AT THE FEET OF THE MASTER: ENCOUNTERS WITH DR.
AMBEDKAR
- Bhagwan Das
My father was very fond of reading newspapers. When his eye-sight began to fail at a very young age of 43-44, I had to read out a paper for him daily in the evening. I was just about sixteen when he died. While still very young he used to talk very fondly about Dr. Ambedkar which many people in our circle pronounced as `Umeedkar'. They knew little about the construction and origin of Maharashtrian names. But `Umeedkar' to us meant something more than a mispronounced name. It meant "harbinger of hope'— 'Umeed lane wala'. Some two months after my father's death Dr. Ambedkar, then Labour Member in Viceroys Executive Council visited Simla in connection with some official work. Many people called on him at his official residence. I was aIso one of them. Accompanied by Mr. Rangaswamy Lingason, Executive Engineer, Rangoon who was temporarily employed under the Central Public Works Deptt. I called on Dr. Ambedkar. Mr. Lingason did not like to take me inside because he was afraid lest be should displease Doctor Saheb. I sat outside the bungalow which had been white-washed and furnished overnight. Mr. Barker, a Youngman who worked as personal assistant to Dr. Ambedkar asked me to wait for some time. Mr. Massey, Personal Assistant, did not feel very happy but did not outrightly refuse permission. Of these gentlemen Mr. Lingason died premature death while posted as Executive Engineer at Madras. Borker died in an air accident. Mr. Massey lives in retirement at Karnal.
I was employed in the C.P.W.D. and was desirous of getting transferred under the Department of Labour. I waited for seven hours sitting outside the bungalow and then late in the evening I was ushered in by Mr. Barker. That was my first meeting with the greatest man of our community our leader, our master and guide. I spoke for a few minutes and he asked me about my parents and education and what I was doing then. He was getting ready to go to Khan Bahadur Mushtaq Ahmed Gurmani's place where he had been invited for dinner. It was a brief interview but my joy at meeting the 'leader', ‘Umeedkar' knew no bounds. Had my father been alive I would have been talking throughout the night about my visit. But he had been dead more than one and half months. There was nothing to learn but to observe and understand, in this short interview.
Again, I met him at Bombay in 1945 after my return from Burma front where I served with the R.A.F. on a Radar Unit. I had been visiting him in the company of other men, mostly political leaders but kept my mouth shut and ears open. Lastly, I was taken to Dr. Ambedkar by Mr. Shiv Dayal Singh Chaurasia in 1953. Mr. Chaurasia introduced me as a young man very fond of reading and a serious student of our problems. Kind and courageous words but how could they impress an intellectual giant. He was taking down some notes in his own hand, sitting huddled up in a high legged chair, a peculiarity in `26 Alipore Road'. He preferred to take notes with his own pen and enjoyed doing so. He gave an impression that he did not like our visit and started castigating the younger generation.
'Look, I work here for thirteen hours at a stretch. Youngme n of today waste their time in wild title tattle. This was followed by a diatribe against young men in Hindi. `Kona men khara ho kat bidi pita hai. Sham ko chhokri ko baju me le kar cinema jata hai.’There was a point in that and an irrefutable charge. Many young men of our age do nothing excepting enjoying the fruits of someone else's labour. Mr. Chaurasia mentioned something about the dissenting note which he proposed to write on the Backward Classes Commission Report. He chided Mr Chaurasia, "I know your chairman, Kaka Kalelkar. I know what you people are capable of..."
Once again, we met to discuss this report of the Commission, and the conversation digressed to some other subject not - directly related to Backward Classes Commission.
This was the beginning of a new phase of our relation. I visited him more often, offered my services, and stole opportunities to discuss the problems which troubled my mind.
I was reading a book on archaeology. He showed his interest and put me a question snatching away the book frog my hand," Why are you studying archaeology?"
'In order to understand anthropology and sociology better', I replied. "I did not read archaeology", he interjected. `True Sir, but I feel some difficulty in comprehending the first three chapters of any book on anthropology and sociology. Besides this, Sir I have not had the opportunity of studying these subjects under the guidance of a teacher. With that the book was gone and he was lost in himself. He returned that book after some five days.
Taking courage in my hand I sought permission to peep into his library. He had asked me earlier to arrange the books in a proper order sorting out subject-wise and placing them in a manner so that he may not have to spend much time in searching for the required books. There were 14000 books on diverse Subjects in this library. But at the same time, he did not like anybody to peep into his library. " My wife is very chary about my books"' he said. He jealously guarded his books. He could borrow and did borrow but not prepared to lend. I knew his love for books and the difficulty of Libraries in Delhi had in recalling them from BabaSaheb. I could not 'be easily put off, so he started narrating a story. "Look, I tell you a story. There was Padre who conducted a Sunday School for children. After the prayer meeting was over, he entertained these children with tea and snacks. One day one of the children quietly disappeared from-the dining table. Bishop went looking for this child and found him standing beside an almirah containing Bishop's books. Hungrily and fondly, he was peering through a picture book. Seeing the Bishop standing behind him, the child turned his head and enquired, "Is this your book? "Yes, my son" replied Bishop. "May I borrow it? Bishop snatched the book away from the child, placed back in the almirah and quickly shut the door. 'This is how this library has been built my son," he said and lead the child back to the dining table. We laughed and laughed and request was drowned in the laughter.
