Influence of Dr B.R.Ambedkar on the Literature of Marginalized

Prof. M. B. Bhaisare, Asstt. Prof. in English N. J. Patel College, Mohadi, Dist. Bhandara (M.S.) E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract:

Dr Bababsaheb Ambedkar, one of the greatest champions of humanity, expressed his thoughts on the building of a strong nation. According to him, it should be based on the principles of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity and Justice. So, he objected any sort of injustice done on any ground. He fought for the emancipation of the downtrodden and depressed marginalized. His entire works in social, political, economic, educational and religious aspects influenced every walk of life. He struggled for the emancipation of as marginalized. He led the liberating movement and attempted with his tireless efforts to awaken them form age-old ignorance. His literary outcomes and entire works influenced the literary movement started by Dalit youths. A new trend in literary scenario in the form of literature of the marginalized has blossomed that has the inspiration and influence of Dr. Ambedkar’s movement. So, many writers from the marginalized section in India gratefully and gracefully, often affectionately, recognize Dr. Ambedkar as the source of their inspiration.

Keywords: Influence, literature, Marginalized, Dalit.

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, an iconic & mountainous figure in the world scenario whose tremendous works in almost fields of human life pave a way to study his revolutionary, epoch-making, stormy life. His contribution to all walks of life i.e. social, political, educational, religious, economic seem to remain the centre of the study for not only Indian students, researchers, socialist, economist, politics and too many but also to the world talent as well.

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Humanity has been the main thrust of his entire philosophy. He fought for humanity. He fought alone like a powerful wind against the orthodox, unjust and inhuman social system in India and became the saviour for the oppressed, marginalized humans of India. He stood like a valiant to destruct a very strong wall of caste-ridden old order, which was characterized by the injustice and the denial of human rights, to liberate the „broken men‟ of the county from the cruel rulers of humanity.

It is doubtless to say that Dr. Ambedkar‟s literary outcomes and his entire movement influenced each and every walks of life of India. Literature, films, various movements, research etc are being influenced by his revolutionary ideas and labourous works. He influenced the literary movement of the marginalized. A new trend in literary scenario in the form of literature of the marginalized has blossomed that has the inspiration and influence of Dr. Ambedkar‟s movement and his writings and speeches. Many writers from the marginalized section in India gratefully and gracefully, often affectionately, recognize Dr. Ambedkar as the source of their inspiration. The reflection of this inspiration is seen in the literary expressions of the marginalized. It is the indicator that these literary creations are actually sought from the revolutionary messages of Dr. Ambedkar.

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar has innumerable writings to his credit in the form of treaties, books and articles on various subjects. He delivered more than 500 speeches in Marathi, English and Gujrathi languages. This enormous literature and his painstaking efforts for the sufferers of the marginality paved way for their emancipation.

So, it is important to understand marginality first. According to Dr. J. Bhheemaiah, “In the context of Indian society caste, gender and economic disparities are often a result of marginality from mainstream life. Besides this fact several other factors involving religious, regional, social, racial and linguistic discrimination contribute to the process of social marginalization”.1 In this process of marginalization, the dominant group of people subjugates the marginal social groups. As marginality is a blanket term, it has many facets. By the humiliating social experiences on the basis of caste system, Dalits can be located in the category „margins‟. Other social groups can also claim marginality in a different way. Women are the victims of gender discrimination under the patriarchal oppression. Physically

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disabled, homosexuals and gays can be included into the marginality under different facets of it. In short, marginality arises on factors like gender, caste, economic and physical disabilities and so on. As far as Dalits are concerned, the caste discrimination determined by birth brought them social marginalization. So, „caste‟ has been a major theme in Dalit writing.

„Dalit‟ is a form of social marginality based on caste discrimination. The word is used for the untouchables or the Scheduled Castes (Legal word). The word was used by Dr. Ambedkar in his writings in „Bahishkrit Bharat‟ in 1928. It was labeled and popularized by the literary movement of the 1950-1960s and the rise of . Under the social marginality dalits were subjugated by the upper castes. Some efforts were done by some leaders for the liberation of Dalits. The word „Dalit‟ was used by Dr Ambedkar and his followers and the movement became the Dalit Liberating Movement.

Dr Ambedkar invested much of his labour for the empowerment of the oppressed, marginalized classes. He wanted to uplift their socio-economic condition. He thought the need of education for the improvement of their life. He wrote many books and articles; he delivered a lot of speeches to spread awareness among them about their social condition, status of their life, their rights, unjust treatment given to them, reasons of their poverty and remedies on it.

