Navodaya Mission celebrated Ambedkar Jayanti on 14 April, 2016 by organizing a rally "Ambedkar Saksharata Abhiyan" in Bijpur and Sirsoti, villages of Sonebhadra District. As per plan early in the morning, children gathered at Employee Development Center, Rihand. Then Yogendra Kumar (alumni of IIT Khadagpur) and Abhimanyu Jaiswal, an enthusiastic youth from Sirsoti led the rally and kept tempo of the children high till the end of the program. With slogans like "Babasaheb Ambedkar.. Amar Rahe", "Ambedkar tune ki nek kamai... soi kaum ko jagai", "Vande Mataram", "Jai Bhim... Jai Bharat", children echoed in the early morning raising curiosity among the residents. Children on the way started talking, who was this Babasaheb, for him such a big rally was being organized. After moving around the villages we returned to EDC, As children were hungry and feeling exhausted we distributed Bananas and allowed to drink some water. As per our earlier plan , we are supposed to lead the rally inside the campus with members of SC community.
For so many years members of this community have been celebrating the birthday of this great sole in solitude. The prime reason of people other than SC community not participating in the movement is a kind of prevailing social prejudice. As I myself had witnessed in the past even members of the SC community avoid participating in this event for hiding their identity in the locality. Somehow participation of members of this community has gone up. But members of upper community are unable to bring social current against this social prejudices and dare to come openly to participate in the event.
As in consonance with the motto of Navodaya Mission for disseminating social harmony (samajik samarasata in true sense) we decided to celebrate this event together with the members of this community under their leadership. Navodaya Mission would have organized this event on its own and by inviting members of all the community it would have given clear message in the society/locality that it is working for all the community in equal spirit. In this politically heated environment when SC/ST plays greater role in the formation of government in center as well as in state, all the political parties, cultural organizations like RSS are celebrating the event on their own just to own Ambedkar as a symbol or as a leader of SC community giving a false sense that he was the leader for all rather than embracing Ambedkar as a Dalit. Secondly they also provide opportunity to the members of these organization at local level to organize such events on their own and avoid to participate in any event organized by SC/ST community in their locality and so avoid even SC/ST leadership for organizing the event. By owning Ambedkar as a symbol, they are fulfilling their own purpose. At one hand they claim they are well wishers of SC/ST community and on the other hand they not have to embrace Dalits at local level. There is urgent requirement for change of attitude among these groups and start participating in events organized by members of SC/ST community. In this way the long prevailed social prejudice in the society will break and samajik samarasata in real sense will be attained. At Rihand, I have never found members of RSS participate in the Ambedkar Jayanti organized by SC/ST community. They would have rushed for the same if it would have been organized under the close direction of RSS Pracharak or local leaders of any of its sister organization. I have suggestions for them to avoid pseudo samajik samarasata and embrace leadership of all to bring Samajik Samarasata in true sense.
Coming back to the event, organizers of the event from SC community warmly welcomed us on our arrival with children and allowed our banner remained unfurled. Most of them are feeling proud and expressed a sense of gratitude towards us. It seemed that they had been awaiting for us since long. After a little conversation I deciphered that they also wished that maximum number of residents of the Rihand Township should participate in this event irrespective of their castes. They have an inner urge to be treated equally as other fellow Hindus. As they are still suffering from inferiority complex and have apprehension of being humiliated, they are not in a position to invite members of other castes.
Navodaya Mission wants to address this problem in real sense and for that it will touch the heart of all underprivileged community so that one day heart of all the community will throb together.
Navodaya Mission wants to address this problem in real sense and for that it will touch the heart of all underprivileged community so that one day heart of all the community will throb together.
