Gandhi Vs Ambedkar: Sad Media

08Dec06

Yesterday a poll was conducted by CNN-IBN7, on Mr Gandhi and Dr Ambedkar. IBN7 came out with finding that Dr Ambedkar surpasses Gandhi in legacy. It generated a kind of shock for rich Indians including elitist Indian Media. How and why this is a shock to them is important to analyse. Such introspection will track the role of Indian media in Indian human rights movement.

The history stands itself when Indian Media was at highest level critical of Dr Ambedkar and ill presented his perona all these years. Dr Ambedkar once said for cast-elitist in India, ‘I am the most hated person for them but it will take time to realize if they protect rights of underprivileged their interests are also protected’ (elite).

In last 60 years, Indian Media held interest in glitz & sensationalism than in societal undercurrents. It is heartbreaking, they even succeeded in keeping international audience at bay from learning violation of Human rights in India. No need to say, treated Dr Ambedkar as ‘untouchable’ over the years, and was kept so much isolated. More often that nought Indian media projected Dr Ambedkar in negative compartmental way. His lifetime involement in brining social justice and world peace is shamelessly rejected. This mounts to a serious crime on part of Indian media.

Another grave misunderstanding (may be a conspiracy), the caste ridden Indian Media propels in minds is delimitiion Dalit terminology only to stipulated section. Fact is that Dalits as a broad concept includes broken people, ‘untoucables’ and subjugated sections, may come from SC/ST/OBC/Muslim/Christian/Buddhist/Sikh background. Buddhists in India are earstwhile ‘untouchables’; comprise major portion of educated Dalit population. People of India must know that Buddhism helped a Dalit in breaking socio-psychological barrier thereby reclaiming entire personality. By taking out the dogmatic and undemocratic gods in mind much harm is done to Indian society. Corrective Moral and scientific reclamation is need of time for all Indians if they want to produce excellent civilisation. Therefore in the absense of many Indians doing so, ex-untoucables are left with giant responsibility of establishing order in civil society.

We saw in Khairlanji that mother Surekha and learned daughter Priyanka did not believe in Godly-superstitions, this was possible due to love for Dr Ambedkar’s philosophy and alliance to humanistic values. Bhotmanges were aware citizens and helped fellow citizen by submitting witness statement to Police. They did not fear in saying truth. The type of scientific temper and constituional awareness they had is quite rare. Such spirit is need of an hour.

It goes without saying that none of the social groups in India can claim custody of 2500 year old buddhist values i.e. liberty, equality and fraternity as they are so universal and immensely beneficial; same is true with the legacy Dr.Ambedkar. His life is nothing but a struggle for values of liberty, equality and fraternity which humanistic.

Today, the matter of biggest worry for people of India is focus on Humanistic issues is cornered off. Indian democracy has big dangers awaiting if Indian media doesnt learn early to focus right issues.

Coming back to the CNN-IBN7 survey, comparing Mr. Gandhi with Dr. Ambedkar is redundant/illogical exercise due to many reasons. Theory and practice indicates that transformational leadership basically prevents formation of sects and allows easy fusion of minds. Transformational leaders leave behind life philosophies. It is unfortunate that Indian Media is engaged in comparing two leaders instead of taking active interest into doing something for rooting social democracy. Indian media is only playing with notions of people to get some commercial millage but hardly touching roots of social sufferings.

In last years of life Mr Gandhi visibly accepted Dr Ambedkar’s leadership when he saw nude dance of religiocentric politcs within Congress circles during post-independence period. He did not survive more to see Dr Ambedkar approach to transform entire Indian society by peaceful means; alas! he was killed by a fanatic Hindu backed by a group which survives today and wins elections. Reason is Media selectively discounts such ill tenancies in the socio-polity.

But creative Indians will not sit back and enjoy the game silently. To challenge media monopoly , they understand role of technology platform. We,at Atrocitynews, feel that blogosphere has wide potential to defy existing Media codes and could contribute towards alternative Media. We are opstimistic that the best solutions would be coming anytime soon as right thoughts shape up right time. Therefore wild ignorance on part of people of India should be zeroed down by educating and sensitising people & Media through online forums, blogs, workshops and conferences.

Here its worth mentioning usage of right terms in transforming people and their attitudes. In same flow, care must be taken in understanding different terms when we talk about social justice. For example, Dalit is a socially qualitative state, Ambedkarism is a thought philosophy, Buddhist is a life practicing ‘liberty equality and fraternity’ values and Indian is a political identity.

Based on same, our editors have suggested some corrections in following IBN7 news peice on Gandhi & Ambedkar (Click here for CNN-IBN POLL). Readers are free to interpret henceforth, due to inability to correct all such news contents by our editors.

Thanks..

CNN-IBN writes..

As the nation commemorated the 50th death anniversary of Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar on Wednesday, over eight lakh (Indians) Dalits paid homage to their great leader at Chaityabhumi in Mumbai.
Most Dalits(Indians) see Ambedkar as their true leader—someone who challenged the very basis of the caste system unlike other national leaders—notably Gandhi—who they claim followed a middle path.
At a time when India is seeing a people resurgence, Ambedkar seems to have hogged all the attention. To discuss the contentious issue on CNN-IBN’s Face the Nation, was a panel which included Jabbar Patel, director of the biopic of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar; Tushar Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s great grandson and Professor Mridula Mukherjee, historian and Director of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library.
Has Ambedkar’s legacy proved more durable than that of Gandhi?

