DALIT SOLIDARITY PROGRAMME
M. GOPINATH, KARNATAKA SAMATA SAINIK DAL, BANGALORE
We received an invitation from. the “Dalit Solidarity Program me” (DSP) in June 1992 for a national convention at Nagpur.
The letter said: Dalits were not owned by the Hindus or Muslims. They were hated, explicated and oppressed by all. After the 1909 political reform, when number become important, Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs began to lure them to swell their numbers. Dalits ‘had been embracing Christianity in different parts of India to live with dignity and self-respect. Dalits under the leadership of Babasaheb Ambedkar embraced Buddhism certainly not for economic gain – or political reasons. It was a declaration of religious independence and struggle for self-respect. Yet, owing to the influence of Hinduism on Indian society, the stigma of untouchability cannot be washed off. Atrocities are committed in the rural areas on the Dalits irrespective of the religion which they profess. Change of religion does not necessarily mean change of status. Religion has divided the Dalits of India to the advantage of oppressors”.
Something is wrong: Hence, it urged the Dalits to. come on the platform to discuss their common problems and “to choose a specific program me to eradicate discrimination and inner weakness born of ignorance and poverty”. The letter was signed by two conveners, the Rev.- (Dr.) James Massey and Bhagwan Dass, a Delhi advocate and an Ambedkarite and Buddhist. The letter itself made us think that something is wrong somewhere. It is true that the Hindus tried to own and lure Dalits for political gain (this attempt continues even today) Over 85% of the Muslims are Dalit converts. In the undivided Bengal the percentage is much more.
Dalit Christians: Dalits embraced Christianity to gain dignity and self-respect. It is t hose converts who are today loudly complaining that their “honor and dignity” are threatened by upper caste Christians. It is these converts who demand reservation which is certainly not for economic gains alone. We fully support the Dalit Christian demand.
Muslims may have divisions and differences among them. But like the Dalit Christians we hear no complaints from them. In fact, there is no term like “Dalit Muslims”. Even the upper caste-owned “national” newspapers don’t use this term. Nor do the Muslim converts seek reservations like the Dalit Christians.
The letter says that irrespective of change of religion, Dalits are discriminated. Babasaheb never advocated Buddhism to escape discrimination. We never expected a “change in status” on becoming Buddhists. Dalits embraced Buddhism for the sake of social and cultural liberation and to cement the internal differences, to heal the inner wounds and to secure a cultural identity.
Ambedkar’s: This process is sought to be frustrated by some selfish and corrupt Dalits who have joined Hindu nazi parties.
Ambedkar’s has not yet been experimented in India. Even before Dalit Voice [iii Babasaheb revolutionized Buddhism, his end came. Be that as it may, what prompted these Christians in collaboration with some Dalits to take up this “Dalit solidarity”?
Role of Yogesh Varhade’s: The first “consultation” of the DSP was held at Hyderabad on Aug.7-8 1992. There we learnt that the World Council of Churches had a role to play in it. Rev. Bob Scott of the WCC/PCR, a great friend of the Dalits, was present. About 25 people from different Paris of India came. It was decided to hold the “national convention” of the DSP. The issues to be discussed were Dalit history, culture, literature, religion, Dalit women, socio-economic problem, education etc. Since Yogesh Varhade of Canada has already international sized the Dalit problem by raising the issue at the UN Human Rights Commission Geneva, twice we suggested a paper on the “indigenous people of India”. This proposal was immediately seconded by Bob Scott because as an indigenous Australian and one offering full support to Yogesh Varhade, he knew the importance of the subject.
WCC Canberra Statement: Massey perhaps doesn’t know (?) that the WCC has recognized Dalits as indigenous people (Dalit Voice, June 1, 1992, p.7) and has passed a resolution to this effect at its VII Assembly at Canberra, And Yogesh Varhade had gone before the UN Human Rights Sub-Commission on Indigenous Peoples in July 1992 with full WCC support and Bob Scott, a sincere advocate of Dalits as indigenous people, has been working in close cooperation with Varhade. Tribal leaders like Dr. Ramdayal Munda and others have been also fighting for recognition as indigenous people at the UN for the past several years with full WCC support.
