On April 14 this year, the 132nd birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar was celebrated with much fanfare by political formations across the ideological spectrum, in a seeming bid to endear themselves to Dalits. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao stole the show with the inauguration of a 125-feet tall Ambedkar statue in Hyderabad. A symbol of revolution, he called it. But considering the excitement in other parts of the country, it was surprising to see how Tamil Nadu’s avowedly anti-caste and progressive government handled the event at Ambedkar Manimandapam, the memorial in Chennai which has become a customary hotspot for public commemoration.
Hundreds of people — mostly Dalit Ambedkarites — gather for celebrations at the Ambedkar Manimandapam every year, during the birth and death anniversaries of Babasaheb. But this April 14, they turned restive and started shouting slogans against the government, because they were forced by the police to cut short their festivities. To make matters worse, the Ambedkarites were made to wait in the heat for nearly three hours before they could approach the memorial because the police had deployed a security cordon for CM MK Stalin, who was visiting the site to pay his respects.
When Stalin left after paying homage, and the stage and shamiyana tent for the people’s celebration were about to be set up, government officials interrupted the organisers and demanded a written assurance that the event would be concluded within two hours. Several speeches, felicitations, and cultural events had to be dropped. Lifetime felicitation of octogenarian professor and writer, Captain S Kaliaperumal, was wrapped up in a hurry, causing embarrassment to the organisers and the audience. The celebration ended when the police interrupted the performance of the musical troupe Dhamma Band.
Just last year, Stalin had announced that the government would celebrate April 14 as ‘Samathuva Naal' (Equality Day). But the hostile actions of his officials at the Ambedkar Manimandapam suggest that some people are more equal than others.
Amid the slogans accusing the DMK-led government of wearing a mask of social justice, the condemnation stated by advocate and activist Pulianthope Mohan summed up the voices of the furious public. Terming the restrictions on the celebrations an ‘atrocity’, he said, “This memorial is a place for equality. The government should not exhibit the arrogance of its authority here. When you deny us the right to sit, speak, and celebrate at this memorial even on this day, you are defining the ‘Dravidian Model’ as one that issues justice based on caste and not equality. This is a well-planned atrocity sanctioned by the Tamil Nadu government.”
The righteous indignation from the public, especially the Ambedkarites, was not merely a response to the provocation on April 14 but a reflection of the growing frustration with the state government’s handling of this important public space. Recently, Pa Ranjith’s Neelam Cultural Centre was denied permission to conduct an event at this venue. In the past few years, the government has not allowed the sale of anti-caste books or busts of Buddha and Babasaheb inside the premises. Even during the anniversary commemoration, no particular space was allocated for book sellers and vendors.
Besides the intellectual suppression, Ambedkarites also see these restrictions as an oppression of their identity.
Nila Dhamma, a collective of many Buddhist families in Chennai, regularly gather at the memorial on Pournami (Full Moon day) and during weekends. Since 2010, they have been organising Vipassana meditation, Dhamma talks and sermons, moral stories to children and more here. There is not a single public Vihara in Chennai, says Anusuya, one of the organisers of Nila Dhamma. “We overcame this deficiency by constructing this stupa-like memorial at the Manimandapam as our Vihara. Since the exalted Buddha adorns the premises, we gather here regularly for Buddhist worship, followed by sermons,” she adds.
The government, meanwhile, has paid no heed to the decade-long demand by Ambedkarite Buddhists to construct a Vihara inside the memorial. Instead, restrictions have been placed against public gatherings after 5 pm, and even on playing parai (traditional drum) or other musical instruments here during normal days. Once, on October 30, 2022, during one of Nila Dhamma’s routine weekend visits to the Ambedkar Memorial, they were not even allowed to enter the premises. Since the day marked the death anniversary of Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar, a leader mainly celebrated by the Thevar community, the authorities cited the absurd reason that the premise was closed to prevent “any untoward incident”.
Since 2007, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)’s Tamil Nadu unit president K Armstrong has supported the organisers — members of the Thudi movement prominent among them — and have unitedly fostered the celebration among Ambedkarites and the public on the birth and death anniversary dates of Babasaheb. The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) has also engaged and extended its support since 2018. With the voluntary contributions from government employees and Ambedkarites, the events’ expenditures were sorted. Speeches, book launches, parai isai (music produced from the ancient percussion instrument), dramas, and Buddhist cultural activities happen on these days, and free food and drinks are given to the public. Notably, none of these are organised or sponsored by the government.
