Bhagwan Das: A True Ambedkarite
- S.R.Darapuri I.P.S. (Retd)
Mr. Bhagwan
Das was born in an Untouchable family living at Jutogh Cantonment, Shimla
(Himachal Pradesh) India on 23 April, 1927. He served in the Royal Indian Air Force
during World War II and after demobilisation served in different
capacities in various departments of Government of India at Saharanpur, Shimla
and Delhi. He did MA. in History (Punjab University) and LL.B from Delhi
University. He did research on the ‘Indianisation of the Audit Department from
1840-1915.’ He had been contributing articles and short
stories to various papers and journals published in India and abroad.
His father Mr. Ram Ditta was fond of reading newspapers and was a great admirer of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. Inspired and encouraged by his father, Mr. Das worked with Mr. T. R. Baidwan who was one of the most prominent leaders of the Untouchables in Shimla Hills, and joined the Scheduled Castes Federation at the tender age of 16. Since then he had been actively associated with the Ambedkarian Movement and did a great deal to promote the ideas of Babasaheb Ambedkar and to unite and uplift the downtrodden not only of India but also of other countries of Asia. Mr. Das was associated with many organizations of Lawyers, Buddhists. Scheduled Castes and Minorities in India. He was General Secretary, United Lawyers Association Supreme Court, New Delhi; General Secretary, Bouddh Upasak Sangh, New Delhi; Founder Chairman, Ambedkar Mission Society, which has branches in many parts of the world. He revived Samata Sainik Dal (Volunteers for Equality) founded by Dr. Ambedkar in 1926-27. He was Regional Secretary (North) Indian Buddhist Council; Founder, Society for the Protection of Non-Smokers. He was also founder President of Society for Promoting Buddhist Knowledge and Edited Samata Sainik Sandesh (English) from 1980-1990.
Mr. Das was
associated with the ‘Peace Movement’ since the end of World War II in
which he served on the Eastern Front (Burma)
with the Royal Air Force (R.A.F.) as Radar Operator under South East
Asia Command. He was one of the founder members of the World Conference
on Religion and Peace (WCRP) (India) and participated in its Conferences
held in Kyoto, Japan (1970); Princeton, USA (1979); Seoul, Korea (1986);
Nairobi, Kenya (1984) and Melbourne, Australia (1989). He was also
appointed Director of Asian Centre for Human Rights of Asian Conference on
Religion and Peace (ACRP) in 1980 and continued to serve
in this capacity- monitoring the news of violation of human rights in Asian
countries and organising camps for training of human rights workers, speaking
and writing for the cause.
Mr Bhagwan Das
acted as advisor to the International Movement against All Forms of
Discrimination and Racism (IMADR), an International NGO based in Japan. He also
delivered presentation about the problem of discrimination against oppressed
caste in India at Buraku liberation and Human Rights Research Institute
(BLHRRI) in Osaka. Mr. Das was also invited to deliver a lecture on
‘Discrimination’ by the Peace University, Tokyo (1980) and he also addressed
several meetings organised by the Burakumins of Japan. He
gave a historical testimony
before the United Nations in regard to the plight of Untouchables in South
Asia, in the meeting of Sub-Committee on Human Rights held at Geneva,
Switzerland in August 1983. He visited England in 1975, 1983, 1988, 1990 and
1991 in connection with lectures and seminars.
He
participated in the seminar held in Hull University in 1990 as a representative
of the Ambedkar Centenary Celebration Committee UK and also held a seminar on
Human Rights in India at London University, School of Asian and Oriental
Studies in February 1991. He was invited to deliver Ambedkar Memorial Lectures
in Milind Mahavidyalaya, Aurangabad (1970);
Marathwada University (1983); Nagpur University, PWS College, Nagpur; Ambedkar
College, Chanderpur and Amraoti University 1990. Mr Das also visited Nepal
(1980 and 1990), Pakistan (1989), Thailand (1988), Singapore (1989) and Canada
(1979 to study the problems of deprived and disadvantaged members of society,
women and children. He delivered
lectures in Wisconsin University (USA) in 1979 and North- Field College (USA)
on Castes in contemporary India. He was invited to give lectures on Dr Ambedkar
at the Institute of Oriental Studies, Moscow in June, 1990.
