The whole subject of caste annihilation - Dr. Br. Ambedkar

The Annihilation of Caste - Dr BRAmbedkar  

About the Author

 Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (April 14, 1891 - December 6, 1956), is also known as Babasaheb, meaning 'respected father' in the Marathi language. He was an Indian jurist, political leader, philosopher, thinker, anthropologist, historian, orator, prolific writer, economist, human rights profounder, an eminent and erudite scholar, editor and revolutionist. He championed the cause of Dalits and women in India and revived Buddhism. He was the chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution and therefore, known as the architect of the Indian constitution. Born in a poor Mahar(one of the untouchable castes) family, he is a strong preacher for the annihilation of the caste system in India. He has brought out the evils of the caste system and has given a complete analysis as to how the caste can be annihilated. He had written 32 books and 10 of his books are incomplete. Besides, He is also the author of the Indian Constitution. The most selling books of Dr Ambedkar are The Problem of the Rupee: Its Origin and Its Solution (1923), Thoughts on Pak/ stan (1940), and Who Were the Shudras? (1946), Riddles in Hinduism (1955) and The Buddha and His Dhamma (1957).

Summary

                The present extract, The Annihilation of caste, is taken from Dr Ambedkar's detailed speech which describes the caste system as the reason for the slavery of crores of common people. The Anti-caste Federation (Jat pat Todak manual) is used to organise annual conferences. The main aim of this federation was to eradicate the caste system amongst the Hindus. Dr Ambedkar was the president of the conference to be organised in Lahore in 1936. He had written his presidential address which was to be delivered at this conference. However, some members of the Federation feared that some of Ambedkar's ideas would trigger controversy. They requested him to delete some portion from his presidential address but Dr Ambedkar refused to do so. As a result, the Federation cancelled the conference. Later, Dr Ambedkar published his speech independently. The present text, a section (section 20) from Dr Ambedkar's detailed speech, represents one of the significant views regarding the caste problem in India. 

                  Dr Ambedkar wrote this speech as an essay under the title Annihilation of caste analysing the Hindu religion, its caste system and its religious texts which he considers to be male dominant, hatred spreading and suppressing female interests. He has argued that inter-caste dining and inter- cast marriage are not sufficient to annihilate the caste system, but that, the real method of breaking up the caste system is to destroy the religious notions upon which caste is founded. The caste system is part and parcel of Hindu society. It has been coming through the ages. Dr Ambedkar's perspective on Caste can be seen in his works such as 'caste in India, Annihilation of Caste and who were the Shudras? In these works, he has critically analysed the caste system from a historical and social perspective. He has discussed methods for the abolition of the caste system. 

               He has considered the view that for abolishing the caste, one should begin with the abolition of sub-Castes. However, according to Dr Ambedkar, there is no guarantee that the abolition of the sub-caste will necessarily lead to the abolition sub-Castes. In that case, says Dr Ambedkar, the abolition of Sub-castes will only help to strengthen the castes and make them more powerful and therefore more mischievous. The action for the abolition of caste should begin with inter-caste dinners. According to Dr Ambedkar, there are many castes who all winter-dining, but inter-dining has not killed the consciousness of castes. He emphatically declares that inter-marriage alone can abolish Caste. According to him, caste will cease to be an operative force, only when inter-dinning and intermarriage have become matters of Common course. However, he raises a more basic question: Why is it that a large majority of Hindus do not inter-dine and inter-marry? on this question, Hindus say that Dr Ambedkar observe caste because their religion teaches them caste According to Dr Ambedkar an ideal society would be based on liberty, equality and fraternity.

                  He gives concrete suggestions for the abolition of caste and the establishment of a society based on true liberty, equality and fraternity. He says that unless you change your social Order you can achieve little by way of progress. You cannot mobilise the community either for defence or for the offence, You can not build anything on the foundation of caste. You cannot build una of caste. On the contrary, the process may stop with the abolition of the nation. You cannot build up a morality. According to him, anything that you will build on the foundation of caste will crack and will never be a whole. It is important to take the stand that Lord Buddha and GuruNanak took. We must not only discard the Shastras, we must deny their authority as Buddha and Nanak did. Lord Buddha and Guru Nanak, Spread the message of Unity, equality and uniformity in India against the caste-ridden society. The ideas of Dr Ambedkar are still very much relevant today and none can ignore his contribution to the socio-economic development of Indian society. But the Indian Casteism is neither natural nor contemporary in existence. 

