Author: Harishchandra Sukhdeve 

Bhante Surei Sasai felt a peculiar feeling as he boarded another train at Itarsi for Nagpur. Suddenly he felt as if he was going to his old abode. There was nothing strange about the place. The Grand Trunk Express was chugging through the ghats presenting picturesque hills and landscapes. A white-bearded saint glowed in the hills for a fleeting second and disappeared. The creeks, hills and forests were looking familiar. He had wandered in such places back home in Japan. Once again, he felt a sudden pang of attachment to his home, he remembered his mother. He felt as if his mother was calling him – ‘Minoru’. He shook himself. He sternly reminded himself, there was no ‘Minoru’. No more! There is only Surei Sasai. And, he belongs to no family. He belongs only to the Dhamma.

Nagpur station arrived sooner than he thought. He got down the coach. Looked up at the sky and chanted ‘Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō’. He followed other passengers towards the exit from the station. Once outside, he was surrounded by many people. Suddenly, one person wearing a blue cap with ‘Jai Bhim’ printed over it comes forward. He salutes Bhante Sasai with ‘Jai Bhim’. In reply, he gets only chanting. The blue-capped man, a cycle rikshaw puller takes him to the house of Wamanrao Godbole, the secretary of the Buddhist Society of India at Nagpur. He was the chief organizer of the historical ordination of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar into Buddhism on Ashok Vijaya Dashami (Dussehra) on 14 October 1956. He was surprised to see a Japanese Bhikkhu at his door. Though many visitors keep coming to his home unannounced, he had not expected a Bhikkhu from Japan.

He lived alone in a modest small house with frequent visitors associated with Dhamma work. Inside, there was a table and a few wooden chairs. The room was strewn with books, newspapers and periodicals. On the front wall were two portraits garlanded with fresh marigold flowers. Bhante Sasai knew one was of the Buddha. He wondered who was the other one with thick glasses in a blue suit. Godbole tried to ask him about the purpose of his visit to Nagpur. Instead, Bhante Sasai asked with great curiosity who the man in the portrait was. Godbole was surprised. He had presumed that all Bhikkhus visiting him or coming to Nagpur would be aware of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. It was intriguing. This Bhante seemed to be on a different mission. But then why had he come to him? Keeping his anxieties to himself, he simply told Bhante that the portrait was that of Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, who embraced Buddhism with about half a million people in Nagpur. He is considered Babasaheb, a ‘Father’, by his followers of all ages. He also told to the Bhante that the salutation ‘Jai Bhim’ is in his honour.

Bhante Sasai could smell that there is something more to Buddhism than what he learned back home in Japan or in Thailand. And that, it was unique to Nagpur. Was this the reason for the commandment to go to Nagpur by that white-bearded saint who had appeared before him on the Griddhakuta hills in Rajgir and who said he was ‘Nagarjuna’? Maybe! Bhante Sasai asked Godbole, rather chuckling, if he could stay with him forever. Godbole gave his consent with a benign smile. The barrier of language was dismantled within a few hours after their meeting. If Bhante Sasai was a trained, ordained monk, Wamanrao Godbole was a self-disciplined monk without yellow robes!

The Sitabuldi area where Godbole lived is a downtown business district of the city. these are mostly small businesses, home-run by residents. It was also close to the railway station. There were always new people coming and going. Residents were used to it. But this time around their eyes were prying over a young, handsome foreigner dressed as a monk. The weirdest thing about him was that he roamed in the streets all the time beating a small drum which he always carried with him. He also chanted some mantras in some strange language. Could he be spying in the area? Unlikely. He was staying with Wamanrao Godbole! That itself was a good enough reason to shut the rumour mills. People started gathering around the monk and trying to speak to him. Bhante Sasai would respond with his trademark chant or just a smile.

Godbole used to have many visitors because of his social activities concerning spreading Buddhism in India. That was the mission of Dr Ambedkar to which Godbole was intensely committed. Bhante Sasai got an opportunity to grasp their vibes. He felt that destiny had brought him to the right people. He always wanted to work among the people, with them. He had made up his mind to devote the rest of his life here in India. Godbole’s visitors were always willing to host Bhante Sasai. But Godbole would mostly discourage, being not sure that he will be taken good care of. However, when one of his acquaintances Sacchidanand Manake showed willingness, he immediately agreed.

The house of Sacchidanand Manake was simple and elegant with Buddha and Dr Ambedkar’s portraits on the facing wall. Bhante Sasai, by now, had learned enough of Hindi to communicate with the people. People in Nagpur preferred Hindi, rather than the state’s language Marathi. It was the capital of the Central Provinces & Berar, Madhya Pradesh, till the linguistic reorganization of the States of India in 1960. Manake family was taking good care of this stranger, a young Japanese Bhikkhu. Godbole was much relieved!

Many people in Lashkari Bagh had already heard of this ‘chanting Bhikkhu with a drum’ who had arrived in Nagpur from nowhere. His regular sighting in the Sitabuldi area had become the talk of the town. Now he was doing rounds in the streets of Lashkari Bagh in North Nagpur. He would regularly visit Buddha Vihara for prayers and chanting. It had become his regular routine.

People started joining him in chanting and meditation in the Vihara. They would seek his blessings, he would offer solace. Sometimes he offered tantric rituals too which he had learned in training at the Takao-san temple in Japan. But he found that people here were not much keen on those rituals. Rather they were sceptic. Bhante Sasai observed that they all almost worshipped that man in a suit and tie whom they called Babasaheb. Keen observer as he was, he noticed that the portrait of this gentleman was almost always alongside that of the Buddha. Godbole, Manake and many others spoke about ‘Babasaheb’ reverently, but he had not understood much of it, yet.

