EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is from a series of Questions answered by Shekhar Bodhakar
Depends on your understanding of the word ‘dalit’, the answer to your question is NEVER.
Dr BR Ambedkar was a dalit who stopped being a dalit as soon as he could fight back. A dalit is a continually oppressed, suppressed, mentally crushed victim of atrocities. Dr Ambedkar could fight back only because he realised that:
- “Caste is a state of mind”. Casteism is a mental phenomena. Nobody has a caste and nobody belongs to a caste. People are MADE TO BELIEVE that they belong to or have a caste. Castes were forced on people for the benefit of the controllers, the Brahmins.
- THERE IS NO SUCH PHRASE AS “AN EDUCATED SHUDRA OR AN EDUCATED ATI-SHUDRA”. If a person thinks of himself as a Shudra /Ati Shudra, she/he is not supposed to get educated because that’s how the role of a Shudra is defined as in the Brahmin ‘holy’ scriptures. It automatically follows that if a so called Shudra, who is sometimes wrongly termed as a dalit, gets educated then she/he is not a Shudra.
Instead of asking, “When will another DALIT leader like Dr. BR Ambedkar rise?” a more appropriate question would be: When will another LEADER like Dr. BR Ambedkar rise who could stop people from becoming dalits ? In this case you would get a different answer.
If a leader like Dr. BR Ambedkar arises, that person won’t be a Dalit (nor was Dr Ambedkar one). She/he would have to be a smart fighter who is not going to allow anyone to make him into a dalit, a victim of atrocities.
I hope that answers your question. The following is important information about whether the word ‘dalit’ should or should not be used to label the so called lower castes and the Ati shudras, the untouchables.
CAMPAIGN against the exclusive use of the word ‘dalit’ for scheduled castes (SC)
Should the word “dalit” be used or not? It really depends on who you are referring to when using that word. It can clearly be used in some cases, otherwise that word wouldn’t exist.
Regardless of what it means, it is wrong to use ANY other word to refer to people from SCs (other than who they really are in the constitutional sense).
The following is just ONE of the reasons why Dr Ambedkar objected to Gandhi’s use of the word “Harijan”
By using ANY other word (whether harijan or dalit) for these people, you are simply re-labeling them as ‘untouchabe’. Treating someone as an untouchable is not only abusive, it is anti-constitutional and is a hindrance to annihilation of caste and Gandhi knew that — Period.
Yes, the word “dalit” is foolishly, albeit unknowingly, casually used even by many ‘hardcore’ Ambedkarites when referring to the Scheduled Castes. Many academia’s seem to mistakenly think that they need some term to refer to these people in order to give them a political identity and conveniently choose ‘dalit’, not realising that by doing so they may be doing more harm than good.
For the English speakers, to realise the abusive, derogatory and casteist nature of the use of the word ‘dalit’ when exclusively reserved to label a certain section of society, replace it with any of its English equivalents; broken, crushed depressed, suppressed, oppressed, downtrodden victims. Being referred to as a dalit is a constant reminder of one’s past ensuring the stigma isn’t removed.
This must stop. Otherwise we fall into a very cleverly set trap that vehemently promotes Manuism (casteism), serving the Manuvadi Brahminivad agenda.
Until at least when we ourselves STOP REFERRING TO SCs as dalits, the mainstream media will carry on with this neuro-linguistic brainwashing that promotes dalitism/harjanism/untouchablization.
The statement, “Dr Ambedkar fought for the rights of dalits” could be used.. AS LONG AS the listener understands that the word ‘DALIT” means:
” ANY oppressed and downtrodden PERSON, a victim who most likely would be a woman, minor, widow, divorcee, orphan, disabled person, labourer, a person from a SC, ST or any other oppressed minority group. Ie, NOT JUST FROM so called low castes. (A dalit could be a Brahmin who is unfairly suppressed)”. A dalit is not a person belonging to any particular group. A dalit is usually a casteless non-Brahmin made to believe she/he has a caste
ONLY if so, can we really say that Dr Ambedkar fought for the rghts of dalits.. ALL dalits. Not just for the rights of those who were called the untouchables.
ALSO READ:
What are the contributions of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar towards India?
Author of this article Shekhar Bodhakar is a London based Anti-Caste activist. He is the Composer of Buddhatāla and has also worked as Head of Mathematics department in a London college in the past.
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this article are the personal views of the author and not necessarily the views of “Voice of Dissent”
