahmins in India. The coalition in UP was not at the call of Sister Mayavati but at the beck of BJP. The strenuous effort to build unity among the SC/ST/BCs and Muslims from the time of Mahatma Phule through Sahu Maharaj, the glorious descendant of Chatrapati Shivaji, to Periyar Ramaswamy was put to the danger of dissipation by Brahminic manipulation. A deliberate design to prevent “lower caste” people from forging unity among themselves was conceived at the time of constitution-making. The Congress reluctantly consented to grant concessional quota to one section of the “lower castes” in preference to the other. The latter were called BCs to be treated separately later on by appointing a commission to be known as the Backward Class Commission because some of the castes left out of the Scheduled Castes were socially, educationally and culturally more backward than the SCs. The Brahmin Nehru, the deadliest enemy of the BCs, began to stall the appointment and finally was able to upstage the question till V.P. Singh revived the recommendation of the Mandal Commission. The consequence was revolutionary. Kanshi Ram, it is well-known, gave his weighty support for the demand to implement the recommendation. The Brahmana Jati Party was haunted with fear. In India today, the SC, BCs and Muslims are tightly compressed on small patches of agricultural land where they quarrel over the boundary, fight over possession of crops, blockage of irrigation water and sundry other matters not of little importance to them. The huge number of people socially, educationally and culturally indistinguishable have been compartmentalized with ulterior motives into SCs and BCs. The scheming Brahmana Jati Party can at ease use the simple and simpleton people at logger heads and break heads, mutually. They are thus alienated from each other. While the SCs have received a modicum of grace (merely 5% of their total due in the quota. according to DV Editor, June 1. 2002), the BCs have received none so long as Nehru, the liberal on the surface of skin but a hard-core Brahman below the skin, was at the helm of the Congress Govt. The SCs and BCs were alienated from each other by treating them as general castes and as such higher than the SCs. And the natives were cheated. The capricious judiciary dispensed a verdict on the analogy of reservation for ladies in train compartment, that reservation should never exceed 50% of the posts even if the beneficiaries of it are 90% of the people of India a verdict that will continue to ring its ridiculousness in the corridor of the justice till the question is satisfactorily resolved. An underhand propaganda was sneakingly being set into motion to make the small affluent section of the BCs appear as the worst exploiters of the SCs and STs. The communist govt. depicted them as lords of the villages and the Brahminical media was boiling in hatred for the small property of a handful of people belonging to the BC sector. Their honestly earned prosperity earned them all and sundry epithets of abuse. “The upper caste masters were always eagerly out to spoil any move for unity of the “low caste” people and as the Cambridge History of India points out a bottle of low quality wine and Rs. 15 or so was enough to buy the poor SC or ST men to get them to set BC, people household, office, particularly if they show any degree of prosperity. The communists of Bengal a few years back destroyed a prosperous BC household, the Sai Bari, in the district of Burdwan and its inmate killed or blinded with horrifying brutality by collecting an army of SC/STs. The naxals, the hordiest of all reactionaries of upper castes (Hindu), in their hatred for BC prosperous family, entered a household in the district of Birbhaum in WB, attacked them with ferocity. Their only fault was their hard-carned prosperity. It was interpreted as a consequence of exploitation of the SCs and STs living nearby who have to be emancipated from their clutches by looting their crops or other household goods. Thus the villages of Bengal have been scenes of perpetual tension between the BCs and SCs and STs. Socialism of the upper caste conception is to have rural properties however meagre they are distributed among the rural folk and bid them to do with that as grace of the higher caste communists to whom they must be in perpetual gratitude. The BJP had Kalyan Singh as chief minister who was used as a tool to get the Babri Masjid destroyed. Sister Mayawati must be always wakeful lest she may be used as the chief figure at the head of crazy crowds rushing to lay the foundation of Ram temple.
Fr. F. Nathan, 74-Ramachandra Layout, Lingarajapuram, Thomas Town PO, Bangalore 560 084:
The TN Ordinance on religious conversion is aimed mainly at destabilizing the Dalit and tribal empowerment. The Ordinance, though has a religious colouring, primarily aims at denying the constitutional rights of the Dalits and Tribals by incapacitating them to have a religion of their choice. In India, the manavadi upper castes form a minority group which is trying to bring all the indigenous groups under their Brahminical religion to consolidate their Hindu nazi regime in India. Conversions prove dangerous to Hindu nazi agenda and. therefore, they are vehemently bent upon politicizing the very concept of conversion so as to strengthen Hindu nazism.
