Sep29 2010 A Note on Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia’s Views on Caste - R.M. Pal ====================================================== Since the time I took over a editor of the PUCL Bulletin, I gave the utmost importance to the eradication of the twin evils in India, Caste and Communalism (i.e. societal violation of Human Rights caused by these two evils). It is a matter of great regret that these two evils continue to threaten the very existence of our country even though our leaders including Pandit Nehru and even Gandhi had announced that these two evils would disappear once the British left. Most of my articles written on these two evils have been included in my recently published book Human Rights Issues and Other Radical Essays published by Aakar Books. Those who have come down heavily on the Brahmanical religion remain my gurus. When I came in contact with M N Roy, one day I said rather abruptly that I had a very sad experience with a Brahmin family. The family compelled me to wash my plates after having a meal at their place. Since then, I have found it difficult to have any respect and tolerance for a Brahmin. Roy at once interjected and said ‘you mean the brahmanical religion and not any individual Brahmin’. Since that day I began to examine the tenets of the brahmanical religion or what I later called the Sanskritic Hinduism. Since the time of my association with PUCL, I have been studying the literature on the subject. And whoever has said anything substantial I haveread with great interest. It is in this spirit that I came to read Dr. Lohia’s book on caste and found it interesting. I must narrate an incident in this context. Once I wrote an editorial in the PUCL Bulletin on the question of caste and concluded that the human rights situation in our country will not improve until caste is abolished lock, stock and barrel. And for that we need a philosophical revolution. In a PUCL conference held in Mumbai which was presided over by the then PUCL president Justice Rajendar Sachar, the well known Indo-Anglian creative writer and intellectual Prof. Nissim Ezekiel, made some very critical comments on the editorial. My political guru described caste as an ugly relic of the past. Dr. Lohia does not use this expression but his conclusion is almost the same. I must narrate another incident in this context when M N Roy started his ambitious quarterly magazine of ideas, The Marxian Way, which influenced my thinking on caste in our country. He sent a circular letter to many intellectuals in the country to join the editorial team. He also wrote to Dr.Ambedkar. In Dr. Ambedkar’s reply,now a moth eaten letter preserved in the M N Roy archives in the Nehru memorial museum and library, he wrote that he would be happy to contribute articles but in his present position (member of the Viceroy’s executive council) it is not advisable that his name should appear as member of editorial committee. In the very first issue of the Marxian Way, Roy published two articles; one Caste system and India’s Future by diplomat historian K.M.Panikkar, two Jyotirao Phule - Rebel and Rationalist by the great Maharastrian rationalist and philosopher Tarkateertha Laxman Shastri Joshi. That Dr. Lohia is all for abolition of caste can be seen even from a reading of the contents of the book. I may quote here what M N Roy wrote in his editorial note on the article ‘The Caste System’ which is of relevance in the context of abolishing caste. A trenchant criticism of cultural nationalism, Mr. Panikkar’s contribution suggests that freedom cannot come to India unless it is forced on her. Though not exactly in these words but in effect Mr. Panikkar declares that only a revolution canpull down the hoary structure of the caste ridden Hindu society which holds a majority of Indian people in cultural and spiritual servitude. (I may mention here in passing that a careful reading of Dr. Ambedkar’s writings on this subject hold more or less the same view). Here the problem of freedom results from the absence of the urge for freedom. Freedom has not become an ideal, but it is a necessity. Therefore, it must be enforced by a small group utilizing the secular power of the state. Revolutionary dictatorship speculated, perhaps unwittingly, as the condition for freedom. Evidently, this bold view is not compatible with formal democracy and what is known as constitutionalism. Apart from that familiar controversy there is a more fundamental question which is not new. An original analysis of the caste system leads to the conclusion that this ugly relic of the past can be cleared away only by the secular authority of the state. Here Roy raises a fundamental question, can a social revolution take place before a philosophical revolution has disrupted the authority of traditional values? The history of Europe has answered the question in the negative. The spiritual value inspiring the required philosophical revolution is the urge for freedom which is identical with their biological struggle for existence. Let me now get to Dr. Lohia. Hebegins his essays thus: ‘The Indian people are the saddest on earth. They are so because they are also the poorest and most diseased.Another equally important reason however consists in the peculiar bent their spirit has received. I am convinced that two segregations of caste and women are primarily responsible for this decline of the spirit. The president of the Indian Republic publicly bathed the feet of two hundred Brahmins in the holy city of Banaras. To bathe another’s feet publicly is vulgar. To restrict this vulgar privilege to the caste of Brahmins should be a punishable offence. To include among this privileged caste a majority of no learning nor character is a complete loss of discrimination, an inevitable accompaniment of the caste system and lunacy.’ Dr. Lohia entered into a correspondence with Dr. Ambedkar. His letter in this context to Mr. Madhu Limaye is extremely important. Let me quote a few lines. ‘You can well understand my sorrow at Dr. Ambedkar’s sudden death has been and is somewhat personal. It had always been my ambition to draw him into our fold. Not only organizationally but also in full ideological sense and that moment seemed to be approaching. Dr. Ambedkar was to me a great man in Indian politics and apart from Gandhiji as the greatest of caste Hindus. This fact has always given me solace and confidence that the caste system of Hinduism could one day be destroyed. I have always been trying to communicate to the Harijans of India an idea which is basic with me. Dr. Ambedkar and Mr. Jagjeevanram are the two modern Harijans in India. Dr. Ambedkar was learned, a man of integrity, courage and independence. He could be shown to the outside world as a symbol of upright India. He refused to become a leader of non-Harijans. I can well understand the agony of last 5000 years to their continuing impact on Harijans. Such a great Indian as Dr. Ambedkar, I had hoped, would someday be able to rise above the situation, but death came early. Mr. Jagjeevanram maintains an apparent goodwill towards all Indians and Hindus and although he is known to flatter the caste Hindus when he deals with them, he is reported to sing to the bitter tunes of hatred in exclusivity.’ Dr. Lohia concludes this letter by suggesting that if Dr. Ambedkar were alive today we all would welcome him not merely as a leader of scheduled castes but as a leader of India as a whole. It is in this context I may refer to the situation that obtains today. During the last general elections the NDA leader Mr. L K Advani and his right hand man Mr. George Fernandes (a devoted disciple of Dr. Lohia) went to all political formations asking them to join NDA in a coalition, but scrupulously avoided Mayawati. If Dr. Lohia were alive today, I venture to suggest that his first task would have been to find ways and means to stop Rahul Gandhi from becoming the leader of the Congress and thus bring an end to the Gandhi-Nehru dynasticrule. Now that he is no more, I only hope that his disciples will prevail upon Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav, a great and devoted follower of Dr. Lohia, to join hands with Mayawati. I also hope that Dr. Lohia’s disciples would prevail upon Lalu Prasad Yadav to join hands with Mayawati and defeat dynastic rule in Bihar. Once UP and Bihar defeat the members of the dynastic rule (the Congress) the Government in New Delhi willcome into the hands of Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Mayawati. Dr. Lohia wanted to bring about a change in Indian polity through the parliamentary form of democracy, whereas his friend and colleague Jayprakash Narayan wanted to reconstruct Indian polity by introducing a new Indian political theory of partyless politics and democracy. Since we cannot dispense with the present system, let us hope Dr. Lohia’s followers urge on leaders like Mulayam Singh, George Fernandes and Lalu Prasad Yadav to stop the rise of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi and join an Ambedkarite like Mayawati. I may conclude Dr. Lohia’s approach to caste system by quoting from his discussions with Mr. E V Ramaswamy Naicker. Dr. Lohia went all the way to Madras to meet and have a talk with Mr. Naicker who was at that time undergoing six months’ prison sentence on a charge of inciting his followers to violence against Brahmins. That took place in Madras General Hospital where Mr. Naicker was lodged and lasted for an hour. The conversation took place in Hindi and Tamil (Mr. G Murahari acted as the interpreter). Mr. Naicker: I never incited my followers to violence. The Prime Minister while speaking at a public meeting has done injustice to me by saying that I was mad and that I must get the maximum punishment. Dr. Lohia: Indeed injustice has been done to you. A case of contempt of court can be instituted against Mr. Nehru, for the case is subjudice. Lohia added that it should be stated in clear terms that there should be no violence against individual Brahmins. Lohia further added I am with you in the fight to eradicate the caste system and I am prepared to go to jail with you. I would also welcome if a movement is started for removal of caste name plates. Burning photographs of Gandhi and violence against individual Brahmins must stop. Lohia concludes thus: The main purpose of my talk with Naicker was to persuade him to accept the Unity of India. I have admiration for two qualities of Mr. Naicker. He is a man of action and he had a burning sense of resistance to injustice. I told Mr. Naicker that I stood for the destruction of caste. Mere caste reform would not suffice. I promised to accompany Mr. Naicker in a campaign even breaking laws for achieving this object. I have written this essay by way of paying my homage to great Indians like M N Roy, Lohia, Ambedkar and Mahatma Phule for their life long struggle to abolish caste. What I have written about Dr. Lohia’s book on caste, clearly indicates that Dr. Lohia was all for abolition of caste. I may mention her that if Gandhi were alive today he might not have agreed with everything that Lohia has written in his book. I therefore appeal to Lohia’s disciples, many of whom are acknowledged intellectuals, to find out what Gandhi has said about caste and also to find out how their leader Dr. Lohia is nearer the truth in regard to caste.
Posted on: Mon, 19 May 2014 12:23:29 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015