One Ambedkar Statue Down #1000AmbedkarRaised

A heinous crime was committed yesterday in Tamil Nadu, the southern state of India, when a statue of Dr Ambedkar was vandalised outside the police station in Vedaranyam. Caste rivalry and oppression of Dalits in India is nothing new.

Recent breaking of Ambedkar’s statue was led by Hindu Munnani, one of the terror outfits of RSS and perpetrators were from backward castes as per the reports. A large population in Tamil Nadu is from backward castes (Shudra) and RSS is trying to pit those backward castes against Dalits and Muslims in order to consolidate Shudra vote bank. Brahmins being the brain behind such vandalisation should be held more responsible than those who are actually just acting. It’s the ideology of Brahminism that should be attacked.

Ambedkar’s statue has been vandalized and totally broken down by Thevar casteists at Vedaranyam today. pic.twitter.com/P6cmztJHtF

— Kiruba Munusamy (@kirubamunusamy) August 25, 2019

It would not surprise anyone that most hated person by so-called upper castes in India would be Dr Ambedkar. They hate him so much that they can not even tolerate his statues being erected. Dr Ambedkar had himself that, I am the most hated man in Hindu India.

A few days ago, Dr Ambedkar’s statues were broken in Uttar Pradesh as well. What makes Dr Ambedkar the most hated person in India? One can find an answer to that in his work for so-called lower castes.

Why Statues Are Important For Dalit-Bahujans?

Dr. Ambedkar’s followers were putting up statues of him in slums and villages even when he was alive but the first official statue of Dr. Ambedkar was set up in 1962, in Mumbai (Bombay) at the Institute of Science crossing. And then came the moment when Dalits started asserting and in 1966, Dr. Radhakrishnan (President of India) inaugurated Dr. Ambedkar’s statue in the Parliament building complex (New Delhi).

In Uttar Pradesh, one research study shows that the very first Dr. Ambedkar statue was installed with the contribution of Dalits in around 1966 on the outskirts of Allahabad, and Dalits of Kanpur didn’t take much time to install another statue on the same lines.

We must not forget that many installations of Dr. Ambedkar’s statues were opposed by upper caste people with stone-pelting or boycotts but Dalits showed courage and didn’t move back. Dalits knew that statues of Dalit idols will stand as a major feature in the Dalit-Bahujan movement. And in all those statues Dr. Ambedkar will stand aloft. How can we forget the struggle and sacrifice of our forefathers?

Statues of Dalit icons are built by Dalit people with their own money and contributions, not with the money from the state as Gandhi-Nehru statues are being made in India. So, why are Dalit icons’ statues being broken and damaged?

Statues represent a crucial point in the aspirations of Dalits towards democracy, aspirations of Dalits towards equality and justice. Dalits gather around these statues, get organised, organising functions and all these gatherings give them the strength to believe in themselves and get inspired by other fellows Dalits.

All these attempts to demolish Dalit icons’ statues is an attempt to demoralise Dalits, deprive Dalits of their rich history and rob them of what Dalits have been able to gather after years of struggle.

By depriving Dalits of their history and culture, people of other castes want to prove that Dalits are not citizens of India. But we are citizens of India and we demand equal rights. We don’t believe in second class citizenship, we are either citizens or no citizens at all. There is nothing as second class citizens, give us equal rights.

We are not demanding special rights; we are demanding rights which have been promised to us by the constitution of India.

By damaging Dalit icons’ statues, people of other castes want to remind us that Dalits are not free, Dalits are still slaves and live on other people’s bread. Freedom is essential for life, freedom is the first step towards the development of human beings, equal rights and justice.

Dalits look upon Dalit leaders, Dalit icons, and Dalit history everywhere. Dalit masses need a source of inspiration, someone among them with whom they can relate to. Dalits need icons among them, who had/have suffered or faced the same pain as today’s Dalits face.

By relating themselves to those icons, Dalits of today can achieve higher goals. Dalits of today don’t need outsiders to inspire them: who knows shit about Parshuram?

Dalits don’t need someone with twelve arms, nine tails and six legs to inspire them. Dalits need someone real, someone, who can be from Dalits only. Well-dressed Dalits’ statues give people educational, political, and social ambitions. So by damaging Dalit icons’ statues, upper caste people are depriving Dalits of the source of inspiration and of pride.

You can destroy Dr Ambedkar’s statues but you will never be able to destroy his ideology. For every one statue of Dr Ambedkar brought down Dalits will raise 1000s more Dr Ambedkar’s statues.