Through „Castes in India‟, „Annihilation of Castes‟, „The Untouchables‟ and „Who were the Shudras?‟ Dr Ambedkar tried to make them aware of the origin of caste system and annihilation of it. He tried to lift a large mass of marginalized people from the darkness of ignorance to the light of dignity of life. He fought for the social justice, social equality and human rights for the oppressed classes. Through various Bills, Round Table Conferences, establishment of a political party, educational institutions and various other organizations, Dr. Ambedkar tried to maintain the constitutional safeguards to these people to improve their social condition.

Dr Ambedkar knew the importance of education in the life of the marginalized. According to him, education is what makes a person fearless, teaches him the lesson of unity, makes him aware of his rights and inspires him to struggle for his rights. He wanted to use

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education to establish justice, equality, fraternity, freedom and fearlessness in society. He established Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha, Depressed Classes Educational Society and People‟s Education society for the education of backward classes. His work for the education of the depressed classes brought about the changes in them. They understood the importance of education which can free them from the exploitation of the upper caste people. They refused the services of upper caste people. They started getting higher education. As suggested by Dr. Ambedkar, they started leaving villages in search of better jobs in cities. They became able to read Hindu religious scriptures which were denied to them earlier. They realized the oppression by upper caste people. They understood tradition enslaves Dalits and modernity emancipates them.

He worked for the abolishment of „Khoti System‟ and „ Watandari‟ system. His works of industrial reforms for the workers and his reformative measures regarding agriculture, the untouchables found a way to recover their economic standard and their social status. Those who fled to cities and were working in factories and industries could make their lives happy. They could feel the liberty and equality which led them to make their unions under the guidance of Dr. Ambedkar.

Dr. Ambedkar wanted to develop marginalized people as a ruling community. According to him, the political power is the only solution for their socio-economic upliftment. He brought reserved seats to the untouchables. The establishment of „Independent Labour Party‟, Scheduled Caste Federation and Republican Party of India were some of his efforts for the political rights of the marginalized that created a platform for them to enter into the main stream of the country.

Inspite of various efforts made by Dr. Ambedkar, they were not getting the equal rights in Hindu religion. So, he thought that the religious conversion of these classes was the remedy in order to escape from the caste system and to attain equality. So, with his hundreds of thousands followers he embraced Buddhism. It was egalitarian religion, born in India and an alternative to Hindu Social hierarchy. Being Buddhist, these marginalized people felt honour and dignity of their life. They started eliminating Hindu deities. They rejected obligations attached to their ritual status. They stopped to carry out degrading and impure

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duties. Young people became educated and avoided participating in Hindu public practices as a sense of separateness. They called themselves „Bauddha‟ in Marathi which moved slowly to the emergence of a new collective identity.

Due to such efforts by Dr Ambedkar, many youths started taking education from the colleges like Siddharth College, and Milind College, Aurangabad. A generation of graduates from such colleges joined the movement of Dr. Ambedkar. They started voicing against all odds of the system under Dr. Ambedkar. They joined the political front already established by Dr. Ambedkar. Through politics and their writing; they wanted to bring about the changes. They established the literary movements and organizations and started voicing against all types of marginalization levied upon them through a systematic process of discrimination by the upper caste people. The graduates from Siddharth College later on established „Maharashtra Dalit Sahitya Sangh‟. Some of them came together and established Dalit Panthers.

Inspite of socio-political, economical, education and cultural influences, Dr. Ambedkar influenced the literary movements of the marginalized and their literature. His own writings and speeches gave birth to the language of revolution, protest and revolt. The marginalized writers were influenced by his literature. He started his mouthpieces in the form of Weeklies and Fortnightlies to inspire and awaken the life of the marginalized. He himself wrote many articles on various issues and gave voice to the dumb masses. The same thing was adopted by the Dalit writers to voice their emotions and protest through magazines like „Asmitadarsh‟ and Dalit Literary Movement went forward.