Church as liberator: If Massey knows all these as a Christian leader sitting in Delhi, how did he try to shut out discussion on Dalits as indigenous people? If the Church admits tribals as indigenous but not Dalits, will it not amount to setting up a brother against brother? By this is he not bringing a bad name to the whole church which has taken a leading role in liberating Dalits?
Babasaheb Ambedkar tock up the cause of tribals along with Dalits without any prayer or pressure from the tribals then. He did it on his own because as the country’s greatest anthropologist and social scientist, he knew that SCs {Dalits) and STs (tribals} are the two sides of the same coin. Both are indigenous and victims of Aryan aggression.
Babri Masjid: We are putting all these on record because the liberation struggle of the Indian original inhabitants, comprising over 85% of the population, artificially divided not only into SC/ST/BCs but also Muslims/Christians/Sikhs, has taken a decisive turn after the Aryan aggression on the Babri Masjid. This 85% of the population is oppressed by one common enemy – the Aryan Brahminical aggressor. The unity of this 85% taking shape in a big way should not be interfered with.
Only one movement: WCC must, therefore, keep a close watch on India’s Dalit movement which is the age and the only live movement of the day, and weed out careerists and carpet-baggers.
However, one convener said “it is “mischievous to term Untouchables as indigenous people”, But the majority participants wanted it to be the prominent item on the agenda of the Nagpur convention. There was no go. it was agreed and passed.
Though! was a member of the steering committee, | did not get invitations for its meetings. Later, | learnt that was removed from it. it was not Atalla surprise. When! and my SSD colleague Venkaiah, received the invitation to attend the Nagpur meet we were really surprised,
Shock: We knew there was a move to keep staunch Ambedkarite and noted Dalit intellectuals away from the convention. The three-day meet proved that we were right.
We were shocked on seeing the convention agenda that there was no mention of indigenous people. We had read in Dalit Voice that Yogesh Varhade would attend the convention. His name too was missing When a cheerful Varhade came, he was received with great applause. The organizers were perhaps afraid that Varhade would steal the show, and that Ambedkarite would then become closer to WCC which was determined to support the Dalits who are the world’s single largest victims of racism,
Though the convention aimed at “Dalit solidarity” what happened at Nagpur was just the opposite. The organizers were desperate to prove the solidarity by conducting joint prayers by Buddhist monks and Christian priests. Most of the speakers praised Babasaheb’s struggle. But the Ambedkarite were complaining that the organizers refused to allow Babasaheb’s portrait on the stage. On the final day’s public meeting, Babasaheb’s portrait was garlanded by Bob Scott.
Caste among Muslims: The literature circulated and the speeches made sought to achieve “solidarity among Buddhist Dalits, Christian Dalits, Hindu Dalits (?) and Muslim Dalits”. But we did find any “Muslim Dalit”. A “socialist Muslim”, Dalit Voice |: Mohammed d Kadus, spoke on caste among Muslims. As there is already a stinking casteism among brahminesses Christianity, Sikhism and Buddhism, these organizers somehow wanted to find a similar evil in Muslim society too. Kadus was brought to present a paper on these lines. When a delegate mentioned the “demolition of Babri Mosque,” the subject was turned down as irrelevant. Rev. Anand Chandu Lal, Moderator of the church of North India, who presided, went to the extent of warning us not a bring in the subject of Babri Masjid’s demolition, though the whole country was seized of this problem. When we of the Karnataka Samata Sainik Dal and Kerala Dalit Panthers asked Kadus to substantiate his observations on “caste among Muslims”, he just failed to convince us. At the last day’s public meeting the Kadus showpiece was missing.
The delegates had to wait patiently for two days for the talk on “Indigenous Dalits”. The organizers were. putting forward all sorts of obstructions. Even Bob Scott was helpless in this regard. Finally, we Dalits of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka jointly prepared an appeal demanding time to discuss the “indigenous” question and got it signed by over 45 participants. When Massey saw our appeal, he refused to accept. “This is not the forum to discuss the indigenous question. You people are problem creators. We invited Varhade as an observer and not as a participant”, he said. Hethen asked us to meet Bhagwan Das. he tried to escape saying, “it is a program me of Christians. | am only helping them”.
