Since B. R. Ambedkar converted in 1956, Buddhism has become a central reference point in debates about caste and Brahminical dominance. How did a religion that began in antiquity grow into a modern political and intellectual movement?
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In the first episode of Seeking Sangha, a special focus series on What's Your ISM?, The News Minute Executive Editor Sudipto Mondal speaks to historian and author Douglas Ober about his book Dust on the Throne and the rediscovery of Buddhism in British colonial times.
They discuss Buddhist modernity, Ambedkar’s engagement with Buddhism, the relationship between Buddhism and Brahmanism, and how European scholarship cast new light on the way India’s Buddhist past was understood.
Sudipto and Douglas trace the Buddhist revival in the 19th and 20th centuries through figures such as Anagarika Dharmapala, Kripa Saran, and Iyothee Thass who came before Ambedkar and examine Buddhism’s relationship with caste and anti-caste politics.
They also discuss Ambedkar, JK Birla, and Gandhi’s approaches to Buddhism, before looking at how Nehru and Modi have used Buddhism as cultural diplomacy and soft power.
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Camera - Ajay R, Producer - Akshay Lal, Editor- Jaseem Ali
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