Thanks for starting a Debate on Brother Kovena’s tips on caste-based unions (DV March 16, 2007 p.20). Babasaheb Ambedkar has given us the Three Commandments: Educate, Agitate, Organise based on Budha’s Buddham, Dhammam, Sangham. But their meaning is different in particular sense.
Our Editor says he is confining to educating the people through DV as per Babasaheb’s first commandment. He does not want to touch the second and third commandments. But what would have happened if Babasaheb and Kanshi Ram did not agitate and organise the people? Babasaheb also got himself well educated and tried hard to (agitate) and organise the Dalits.
Dr. D.R. Jatav (Jaipur) is a highly educated Ambedkarite and author of scores of books on Ambedkarism and Budhism. He also advocated “organise” (the 2nd) and “agitate” (3rd) commandments of Babasaheb — different from our Editor. But this highly educated person is not able to work on Babasaheb’s other commandments, “organise” and “agitate”. He also never touched them.
But Kanshi Ram, a simple graduate but a dynamic leader, followed all the Three Commandments simultaneously and succeeded.
In cities (over 50%), our people are educated but for want of social responsibility they do not go into ‘organise’ and ‘agitate’ and vice-versa. Those intellectuals who are not able to launch struggle, fight and suffer will not go into “agitate”, “organise”. Will power, renunciation and ready to suffer (and die) are the first conditions to act on “Organise” and “Agitate”.
Kovena is right when he says that “there is a blind belief among the Bahujan leadership that for any change the awareness of all Bahujans must be raised. At the time of French, Russian, Chinese, Vietnamese or Cuban revolution, 95% of the masses were illiterate. Even then the people’s force triumphed. “Change” starts with political change and its womb is crisis. India is passing through a crisis. The opportunity is here. We have to seize it.” (DV March 16, 2007 p.22: “Dalits, Muslim, Christians under great pain in Brahminical India” by B. Shyam Sundar).
That is why Babasaheb’s last two commandments are a must i.e. Agitate for Organise and Organise for Agitate. At the same time “educate” is also a must like media .
I do not blame Editor V.T. Rajshekar and Dr. D.R. Jatav. Their contributions are great in the field of Ambedkarite journal and literature which brought awareness among Bahujan Samaj. But it is shame on our “educated” people who do not touch Agitate and Organise commandments but always confuse or cheat the Bahujan Samaj. Does it mean that “educated” lot (like our Editor and Dr. D.R. Jatav) should not Agitate and organise the Bahujans but remain only henpecked? Will not their silence cheat the Bahujans and help the enemy-oppressors? Thanks to Babasaheb Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram they had given us the true message from their own dedicated, committed and tireless life .
