Index Investing News
Sunday, May 25, 2025
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • Home
  • World
  • Investing
  • Financial
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Stocks
  • Crypto
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Opinion
  • Home
  • World
  • Investing
  • Financial
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Stocks
  • Crypto
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
Index Investing News
No Result
View All Result

Tracing Ambedkar’s journey to Buddhism

by Index Investing News
October 21, 2022
in Opinion
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
0
Home Opinion
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


Why do you remain in a religion which prohibits you from entering temples? Why do you remain in a religion which prohibits you from securing drinking water from the public well?

These searing words by BR Ambedkar in 1936 capture his critique of the caste system and his vision for the future of marginalised communities. At the time of delivering this speech during a meeting of the Mumbai Mahar Parishad, he was certain that class mobility and cosmetic changes such as changing surnames or inter-dining were not long-term remedies to eradicate caste. Instead, he was increasingly moving to examining faith itself. He had a difficult task at hand — after all, raising the consciousness of those robbed of their histories, and left humiliated, stigmatised and boycotted, wasn’t easy. The Hindu fold, with its deep roots in India’s past, was not a blanket that could be discarded overnight. Several social reformers, orthodox members of the faith and those opposed to conversion were also working overtime to either reform, discourage or dissuade untouchable communities from pursuing conversion.

Ambedkar understood that the subject of conversion was not to be taken lightly. In his response, he decentred the impediments to conversion and focussed on spiritual and material growth in the lives of converts, telling his followers that conversion was a form of social rebirth for them. “You must bear in mind that your today’s decision will carve out a path for posterity, for future generations,” he said. Two decades later, on October 14, 15 and 16 in 1956, Ambedkar led tens of thousands of his followers into Buddhism in Nagpur and Chandrapur. Of course, this was not the first such event — in the dying years of the 19th century, Tamil reformer Iyothee Thass had famously converted to Buddhism in then Ceylon, and later set up a Buddhist society.

Ambedkar left the Hindu fold not under any influence or because of vendetta, revenge and impulsiveness. Instead, his Dhammaantar (conversion to Dhamma) was the final step in addressing his “ethical loneliness” shared with caste-oppressed people. Several Hindu reformers wished to amend and address untouchability without the destruction of the social order — prominent among them were Mahatma Gandhi and VD Savarkar who organised inter-dining efforts and supported Ambedkar’s temple entry movement.

Savarkar, in fact, invited Ambedkar to inaugurate a temple at Ratnagiri. Ambedkar communicated his inability to accept the invitation due to “previous engagements”; and appreciated Savarkar’s efforts. But he reminded Savarkar, that “the problem of untouchables is intimately bound up with the question of the reorganisation of Hindu society.”

Ambedkar believed that without religious conversion, the problem of untouchability would remain unresolved. Yet, he was aware that caste could spread to any religion, and acknowledged it in a paper during his stint at Columbia University as early as 1916. He sought an egalitarian, moral, and rational religion and saw Buddha’s Dhamma as a path with many possibilities of emancipation.

His dream of Prabuddha Bharat — an enlightened India that is ethical, egalitarian, liberal, and compassionate — remains unfinished. Yet, despite recent political controversies around conversion, the Buddhist faith continues to be embraced by caste-marginalised people with new research showing higher socioeconomic and health, education metrics associated with the neo-Buddhist communities in Maharashtra. In the endurance of his ideals is a lesson for society.

Varsha Ayyar is assistant professor, TISSThe views expressed are personal



Source link

Tags: AmbedkarsBuddhismJourneyTracing
ShareTweetShareShare
Previous Post

NYT Flip-Flops on Sympathy for Sick Senate Candidates

Next Post

India must get rid of redundant colonial statutes

Related Posts

Christian Rally In Seattle Park Attacked By Violent Woke Mob – FREEDOMBUNKER

Christian Rally In Seattle Park Attacked By Violent Woke Mob – FREEDOMBUNKER

by Index Investing News
May 25, 2025
0

The 12 months of 2020 was an unmitigated catastrophe for the US for quite a few causes.  With so many...

The DC Israeli Embassy staffer killings are what occurs when phrases grow to be weapons

The DC Israeli Embassy staffer killings are what occurs when phrases grow to be weapons

by Index Investing News
May 25, 2025
0

Phrases have penalties. Lethal phrases have lethal penalties. Two workers members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, Sarah Milgrim, 26,...

Well being Speak: Why CBSE’s transfer to have sugar boards in colleges is wholesome

Well being Speak: Why CBSE’s transfer to have sugar boards in colleges is wholesome

by Index Investing News
May 25, 2025
0

A brand new Central Board of Secondary Schooling (CBSE) directive has requested colleges affiliated to it throughout the nation to...

Authorities-Assisted Suicide Is Spreading Throughout The Western World – FREEDOMBUNKER

Authorities-Assisted Suicide Is Spreading Throughout The Western World – FREEDOMBUNKER

by Index Investing News
May 24, 2025
0

Is it humanitarian empathy, or a nihilistic demise cult that wishes a authorized rationale for inhabitants management?  The legislative push...

‘Advance tipping’ on ride-hailing apps is merely a symptom of lax legislation enforcement

‘Advance tipping’ on ride-hailing apps is merely a symptom of lax legislation enforcement

by Index Investing News
May 24, 2025
0

In a publish on X final week Pralhad Joshi wrote, “Forcing or nudging customers to pay a tip upfront for...

Next Post
India must get rid of redundant colonial statutes

India must get rid of redundant colonial statutes

Successor to Truss will face a raft of challenges

Successor to Truss will face a raft of challenges

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

RECOMMENDED

Bread Financial Holdings: Weathering The Storm (NYSE:BFH)

Bread Financial Holdings: Weathering The Storm (NYSE:BFH)

June 21, 2023
Gunman kills 4 in Oklahoma medical middle, police say By Reuters

Gunman kills 4 in Oklahoma medical middle, police say By Reuters

June 2, 2022
Los Angeles fires burn greater than 10,000 properties, companies

Los Angeles fires burn greater than 10,000 properties, companies

January 10, 2025
Reviving the Majestic Redwood Forests

Reviving the Majestic Redwood Forests

August 15, 2023
Algorand up over 12% following on from India partnership

Algorand up over 12% following on from India partnership

March 29, 2023
What Croydon, a ‘Dwell Free or Die’ City, Discovered About Democracy

What Croydon, a ‘Dwell Free or Die’ City, Discovered About Democracy

July 10, 2022
Most Surprising ‘Name Her Daddy’ Revelations of 2024

Most Surprising ‘Name Her Daddy’ Revelations of 2024

December 31, 2024
SVB failure was caused by a banking — not tech — crisis, top VC says

SVB failure was caused by a banking — not tech — crisis, top VC says

April 22, 2023
Index Investing News

Get the latest news and follow the coverage of Investing, World News, Stocks, Market Analysis, Business & Financial News, and more from the top trusted sources.

  • 1717575246.7
  • Browse the latest news about investing and more
  • Contact us
  • Cookie Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • DMCA
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • xtw18387b488

Copyright © 2022 - Index Investing News.
Index Investing News is not responsible for the content of external sites.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World
  • Investing
  • Financial
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Stocks
  • Crypto
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Opinion

Copyright © 2022 - Index Investing News.
Index Investing News is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In