               It is a continuous process. It was present yesterday, it is effective today, and it is likely to continue in future if we do not take steps to eradicate it. In conclusion, it can be said that the Indian Society tried to attempt to eradicate the caste system with the ideas of Dr Ambedkar such awareness can bring about much-desired Change in human society for reformation of the society is impossible without the reformation of the individual inner- self.

Short Answer type Question 

Q. 1:- Why did Dr Ambedkar say that the real key to destroying Caste is a rejection of the shastras?

 Ans:- The present extract,". The Annihilation of Caste", is taken from Dr Ambedkar's detailed speech which describes the caste system as the reason for the slavery of crores of common people. The Anti-caste federation is used to organise annual conferences. The main aim of this Federation was to eradicate the caste system from amongst the Hindus. Dr Ambedkar was the president of the conference to be organised in Lahore in 1936. The present text, a section (Section 20) from Dr Ambedkar's detailed speech, represents one of the Significant views regarding the caste problem in India. Before going deeper into his perspective on the caste system, it is necessary to understand the view," The real key to destroying caste is the rejection of the shastras" expressed in section 20 of this detailed essay. 

               Dr Ambedkar discussed in his "Annihilation of caste" the methods for the abolition of the caste system. He has considered the view that for abolishing the caste, one should begin with the abolition of sub-castes. However, according to Dr Ambedkar, there is no guarantee that the abolition of the sub-caste will necessarily lead to the abolition of caste. On the contrary, the process may stop with the abolition of Sub-castes. In that case, says Dr Ambedkar the abolition of sub-Castes will only help to strengthen the castes and make them more powerful and therefore more mischievous. In the words of Dr Ambedkar: "The real remedy for breaking Caste is Intermarriage. Nothing else will serve as the solvent of caste" According to Dr Ambedkar, caste will cease to be an operative force, only when the inter-dinning and inter-marriage have become matters of ordinary course. 

                He raises a more basic question Why is it that a large majority of Hindus do not inter- dine and inter-marry? Hindus say that Dr Ambedkar observes caste because their religion teaches them caste. According to Dr Ambedkar, the real remedy is to destroy the sanctity of the Shastras which justify the Caste. The real remedy is to destroy the belief in the sanctity of the shastras. Reformers working for the removal of untouchability, including Mahatma Gandhi, do not seem to realize that the acts of people are merely the results of their beliefs included in their minds by the shastras and that people will not change their conduct until they cease to believe in the sanctity of the Shastras on which their conduct is founded. According to Dr Ambedkar, an ideal society would be based on liberty, equality and fraternity. So it is important to the stand that Lord Buddha and Guru Nayak took. We must not only discard the Shastras, we must deny their authority as Buddha and Nanak did. Lord Buddha and Nanak spread the message of unity, equality and uniformity in India against the caste-ridden society. It is the real key to destroying caste by the rejection of the Shastras.

Q. 2:- What does Ambedkar say about inter-dinning and inter-marrying? 

Ans:- The present extract, "The Annihilation of caste" is taken from Dr Ambedkar's detailed speech which describes the caste system as the reason for the Slavery of Crores of Common people. The Anti-caste Federation used to Organise annual conferences. The main aim of this federation was to eradicate the caste system amongst the Hindus. Dr Ambedkar was the president of the conference to be organised in Lahore in 1936. He had written his presidential address which was to be delivered at this conference. However, some members of the Federation feared that some of Ambedkar's Ideas would trigger controversy. They requested him to delete some portion from his presidential address but Dr Ambedkar refused to do so. As a result, the Federation Cancelled the conference. Later, Dr Ambedkar published his speech independently. The present text is the section (section20) from Dr Ambedkar's detailed speech, which represents one of the significant views regarding the Caste problem in India. 

