Report
on Two-Days National Seminar on “Ambedkarite Quest on Egalitarian Revolution in
India”
Two-Days National Seminar on
“Ambedkarite Quest on Egalitarian Revolution in India” organized by Centre for
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Studies, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Haryana held
on 26th & 27th November, 2013. It’s a matter of pleasure the faculty and students of Departments of Philosophy, Post
Graduate Govt. College for Girls, Sector-11, Chandigarh presented their papers
in this seminar.
Rajni Bala (Student of B.A.Final Year) presented
her paper on the topic “Contribution of Dr. B.R.Ambedkar to Indian Society” and
said, “. B.R. Ambedkar popularly known as Dr. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar,
was a multifaceted personality, an intellectual, a revolutionary, a philosopher,
a patriot, a scholar, a writer, and the constitution maker. He struggled
against the untouchability and the caste system. He began to get a taste of the
bitter reality of being born as untouchable. Every day he had to carry to the
school, a piece of gunny bag to sit upon and teachers would not touch his
notebooks, and if he felt thirsty in the school, he could quench his thirst
only if someone agreed to pour water into his mouth. He has popularly known as
the pioneer who initiated the liberation movement of roughly 65 million
untouchables of India. He realized that the right of the untouchables could
only be safeguard by making constitutional provision. He was a scholar as much
as a “man of action”. He gave an inspiring self-confidence to the Dalits, untouchables
and women. He was in the favour of education and equal rights for everyone. He
has been regarded as a ray of hope, for downtrodden in India. His vision of
democracy and equality was closely related to good society, rationality and the
scientific outlook. He held that the emancipation of Dalit in India was
possible only through the three-pronged approached of education, agitation and
organization. Thus Ambedkarism is the great relevance to Indian society to
achieve social justice, removal of untouchability, in establishing equality and
true democracy.”
Ms. Manju Chauhan (Ex-student and
presently a student of MA (Philosophy), Dept. of Philosophy, P.U.Chandigarh)
presented her paper on the topic “Dr. Ambedkar’s Ideas on the Importance of
Equality in a ‘Just’ Society” and explained
her views “Dr. Bhim Rao Ramji Ambedkar himself has experience the
life of an untouchable. So, it has become mission of life to establish a new
social order based on justice, liberty and equality. He spent his whole life
fighting against discrimination and popularly known as ‘Babasaheb’. He has written on various social and political matters.
In this context, he offered a model of ‘just society’ or ‘an ideal society’. According to him, casteless and classless society is must
for the success of democracy. So, he wanted to base his society on liberty, equality
and fraternity. Dr. Ambedkar
from his early childhood was influenced by Buddha, Mahatma Phule, Kabir, etc.
All of them stressed on equality in one or the other way and can be seen in the
works of B.R. Ambedkar. Through his
idea of education, he tried to improve the position of downtrodden or
untouchables. He suggested
the downtrodden to acquire new skills and start new professions to get equal
status in society. He formed political organizations to establish democracy and
attacked on caste system and discrimination. Among all his works, it is
impossible to find which one is not indicating equality (‘just society’). Dr.
B.R. Ambedkar was the champion of human rights and emancipation of the untouchables.”
Dr.
Desh Raj Sirswal presented his paper with the title, “Dr. B.R.Ambedkar ‘s
Critique of Democracy in India”and expressed his views, “Various philosophers,
political scientists and writers have given numerous ideas on democracy. Dr.
B.R. Ambedkar was a relentless champion of human rights and staunch believer in
democracy, he said: “Democracy is not a form of government, but a form of
social organisation.” In “Prospects of Democracy in India” he analyzed Indian
Democracy and said a democracy is more than a form of government. It is
primarily a mode of associated living. The roots of democracy are to be
searched in the social relationship, in the terms of associated life between
the people who form a society. He believed that in democracy revolutionary
changes in the economic and social life of the people are brought about without
bloodshed. The conditions for that are (i) there should not be glaring
inequalities in society, that is, privilege for one class, (ii) the existence
of an opposition, (iii) equality in law and administration, (iv) observance of
constitutional morality, (v) no tyranny of the majority, (vi) moral order of
society, and (vii) public conscience. Addressing the Constituent Assembly, he
suggested certain devices essential to maintain democracy: “(i) constitutional
methods, (ii) not to lay liberties at the feet of a great man, (iii) make a
political democracy a social democracy.”
Dr.
Desh Raj Sirswal
29th
November, 2013
