Growing taller with time!

One of the very famous quotes of Thomas Carlyle says: “The history of a Nation is but the biography of some of its great men”. It holds true to a large extent, for there are individuals who not only influenced their contemporary times, they also determined the future course of their country’s socio-political development. While doing so, some keep on growing in relevance with the progress of time. BR Ambedkar is certainly one of such examples. There is not even a grain of doubt that modern India needs to rely on the concept of rationality and social democracy that Ambedkar exhibited in his life and sayings. The life-long crusader that he was, against all forms of deprivations meted out to the backward castes, can be taken as a lesson of social philosophy. It is pertinent here to note what kind of image Ambedkar has in textbooks and many media representations. Mostly, to the general perception, Ambedkar was leader of the Dalits, chairman of the Drafting Committee of our Constitution, a man who devoted his life to ensure rights of the Depressed Classes, and who eventually, in the last phase of his life, embraced Buddhism with huge number of followers. Now, certainly, all this information is correct but it does not portray the profound philosopher who not only thought about his generation, but also tried to set patterns for generations to come. A line of critical thought suggests that this kind of partial historical amnesia is the result of the initiative taken by a strong group of privileged sections to shape his image in a limiting, albeit surreptitious manner. It is time that we come out of this fragmented historicism about Ambedkar.

Today, we are all very familiar with a popular connotation, ‘sabka saath sabka vikas’. This is a reciprocation to what Ambedkar had long back aspired for. Modern economics, while explaining the fruits of sustainable development, emphasises on distributive justice. A clear assessment of our Constitution would show how the ‘Directive Principles of State Policy’ and the ‘Fundamental Rights’ portray the essence of distributive justice and social rights. These provisions enable a citizen to witness holistic development. To Ambedkar, a society should be a reflection of pluralism. Our present scenario also needs an assimilative and pluralistic approach towards inter-faith associations. On the economic front, Ambedkar argued that an economy, based purely on the profit motive, violated two tenets of political democracy: one, it allowed private employers, rather than the state, to govern the lives of the individuals; and two, it might force an individual to give up his/her Constitutional rights to gain a living. Unfortunately, both of Ambedkar’s apprehensions have magnified in the present context of Indian life. Gradually, even in sectors like health and education, we find profiteering at the cost of public benevolence.

If we are talking about the rising India and the economic thinking of Ambedkar, then we have to consider the remark of Amartya Sen, wherein he opines: “His contribution in the field of economics is marvelous and will be remembered for years”. Ambedkar believed that the state had the obligation to plan the economic life of the nation. This planning should lead to optimal productivity and benefit to society, while also ensuring equitable distribution of wealth. In the present scenario, one can easily understand how relevant is this vision of Ambedkar. Indeed, we are among the frontrunners in terms of economic growth, but still a large section of our population is to attain basic amenities for living. The recent figures of the Human Development Index are not so commendable. Therefore, the kind of economics that Ambedkar proposed for our country is not altogether wrong. Ambedkar’s idea that the backward sections must free themselves from the fetters of the village community and traditional jobs, was ahead of his time and pointed towards modernisation. He wanted them to achieve new skills, start a new profession and move to cities to take advantage of the improvement in technology. He felt that villages were having a parochial socio-economic outlook as they were entrenched in ignorance. Urbanisation and industrialisation, the two pivots of modern socio-economic development, were also emphasised upon by Ambedkar. In fact, he was not so convinced with the village-centric economic model of Gandhiji.

Ambedkar was one of those enlightened Indians who looked forward to modernity, and desired his country’s future to be based on it. Ambedkar’s concept of transformation from rural- to urban-based social structure coincided with modernity and greater democracy in governance. His dream to turn India into an urban, industrial society matches that of builders of modern Europe or modern America. Ambedkar wanted a social renaissance for India, and that had to happen in course of time. India of the modern era has advanced on information and technology; even in our second five-year plan, we relied on heavy industrialisation. Ambedkar was equally alert about the foreign policy that India should adopt. There was a time when Ambedkar voiced in favour of India seeking position as permanent member of the UN Security Council, rather than advocating for the same cause in favour of China. He was also wise enough to point out how India’s championing the cause of Communist China was paving antagonism with the United States. History has proven him correct; in course of time, China has emerged as our antagonist and continues to be so. Over the years, our developing relationship with the USA has been beneficial in diverse ways.

Ambedkar was a modern liberal who preferred rational thinking. He believed in ideas of freedom and equality. Our government has made a lot of provisions for upliftment of the backward castes, and this is the result of Ambedkar’s unwavering crusade against inequality. He once expressed the view that individualism and its recognition are of paramount importance. Any modern society rests on this belief. Ambedkar spotlighted deep-seated and central problems that remain alive and kicking even today. At the same time, the big socio-political questions he raised about the state, well-being and future of India are yet to be answered in totality. Many such unanswered questions hold the key for further progress of our country in terms of democracy and equanimity. He was absolutely correct to grasp the link between caste and class in India. Like most of the developed countries of the West, India, too, needs to ensure that the rights envisaged by the framers of our constitution are actually transmitted to every rung of the social ladder. If that has to happen, then modern India will have to recline towards Ambedkar’s suggestion of transforming the political democracy to a social democracy. Ambedkar is undoubtedly our contemporary, for he grows taller in relevance with time.

The writer is an educator from Kolkata. Views expressed are personal