               In his "Annihilation of caste," Dr Ambedkar has discussed methods for the abolition of the caste system. He has considered the view that for abolishing the caste, one should begin with the abolition of sub-caste. But according to Dr Ambedkar, there is no guarantee that the abolition of the sub-caste will necessarily lead to the abolition of caste. In that case, says Dr Ambedkar, the abolition of sub-Castes, will only help to strengthen the castes and make them more powerful and therefore more mischievous. He has discussed the view that the action for the abolition of caste should begin with inter-caste dinners. There are many castes which allow inter-dinning, says Dr Ambedkar, but inter-dinning has not killed the consciousness of caste. Dr Ambedkar emphatically declares that inter-marriage alone can abolish caste. Dr Ambedkar said, "The natural remedy for breaking caste is inter-marriage. Nothing else will serve as the solvent of caste. According to Dr Ambedkar Caste will cease to be an operative force only when the inter- dining and inter-marriage have become matters of common course. However, he raises a more basic question: Why is that a large majority of Hindus not inter-dine and inter-marry? Hindus Say, Dr Ambedkar observes caste because their religion teaches them caste.

Long Answer type Question 

Q.1:- What are the remedies to destroy the caste system in India?

 Ans:- The present extract The Annihilation of caste, is taken from Dr Ambedkar's speech which describes the caste system as the reason for the Slavery of crores of common people. The Ati-caste federation is used to organise annual Conferences. The main aim of this Federation was to eradicate the caste system from amongst the Hindus. Dr Ambedkar was the president of the conference to be organised in Lahore in 1936. He had to write his presidential address which was to be delivered at this conference. However, some members of the federation feared that some of Ambedkar's ideas would trigger controversy. They requested him to delete some portion from his presidential address but Dr Ambedkar refused to do so. As a result, the federation cancelled the Conference. Later, Dr Ambedkar published his speech independently. 

            The present text, a section (Section 20) from Dr Ambedkar's detailed speech, represents one of the significant views regarding the Caste problem in India. Dr Ambedkar argued that intercaste-dining and inter- cast marriage are not sufficient to annihilate the Caste system, but the real method of breaking up the caste system is to destroy the religious notions upon which caste is founded. The caste system is part and parcel of Hindu society. It has been coming through the ages, Dr. Ambedkar's perspective on caste can be seen in his works such as" Caste in India, Annihilation of caste and who were the Shudras? In these works, he has critically analysed the caste system from a historical and social perspective. He has discussed methods for the abolition of the caste system. He has considered the view that for abolishing the caste; one should begin with the abolition of sub-castes.

               However, according to Dr Ambedkar, there is no guarantee that the abolition of the sub-caste will necessarily lead to the abolition of caste. On the contrary, the Process may stop with the abolition of sub-castes. In that case, Dr Ambedkar says the abolition of sub-castes will only help to strengthen the castes and make them more powerful and therefore more mischievous. The action for the abolition of caste should begin with inter-caste dinners. According to Dr Ambedkar, there are many castes which allow inter-dinning, but inter-dinning has not killed the consciousness of castes. He emphatically declares that intermarriage alone can abolish caste. According to him, caste will cease to be an operative force, only when inter-dinning and inter-marriage have become matters of common course. However, he raises a more basic question: Why is it that a large majority of Hindus do not i.ter-dine and intermarry? on this question, Hindus say that Dr Ambedkar observes Caste because their religion teaches them caste. 

                According to Dr Ambedkar, the real remedy, therefore, is to destroy the Sanctity of the Shastras, which justifies the caste. The real remedy is to destroy the belief in the sanctity of the Shastras. How do you expect to succeed, if you allow the shastras to continue to mould the beliefs and opinions of the people? Dr Ambedkar says, Not to question the authority of the shastras - to permit the people to believe in their sanctity and their sanctions, and then to blame the people and criticise them for their acts as being Irrational and inhuman. It is an inappropriate way of Carrying on social reform. According to Dr Ambedkar, an ideal society would be based on liberty, equality and Fraternity. He gives concrete suggestions for the abolition of caste and the establishment of society, based on true liberty, equality and fraternity. 

               He says that unless you change your social order you can achieve little by way of progress. You Cannot mobilise the community either for defence or for the offence. You cannot build anything on the foundation of caste. You Cannot build up a nation. You cannot build up a morality. According to him, anything that you will build on the foundation of caste will crack and will never be a whole. It is important to take the stand that Lord Buddha and Guru Nanak took. We must not only discard the Shastras, we must deny their authority as Buddha and Nanak did. Lord Buddha and Guru Nanak spread the message of unity, equality and uniformity in India against the caste-ridden society. The Ideas of Dr Ambedkar are still very much relevant today and no one can ignore his contribution to the socio-economic development of Indian society. But the Indian casteism is neither natural nor contemporary in existence. It is a continuous process. 

