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Dalits mass convert to Buddhism
By S Ubaidur Rahman
 Thousands
of Dalit Hindus embraced Buddhism despite all odds at Ambedkar Bhavan in
the capital on 4 November. The conversion ceremony took place amidst
confusion created by the government and denial of permission to organize
the rally at the original Ram Lila ground in which more than a million
Dalits from around the country had to participate. The government had
cancelled the permission of organizing the ceremony at the mammoth Ramlila
ground at the last moment allegedly under pressure from the Vishwa Hindu
Parishad and other Sangh outfits. Several Sangh outfits including the VHP
had earlier made it clear that they don’t want the ceremony to take
place at any cost. The Sangh organizations were also joined by ever
obedient National Commission of Minorities whose vice-chairman went ahead
and said that the conversion could provoke communal tension and changing
one’s religion was not a solution to the problems of any section of the
society.
But despite alleged detaining of thousands of Dalit activists by the
police who had come from around the country and forced return of a large
number of people from railway stations, the conversion ceremony was a big
success as a large number of people entered Buddhism amid chants of
mantras by Bodh Bhikshus. The man who has been spearheading the campaign
for upliftment of Dalits and other backward castes for quite sometime
unmindful of all criticism, Ram Raj was first to convert together with his
wife and two children. Ram Raj and his wife, both of whom are IAS
officers, have been fighting an odd war for liberation of the downtrodden
in the Hindu community.
There were nearly twenty thousand people in and around the courtyard who
had gathered for the function and many of them recited the mantras and
took part in the diksha ceremony. The occasion has caused great interest
in the country and abroad and a large posse of media persons from within
the country and abroad had also gathered to witness the ceremony. Amidst
chanting of Pali hymns by Bhante Buddha Priya Rahul, thousands of men,
women and children renounced Hinduism and liberated themselves from age
old caste system.
While concluding the ceremony after being tonsured by the Bhikshus, Ram
Raj, a joint commissioner in income tax department said that, ‘this is a
historic moment as thousands of people have renounced the centuries old
Brahminical system and we have been liberated from the clutches of caste
system.’ The converts took oath that they will not accept Brahma,
Vishnu, Mahesh,Rama, and Ganesha as Gods and Goddesses and will not
believe in incarnation theory. They denounced every Hindu ritual performed
during and after death by Brahmins.
Ram Raj and his organizations, All India Confederation of SC/ST
Organizations and Lord Budha Club, have been in the forefront for quite
some time for their efforts to create awareness among the Dalit community.
He has been extensively touring the country for creating awareness among
the people of his community most of whom still remain at the margins of
society. He told this correspondent just before converting to Buddhism
that it had nothing to do with politics as is being alleged by a large
section of media and some front-line Sangh organizations. Ram Raj told
this correspondent that it was a conscious decision taken with great pains
only to improve the lot of his people who have been oppressed by Brahmins
for thousands of years. He said that Dalits had no future in Hinduism that
has perpetuated and taught oppression against a large section of its own
people.
On question of why he is taking this extreme step, the young leader said
that, ‘he sees no future for Dalits in this country within the caste
system. They must abandon that tradition and go away and renounce the
caste system that they cannot do while professing Hinduism. They must go
ahead and try to make their own future.’ He added that Brahminism has
crippled the community by teaching them for centuries and forced them to
accept that their present situation is due to the will of God. They have
been taught that it is His desire that they should suffer in this life and
that their suffering is helpful to gain Heaven after this life. He added
that we want to tell Dalits that it is nothing but vicious propaganda to
continue their oppression. I want to tell my people that they can come out
of this hell only if they are ready to come out, otherwise they will be
condemned to suffering for their whole lifetime and the same will be the
fate of their coming generations. He added that the people responsible for
their oppression are now in power and so they will try to prolong the
suffering of Dalits for a long time to come.
Charging VHP of indulging in misleading propaganda to create an atmosphere
of violence, he added that these advocates of Brahminical order have tried
their best to perpetuate inequality and injustice in the society. The VHP
had been trying its best to stop the ceremony from taking place and had
pressed hard the government to stop this to happen.
A VHP website, hinduunity.com has been trying to communalise the issue. On
the issue of conversion of Dalits in the Capital, a write-up on the
website read as follows, ‘We have no one but ourselves to blame for
this. We are already fighting a battle on two fronts (read Muslims and
Christians) now the third front has opened. If the Dalai Lama is behind
this he should be either kicked out of India or handed over to the
Chinese. But there is every possibility and I strongly believe that it is
only the Church which has resources and motive to carry out this.’ The
website lists following reasons what they (the Church) will achieve: ‘1)
Will be successful in defaming Hinduism. 2) Will create a doubt in the
minds of millions of Hindus and so called Dalits. 3) And will try to use
this to show the world that something is terribly wrong with Hindu faith.
4) It will be a sort of revenge the Pope might be waiting to take for the
entire backlash he had to face when he came to India.5) This will be used
in future to show that Indians are actually disenchanted with Hinduism.’
It is not the only thing. The website proposes to take preemptive strikes
against those who are involved in ‘such acts’. It also demands that
VHP and RSS dole out large funds to placate such people who want to
convert to other religions. Though Ram Raj was not fearful of any action
from Hindutva organizations, but his people thought that the Sangh groups
might try to create law and order problem at the ceremony.
Suresh, one of the several activists with whom this correspondent
interacted told this correspondent that these people have always exploited
us and they will never want us to be free from their clutches and for this
reason alone they will try to stop us from organizing any such function.
It was only the untouchability and exploitation at the hands of upper
caste that was on the minds of Suresh and other activists. They were not
interested in ideological nuances of either Hinduism, Christianity or
Islam. When this correspondent asked Ram Raj, who changed his name to Udit
Raj, as to why he suggested to embrace Buddhism instead of Islam or
Christianity, he said that Buddhism guarantees freedom from caste system
and ensures equality for every follower. When this correspondent said that
every new convert to Buddhism will be treated as neo-Buddhist and will
never be accepted as true Buddhist, he tried to say that it was not true.
‘Though Christianity and Islam both preach equality, but we have
apparently chosen this religion as we are following the steps of Dr Bhim
Rao Ambedkar’, he said in response to a question. When asked as to
whether it is fear of losing reservations in jobs that has forced him not
to convert to other religions except Buddhism, he said that when one takes
such extreme steps such small things are never any restrictions for him. q |
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