Prof. X. P. Mao
Perhaps it may not be an exaggeration to say that B. R. Ambedkar was one of the great men of modern time in India. He shaped the destiny of the scheduled caste and tribes of India. B. R. Ambedkar was soaked in the liberal political and social ideas on the contemporary period. He being a dalit suffered so much the brunt of rotten caste system. A highly educated man who studied in some of the best universities in the west was put to humiliation by many. Even his own peon would not give him a glass of water to drink on the ground that he was an untouchable. Rightly B R Ambedkar has been regarded as one of the important architects of the Indian Constitution.
It is true that M.K.Gandhi the father of the Indian nation vehemently spoke against the practices of Untouchability in India. Gandhi could not see the drafting of the Indian Constitution and the practice of untouchability as a cognizable offence. It was only through the intense effort of Ambedkar that the practice of untouchability in any form was treated as a cognizable offence. Seen in this light, Ambedkar can be regarded as one of the greatest men of contemporary India. Whatever may be the basis or origin of caste system in due course of time caste system was regarded as a very powerful weapon of discrimination and exploitation. The Hindu scriptures particularly Bhagavad-Gita treats caste system as a kind of division of labor. According to the author of Bhagavad-Gita, it is the competence or capacity of a person that should constitute the fountainhead of caste system. Guna(competence) and karma(action) constitute the twin pillars of caste system. But it may be pointed out in this connection that the author of Bhagavad-Gita fails to distinguish fact and value relating to caste system It is necessary that ordering of society should be based on competence and capacity of an individual. But historically speaking, the basis of ideal ordering degenerated into an ordering of society based on birth. Somebody is Brahmin only if he is born of Brahmin parents. This shift from competence to birth not only degenerated caste system based on division of labor to hierarchical ordering of society based on birth. It is necessary to mention in this connection that nowhere in the world operates in such very rigid system except in India. It is very interesting to note that Ambedkar was not in favor of reservations of jobs for SC and ST for indefinite period of time. As a matter of fact he suggested that such a reservation should be there for a fixed period of 10 years only. Accordingly 10 years limit was inscribed in the Constitution for such type of reservation. But now things are different. After Constitutional Amendment for jobs and employment for SC and ST the reservation policy is for all practical purposes extended for indefinite period of time. The benefits of reservations given to SC and ST have inspired other caste groups to demand for the same. The Mandal Commission report and its aftermath are glaring testimony to the above point. Even in Tamilnadu Brahmins are demanding some kind of reservation for them because they are minority. This situation brings into focus that the policy of reservation is not an effective method of fighting age old social injustice. The confusion gets worst confounded when demand is made to create clear cut reservation quota even in multi-specialty hospital. To demand reservation in certain kinds of jobs and in certain institution is intelligible but to demand reservation in multispecialty in hospitals is absolutely unintelligible and meaningless. Reservation policy has exhibited the inner contradiction and absurdity. The contradiction is bound to be inherent in the reservation policy itself if it is beyond certain limits. Had B. R. Ambedkar been alive today he would have looked aghast at the policy of reservation followed at present in India. By this I do not mean to argue that reservation is an absurd idea instead I would suggest that equal opportunity should be extended to all irrespective of caste, sex, creed and religion. An effective and meaningful to fight out and eliminate the age old tyranny of exploitation and oppression in the name of caste, creed, sex and religion etc legislation should be made in parliament. The policy of reservation may be a stop gap measure but it cannot be treated as a permanent panacea for centuries old exploitation, oppression and discrimination. It is a fact that even after scientific and technological revolution oppression, exploitation and discrimination continue to be there throughout the world in some form or the other. In Indian context after independence, wealth has increased multifold to use or borrow a jargon from economics GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is on the increase. But it is surprising that poverty and misery are on the increase. Some people wallow in a castle of luxury of wealth and property while a large number of populace get impoverished day by day. There is no need to collect any data or statistics to prove this point; one has to simply go to a crowded railway station in cities and towns to see through this point. Slums grow day by day and children of this slum keep on moving and loafing in the streets is a clear cut signal to our failure to eradicate poverty, illiteracy and misery from Indian society. What is wrong? Where does the shoe pinch? The answer to these questions I wish to give the naked truth that in India some privileged sections of the society have created socio-economic order where money and wealth get accumulated in the hands of few. And this major excessive money is used at the time of election and these people are in turn protected for all their ill gotten money by the elected politicians. This is how the vicious circle continues. Unless and until we check and change the process of wealth getting accumulated in the hands of few, we cannot eliminate poverty and misery. Perhaps the idea of party less democracy suggested by late Jaya Prakash Narain in late sixties is partly the solution. Further, austere life in the higher echelons of society is bound to percolate to the masses. Instead our day to day life clearly shows that privileges, benefits and other perks are added to the pay package of persons belonging to the higher status of the government. Unless and until this practice comes to a stop, poverty and misery from the Indian soil cannot be eliminated. It is a fact that caste in due course of time has done some damage in different form to the Indian psyche. Perhaps because of this reason caste was not taken into account at a particular stage in census enumeration .Surprisingly government of India has taken a decision to reintroduce caste in the last census operation. It may be suggested that in this connection that while taking important decision for a large number of people for long term measures utmost care must be taken. The reason being in the social ordering of human society, there is no one absolute and eternal method. Laws and rules are necessary for managing and running a state but what is most necessary and primary is the change in psychic condition of humankind. It may not be out of place and exaggeration to say that Indian Constitution is one of the best constitutions in the world. Further the legal provisions in this country are superb but at the same time it is true that Indians are most degenerate. Rape, theft, murder and embezzlement of public fund is day to day affair in India. Crimes of all types are on the increase day by day. Historically speaking, any great people including saints and prophets are born in India. But when we look at concrete facts of life, one gets tremendous shock. Perhaps, it appears more than true that our religion and culture have no impact on our life. In fact the gap between text and context is yawning very wide. What should be done to save the situation? It is necessary to make comprehensive and effective laws. But what is most necessary is to bring about changes in psychic spheres. It is one thing to frame laws and rules and another thing to implement it or put it into practice. We have succeeded in framing good and effective laws but miserably fail in putting it into practice. This is the lacuna in the Indian state as it has been suggested earlier. All out efforts should be made to save the situation, more so people at the helm of affairs should take a vow to lead an austere and moral life. Discrimination primarily is a psychic origin, so discrimination, exploitation and oppression can be eliminated only through a thorough psychic change revolution. B.R Ambedkar was aware of it, he took bold initiative in this direction. Perhaps he was aware of what is going to happen in India in succeeding years. Abolition of discrimination, exploitation and oppression resulting in caste system is the begin-all and not the end all. Today in India to prevent rape cases there is suggestion that there is nothing short of hanging and death sentence that be awarded to rapist. But no step has been taken to change the existing social and economic order and other conditions that in a way inspire and induce not to commit rape. To conclude, human and social problem are very complex and complicated and this type of problem requires comprehensive method and technique. To do this, we should offer right type of ovation or respect to our founding fathers of our Constitution particularly the chief architect Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
The writer is HoD, Department of Philosophy, NEHU, Shillong
(xavmao@gmail.com).