Bharathi Prabhu from Thudi Movement says that every year, since 2006, during the birth and death anniversary of Ambedkar, written requests have been made to the departments concerned to erect the stage and shamiyana tents, and to provide microphone and audio sets, chairs, and drinking water to those who gather to pay homage. But not once has the government heeded these basic requests.
This time, the police did not even allow food and water to be distributed inside the memorial. The electrical sockets inside the premises were never in working condition. Anusuya vented her anger against the lack of water supply to the women’s toilets even on a day when the government knew that people would gather in thousands. She alleged that the government specifically avoided erecting shamiyana tents above Babasaheb’s bust and statue, anticipating that the public will not stay longer if they were exposed to the hot sun all day.
However, these grievances do not seem to be the result of mere event mismanagement. The charge is that the government is deliberately hindering the memorial's growth as the fulcrum and public expression of the Ambedkarite-Buddhist Movement.
Recently, Stalin appreciated his Telangana counterpart for unveiling the 125-feet tall bronze statue of Ambedkar and tweeted, “…The thought of placing Ambedkar’s statue as a giant symbol of equality between the Buddha statue and Telangana secretariat is apposite and awe-inspiring.”
Congratulations to Hon @TelanganaCMO on unveiling the 125 ft bronze statue of Babasaheb Dr. Ambedkar on his birth anniversary.
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) April 15, 2023
The thought of placing Ambedkar's statue as a giant symbol of equality between the Buddha statue and Telangana Secretariat is apposite & awe-inspiring. https://t.co/5ERpliXxSc
Ironically, the 8-feet bronze statue unveiled by Stalin himself at the Ambedkar memorial in October 2022 was not funded by the Tamil Nadu government. Aggrieved by the absence of a life-size statue of Ambedkar since the memorial’s inauguration on June 10, 2000, an Ambedkarite named Mu Thirugnana Sambandam single-handedly sponsored the bronze statue using his retirement benefits. Anti-caste sculptor Sirpi Sivanandam made the statue, featuring Babasaseb in his iconic posture, carrying the Constitution in one hand and the index finger of his other hand pointing outward. The statue was then entrusted to VCK leader and Member of Parliament (MP) Thol Thirumavalavan, who in turn presented it to the memorial.
In the documentary Dr Ambedkar Behind the Bars, VCK MP D Ravikumar points out that there are no Ambedkar statues in any government building of Tamil Nadu. “Whereas, one could see huge statues of the Dalit icon in Maharashtra Bhavan and Andhra Bhavan. Unlike in the neighbouring states, even his birth and death anniversaries are not commemorated in a grand manner here,” he says.
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government has started the construction work of a 137-feet Pen Monument in memory of the late CM and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) patriarch M Karunanidhi. The Union government recently gave the nod for this offshore memorial despite the opposition from the environmentalists. The comparison is not intended, but was meant to make an unarguable statement that there is gratitude pending and recognition due for Ambedkar, from the state that boasts itself to be the land of self-respect movement and social justice. The government can seek redemption by being heedful to the demand of erecting Ambedkar statue at the scenic stretch of Marina beach, a notable tourist spot of Chennai. A mere 25 square feet of land and genuine will of the government is all that is required.
The government’s attempts to curtail the celebration of Babasaheb’s birth anniversary calls for some lessons to the Dravidian ideologues as well. In Tamil Nadu, where one out of every five individuals happen to be a member of a Scheduled Caste (SC), their numerical strength itself compels the DMK-led government to give a respectful hearing to their grievances. If the democracy in the state has not ceased to exercise its intelligence, the annual homages to Babasaheb — on April 14 and December 6 — should be held as 36-hour commemorations at the Ambedkar Memorial. In this regard, the present government can take cue from Maharashtra’s extravagant commitment in celebrating the anniversary of the leader of the oppressed, as a day and night affair. If the state’s ‘Dravidian Model’ imbibes this feature, then the land of Periyar can joyously witness the advance of the Ambedkarite movement.
