New Delhi:
“Who’s a Hindu? What does Hinduism stand for? Define, classify, standardize”. These questions were raised by Jagjivan Ram at a group discussion on “Hinduism with a human face: the imperative of social equality”, organized under the auspices of the Group of Eighty at the India International Centre here on Oct. 29.
Jagjivan Ram, who spoke in angry and ironical tones, urged the Virat Hindu Sammelan, which had organized a massive rally at India Gate on Oct-18, to set up a committee to classify and standardize Hinduism. He said that he was curious to know the standardized definition of a Hindu. He likened the existence of Untouchability in the Hindu society to a disease which was spreading like an epidemic. “The trouble is that everybody is prescribing his own remedies to remove Untouchability. But sometimes a doctor asks the patient what he is suffering from. In this particular case, no one is asking the patient what he is suffering from and what sort of treatment does he desire?”. Ram said that he could understand the practice of racial discrimination against the Blacks by the Whites in the USA and South Africa and persecution of Jews by Christian in Germany and elsewhere but he failed to understand the phenomenon of discrimination or “untouchability” against co-religionists as was being practiced in India against the Harijans. This was inscrutable and mind-boggling indeed. He did not blame the Brahmins for starting untouchability in India. It was the “Brahminvad” or “Brahminism” that really started this evil originally and which is continuing in its ugliest form even today.
He said that he was only studying and analysing the problem of Untouchability. “And I would not like to prescribe any remedy for this disease because I don’t have the remedy “. But at same time, Ram felt that Untouchability – at least its manifestation – could be removed by law. “If Sati could be stopped by law why can’t the Untouchability?”. He did not agree with the earlier speakers that Untouchability could be removed by bringing about an economic uplift of the Harijans. “This is not economic problem. You can’t solve the problem by merely giving a better standard of life to the Harijans. The fact is that a Harijan will remain a Harijan even if he becomes a learned scholar and a Brahmin will remain a Brahmin even if he remains illiterate and poor throughout his life”. Ram repeatedly urged his audience to go into the root cause of Untouchability “Don’t talk in the air, come to the earth” was the way in which he put his thought on this point. Elaborating the thought, he said: “How did Untouchability begin? This impurity (‘gandgi‘) has come to us (Harijans) from you (upper castes). Over the years it has caused a situation of a bottleneck. What to do? The only way out now is either to break the neck of the bottle or break the base of the bottle. There is no other remedy”.
Talking about Hindu philosophy (darshan), he said that it was very ennobling and high-sounding and, therefore, a thing of worship and veneration. “But what does it matter to a Valmiki sweeper who sweeps the street with a broom in his hand?”. Ram did not agree with an earlier speaker that Untouchability had almost vanished from the cities but it was still being prevalent in villages. “I don’t agree with this. Tell me, can a Harijan run a jalebi shop in a city? Will non-Harijans buy his product? Find out how many people of upper castes would volunteer to rent out their houses to Harijans in the cities?” he asked.
Jagjivan Ram is undoubtedly India’s topmost leader of the Untouchables today. Twice his chances of becoming the Prime Minister of India were foiled by the communal Hindus. And since then he has been boiling with anger. The communal Hindus had used him to the fullest extent, and Ram had also derived lot of benefits for this service rendered to them, but lately the frustrations in him have forced him to come out with the truth. Better late than never. We hope even at this fag end of his life, Ram would try to secure a place in history. If he wants, he can get it. It is with this fond hope we have reproduced his speech as reported in the Statesman (Delhi) of Oct. 30. As Ram has touched the core of the problem, the subject matter is of great significance to the Dalits and other persecuted minorities.