P.R. Suresh,Vice-President. Ezhuthachan Service Society, PO Chettupuzha, Thrissur. Kerala:
Sex harassment cases or marketing of teenage girls have become rampant in Kerala. The latest is the Cochin case (Thoppumpady Pen Vanibha caste). Here, the victim is a minor girl, age 16. She was raped by 60 people, sold and resold. The accused include many VIPs, even ruling Party MLAs, film directors, Syrian Christian priests etc. The victim is Backward Caste girl, belonging to my community. The total domination of the Brahminical culture over Kerala is the principal cause of this sad state of affairs. Brahminical culture is dominated by sex Abuse of “lower caste” women like the Sambandham, Smarthavicharam etc. has the religious sanction under Brahminism. The latest case was detected by a team of honest police officials led by P. Vijayan. Asst. Police Commissioner, Mattanchery, and his team. Suddenly the case was taken away from them. The victim herself was punished. The police tried to prove that she was a major. Our Ezhuthachan Service Society, the 12-lakh strong caste organisation, has taken up this case. We want to rehabilitate the victim and her family, A long and arduous legal battle is awaited in High Court and Supreme Court and then only the harassed family will get some relief. We will go to national and international human rights organizations. We need DV support as well. (ezhuthachhan@yahoo.co.in).
Dr. V.N. Mahure, Secretary, Cultural Association Nanded. “Uttara”. Snehanagar, Nanded, MS-431 602:
We are discouraged to learn that you will not be able to attend our function because of your busy schedule. However, we want to invite you in the beginning of 2003. We are planning to arrange a seminar on your Brahminism book which is proving to be a landmark in the light against Hindu racism. We salute your indomitable courage and zeal.
S.P. Singh, Takiapar, Danapur, PO Digha. Patna-800 012:
The article, “Periyar solution to rid Shudra slavery” (DV June 16, 2002 p.7) has drawn my attention. What Periyar recommended was already performed long, long ago. Babasaheb has noted in his Vol-1 that large number of Budhists in Sindh embraced Islam to get rid of Brahmin persecution. It is an established fact that 80% of Indian Muslims are of Indian origin Namasudras, weavers and Kurmis of Bengal. Dudikul of Central India) the Muslim Julahas in general were once Hindus. Vivekanand has praised conversion to Islam for bringing social respectability. Whatever may be the relation between Jinnah and Babasaheb, one thing is certain. Had Jinnah not backed the demand of Babashaeb at the Round Table Conference, the SC/STs could never have got any reservation in the legislature and the services. Babasaheb went to the Central Council as an elected representative only on the ticket of M. A. Jinnah and full support of the Namasudra leader, Jogendra Nath Mondal. We are unnecessarily entering into religious controversies without knowing what is religion or what is its purpose. Since Babasaheb embraced Budhism, all his followers are trying to declare themselves Budhists. Some are disillusioned because they think that after embracing Budhism they did not get any social respectability. Among the Budhists or neo-Budhists I find that only two persons understand what is Budhism: (1) Dr. V.D. Chandanshive of Nanded and (2) Ms. Mohindri Sangha Mitra of Ghaziabad. Once we accept the fact that all good religions on the earth are based on Vedanta philosophy Budhism. Islam, Christianity, Sikhism all become one. Islam is the best because it not only shuns ideology but also discards any kind of mediator between the devotee and the god. All distinctions of high and low are discarded. For Dalit-Muslim unity, I called a conference at Patna in 1997. My printed speech has not been published in DV. Make one rule the upper caste BCs like Patel, Reddy, Maratha may join us provided they bid a goodbye to Brahmins in social and religious matters.