Mr. Das practiced
law in the Supreme Court of India. With a view to improving the professional
competence of and helping upcoming advocates belonging to Untouchable and Indigenous
Groups he founded ‘Ambedkar Mission Lawyers Association and Legal Aid Society
in 1989. He was General Secretary of ‘Professions for People’, an organisation
founded in Delhi to elevate professional standards.
Mr. Das was
invited to preside at the Dalit and Buddhist Writer’s Conference held at Akola
in 1989 and was closely associated with various organizations of Dalit Writers.
Mr. Das wrote more
than five hundred articles, papers for seminars, short stories for various
newspapers and journals. His papers on ‘Revival of Buddhism’, ‘Some problems of
Minorities in India’; ‘Reservation in Public Services’ have been published in
Social Action magazine brought out by Indian Social institute, New Delhi and
Delhi University Buddhist Department. He also wrote many papers on Reservation
and Representative Bureaucracy, Discrimination against the Dalits in Public Services,
Minorities etc. He was a member of the ‘Committee for evolving new strategies
for the development of Scheduled Castes and Tribes — VIII Plan’ set up by the
Government of India and also a member of Ambedkar Centenary Committee of the
Government of India. Mr. Das wrote many books in Urdu, English and Hindi on Dr.
Babasaheb Ambedkar, untouchables, Scavengers and Sweepers, Human Rights and Discrimination, etc. Prominent among them are ‘Thus Spoke
Ambedkar (Vol. 1 to 4,
Ed)’; ‘Ambedkar on Gandhi and Gandhism (Ed)’; ‘Ambedkar ek parichey ek Sandesh
(Hindi)’; ‘Main Bhangi Hoon, (the story of an Indian sweeper told in the first-
person)’. This book has been translated into German, Punjabi, Kannada and
Marathi; ‘Valmiki aur Bhangi Jatiyaan (Hindi)’; ‘Kya Valmiki Achoot they?
(Hindi)’; Valimiki (Hindi); Dhobi (Hindi); ‘Dr. Ambedkar aur Bhangi Jatiyaan (Hindi)’, ‘Dr. Ambedkar: Ek Parichay Ek Sandesh (Hindi)’; ‘Bharat Mein Baudh Dhamm ka punar Jagran evam Samasyaen
(Hindi)’; Revival of Buddhism in India and Role of Dr. Ambedkar.
He translated into
Urdu former President of the USA, Lyndon Johnson’s book ‘My
Hope for America’, Dr Ambedkar’s Book ‘Ranade, Gandhi and Jinnah’ besides
editing Bhadant Anand Kaushalyayan’s ‘Gita ki Buddhi wadi Samiksha’.
He was also
writing on Reservation and Representative Bureaucracy in India; Untouchables in
the Indian Army (Mahar, Mazhbi, Chuhra, Pariahs, Mangs, Dhanuks, Dusadhs,
Chamars, Kolis and Bheels), Mandal Commission and the Future of Backward
Classes; Twenty- Two Oaths of Buddhism and Conversion; Ravidassis and Balmikis
of Northern India; Buddhism and Marxism; Ambedkar as a Religious Leader but unfortunately
his untimely death deprived him of completing these books.
Mr. Das had toured
almost the whole of India to study the problems of Hindu-Muslim riots,
religious conflicts, atrocities committed on the Untouchables and Tribal
people, with the group ‘Threat to Diversity’, ‘Swaraj Mukti Morcha’ and as
Chairman, Samata Sainik Dal.
Mr. Das attained
Nirvana on 18th November, 2010. He was a staunch Ambedkarite, a
crusader against Untouchability, an iconoclast, a practicing Buddhist, a
renowned writer on Dalits, Buddhist and Ambedkarite Movement, Human Rights and
Law, a politician and a committed Social Activist.
In order to
commemorate his memory and his work at Nagpur it has been decided to dedicate a
section of the library being set up at Deeksha Bhoomi Nagpur. It will be a
befitting homage to his historical contribution to the Ambedkarian literature
and movement. Similarly one Bhagwan Das Memorial Award has been instituted in School of Ambedkar Studies of Babasaheb Bhimrao
Ambedakr University, Lucknow (U.P.)
Like
Karl Marx’s call “Workers of the World Unite” Bhagwan Das gave a call “Dalits of World Unite” which is quite relevant today. His
pioneer work for internationalizing the problem of
Untouchability will be viewed as his historical
contribution to the eradication of caste based discrimination.
I am sure his legacy will live long to guide the Dalits in
their fight for emancipation. No
doubt he will be rememnbered as a True Ambedkarite.
