Homage to Buddhist Panther – Raja Dhale - Velivada

People of my generations in the Ambedkarite families grew up listening stories about Dalit Panthers. Raja Dhale was a prominent panther. The spirit of Dalit Panther is still needed, and perhaps more than ever looking at what is happening. Surprisingly, the people exploited by the Brahminical Hindu Social order did not turn violent to gain their rights. Perhaps the Ambedkarite movement might be the rarest movement which did not advocate violence as a strategy for ending their oppression. The movement for rights has every reason to turn violent looking at the violence perpetrated by the caste Hindus. It has not.

Babasaheb Ambedkar did the greatest favour on India by choosing creative and peaceful methods. He also knew the importance of force and its use. Force and violence are two different things and Babasaheb discussed the utility of force and how instrumental force is essential to reform and transform. The force of Dalit Panthers arose from the understanding of transformation.

Dalit panthers though inspired by the Black Panthers had no access to weapons. Like the black panthers, they planned socio-economic developments. Like Black Panthers, the Dalit Panthers tried to create rainbow alliances. Anyone who is exploited in any form was a Dalit: it was a broader category, unlike the division today into Dalit and Bahujan. Even the exploited Bahujan is a Dalit. Exploited anywhere is a Dalit. Such was the broad philosophical framework!

Some people claim that the Dalit Panthers arose from the literary movement is a partial truth. That was the time the first generation was arising after the death of Babasaheb. That spirit to fight by all means for the survival of the community is needed if the movement is to succeed. We need panthers’ spirit. The spirit that Samata Sainik Dal (SSD) embodied. The spirit must be reawakened.

Panther Raja Dhale was after all a Buddhist panther. Even Buddhism today needs the spirit of Asokan lions to roar the truth: the truth of human suffering and the truth of the path that ends human suffering.

Author – Mangesh Dahiwale, Human Rights Activist