The dividing lines between Indians are exposed and further deepened by the rightist forces. India needs a cementing force. In the past, Ashoka cemented diverse regions and communities through Buddha’s teachings and India attained its unity and glory then.

Ashoka not only laid the foundation of Bharat but gave it a vision of Prabuddha Bharat.

The pan India Buddhist organisation is missing and the voice of Prabuddha Bharat is absent in the national discourse. In the absence of this voice, the Buddhist framework of nation-building is nowhere in sight. The Ambedkarite movement is growing and roaring, but without a revolutionary cultural movement that challenges established Brahminical culture, it will not sustain. This sustainability of the Ambedkarite movement lies in making it a cultural movement.

As the anthropologists showed human beings are the creation of their culture and sometimes it is difficult to see beyond cultural blindfolds and hence new cultural awakening is necessary.

How to bring it is not a difficult process as it can be established in response to conditions that are oppressive to human development. The reason Babasaheb opposed presentation of Buddhism to Indians based on Abhidhamma and meditation becomes clear when we look at current Buddhist organisations in India: they tend to focus on excessive individualism fuelled by the inward-looking psychological attitudes.

Buddhism in India must grow in response to people’s needs and as of today, it is no more than a personal thing.

With a bigger vision, Babasaheb Ambedkar inaugurated Buddhism in India as a force to transform a bigger problem. Unless we situate Buddhism in India in the context of Prabuddha Bharat, Buddhism will not be effective to resolve the fundamental contradiction in Indian society. More than ever, we need an organisation of people from all over India who believe in the vision of Enlightened India of Babasaheb Ambedkar.

Author – Mangesh Dahiwale, Human Rights Activist