THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK
LONDON: The Ambedkar International Mission celebrated the 135th Birth Anniversary of the great Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar on Sunday, 10th May 2015, at Elmhurst Primary School, Upton Park Road, Forest Gate, London E7 8JY.
The celebrations were well attended and supported by the local community, with participants travelling from many parts of Britain, including Birmingham, Southall and other parts of London. Local Member of Parliament Sir Stephen Timms, Labour member for East Ham and Minister of State for Work and Pensions, also came to support the event.
Mr Sat Pal Muman, Secretary of the Mission, opened the celebrations by welcoming guests. The Most Venerable Dr Siri Sumana, Patron and Chairman of the Mission, was invited to light the candles and incense sticks together with honorary guest Gaurav J. Pathania, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University, Virginia, USA, accompanied by Professor Meena Dhanda, visiting Professor at the London School of Economics, Professor of Philosophy and Cultural Politics at the University of Wolverhampton and an Ambedkarite scholar. Professor Dhanda plays a leading role in anti-caste activism through her writings and speeches.
Mr Muman introduced Sir Stephen and thanked him for his participation. Sir Stephen was invited to address the audience. Mr Muman recalled that Sir Stephen had been associated with Ambedkar Birth Anniversary celebrations for many years and conveyed heartfelt support and appreciation on behalf of the mission. He reminded the audience that Dr Ambedkar’s Birth Anniversary is celebrated and respected all over the world, across all continents. At the same time, Mr Muman highlighted the rise of right-wing politics and nationalism under Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform Party, warning that this will damage the social fabric of Britain. He stressed the need to stem the politics of hate and polarisation. Quoting Dr Ambedkar, he warned that hero worship is a sure road to degradation and eventual dictatorship, as seen in the USA at present and in a number of European countries. Mr Muman also asked Sir Stephen to say a few words regarding the Pension Triple Lock policy of the current Labour government under Sir Keir Starmer.
Sir Stephen Timms mentioned that he was delighted once again to participate, something he has done for decades, and was glad to see the great attendance. He said that when we think of Dr Ambedkar as a titanic political leader, his political work has reverberated down the decades. He was a great lawyer, a very powerful social reformer who unleashed positive change in India that is echoed around the world, and a very important and impressive economist as well. He reflected that Dr Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, was inspired by the Buddha’s teachings and enshrined the principles of Liberty, Equality, and Justice in the Preamble to the Indian Constitution. This formed the basis of Dr Ambedkar’s politics. Responding to the question on the Pension Triple Lock, Sir Stephen reiterated the Labour government’s position: it is committed to delivering the pension Triple Lock, in line with the highest of the three metrics: inflation, wage growth, or 2.5%.
During the last few months, the Mission lost three stalwarts: Mr Prem Chand Mann, Hari Ram Leal and Gurdial Chand Banger. Special tributes were paid to their memory through the presentation of slides recalling their contributions to the mission since it was founded in 1974. The family of Prem Chand Mann offered Langar Sewa (food) in his memory, together with a substantial financial donation to the mission. The families of Mr Hari Ram Leal and Mr Gurdial Chand Banger also made substantial financial donations. A minute of silence was held to cherish their memory.
Mr Ram Kumar Rull, a motivational speaker, reminded the audience that his father, Mr Mengha Ram Rull, came to Britain in the 1950s and inspired the Indian Workers Association. He praised Dr Ambedkar for giving inspiration for education, quoting him: “Life should be great rather than long.” He said Dr Ambedkar stood for Equality, Human Rights, and Social Justice, and urged the audience to fight injustice, try to be better people, look upon life in a positive light, and be grateful for everything we have.
Mr Resham Mahay, president of the Ambedkarite Buddhist Community, Birmingham, reminded the audience of 20th March 1927, when Dr Ambedkar launched the Mahad agitation to demand access to the public tank to drink water. On 25th December 1927, he burned the Manusmriti – the book that enslaved women and Dalits. He also praised Dr Ambedkar for his role in introducing labour rights, namely the reduction of working hours from 14 to 8 hours, maternity benefits, trade union rights and minimum wage principles.