According to some, saint Chokhamela, Mahatma Phule, Prof. S.M.Mate can be called as pioneers of the Dalit literary movement. But according to Arjun Dangle, “a historical and objective examination of the situation reveals that it was Dr. Ambedkar who was the enabling factor in Dalit literature because of his ideas, outlook towards life and his struggle to achieve what he felt just.”2 Around 1950, the first batch from Siddhartha College founded a literary body, the Siddhartha Sahitya Sangh which later shaped in Maharashtra Dalit Sahitya Sangha. The literature of this period appeared chiefly in „Prabuddha Bharat‟ and in the Dalit

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magazines. The chief organ of Dalit literature was „Asmitadarsh‟ which was founded in 1968 by Gangadhar Pantawane, a professor of Marathi at Milind College, Aurangabad.3

In the first conference by the Maharashtra Dalit Sahitya Sangha, Bandhumadhav explained its aim as, „Just as the Russian writers helped the revolution by spreading Lenin‟s revolutionary ideas through their works, our writers should spread Dr. Ambedkar‟s philosophy to the villages.‟ This conference discussed Dalit literature in detail and passed the important resolution. „Resolution No. 5 – that the literature written by the Dalit and that written by others about the Dalits in Marathi be accepted as a separate entity known as „Dalit Literature.‟4

Dalit writers started expressing their inner self and Dalit life. While Narayan Surve was depicting the problems of workers through his poetry, Annabhau Sathe gave voice to their hopes and aspirations. Annabhau presents the revolt of the protagonist against the rural orthodox caste system and British Raj to save his community from utter starvation. Shankarrao Kharat‟s „Bara Balutedar‟ describes the life of the Mahar and of other lowly people in the traditional village. But it was who gave great momentum to Dalit literature through his stories. His collection of short stories „Jevha Mi Jaat Chorli Hoti‟ (When I had Concealed My Caste) created a storm in entire Marathi literary world. For some reviewers, it was an epic of the Dalits. However Bagul‟s second collection of short stories „Maran Swasta Hot Aahe‟ (Death is Getting Cheaper) was the landmark in the history of Dalit short stories. It presented the harsh realities of life in . He not only showed the way to combine creativity with the thoughts but also inspired many writers to express the feelings of suffering.

However, Dr Ambedkar‟s political work was the base of the Dalit literary movement. Its literary outcome resulted in the establishment of the Dalit Panthers. The youths , Arjun Dangle and J.V. Pawar established the Dalit Panthers in Bombay on 9 July 1972. They protested against the untouchability in the villages. The leaders of the movements were creative writers who expressed their experiences in provocative language. They used literature as weapon against social injustice. Namdeo Dhasal‟s „Golpitha‟, a poetic collection created a storm in entire Marathi literature. It portrayed the explosive expression of the acute

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pain of the Dalits. „Athvaninche Pakshi‟ by Prof. P.E. Sonkamble efficiently portrays the shameful and difficult childhood of an untouchable using the original language of the . J.V.Pawar, Arun Kamble, Arjun Dangle, Prahlad Chendvankar were all active in creating Dalit literature.

Outside Dalit Panthers, emerged the poets like Daya Pawar, Tryambak Sapkale, Waman Nimbalkar etc. Daya Pawar who not only published poetry but wrote autobiography titled, „Baluta‟. It was widely praised and was very influential. It paved way to autobiography writing among other Dalit writers. Tryambak Sapkale‟s „Surung‟ (Explosion), Waman Nimbalkar‟s poetry collection, „Gaokusabaherchya Kavita‟ (Poetry from the Outskirts of the Village) enriched the Dalit literature. Keshav Meshram, a professor of Marathi literature edited the most important collection of Dalit poetry, „Virodhi Kavita‟ (Poetry in Opposition). Yashvant Manohar‟s „Utthangumfa‟, a poetic collection protested against the religion and social system.

Emergence of women poets in modern Dalit literature is increased. Hira Bansod, Mina Gajbhiye, Dr Jyoti Lanjewar, Anuradga Gaurav, Mina Londe etc can be named here. Some of women writers wrote autobiographies. Shantabai Kamble‟s „Majya Jalmachi Chittarkatha‟, Kumud Pawde‟s „Antasphot‟, Urmila Pawar‟s „The Weave of My Life‟, Baby Kamble‟s „The Prisons We Broke‟ are some of the finest autobiographies written by Dalit women.

