THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK-
-Ramesh Chander
India is increasingly becoming an international player in the world affairs over the years and rightly so. MP Shashi Tharoor spoke about the Soft Power of India while delivering Dr. L. M. Singhvi Memorial Lecture and focusing on India’s soft power, Dr. Tharoor observed, “As influence shifts increasingly from military and economic might to cultural and intellectual leadership, India’s soft power stands as a vital asset. We embody the true ideas and a vision of India that transcends borders. India’s multicultural, multi-ethnic, multi-party, pluralistic civilization and democracy have emerged as an attraction to many, especially our parliamentary institutions and procedures, conducting free and fair elections and our ability to involve the non-governmental sector and civil society in the quest for inclusive growth.” Shashi Tharoor rightly mentioned about the International Yoga Day which added colourful feathers to the hat of India’ Soft and Cultural Diplomacy. Similarly October 2, birthday of Mahatma Gandhi was declared as International Day of Non-violence on the initiative of India.
There may be many more such proposals and ideas to further strengthen India’s contribution in this regard. One such proposal is already on the table – April 14, birthday of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, as International Day of Equality. The proposal is resting with the GOI (PMO/MEA) since June, 2015. Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (1891-1956) is an international icon who fought against caste-based discrimination and for social justice. He is considered a global icon in the fight against injustice and graded inequality. It has been fully recognized by the world body, the UN. Describing B.R. Ambedkar, in April, 2016 at the celebrations of 125th birth anniversary of the leader as a global “icon” for marginalized people, a top UN official (UNDP Administrator Helen Clark voiced the world body’s commitment to working closely with India to help realize the noted Indian social reformer’s vision of empowerment and socio- economic equality. She added, “We are committed to continuing our very close partnership with India to help realize the vision of the 2030 Agenda and ensure that Ambedkar’s vision becomes reality for the poor and marginalized around the world.” These assertions of Helen Clark were made in New York in pursuance of the proposal on International Day of Equality in the presence of India’s then PR to UN, Syed Akbarudin and President of the Forum of Scheduled Caste MPs, Sardar Charanjit Singh Atwal who was nominated and sent by the GOI to present India at the function to felicitate the world icon, Babasaheb Ambedkar.
Since 2015, GOI is blissfully sleeping over the proposal to honour Babasaheb Ambedkar, one of the greatest sons of India in the contemporary times and shying away, it seems, from taking a decision and making a diplomatic demarche to UN to declare April 14, birthday of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, as International Day of Equality.
It seems the maxim of ‘No Decision is also a decision’ is at play. The ruling dispensation has their own thinking and agenda about Babasaheb Ambedkar. They cannot ignore Ambedkar on one hand due to oblivious political reasons and on the other hand they tend to look the other way due to known socio-cultural and religious considerations. That preciously remained the factor that Ambedkar never got any recognition easily in the past too. But, as I wrote many a times in these columns earlier too, Babasaheb and his legacy is potent enough to steer clear his way and get his due space. Anybody who would try to overtake Ambedkar will do it at his own peril.
My immediate provocation to write this piece as reminder to the ruling dispensation and its mentors is that it has been reported in the media that the City Council of the City of Bedford in the UK has declared April 14, birthday of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, as the Day of Equality in that important city of UK on taking a cue from our proposal to GOI to declare the day as International Day of Equality as supported by the Indian diaspora in UK led by Federation of Ambedkarite and Buddhist Organizations (FABO). It may not be out of place to add that many Cities and States in Canada, USA and in many more countries have already declared April 14 as the Day of Equality in their respective areas. I bow my head to my fellow Ambedkarites under the aegis of Chetna Association of Canada, the Ambedkar Times and the Desh Doaba of California in USA, FABO and the Samaj Weekly and the Asian Independent Media Group of UK among others who motivated their local interlocutors to declare the Day of Equality locally in the run up to realize our goal to honour Babasaheb Ambedkar as an international icon by the UN.
It goes without saying that the proposal to declare April 14, birthday of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, as International Day of Equality is bound to get an over-whelming international support at the UN as and when GOI decides to take the matter to the world body. The proposal not only conforms to aims and objectives of the UN but also its agenda of establishing an ’Equitable World Order’. Soft and Cultural Diplomacy of India will come to the center stage once again as pleaded by MP Shashi Tharoor and rightly so.
I close this with an Urdu couplet with the hope that the GOI under the stewardship of PM Narendra Modi and EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar, my senior colleague in the IFS fraternity, will rise to the occasion and take a decision to honour Babasaheb Ambedkar. The Sooner the better.
हर दर्दमंद दिल को रोना मेरा रुला दे
बेहोश जो पड़े हैं शयाद उने जगा दे