Ambedkar’s popularity is at an all time high. But the fact is the legacy itself is frayed — exposing a dichotomy, a paradox. There were vigorous debates over Ambedkar and Gandhi through the ‘30s and ‘40s. At the end of the day, the Gandhian idea of ‘a human society’ seems to have lost out to the Ambedkar’s more revolutionary idea of ‘social justice at all costs’.
Though we can learn from both Ambedkar and Gandhi, the fact remains that Ambedkar’s statues outnumber Gandhi or perhaps that of any other leader’s in India .
Neither on October 2 nor on January 30 do eight lakh people visit Gandhi’s samadhi as we find in case of Ambedkar. What is it that really distinguishes the two?
“Both were great in their own respect and in their own ways. But it was Ambedkar’s work that gave Dalits a status of human beings and a sense of equality and power. There is a vast group that worships Ambedkar as a deity. It is no surprise to see eight lakh Dalits reaffirming faith in him on his 50th anniversary,” Tushar Gandhi said.
Is that the reason why in the 21st century Mahatma is revered in various ways but is not seen as a deity while Ambedkar has become God?
“Ambedkar has become a deity only for the Harijans (Bahujan) who were persecuted and not even treated as human beings by the Hindu community. It was Ambedkar who gave them a sense of belonging, power and status in the society. His becoming a deity was bound to happen,” said Tushar Gandhi.
Has Ambedkar been reduced to a mere statue?
Ambedkar gave Dalits many Indians a sense of status, power, and self-respect, but in the process, has Ambedkar been reduced to a mere statue? Perhaps he has become a mute witness to what he sees around himself. Is that the tragedy of Ambedkar?
“Statue is just the symbol. He was the man who gave an identity to human beings deprived and exploited for a thousand years. Though we have a political struggle going on, we have forgotten that Ambedkar was the one who gave India its very first constitution. His relevance is much more than just being a Dalit leader,” said Jabbar Patel.
Lage Raho Munnabahi—recent commercial Bollywood film discovered Mahatma at a popular level. Does Ambedkar too needs be discovered at a popular level?
Several films have been made on Ambedkar’s life but would ever a film on the Dalit the leader get the same appeal as Lage Raho Munnabahi—the film that took Gandhigiri to the common man—did?
“To me Lage Raho Munnabahi is too much a romanticised version of the whole Gandhian philosophy. Dr Ambedkar’s philosophy is much deeper than that. Ambedkar did not just talk about Dalits, but he also spoke about human rights,” said Jabbar Patel.
One thing is clear, perhaps it’s much more difficult to make a film on Ambedkar than on Gandhi.
“When I made a film on Ambedkar, I realised it’s indeed difficult to do depict his ideas and achievements in their true light. My film took one-and-half- years to be released in the country due to censorship issues. In this country, it is extremely difficult to portray Ambedkar’s philosophy in its true sense,” said Patel.
Ambedkar remains a contentious and controversial figure—but perhaps that is what makes him also a fascinating figure to be studied about.
What do Gandhi and Ambedkar mean to the contemporary India ?
“There was a process of contention and reconciliation between Ambedkar and Gandhi. Ambedkar was not a member of the Congress. Then how did he get the role of framing the constitution in the Assembly? It was actually the Congress leaders—Nehru, Gandhi and Patel—who gave him this role,” said Professor Mridula Mukherjee.( this is completely wrong)
In today’s India , where the image of militancy within Dalits has (suffering consciousness) become dominant, how can it be reconciled with what Mahatma spoke of – trying to break down the upper caste opposition to unsociability and caste system?
Had Mahatma been alive, what message could he have given the Dalit youth(Indian) who swear by Ambedkar and practice a form of militancy in his name?
“Bapu would have admired the fierce spirit of Dalit youth (Indian) who have been demanding their rights. However, he would not have accepted the violent means that they have adopted. What happened in Maharashtra a few days ago was not a demonstration of anger, but an outcome of frustration of the Dalit community(Indian). The leaders who exist for Dalits (indians) today are exploitative and opportunistic. They do not voice the opinion of the Dalit community(Indian). community at all. These leaders have become more like an upper-caste exploitative lot themselves,” said Tushar Gandhi.
Perhaps the anger and frustration that set afire two train in Maharashtra a few days ago was an outcome of the exploitative and opportunistic leadership that Dalits (Indians)have been given in to today.
Has the intellectual legacy of Ambedkar been lost?
“Ambedkar’s contribution to the country in the form of writings on human rights was extraordinary. The kind of Constitution he wrote for this country—the lengthiest Constitution in this world—is a feat that most people in this county have forgotten,” said Patel.
The phenomenal writings of Ambedkar have been an intellectual legacy for our country. Has the exploitative (Indian) dalit leadership today lost that legacy somewhere? As Tushar Gnadhi points out, it is this opportunistic leadership that has left Dalit youth as a frustrated lot.
“Whether we talk of Gandhi, Ambedkar or any other great legacy, a lot depends on the contemporary leadership. How the present day leaders link up those legacies and transmit them to the present generations or if they use them as mere icons, is something that matters,” said Professor Mukherjee.
The intellectual bankruptcy of the Dalit leaders is imminent and palpable. While eight lakh Dalit leaders visit Chaityabhumi on Ambedkar’s anniversary, not one of them realises the intellectual bankruptcy that they all suffer from today.
Ambedkar, more than being a Dalit icon figure, was someone who asked them to educate, organise and agitate. Dalits today must consider whether their leadership or they themselves have really lived up to the ideals of Dr Ambedkar.
Final Verdict: Has Ambedkar’s legacy proved more durable than that of Gandhi?
81 per cent of the viewers said ‘yes it has’ and 19 per cent of them said ‘no’.
Perhaps Ambedkar’s legacy needs to be re-looked and rediscovered to understand it in its true form. Remember Babasaheb said, “Social democracy and political democracy must go hand-in-hand. And that can happen only if we manage to create a truly equitable society.”
Thanks and Congratz to all..

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