According to Zelliot, “Ambedkar‟s own vast amount of writing is primarily political, but the organizations and the spirit which he created are at the root of the new literary movement.” 5 Dalit literature as the literature of marginalized is called as the protest literature. It is an alternative discourse which not only represents the ever silenced and excluded voices of the Dalits but also depicts the neglected promises of the caste Hindu society. Though the age long traditions continued to neglect the Dalit life and their writings, Dalit literature succeeded in creating its own place. It raises an utter cry as a protest as described in Arjun Dangle‟s „Revolution‟- “We used to be their friends When, clay pots hung from our necks,

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brooms tied to our rumps, we made our rounds through the Upper Lane calling “Ma-bap, Johar, Ma-bap” 6

Social character is another striking feature of Dalit literature. The anguish is echoed from the hearts of numerous Dalits as collective suffering of an entire community. It revolts against the social set-up with the strong voice of refusal. An intense outburst of anger against the customs of society through shocking and disrespectful language, Keshav Meshram cursed the God of the Brahmins in his poem, “I cursed him, I cursed him again. Whipping him with words, I said „Bastard‟ 7

Dalit literature adopted Dr. Ambedkar‟s language of Revolution, Revolt and Rebellion. It portrays the sorrows, sufferings, slavery, degradation, poverty endured by Dalits. It inspires Dalit masses for assertion, protest and mobilization. Rejection, Revolt and Humanity are three important values of Dalit literature. Dalit literature as the literature of the marginalized has a unique feature as in the word of Sharamkumar Limbale, „Dalit Consciouness‟ which is an important seed for Dalit literature. In the view of Waman Nimbalkar, Dalit literature is nothing but the human literature as for the first time he claims that literature about the human was written in a realistic way and Dalit literature is nothing but a medium to express the thoughts of Ambedkar. According to Sharankumar Limbale, Babasaheb realized that no social movement can grow stronger unless it generates its own literary tradition. He focused on the transformative power of literature and urged authors to write on themes that foster humanistic values. 8 Conclusion: It is clear that Dalit literature originated from Dalit movement led by the great revolutionary Dr Ambedkar. Unlike other leaders, he knew the exact reason of the condition of Dalits. So he had proper remedy on their problems. As part of their emancipation, he tried for their socio-political and cultural upliftment. He knew that education could play an important role. So, he efforted and facilitated them with educational platforms. Through his abundant literature he ignited their minds to free them from the darkness of ignorance. He made them aware of the struggle to be fought against the age long exploitation and injustice. For the expression of their voice,

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anger, protest and revolt, they needed the literary platform. In fact it was the need of the Dalit movement. Starting with the writings in magazines, they tried various genres of literature. Their themes, style and revolutionary language got wide attention of the world. Translations of Dalit literature in English made it global and joined it to the sufferings of the downtrodden all over the world. Thus it became universal. But at its roots, we find the powerful inspiration of Dr Ambedkar, the liberator and emancipator of the marginalized.

References:

 Dr. Bheemaiah, J. “From Pity to Protest: Contesting Marginality in Dalit Literature.” Voices of Dissent in Literature of the Marginalized, ed. Dr Prakash Kharat, Dr Shaiesh Bahadure, 2012, p. 1.  Dangle, Arjun. “Dalit Literature: Past, Present and Future.” Poisoned Bread: Translations from Modern Marathi Dalit Literature. Ed. Arjun Dangle. Bombay: Orient Longman, 1994. P. 237-238.  Zelliot, Eleanor. “Dalit Sahitya: The Historical Background.” An Anthology of Dalit Literature. Ed. and Eleanor Zelliot. Delhi: Gyan Publishing House, 1992. P. 9  Dangle, Arjun. “Dalit Literature: Past, Present and Future.” Poisoned Bread: Translations from Modern Marathi Dalit Literature. Ed. Arjun Dangle. Bombay: Orient Longman, 1994. P. 242.  Zelliot, Eleanor. “Dalit Sahitya: The Historical Background.” An Anthology of Dalit Literature. Ed. Mulk Raj Anand and Eleanor Zelliot. Delhi: Gyan Publishing House, 1992. P. 8  Dangle, Arjun. “Revolution.” An Anthology of Dalit Literature. Ed. Mulk Raj Anand and Eleanor Zelliot. Delhi: Gyan Publishing House, 1992. P. 43  Meshram, Keshav. “One Day I Cursed That Mother-Fucker God.” An Anthology of Dalit Literature. Ed. Mulk Raj Anand and Eleanor Zelliot. Delhi: Gyan Publishing House, 1992. P. 118.  Limbale, Sharankumar. Towards an Aesthetic of Dalit Literatue: Histories, Controversies and Considerations. Trans. Alok Mukherjee. New Delhi: Orient Longman, 2004. P. 50.

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