Dear Babasaheb,
I know you have been waiting for me to write to you. And I thought, what better day to do so, but your 127th birthday?
I was waiting all this while, believing that things will change.
To be honest, things have changed in India since 1956, both for the good and bad of the country. Now that we are talking, let me apologize on behalf of all the ‘leaders’ of today who have thrown you into this game of rock-papers-scissors. Although a lot of them had discarded many of your ideas, we finally won, considering the fact that the Constitution of India is still the one thing that decides what happens in the country.
The Dalits relate to you and your ideals because you were a Dalit before you converted to Buddhism and you fought hard for various rights. Clearly, these reasons are enough for them to champion your cause. However, there are the others, who try to show that they relate to you, because well, if Babasaheb gave the Dalit community the right to vote, who wouldn’t want to appease them?
Amidst making you a hero, the father of our constitution, the greatest lawyer-cum-economist and political scientist ever born, people conveniently forget the student that you were and forever remained. Some compare you to Rohith Vemula, while others oppose that. Your curiosity and conversations with your idols have been notable since you were a child. Shouldn’t every student be just like you? Inquisitive, inclusive and tolerant?
I wonder, if you headed a group of superhumans who gave India the most inclusive, lengthy and comprehensive constitution, then why can’t you be hailed as a superhero or even akin to God? Because you despise hero worship? Fair enough, but the very opposite is happening.
Your demi-God status is being flaunted, while your beliefs are largely unknown or ignored.
Babasaheb, you did a great job by reserving seats and services for the oppressed. You gave them a voice and a reason to live. But these days, it’s all being used to divide, rather than to unite. My Ambedkar would rather die for the unity of our country, than live in a divided one. Otherwise, he would not have fought for the oppressed, the Hindu Code Bill, against Manusmriti and in favour of a Uniform civil code while debating the relevance of Article 370.
Your views were your own, and I can clearly see the selfish reasons as to why the current bandwagon of opportunists want to borrow your words and twist them, to their advantage, of course.
Your name has now become a political tool. And that shall be unacceptable to me.
Yours truly,
Yash Marwah
(An over thinking fool who wants a country free of all evils.)