He knew about only one hero of India, the Mahatma, Mr M. K. Gandhi. He was reverently mentioned in the Japanese Temple in Kolkata and Rajgir. For him, he was the epitome of nonviolence. He had won freedom for India from the British Raj. He was the benefactor of Buddhists in India. He promoted Buddhism in India through Fujii ‘Guruji’ by helping him build Japanese Temples. He was the link between the Buddhists of Japan and India. He had pumped lots of money into Buddhist temples through his capitalist mentors like Birla and Bajaj. Bhante Sasai thought the illiterate poor people in this part of India were not aware of Mahatma Gandhi. He got a small portrait of Gandhi from somewhere and put it in Lashkari Bagh Buddha Vihara near the bust of Buddha. He saluted the Buddha and the Mahatma and sat in meditation chanting ‘Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō’.

When people assembled in the evening for Buddha Vandana, there was a big uproar. One of them quickly moved forward and tried to remove Gandhi’s portrait, Bhante Sasai prevented him and threatened him with a martial arts attacking position. He was very swift in his movements. This was a new Avatar of the Bhante for everybody. They had known him as a kind chanting monk. But he turned out to be a stormy warrior. And, also a worshiper of the man who had violently revolted against Babasaheb through his so-called nonviolent fast unto death! Who was this Bhikkhu? Had he come to destroy the legacy of Babasaheb? Who are his masters?

The situation inside the Buddha Vihara became almost riotous. The whole of Lashkari Bagh, men, women and children gathered around the Vihara. They all turned against Bhante Sasai. Some well-built youngsters ringed around him threatening menacingly. But further unpleasant occurrence was averted as Sacchidanand Manake hurriedly entered cutting through the crowd. He stood beside Bhante Sasai and reassured everybody that he was his guest. He said he is responsible for the behaviour of this Bhikkhu. He could quickly pacify the people. It was the largest-ever gathering in and around the Vihara.

Sacchidanand Manake was a leader and a good teacher. People trusted his wisdom. He first expressed deep apologies to Bhante Sasai. And started his speech in a composed way in local Marathi –

‘Upasakanno, (dear devotees), Bhante Sasai has come from Japan through Bhante Nichidatsu Fujii ‘Guruji’ of Japan. Guruji had come into contact with Mahatma Gandhi through capitalist like Birlas who invested in the temple economy. The people in Japan know only about Mahatma Gandhi. They all consider Gandhiji the greatest proponent of nonviolence. Gandhi’s followers represent Indian Buddhists in Japan. Japanese people do not know Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and his Dhamma revolution in India. Bhante Sasai is innocent. He does not know about Babasaheb. He does not understand why we love Babasaheb and not Mahatma Gandhi. Gradually he will understand it. He will soon come to understand who the real hero of nonviolence is!’

Turning towards Bhante Sasai, he said in Hindi. He spoke slowly and clearly ensuring that Bhante understood each word. ‘Vandami Bhante! His Holiness Bodhisattva Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar revived Buddha’s Dhamma in India. He was the one who initiated all of us people into Buddhism. Babasaheb did a great Dhamma revolution in India without shedding a single drop of blood. He truly followed nonviolence in the most secular way. Bodhisattva Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar is a symbol of inclusive non-violence. Even Mahatma Gandhi cannot take his place. For Babasaheb, not only physical but also ideological nonviolence was equally important. Mahatma Gandhi, for all his virtues, ignored ideological nonviolence. His nonviolence was limited to political expediency. Gandhi snatched away in one stroke what Babasaheb had achieved after decades of struggle. You will know more about it as you know about Babasaheb. But Bhante, you will appreciate that the people here cannot tolerate Gandhi’s portrait in the Buddha Vihara. Please allow us to remove it.’ Manake pleaded with folded hands to Bhante Sasai and also to the people.

People were satisfied and looked at Bhante Sasai with folded hands for his reaction. Bhante Sasai raised his hand with energetic chanting of ‘Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō’. For a moment people thought he was rebelling. But he turned around and walked to the pedestal. He saluted Buddha’s statue. Respectfully he picked up the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi and consigned it to one corner with a face towards the wall. Then, occupying centre stage alongside Manake, he again raised his hand and powerfully shouted ‘Jai Bhim!’. He repeated it three times with people responding each time with equal energy. ‘Jai Bhim!’

After this incident, Bhante Sasai abandoned the chanting of ‘Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō’. He realized that Bodhisattva Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s contribution to the common people and to Buddhism was hidden from Japan. He had experienced in the Japanese Temple in Kolkata that Buddhist monks there were not connected with the people. They did not know about the greatest Dhamma revolution in India brought about by Babasaheb. His encounter with Nagarjuna on the Griddhakuta hill came haunting him.

Did Nagarjuna want him to take forward Babasaheb’s mission? He resolved to work for that by living in the midst of these poor people in North Nagpur. He became more and more resolute as he learned more and more about the life of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. He came to know that Dr Ambedkar lived for decades in a small one-room home in a crowded Chawl even after completing his education in America and England. Soon after, Bhante Sasai went to Mumbai to visit and study the places associated with Babasaheb’s life. He specifically spent a long time in the library of Siddhartha College. It was established by Dr Ambedkar and housed all the books donated by him. Thousands of them! Bhante Sasai, now over 87 years old, continues to live in one modest room in a Buddha Vihara in North Nagpur! He is fully devoted to the mission of that man in a suit always occupying a place beside Buddha’s statue or portrait and is called ‘Babasaheb’ with great reverence by people of all ages and gender!

The author has written books called:

‘Life of Dr B. R. Ambedkar – Making of the Dome of Dignity’ &

‘Dr B. R. Ambedkar – Life in Poyabawadi’

[This is part of an upcoming book by this author on the life of Rev. Bhadant Arya Nagarjuna Surei Sasai]