Suresh Jadhav, 201-Konkan Samrat, Konkan Nagar, Jogeshwari (E), Bombay – 400 060:
In DV July 1, 2002 you published my Letter with the Editor’s Note. If Muslims visit Rohidaswada and apologise to Chamars. what is the use? The Chamar Shakhapramukh, who married the Muslim girl, has been alreadymurdered. Even I feel guilty to visit the Chamar Basti. If the Muslims help reconstruct the Chamar Basti then definitely it will infuriate the Hindus and will get another chance to defame Muslims by making the propaganda that Muslims reconstructed the Chamar Basti with Arab money. In Bombay, some Hindu papers like Samna, Vartahar etc… have already instigated the Chamars against Muslims. So far Muslims have killed many persons for marrying Muslim girls, Muslims have thus become unpopular among Dalits also. Why the Muslims find anything wrong in such marriages? When Mohd. Azaruddin, a cricketer, gave talaq to his wife and married a Hindu girl, Sangeeta Bijalani, why didn’t the Muslims burn his house then? I know there are some exceptions to this like Dr. Ashok Adhav, a DV family member at Pune, and Namdeo Dhasal, a Dalit Panther leader of Bombay. I have a solution to this problem in two stages. As a first step. Muslims must collect funds only from Muslim mohallas for reconstructing the Rohidaswada so that Hindus will come to know what for the money is being collected. Secondly, Muslim will have to apologise for their crime of murdering those who had married Muslimi girls. I am ready to marry even a raped-physically abused Muslim girl on the condition she will embrace Budhism, I am sure Muslims will not find fault with my solution. In 1981. at Meenakshipuram (TN) Dalits enmass embraced Islam. They were Ambedkarite Budhists. As ! regard our Editor as the guide for entire Dalits. I have great respect next only to Babasaheb. I want to disclose a secret of my life to my Editor. In 1978-79, I was working in a factory where I used to read reports about Mathura, who was raped in the police custody, and Phulan Devi who was taped by the Thakurs. At that time I was legally minor. But I decided to marry any physically abused girl. For this purpose I published two paid advertisement in the Navakal daily of Nilkanth Khadilkar in 1994. He used to claim a 6-lakh circulation. First time when my advertisement appeared in March 1994, I got no response. I was surprised. I repeated the ad in July 1994. Then I sent two letters (one ordinary and one UPC) on my own Box No. 21/7 and then I went to the Navakal office to collect my letters and correct my doubts too. But I did not get the two letters which I only posted. Then I decided to repeat my ad. on my home address. For this I wrote to Navakal office two letters but I received no reply from the Navakal office. Perhaps they did not like to publish my ad. Look at the mischief of these Hindu papers.
Ambedkar Times, ambedkar_times@yahoo.com:
A 19-foot, 30-ton white marble statue of Buddha in sitting posture was unveiled on Oct. 24 at Rajgir presented by the Buddhist monks of the South-East Asian countries and sculpted in Myanmar. The towering marble statue was brought to Rajgir last year. The statue was unveiled by Justice B.P. Singh of the Supreme Court.
Kennedy & Sobha G. Kennedy, Dr. Ambedkar Society for Community Development, Roshni Nivas, Dr. Ambedkar Smrithi Baug, Junavas, Madhapar. Bhuj-Kutch 370 020:
We are a family of social workers invited by Lalji Patel, president of Ambedkar Memorial Trust, London, to undertake developmental works for Dalits in Kutch. On Oct. 12. 2002, some anti-social elements forcibly entered our premises and threatened us to close down our Dalit activities.
Dr. D. Yadaiah, B2-24, MIG, HUDA, Chandanagar. Hyderabad-500 050:
I have been a regular visitor to Manna-E-Khali about 130 kms from here. I led a 15-member team to participate in 46th Dhamma Deeksha, an yearly function to remember Babasaheb’s conversion at Nagpur on Oct. 14 1956. A big Buddhist vihara with a Buddhist statue presented by Thailand is kept on the rock. It is on the Hyderabad-Bombay highway on the border of AP and Karnataka. A monk, Dhamma Priya, from Maharashtra is in charge. For the last 10 years the yearly function is being celebrated. Prominent Buddhist monks are invited to address the gathering apart from noted Dalit leaders. This year about 1.50 lakh people attended the function. This place is called a mini-Nagpur.
Dr. R.P. Harsh, Harsh Clinic, Barnala Road, Sirsa-125 055:
I have just returned from Kurukshetra. The seminar. announced in DV Sept. 16. 2002 p.13: “Kurukshetra seminar on casteism”, was cancelled. Everything was abnormal. Please be warned. Do not attend anything on brahminical platform. This is my humble request to the Editor.