Black Bishop missing: This is how the organizers played their game he funds allotted by the WCC with all sincerity. We learnt that the Dalit Bishop | Rev. Azariah, hailed as “Indian’s most famous black theologian” did not turn up as he was disappointed with the whole thing thought the DSP took shape because of his persistent resubstitute WCC and the WCC commitment to the Dalit cause.
Massey even went to the extent of criticizing Varhade as “trouble maker”.
Finally, they were forced to invite Varhade to present the details “only internationalization of Dalit cause” and not to speak on “Indigenous question”. However, none could suppress the great fighter Varhade who gave a detailed account of his efforts at the UN and the WCC to take up the indigenous question.
Bob Scott slap: When Bob Scott was asked to speak, he simply endorsed Varhade’s statement thus giving a slap on the face of the organizers. Bob Scott talked only on the “indigenous Dalits”. We are yet to understand as to what prevented Bhagwan Das and Massey to block. discussions on such an important -issue. Were they warned by Andre Bouteille & Co., the intellectual prostitutes?
We are yet to know the purpose of the Nagpur convention. We do not know the possible projects as suggested in their first letter “for the eradication of discrimination.” The papers presented were distorted and confused the participants. We feel sorry that the much-awaited convention on which so much money of the WCC was spent, has ended with such disappointment.
Dalits are Nagas: Therefore, we wish to bring to the notice of the WCC that:
- Dalits do not need any new history to be written either by Massey or by Bhagwan Das. Babasaheb has clearly traced the roots of Dalits. People like Massey might be confined to identify us as “Broken people” but Babasaheb has gone further to identity us as descendants of that great Naga race. Massey and co. I Dalit Voice want to take pity on us as Untouchables but Babasaheb made us feel proud of our untouchability. Because we are untouched by the Hindu pollution. Untouchables means those untouched by the Hindu contamination. Untouchables used to slipper the brahmins who dared to trespass their localities. We became Untouchables because we were staunch Buddhists and beef-eaters. This is our history.
- The organizers coined a new term, ‘Hindu Dalit”. This is a mischief played to please the “Hindus”. Because there is no Hindu among Dalits. Dalits are not Hindus and never Hindus
- Towards “Dalit solidarity”, we wanted to condemn the demolition of Babri Masjid, support the struggle of Bante Surai Sasai to liberate the Buddha Gaya from the Aryans and demand proportionate reservation for Dalit Christians. But we were never allowed to speak. (In fact, were pulled down while speaking).
4, We also sense a danger from their first letter (8.6.92) and the activities during the convention about an attempt to kill Babasaheb’s spirit from our movement. We think the upper caste Christians of Indians are helping their Aryan counterparts to dislodge Babasaheb Ambedkar from the national and international scene. Theta person like Bhagwan Das, who calls himself an Ambedkarite, became a party to such a thing is all the more shocking.
Anybody trying to meddle with the Dalit cultural unity will be doing great injustice and harm. Some portici pants were telling Aryans chose Dec. 6to demolish the mosque and these white Christians have chosen Nagpur to corrupt the Buddhist trend among Dalits.
- We are aware of the sincerity of WCC in ending Apartheid in South Africa. The WCC must note that Indian casteism is a much more serious than Apartheid.
If the WCC wants to support Dalits, it cannot rely on the brahminesses church and bishops. There is already a growing upsurge of Dalit Christians against upper caste Christians.
“We, the Dalits know how and where to fish. What we need is some instruments like gut, stick, net etc. to catch the fish. WCC has to only help us procure these instruments”. (R. Elumalai). Any number of seminars and conventions, millions of rupees will never take us nearer to this goal. All these big shows can only help some opportunists who want to make business out of Dalit Christians. WCC, beware of brahminesses Christians.
