125 Birth Anniversary of Babasaheb Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : Bhikkhu Bodhipala

 Today 14th April we celebrate the day in India as the Ambedkar Jayanti. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was born in 14th April 1891 in Madhya Pradesh. He was born in a Dalit family. He was born at a time when India practised caste difference and human beings were divided into groups who were not allowed to mix with each other and this went to such an extent that even shadows were also not allowed to fall on the other.
Babasaheb as he was fondly called struggled all his life but being a brilliant student he succeeded in reaching to the higher echelons of education through sheer dint of his scholastics and a little help from well wishers. He came out with flying colours in whatever he did.
Babasaheb dabbled in politics too when he was made the law minister in Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet. He was also made the Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee and thus he was the chief architect of the Constitution of India which gives us such important characteristics of freedom, justice, equality, fraternity and liberty.

Dr. Ambedkar had given the call to be educated (Shikshit Bano), unite (Sanghatit Bano) and agitate (Sangharsh karo). This should be our motto in life if we have to achieve what is guaranteed in our Constitution. The Buddha also said the same to the Vajjis to sit and rise in unity, to discuss in unity and to raise your voice which is correct in unity.

Babasaheb had declared that it was not in his hands that he was born into the society practising untouchability that was being propagated by the Hindus but it was in his hands that he would not die as one. He therefore to clear the stigma of an untouchable showed to the millions of an ancient Path that was once prevalent in India but forgotten yet glorified beyond the shores of Indian boundaries that was the path of the Buddha which he embraced with millions of his Dalit brethren in 1956 giving not only himself and his community a lease of fresh air but at the same time recognising the regeneration of Buddhist Culture that was started in 1891 by Anagarika Dharmapala of Sri Lanka and Ven. Kripasaran Mahasthavir of Bengal which seemed to have borne fruit now.

Buddha's ideology of Ehipassiko, come and see, understand and question may have encouraged Babasaheb to embrace Buddha and His Teachings which amongst other things was the unflinching encouragement that it provides human beings to be his own God rather than to be subdued with One whom we can't see. The Buddha with his teachings respecting all faiths and ideologies has never encouraged mankind to glorify his own religion and scorn the others and showing vengeance but has always respected the other faiths to the utmost and has laid the onus on us to develop our mind and conscience to the utmost form of purity where there is non self and ego. This is what Ambedkar eschewed all his life.

Let us on this day on the occasion of the 125th Birth Anniversary of Babasaheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar salute this man for his audacity to challenge the circumstances and come out with all glory in whatever field he chose to be. We have to study him more closely to understand him, to know him and to walk his path. Let this be this occasion. He is no more a leader for many but is a redeemer for the masses who hold him in very high esteem in the lanes and by lanes of the Dalit communities. Today and in the days to come we will see him as the heart of India in terms of social justice and an inclusive society where all are one and equal.

JAI BHIM

Bhikkhu Bodhipala
Kolkata
bodhipala.bdg@gmail.com