“Those of us who stand outside the circle of this society’s definition of acceptable women, those of us who are poor, who are lesbian, who are Black, who are older – know that survival is not an academic skill. It is learning how to stand alone, unpopular and sometimes reviled, and how to make common cause with those others to define and seek a world in which we can all flourish. It is learning how to take our differences and make them strengths,” wrote Audre Lorde in her book ‘Sister Outsider’ (1984, p 112).

These words from Audre Locke synchronize well with Derdak Tibor, founder of Jai Bhim Network and Dr Ambedkar High School in Hungary. He is maybe on the list of one of most hated Hungarian, of course after George Soros! Tibor is hated for doing the right thing, for starting a school for the Roma community in Hungary.

With their eight to ten million population in Europe, they constitute one of the biggest minority blocks in Europe and have a history of being constantly opposed, refused, discriminated against, persecuted and stigmatised by white Europeans.

With no opportunities for education and not many “white” Hungarian ready to teach Roma community, Tibor started on the journey to do something considered unusual. He converted to Buddhism, may be among the first conversions to Buddhism in Hungary. He founded Jai Bhim Network and started Dr Ambedkar High School especially to teach Roma community.

Tibor graduated from ELTE Budapest University as a teacher of French and a sociologist in 1986. In my student years, he participated in a peace movement named Dialógus and faced persecution by the police of the communist regime in 1983.

Later, when USSR fell, Tibor became a member of the first democratically elected Hungarian Parliament in 1990. His political party SZDSZ was in opposition in that time. Later he became a board member in Soros Foundation.

Fortunately enough, Tibor had a chance to read a book of Christophe Jaffrelot on Dr Ambedkar in 2000 and a new world opened to him.

Read also – Ambedkarite Organisation Series – Jai Bhim Network and Ambedkar High School, Hungary

He became aware that if the Roma movement wants to achieve results, it has to follow Babasaheb Ambedkar’s command – ‘educate, agitate, organize’. To achieve equality and justice in society, he and his colleagues firmly decided to better educate Roma youth and build a genuine Ambedkarite movement in Hungary.

Derdak Tibor with Jai Bhim flag, participating in a protest.

Why Dr Ambedkar and India is important for them, Tibor talks about that. It is widely believed and to some extent proven that Roma community came from India maybe around 800 years ago. So, India had always a special place in the minds of Roma. They did not know about Babasaheb Ambedkar until recently, only Gandhi was the symbol of India, which is something not uncommon as most of the resources by India are spent on promoting Gandhi.

The story of Dr Ambedkar inspired us and does inspire our students. Being born in an oppressed social group and make a career through education, becoming the first law minister and help the oppressed – this story is like a dream for all of our students and parents.

We believe at Dr Ambedkar High School that students’ mind is not a pot that one needs to fill with anything and everything, their mind is a torch which needs to be ignited properly. We believe in igniting torches and igniting them with the teachings and principles laid by Babasaheb Ambedkar and Buddha. We want to instil ideas among our students that there is a world out there which is better, and anyone can live in that world.

From 2004 onward, Tibor and Orsós János (co-founder of Jai Bhim Network) started building relationships with Ambedkarite Indian friends through Western Buddhist Order with the help of Dhammachari Subhuti.

Tibor Derdak and Orsós János, Founders of Jai Bhim Network

Orsós János and Tibor went to Nagpur to participate at Dhamma Kranti Maha Shibir in 2006. This was a turning point in their life, they converted Buddhism in Nagpur. Came home and founded Jai Bhim Buddhist Network. Since then Tibor has made frequent visits to Nagpur, Pune, and Mumbai to meet Dalit-Bahujan scholars and organizations working on the upliftment of Dalit community.

Tibor and his colleagues founded Dr Ambedkar High School in 2007 in Sajókaza village, a village with 1000 Roma inhabitants, none of them educated. Kind Hungarian bank managers Felcsuti Péter and Ujlaky András helped them to raise some money and in some years Open Society Foundation of George Soros helped them to build buildings and with their activities.

Before starting Dr Ambedkar High School and founding Jai Bhim Network, he, along with his friends, started Gandhi High School in Pécs (Hungary) in 1993 for the Roma youth because they did not go at all for secondary education. They understood that segregation is a big problem and it should end. Education is the way out. Not only that, he and his colleagues also started the Mánfa College and the Little Tiger High School in Alsószentmárton (Hungary). With all these schools for Roma education, he started an educational revolution in Hungary for the Roma community.

Tibor has actively organized Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanti, Dhamma Chakka Pravartan Diwas among other Dalit-Bahujan festivals. With the help of Ambassadors from India, Jai Bhim Network established the first Babasaheb Ambedkar’s statue in central Europe.

Derdak Tibor during Dr Ambedkar Jayanti celebration at Dr Ambedkar High School, Hungary

Tibor wrote and translated the Buddhist prayer book ‘Telihold’ for the Hungarian Buddhist community and at present, he is busy translating Babasaheb Ambedkar’s book ‘The Buddha and His Dhamma’. Further, he collaborated with renowned documentary director to direct ‘Angry Buddha’ documentary, a documentary about the Jai Bhim Network, Dr Ambedkar School and comparative struggle of Roma and Dalits.

He frequently writes for some of the biggest newspapers and magazine about Roma condition and link to Dalits’ condition in India. A few years ago, he was awarded ‘Prima Award for Hungarian Teaching and Public Education’ for his contribution toward Roma upliftment and education.

Tibor dreams of a society that would be based on Buddhist principles of equality, where no one is left behind and everyone has equal chances to grow. Says Tibor, “we had always strong enemies and we were constantly aware that with the truth on our side we cannot lose this battle for equality.”

Derdak Tibor is true Ambedkarite who has helped bring Babasaheb Ambedkar to the world stage.

If you would like to support the activities of Jai Bhim Network and support students of Dr Ambedkar High School, Hungary, please visit https://www.manumissio.org/lets-be-friends/

Author – Pardeep Attri

Read also – Ambedkarite Thinkers Series – Bharat Wankhade, Founder of Mudita Multipurpose Society