Experiences of Dr B.R.Abedkar 3
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| Dr. Bhim.Rao.Ambedkar |
Waiting for a visa part 3
Here are some of the reminiscences drawn by Dr.Ambedkar in his own handwriting.The MSS traced in the collection of the People's Education Society were published by the society as a booklet on 19th March 1990— ed
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| The Architect of Modern India |
I found the Untouchables of Chalisgaon waiting for me at the station. I was garlanded. The Maharwada, the quarters of the Untouchables, is about 2 miles from the Railway station and one has to cross a river on which there is a culvert to reach it. There were many horse carriages at the station plying for hire. The Maharwada was also within walking distance from the station.
I expected immediately to be taken to the Maharwada. But there was no movement in that direction and I could not understand why I was kept waiting. After an hour or so a tonga (one horse carriage) was brought close to the platform and I got in. The driver and I were the only two occupants of the tonga. Others went on foot by a short cut. The tonga had not gone 200 paces when there would have been a collision with a motor car. I was surprised that the driver who was paid for hire every day should have been so inexperienced. The accident was averted only because on the laud shout of the policeman the driver of the car pulled it back.
We some how came to the culvert on the river. On it there are no walls as there are on a bridge. There is only a row stones fixed at a distance of five or ten ft. It is paved with stones. The culvert on the river is at right angles to the road we were coming by.
A sharp turn has to be taken to come to the culvert from the road. Near the very first side stone of the culvert the horse instead of going straight took a turn and bolted. The wheel of the tonga struck against the side stone so forcibly that I was bodily lifted up and thrown down on the stone pavement of the culvert and the horse and the carriage fell down from the culvert into the river. So heavy was the fall that I lay down senseless. The Maharwada is just on the other bank of the river. The men who had come to greet me at the station had reached there ahead of me. I was lifted and taken to the Maharwada amidst theories and lamentations of the men,women and children. As a result of this I received several injuries. My leg was fractured and I was disabled for several days. I could not understand how all this happened. The tongas pass and repass the culvert every day and never has a driver failed to take the tonga safely over the culver
On enquiry I was told the real facts. The delay at the railway station was due tot he fact that the tongawalas were not prepared to drive the tonga with a passenger who was an Untouchable. It was beneath their dignity. The Mahars could not tolerate that I should walk to their quarters. It was not in keeping with their sense of my dignity.
A compromise was therefore arrived at. That compromise was to this effect. the owner of the tonga would give the tonga on hire but not drive. The Mahars may take the tonga but find someone to drive it. The Mahars Sought this to be a happy solution. But they evidently forgot that the safety of the passenger was more important than the maintenance of his dignity. If they had thought of this they would have considered whether they could get a driver what could safely conduct me to my destination. As a matter of fact none of then could live because it was not their trade. They therefore asked someone from amongst themselves to drive.
The man took the reins in his hand and started thinking there was nothing in it. But as he got on he felt his responsibility and became so nervous that he gave up all attempt to control. To Save my dignity the Mahars of Chalisgaon had put my very life in jeopardy. It is then I learnt that a Hindu tongawala. no better than a menial, has a dignity by which he can look upon himself as a person who is superior to all Untouchables even though he may be a Barristar-at-law.
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| Dr.Bhim.Rao.Ambedkar |
In the year 1934, some of my co-workers in the movement of the depressed classes expressed a desire to go on a sight-seeing tour if I agreed to join them. I agreed. It was decided that our plan should at all events include a visit to the Buddhist caves at Verul. It was arranged that I should go to Nasik and the party should join me at Nasik. To go to Verul we had to go to Aurangabad. Aurangabad is a town in the Mohammedan State of Hyderabad and is included in the dominion of His Exalted Highness, The Nisam. On the way to Aurangabad we had first to pass another town called Daulatabad which is also in the Hyderabad State. Daulatabad is a historical place and was, at one time, the capital of a famous Hindu King by Name Ramdeo Rai. The fort of Daulatabad is an ancient historical monument and no tourist while in that vicinity should omit a visit to it. Accordingly our party had also included in its programme a visit to the fort of Daulatabad.We hired some buses and touring cars. We were about 30 in number. We started from Nasik to Yeola as Yeola is on the way to Aurangabad. Our tour programme had not been announced and quite deliberately. We wanted to travel incognito in order to avoid difficulties which an Untouchable tourist has to face in outlying parts of the moon country. We had informed our people at those centres only at which we had decided to halt. Accordingly, on the way although we passed many villages in the Nisam State none of our people had come to meet us. It was naturally different At Daulatabad. There our people had been informed that we were coming. They were waiting for us and had gathered at the entrance to the town. They asked us to get down and have tea and refreshment first and then to go to see the fort. We did not agree to their proposal. We wanted tea very badly but we wanted sufficient time to see the fort before it was dusk. We therefore left for the fort and told our people that we would take tea on our return.
Accordingly we told our drivers to move on and within a few minutes we were at the gate of the fort. The month was Ramjan, the month of fast for the Mohammedans. Just outside the gate of the fort there is a small tank of water full to brim. There is all around a wide stone pavement. Our faces, bodies and clothes were full of dust gathered in the course of our journey and we all wished to have a wash. Without much thought some members of the party washed their faces and their legs on the pavement with the water from the tank. After these ablutions we went to the gate of the fort. There Were armed soldiers inside. They opened the big gates and admitted us into the archway. We had just commenced asking the guard the procedure for obtaining permission to go into the fort. In the meantime an old Mohammedan with white flowing beard was coming from behind shouting " the Dheds (meaning untouchables) have polluted the tank ". Soon all the young and old Mohammedan Who were near about joined him and all started abusing us. " The Dheds have become arrogant. The Dheds have forgotten their religion (i.e. to remain low and degraded). "The Dheds must be taught a lesson " They assumed a most menacing mood. We told them that we were outsiders and did not know the local custom. They Turned the fire of their wrath against the local Untouchables who by that time had arrived at the gate. " Why did you not tell these outsiders that this tank could not be used by untouchables ! " was the question they kept on asking them. Poor people !
They were not there when we entered tank. It was really our mistake because we acted without inquiry. They protested that it was not their fault. But the Mohammedans were not prepared to listen to my explanation. They kept on abusing them and us. The abuse was so vulgar that it had exasperated us. There could easily have been a riot and possibly murders. We had however to restrain ourselves.We did not want to be involved in a criminal case which would bring our tour to an abrupt end. One young muslim in the crowd kept on saying that every one must conform to his religion, meaning thereby that the untouchables must not take water from a public tank.
I had grown quite impatient and asked him in a some what angry tone, "Is that what your religion teaches ? Would you prevent an untouchable from taking water from this tank if he became a Mohammedan ? " These straight questions seemed to have some effect on the Mohammedans. They gave no answer and stood silent. Turning to the gaurd I said, again in an angry tone, "Can we get into the fort or not ? Tell us, if we can't we don't want to stop".
The guard asked for my name I wrote it out on a piece of paper. He took it to the Superintendent inside and came out. We were told that we could go into the fort but we could not touch water anywhere in the fort and an armed soldier was ordered to go with us to see that we did not transgress the order.
I gave one instance to show that a person who is an untouchable to a Hindu is also an untouchable to a Parsi. This will show that person who is an untouchable to a Hindu is also an untouchable to a Mohammedan.
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
Waiting for a visa
Page 10-13
To be continued.....
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