The ‘Dravidian Model’ need not share the Ambedkarite ideals of embracing Buddhism or pressing for separate electorates. But at the bare minimum, it should not place petty obstacles at the Manimandapam, which has been established as the stage for the Ambedkarite movement in Tamil Nadu. The deliberate suppression of the public whom the memorial belongs to would only evince that the government does not care for the Dalit population. It is the bounded duty of the self-respect movement too to give voice to the legitimate demands raised by Ambedkarites, and it would be a societal atrocity if the SC population is left to strive for themselves. Besides, the Ambedkar memorial incident is also a caution to Dalits, to set their political demands in clear terms, and to be firm and sincere in their cause.
TNM reported last year that Tamil Nadu was identified as the most ‘atrocity prone’ state when it came to the various kinds of violence meted out to Dalits and people from Scheduled Tribes (ST). The vigilance and monitoring committee at the district and state levels seem to have been convened as a matter of formality, just because it is mandated under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Complaints of atrocities are closed as ‘mistakes of fact’ and ratified by the authorities.
The recommendations of the Tamil Nadu State SC/ST Commission have still not been implemented seriously by the government. The newly-formed Commission has already been reduced to a mere recommendatory body, and SC individuals who are embracing Buddhism are facing challenges even to update their religion certificates.
The state government’s ceremonial homage and announcements or the CM’s tweets will not prudently satisfy the downtrodden people of Tamil Nadu. What the people from SC communities want are programmes, machineries, and actions to protect and emancipate them. Their allegation is that though the state boasts of its language, history, and comparative economic progress, it is nonetheless backward and socially deteriorated.
Now, to place an intended comparison, the government should be ready to be inspired from the neighbouring states which are giving the recognition due to Ambedkar and Buddhism.
The 125 feet Dhyana Buddha statue located in Amaravathi, the capital region of Andhra Pradesh, has a three-layered museum consisting of sculptures depicting Buddhist significance. Buddhavanam, a 274 acre Buddhist theme park, was constructed to put Telangana on the global Buddhist tourist map. The park is symbolically divided into eight segments to symbolically represent the eightfold path propounded by Buddha. The segments include Buddhist university, monasteries, a museum on the revival of Buddhism, a research library, and more.
Though the Buddhists in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana account for 0.04% of their total population combined, both the governments’ efforts to promote Buddhist tourism need to be heralded. Even in Karnataka, though it does not figure in the places listed under the Union government’s Buddhist circuit, the state’ tourism department has been working on creating a Buddhist circuit to be proposed as a part of the all-India circuit as well.
The officials of the Union Ministry of Tourism stated in 2021 that the Indian Buddhist heritage was of great interest to the followers of Buddhism all over the world. In this regard, the Union government has sanctioned Rs 325.53 crore to promote Buddhist Tourism. Though Tamil Nadu did not benefit from it, the state’s own Tourism Ministry can take cues from its neighboring states and come up with a circuit of its own. Such a circuit has the potential to earn foreign exchange by attracting international tourists.
Besides, this could be the best self-sustaining mechanism to revive and preserve the Buddhist sites that Tamil Nadu has been bestowed with, but are presently on the verge of historical extinction. Most importantly, Stalin’s government can take the credit for constructing the first public Vihara in Chennai, if he is sincere enough in listening to the Buddhist minorities of Tamil Nadu. The government should remember that Ambedkar was foremost a Buddhist, and promoting the religion is tantamount to liberating Dalit communities.
The delay in this article can be attributed to the studied silence of the media heads and bureau chiefs, despite the government’s callous actions on April 14 being brought to their knowledge instantly. It is a shame to the Indian media that an advocate like me had to remove my robe to take up their duty of reporting what the people need to know. What I am reminded of is that the press in India is a fake companion of Dr Ambedkar. It celebrates him symbolically for its own sustenance and goodwill, but suppresses his ideas and vision from propagation. The media, which always wants a piece of Ambedkar, is strikingly apathetic to the Ambedkarite movement.
On December 6, 2023, at the Ambedkar Memorial in Chennai, not only will the actions of the Tamil Nadu government be re-evaluated, but the media’s conscience will be pressed to perform its democratic duty. On the eve of the learned doctor’s upcoming death anniversary, the freedom to profess, practice, and propagate Ambedkarism will be put to test. The government, if it is judicious enough, should facilitate the commemoration of the event in a grand manner. Therein lies the etiquette of democracy.
AB Karl Marx Siddharthar is a practising advocate, channelising his interest in the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. He is also the author of UNCASTE: Understanding Unmarriageability: The Way Forward To Annihilate Caste.
Views expressed are the author’s own.