Faizi, 4D Emerald Apts, PO Box 5409, Vikahs Bhavan PO, Trivandrum 695 033:
I could not attend the seminar on your Brahminism book at Trivandrum on Sept 29, 2002 as I had to leave the country on an environmental consultation assignment in Riyadh. I have been wishing to meet you for a long time, but that is just not happening. I learn you have just turned 70. I am really amazed how you could keep the fighting spirit so high at this age. May god bless you for championing the cause of the downtrodden and for speaking for the voiceless. and bestow you many many more years of productive life. (I too had been an atheist like you during my younger days and I can imagine your irritation at involving god). I hope you have seen the series of 3 articles in the Hindu by Rammanohar Reddy on the abysmal poverty into which Muslims have been thrown. an issue about which nobody speaks, not even the Muslim leaders. And as the globalisation demon devours the nation with the aid of the Hindu nazis the victims of India’s Apartheid (both modern and ancient) will be further reduced into a subhuman state. The future remains real bleak and the saddest thing is that there are no signs of resistance. The left has mercilessly betrayed the poor. I am just hoping for some surprises to spring up.
Ilyas Patel, Khanpur-Deh, Bharuch dt. -392 150:
Giving advice to reform something in Islam and Quran is very easy specially when the intention is to hurt the feelings of Muslims. By giving such advice, the Hindu nazis want to prove that their (weak) Hinduism is the best religion on earth. Will the nazi leaders think over the innumerable superstitions and inhuman practices of Hinduism? Hinduism has lots of evils like idol-worship. bhut-bhuwa, dora-dhaga, yoga-yagna, sati-devadasi and the most inhuman practice of varnvad (caste system). How any fair and just religion can believe in a super race and slavery by birth? Yes. Hinduism practises this varnavad through sacred rituals. Only Hinduism preaches the burning of corpse. The Hindu house is made of glass. What will they get by throwing stones at others? Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, V.T. Rajshekar. Mahatma Phule. Periyar EVR all revolutionaries have found that Hinduism is not a religion but a kind of imperialism. It preaches only violence, hate, intolerance and discrimination.
Isa Haque, Madhupur. PO Hoerah. Hooghly dt. 712 147:
This refers to the Letter of Nayyar Ahmed (DV May 16. 2001) who criticized my article. “How to take Islam buck to its glory” (DV April 1, 2001) and raised several points which are discussed here. (1) He has given a brief but faithful account of the social conditions prevailing in pre-Islamic Arabia during the period known as the period of ignorance, called in Arabic as Sakiliya. He is correct in every detail and I fully agree with him on this point. No need for further discussion. (2) He has pointed out how the Prophet took upon himself the gigantic task of a relentless struggle for as long as 23 years to transform the “rustic Arabs to heavenly people”. There is no disagreement on this. (3) He has hit the nail on the head and entered the main issue the secularism. He says non-Muslims (read Hindu. Budhist, Jain, Sikh and others. excluding the People of the Book) practising their faith in Islamic countries are enjoying secularism, nay, highest degree of secularism. This appears to be an exaggeration, over-simplictic and confusing. Non-Muslims in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia. Afghanistan and in few others are free to practise their religious faith both indoors and outdoors and for the upkeep of their outdoor institutions they are vested with certain rights and freedom to which non-Muslims in other Islamic countries are not entitled to. Does this not show that the secularism spoken of by Ahmed is only partial and too limited? The term secularism is generally understood to mean that the state and the religion are two distinct entities with he former having no affiliation whatsoever with the latter and the affairs of the state have to be carried out in accordance and not following the dictates of theology. The best example of secularism is Turkey where a clear-cut distinction has been made between the state and the religion. Religion is not allowed there to interfere with state affairs. On the contrary, it has helped the nation to get rid of the contemptuous sobriquet once used against it as “the sick man of Europe”. And indeed with a new state structure, it rose to new heights like the proverbial phoenix from the ashes. Now, it is a powerful political power to reckon with. (4) He says Muslims and Muslim cultures are wrongly equated with Islam. Islam and Muslim cultures are different; culture varies from place to place. Even though we admit that there are cultural variations, these variations work within the boundary of Islam itself, anything beyond it is unislamic. Islam as a religion means submission to god, belief in the Quran and the traditions, faith in all the prophets with Hazrat Muhammad as the last prophet and the day of judgement, in Islamic parlance, Roj Keyamat. These are fundamental tenets forming the foundation of Islam on which its ideological superstructure-beliefs.customs. rites, rituals, culture, history, literature, arts and science, is raised. All these when taken together means Islam. Islamic culture is, therefore, not different. To say it has nothing to do with religion is a fallacy. (5) At a certain stage of development Islamic culture and cultural prosperity reached new heights after which they started to decline. This is what I pointed out in my article under discussion. It has also been discussed in my other Letter in DV (June 1, 2001). In both, I attempted briefly to point out the circumstances and the cause of this arrest. Dr. Edward Sachan, who while assessing the merit of Al-Beruni’s Kitab-ul-Hind says:
“The Arabs would have been the father of Galilleo and Newton, were not Al-Ashari and Al Gazzali born (translated from Bangla).
