To mark the 50th anniversary of Dr. Ambedkar’s conversion to Buddhism, ceremonies were organized all over India in October and November 2006. Nearly 100,000 Dalits converted to Buddhism in these ceremonies. V.B. Rawat participated in a ceremony in Delhi.

Over seventy years ago, on 13 October 1935, Dr. Ambedkar declared in a public speech at Yeola: “I solemnly assure you that I will not die a Hindu. On 31 May 1936, he said to a large gathering of Mahars – people belonging to the untouchable caste of cultivators and labourers that he was born in – “Hinduism does not recognize the importance of the individual, and therefore it is not acceptable to me. The religion which, with an intention to educate a few, keeps the rest in darkness, is not a religion but a conspiracy to keep the people in mental slavery.

“Man is not for religion, religion is for man. To become human, convert yourselves. To get organized, convert yourselves. To achieve strength, convert yourselves. To secure equality, convert yourselves. To get liberty, convert yourselves.

“Why do you remain in that religion which does not treat you as human beings? Why do you remain in that religion which does not allow you to educate yourselves? Why do you remain in that religion which prohibits you from entering a temple. Why do you remain in that religion which prohibits you from access to water? A religion which prohibits righteous relations between man and man, is not a religion but a display of force”. Quoting from the Buddha’s last message, Ambedkar said in his speech: “Be self illuminating like the sun. Don’t be dependent for the light like the earth. Believe in yourself, don’t be dependent on others. Be truthful. Always take refuge in the truth and do not surrender to anybody.” Ambedkar then concluded “I also take refuge in the words of the Buddha. Be your own guide. Take refuge in your own reason”.

On 14 Nov 2006, Ambedkar converted along with an estimated half a million other Dalits to Buddhism – Dr. Ambedkar’s version of Buddhism is a humanistic one, but some philosophers do not find justification for Dr. Ambedkar’s interpretation. In any case, Dr. Ambedkar himself administered 22 oaths to all the Dalits who were converting - 8 of the 22 oaths relate to rejecting Hindu Gods and Goddesses, abjuring the use of Brahmins in rituals, rejecting the view that God has taken birth or incarnation in any form, and affirming that the Buddha was not an incarnation of Vishnu. Other oaths relate to loyalty to Buddhist philosophy, telling the truth, rejecting alcohol and vowing never to steal. There was very little religion in the conversion ritual, but it was present.

50 Years on

Nearly ten thousand Dalits from different parts of the country embraced Buddhism relinquishing the Varnashram based Hinduism, in a remarkable political ceremony on 29 October 2006, in New Delhi to mark 50 years of Ambedkar’s conversion. I use the word ‘political ceremony’ in terms of the programme and its content.

The organizers of the programme, particularly Dr Avatar Singh, Commissioner, Gurgaon, Dr Rajshekar Vundru, a Senior officer of the Indian Administrative Service, Ashok Bharati, Convener, National Conference of Dalit Organisations (NACDOR) ensured that there were no rituals. It was a largely Humanist ceremony – and speaker after speaker spoke against the tyranny of religion, dangers of superstition and the need for embracing the alternative that Dr Ambedkar had developed.

A number of social activists as well as some enlightened Dalit intellectuals and officers came from different parts of the country. Political speeches were made and enlightening plays attracted the attention of the people. There were 50 odd bhikkhus (monks) present on the platform along with a large number of social activists and intellectuals. Their symbolic role of giving ‘deekhsa’ (initiation) was confined to merely 5-10 minutes. There was no show of mysticism or claims of miracles or chanting in praise of God.

Cassettes, songs, books on Dr Ambedkar, and other Dalit heroes sold like hotcakes. I spoke to many Dalit women who had put their stalls at the Ram Leela ground to find what has changed in their lives after embracing Buddhism. Each of them said that they now save a lot of money because of not following any Hindu rituals. “Dalits are too much into rituals. Whether it is the birth of a child or the death of family members, everything is taken by the Brahmin, even if you suffer from fever, priests are there to grab you. Once you have left the dirty caste games of Hinduism, you get rid of all those practices”.

I was pleasantly surprised by such reactions. Many Humanists had objected to Ambedkar’s
conversion ritual in 1956 as it had religious ceremonies. However, for Ambedkar, delinking the Dalits from Hinduism was the first and foremost priority. Secondly, despite Ambedkar’s knowledge of Marx and his ideas, he could not digest the idea of violence and dictatorship. Thirdly, the 22 oaths that Ambedkar wanted Dalits to adopt at the time of conversion are but humanist in essence.

For people like me who are working in solidarity with those struggling for their dignity, embracing Buddhism as prescribed by Dr Ambedkar was a matter of immense satisfaction. I have been a Humanist for the last 20 years, but I rejoice my formal way of embracing Humanism through the Buddha.

V.B. Rawat