Bangalore: We have reproduced on p. 23 the full text of the Preface to his own book, Slavery (1973), by Jotirao Phule (India’s only genuine Mahatma), accepted by historians as the father of India’s non- Brahmin movement. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, hailed as the Father of India, acknowledged Phule as one of his gurus.
Though we had earlier browsed through the Slavery published by the Maharashtra Govt., this is the first time we have carefully gone through the book. And struck dumb by the prophecy he made. Though over a century has passed (131 years to be precise) since Phule wrote this book when the British were ruling and though “independence” (1947) has come since then, the Brahminical oppression of the society and enslavement of the original inhabitants of India, which is the subject of the book, has not changed a wee bit.
Nay. Oppression, exploitation, pauperisation and total tyranny have taken new turns, new twists. And new shapes, new names. The difference is the exploitation has become more subtle and so-phisticated but looks irreversible. The Brahminical imperialism has become total and complete.
Mouth of the monster: This is the shock that we suffered on reading the Preface which Phule himself wrote in English.
Hence, we are reproducing the entire Preface to show our DV family members how every word of his prophesy has come true. When Phule wrote this book, the benevolent British were ruling India. “Independence” (1947) hurled us directly into the mouth of the monsters. “Independence” made them masters and hurled the indigenous Bahujans into eternal slavery. We are honestly gasping for breath as we say this. Reports that we receive from our DV family members confirm that we are not wrong.
Elementary education forgotten: Particularly in the field of education, which is the focus of this Preface, Phule has proved totally correct. The new Brahminical rulers in “independent” India, who took over from the British under the leadership of the cunning Gujarati Bania, M.K. Gandhi, have completely forgotten the elementary education which is the first step of the child into the world of education. They have concentrated on university education, IIMs, IITs. They have permitted expensive English-medium private schools for the urban rich (read upper castes) and denied English education to the rural and even urban poor.
World’s largest illiterate country: So much so, India has become the world’s largest illiterate country.
A 100 years ago the rulers were the British and they had concern for the oppressed. The Brahmins then were only servants of the British occupying lowly posts though their socio-cultural-religious importance was fully secure. Today, after 100 years and about 60 years of “independence”, not only the Brahmins have replaced the British as rulers, but they are fully entrenched in every sphere of the society – unconcerned with the oppressed, pushing them to downright slavery.
Phule had predicted all this over a century ago. And we are witnessing this today in its most naked form. But, alas, nobody is getting angry. Then, at least, we had one Mahatma Phule. But today we have none in this country, converted into a vast intellectual desert.
Jotirao (1828-1890) belonged to the Backward Caste Mali (gardner) jati and in Maharashtra he is a household name. Dr. Ambedkar and later Kanshi Ram made him an all-India if not international figure. His father was appointed official florists to the notorious Brahmin ruler of Pune Peshwas. He passed matriculation and had a good command over English. He was the first in India to establish a school for the Untouchables
Turning society upside down: Together with Savitribai, his wife, Phule became the country’s greatest revolutionary of his times, turning the whole Brahminical society upside down. Slavery is the best known of his work published in 1873. He established the Satyashodak Samaj (1873). What a revolution he had.
He did not believe in the bogus social reform. His was social revolution – destruction of the Brahminical society. He asked the SC/ST/BCs to give up Brahmin priests.
Phule rarely used the term Hindu or Hinduism. There is nothing like Hinduism which is a new name taken by the vaidiks to hide themselves. He was direct and simple. He refers to the Brahmin and his Brahminism which was the cause of SC/ST/BC slavery. He identified the enemies of SC/ST/BCs and asked them to eradicate Brahminism. He was simple and straight- forward. He suffered from no confusion.
His entire life and mission were an attempt to re-write Indian history in which he proved a tremendous Success.
He was not writing history but rejecting Brahminical history and hence a serious study of Phule became extremely important.
Admiration for Islam & Christianity: Another important point is that he was a great admirer of Christianity and Islam, the two egalitarian religions that liberated the SC/ST/BCs. He was all in favour of religious conversion to liberate the people from Brahminical oppression.
From all these angles he was not a reformist but a great revolutionary. That is how he became Babasaheb’s principal guru.
Some Brahmins do criticise him saying that he did nothing but Brahmin-baiting. Totally false. He was the first to take to widow marriage, prohibited by the Brahmins, banning of sati, right to education for women. Several Brahmin widows took his protection.
It is a pity that the hate-mongering vaidiks closed their eyes on such a great revolutionary who came to the rescue of Brahmin women discarded by the Brahmin society.