                It was present Yesterday, it is effective today, and it is likely to continue in future if we do not take steps to eradicate it. Thus the Indian society tried to make an attempt to eradicate the Caste system with the ideas of Dr Ambedkar. Such awareness can bring about much-desired change in human society.

Q. 2:- How would rejecting the shastras help in the abolition of caste in India?

 Ans:- The present essay, "The Annihilation of caste" is actually a speech written by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, which describes the caste system as the reason for the Corers of common people., It presents one of the significant views regarding the caste problem in India. The present text is a section (Section 20) from Dr Ambedkar's detailed speech which was to be delivered at the conference organized in Lahore in 1936. The Anti-Caste Federation used to organise annual conferences. The main aim of this federation was to eradicate the caste system amongst the Hindus. Dr Ambedkar was the president of the conference to be organised in Lahore in 1936. He had written his presidential address which was to be delivered at this Conference. 

                 However, some members of the federation feared that some of Ambedkar's ideas would trigger controversy. They requested him to delete some portion from his presidential address but Dr Ambedkar refused to do so. As a result, the federation cancelled the conference. Later, Dr Ambedkar published his speech independently. In the present extract, Dr Ambedkar has discussed methods for the abolition of the caste system. He considered that for abolishing the caste, one should begin with the abolition of sub-Caste. But according to Ambedkar, there is no guarantee that the abolition of sub-caste necessarily leads to the abolition of caste. On the contrary, it may happen that the process may stop with the abolition of sub-castes. In that case, the abolition of sub-Castes will only help to strengthen the castes and make them more powerful. In this way, this remedy is, therefore, neither practicable nor effective. 

                  He has discussed another way for the abolition of caste is, to begin with, inter-caste dinners. There are many castes which allow inter-dining but inter-dining has not succeeded in killing the spirit of caste and the consciousness of caste. Dr Ambedkar de clares that intermarriage is the natural remedy for abolishing the caste system. According to Dr Ambedkar," The natural remedy for breaking caste is inter-marriage. Nothing else will serve as the Solvent of caste. Accord- ing to Dr Ambedkar caste will cease to be an operative force, only when the inter-dinning and intermarriage have become matters of common course. According to Dr Ambedkar, caste is not a physical object like a wall of bricks but it is a notion, a state of the mind. The destruction of caste does not, therefore, mean the destruction of physical barrier. It means a notional change. Maybe caste is bad. or it may lead to conduct man's inhumanity to man. It does not mean that Hindus observe caste because they are inhuman or wrong-headed. 

                 They observe Caste because they are deeply religious people are not wrong in observing Caste, what is wrong is their religion, which has inculcated this notion of Caste. Dr Ambedkar says if it is correct, then the enemy is not the people who observe Caste, but the shastras who teach them this religion of Caste. According to Ambedkar, the natural remedy to destroy the caste system is to destroy the belief in the sanctity of the shastras. How will anyone succeed, if anyone allows the shastras to continue to mould the beliefs and opinions of the people? Dr Ambedkar says, Not to question the authority of the Shastras - to permit the people to believe in their sanctity and their sanctions, and then to blame the people and to criticise them for their acts as being irrational and in the human-is icon- groups' way of Carrying on Social reform. The Reformers working for the removal of untouchablity, including Mahatma Gandhi, do not seem to realize that the acts of the people are merely the results of their beliefs inculcated in their minds by the Shastras, and the people will not change their conduct until they cease to believe in the sanctity of the Shastras on which their conduct is founded. According to Dr Ambedkar, an ideal society would be based on liberty, equality and fraternity. He says there is no doubt, you Change your social order, you can achieve little by way of progress. You cannot mobilise the community either for a de- fence or for the offence, you cannot build anything on the foundation of Caste. You cannot build up a nation. You cannot build up a morality. 

                 Anything that you will build on the foundation of caste will crack and will never be a whole. It is important to take the stand that Lord Buddha and Guru Nanak took. We must not. only discard the Shastras, we must deny their authority as Nanak and Buddha did. Lord Buddha and Guru Nanak Spread the message of unity, equality and uniformity in India against the Caste-ridden society. In this way, Dr Ambedkar suggests that only rejecting the shastras would help in the abolition of Caste in India.