The hint is clear, any further comment is therefore superfluous. (6) Ahmed has erroneously equated the availing of modern transport facilities like aircraft, automobiles and locomotives with cultivation of science. One is related with utilization and the other is related with research and discoveries, The two are not the same.
Ahmed is well aware how science and arts with all their branches attracted the Arabs and in their vision how they visualised a society, rich prosperous and smiling with the bounties offered by them. The scale in which the Arab scholars dedicated themselves to the cultivation of these finer faculties was unparalleled in their times and indisputably, their achievement in all these fields was astounding in the contemporary world, which position they could not regrettably hold too long. That with the classical intellectual treasures left out by the Arabs, Europe ascended the zenith breaking all barriers put around it by religious superstitions, whereas the surge that came in Islam for all the branches of learning in general, and for the cultivation of science and medicine in particular in the scale we had been witnessing in the reign of some khalifas was gradually receded yielding place to mysticism is too glaring to overlook. We cannot help remember once again Dr. Sachan’s above quoted remark which implied more than what it explained. (7) I assure Ahmed that I do never look upon Islam with infantile curiosity, rather with all seriousness or student of history should have. May be, my assessment and interpretation are not upto the mark but the sincerity with which I have dealt with the issue is not sham.
Nayyar Ahmed, Vijayanagar Nursing Home, Vijayanagar colony. Hyderabad-500 057:
While on one side the Dalits are fast getting hinduized and attack Muslims and Christians, I see your tireless efforts to assert that Dalits are not Hindu. Unfortunately, your message at present reached only a few sensible “educated” Dalits only. The third side is my observation. Whenever, any mischief is plotted. Dalits are used as their tool. Specially in Ganesh season, cases noted of damaging at Ganesh mandals. In the very first instance, Muslims get framed under suspicion. But Dalits were found guilty provoked by upper caste culprits to do so. Disturbances and riots are Dalit man-powered. The fact is that, spiritually and financially they are greatly impressed and scared of upper castes and are completely in clutches of fascist power. Dr. Mahdi Inamdar, my friend from Gulbarga, narrated once that he was seated in a Dalit shop. The owner was abusing the Brahmins a lot. When a Brahmin sadhu came begging. He immediately gave him a coin. When asked about this surprising attitude, the Dalit shop owner replied:
“Oh! forget about it. May be he (sadhu) will curse (shaap) me. I have to keep him happy.”
What contradictions.
Shakeel Suleman, 16 Bibibai Terrace, 3rd Floor, Spence Road, Byculla Bridge, Bombay – 400 008:
This is in response to your powerful plea for Dalit-Muslim unity, My dear Bahujan-Dalit brothers are unfortunately called Untouchables a word which by itself is anti-Islamic. Because Islam talks of brotherhood of mankind. When we stand for prayers (namaaz) we stand shoulders to shoulder, whether his neighbour is a king or a beggar. That is the wonder of Islam. The nazis of India refuse entry to you to their temples. What sort of people you ape to beg for temple-entry and get further hinduised. What a sad irony and foolishness on your part. They call you “lower castes”, you have to fight for your rights. If you embrace Islam you will no more remain a “lower caste” or will be oppressed by anyone. In Islam, a person is higher or lower depending on his piety.
Shamsul Arifin, M-91. Abul Fazl Enclave, Jamia Nagar. New Delhi-110 025:
Relations between America and the Muslims can never be friendly. Because both belong to the opposite camps. America considers Osama bin Laden its deadliest enemy who tops the list of America’s ten most wanted men. But on the other hand Osama is the most loved and liked man of almost every Muslim of the world. It is presumed that Osama is the brainchild of the Sept. 11 incident that shook the US and made its allies shiver. But this is not my opinion. I believe that the Sept. 11 has boosted the morale of every individual Muslim man and woman and has given new life to Islam. As a matter of fact if Allah permits the Muslims today to choose a man among yourselves to worship him other than me (Allah). I am sure it will be Osama. Take the other example. Why Muslims cannot go with America? On the one hand all the kings and the ruling class of the Islamic and the Arab world have become the darling of America, but on the other those kings and the rulers are considered puppets of America and hated by the whole community. Besides, the Americans have made the Jews their masters whereas the Muslims consider the Jews as thorns pricking in their hearts and eyes.