Professor Gaurav Pathania, an Ambedkarite scholar, activist, poet and community organiser in the USA, was introduced by Mr Muman. Professor Pathania’s role as Dr Ambedkar was praised in the film Origins, which charts the life of Isobel Wilkerson, an award-winning American journalist, author, and historian. Professor Pathania highlighted Ambedkarite activism in Britain and mentioned a joint book project with Mr Muman on the emergence, development, and evolution of the Ambedkarite movement in Britain. He cited Mr Muman as his inspiration for the book. He also highlighted a recent article published in a reputable caste journal on the transnational journey of Mrs Maadhuri Hiereker, an Ambedkarite woman. He read out powerful poetry he composed in Hindi, depicting how modern, educated Dalits are unwavering in their fight against caste oppression and inequality, which was received with great enthusiasm and applause.
Responding to a question from Mr Muman as to who celebrates Dr Ambedkar’s Birthday and why, Professor Meena Dhanda gave a powerful message. She said there are politicians who want to exploit and influence the family of Babasaheb Ambedkar. They repeatedly enact a drama, making promises and breaking them. That is the annual picture we see enacted by the political classes in India. Professor Dhanda asked what our duty is: “We should watch and analyse the politicians’ drama and take a step back. We have to separate the mask from the man and remind ourselves of what the man behind the mask is doing. We must not be fooled.”
Mr Gautam Chakraborty, Joint Secretary of the Federation of Ambedkarite and Buddhist Organisations, deeply reflected on the Ambedkarite stalwarts recently passed away, especially the recent sudden loss of Mr Ram Pal Rahil from Bedford, whom he had known for over fifty years. He mentioned Neha, a film producer from India in the audience, who made a recent documentary film about untouchability in India. He said the Dr Ambedkar caravan will continue and fulfil his dreams. He presented a recently published book on Dr Ambedkar’s famous quotations to Professor Pathania by a retired Indian Ambassador from Bootan Mandi, Ramesh Chander.
Mr Balram Siddhu, Bahujan Samaj Party worker and longtime supporter, recalled the memory of the mission’s stalwarts and then quoted political slogans of Manyavar Kanshi Ram in response to the question of who celebrates Dr Ambedkar’s Birthday and why:
“Vote hamara, Raj Tumahara, Nahin Chalega, Nahin Chalega”
“Vote se lenge PM, CM, arakshan se lenge SP DM”
“Jiski jitnee Sankhya Bhari, utani uski Bhagyadari”
“Jo Bahujan ki baat Karega, who hi Delhi pe Raj Karega”
He said these slogans emphasise the power of the vote. He warned against false propaganda on social media and called upon everyone to embrace Buddhism as advised by Dr Ambedkar. He stated that we celebrate Dr Ambedkar’s Birthday because he fought for equality, but politicians merely celebrate it to capture votes. He also claimed that Indian democracy is undermined by disenfranchising voters by the Indian Election Commission, which, in the hands of the ruling BJP, massively deleted voters from the voters’ list in the recent election in West Bengal. He urged the audience to support Behan Mayawati, leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party, and to follow the mission of Dr Ambedkar.
Tejinder Dhillon, from the Singh Sabha Gurudwara, Southall, began by saying that YouTube and social media are full of Dr Ambedkar’s birthday celebrations. He touched on the issue of politicians who take votes on the ticket of one party and then deceitfully join another after winning. He recalled Dr Ambedkar’s early life and stressed the importance of education, which Dr Ambedkar used to emancipate the downtrodden. He criticised (Mahatma) Gandhi’s duplicity in upholding caste in his Gujarati writings, while speaking against the caste system only when addressing the British and Westerners during the Indian independence movement.
The audience was enthralled by revolutionary songs sung by Bhai Tejinder Singh and Giani Onkar Singh, a solo tabla performance by Pandit Sudarshan Das, and a song in praise of Dr Ambedkar presented by a ladies’ group from Shri Guru Ravidas Gurdwara, Newham Sangat – Mrs Sumitra Suman, Mrs Gurbaksh Kaur, and Mrs Kaushalya Devi.
Ravi Chawla of Chawla TV London recorded the video of the entire production and livestreamed it to YouTube. Mr Subhash Jassal, the Mission’s treasurer, read out the donor list and thanked all the donors for their generous donations. The programme ended with thanks from Mr Muman.
