Part 7: Jati: a practical weapon to split society

Waman Meshram, National President, Bharat Mukti Morcha

History, a heritage

Once I was going to Baramati (Poona District). Poona’s Pravin Gaekwad, a social worker was with me. Also his friend who was about to get married was with us. Then Pravin Gaekwad told that this boy wanted to marry and that’s why in order to get his kundali he went to Brahmin. Brahmin charged him Rs 501/- and prepared his kundali. I asked as to how much that brahmin has studied? Then that boy answered that perhaps he would have studied upto 4^th – 5^th standard. That Brahmin while preparing the kundali wrote that Varna - Shudra (Maratha), Gana – Rakshas. That youth paid Rs 501 and got declared himself as Rakshas. Brahmin who studied only up to 4^th - 5^th  standard and knows not only the Varna of the Maratha youth, but also his Gana. Our people in spite of being educated they know nothing about Varna and Gana.

Varna is an institution of Brahmins and Gana is an institution of Mulnivasi bhahujans. Gana is an institution of Mulnivasis. Varna system may be ideal system of Brahmins but for us Gana system is an ideal system that Brahmins destroyed. 4^th standard passed man knows this thing of thousand years ago. We are graduates but still we don’t know what happened 4 years ago. Can the ones not knowing their history can create their own history? Dr. Ambedkar says those who don’t know their history cannot create their history.

One who don’t learn lesson from history, history teaches them lesson. Really history is truly secular. If a muslims that says namaz five times a day or a shiv sainik that says aarti five times a day touches live electricity wire then that live wire will not think whether this one is a devotee of Allah saying namaz five times a day or he is believer of Bhagwan saying aarti five times. Electric current in reality is secular. We pakhandi people are secular. History is like electric current. History of Maurya empire is that Brahmins infiltrated Mauryan empire and destroyed it. If Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had to learn the lessons from uprooting of Mauryan empire then he would have not made Moropant Pingle Pradhan (Peshwa) (Chief) of Asthapradhan. If Morpant Pingle was not made the Pradhan then there would have not been betrayal with Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, he would have not been murdered. Those who does not learn lessons from history, history teaches them lessons.

We have to learn lessons from history. We have to find out heritage from history. History is wealth. The one without wealth cannot be industrious for long. We must know that heritage of intelligence is heritage of Mulnivasis. This is not just the heritage of Mahars. To understand it as heritage of Mahar is cheap thinking. If you go England, America, Japan you will know that over there no one recognizes Ram. India’s identity is in the name of two men: Buddha and Samrat Ashoka. People of America and Europe believe that Ram is myth, not real.

Why is it so? This is because when India’s Brahmins delivers their speeches in Europe they say that Ram is a myth. And when these Brahmins return to India they say that Ram was born here. Brahmins know that there are all donkeys and Asses here. Jati identity is our root identity. Jati is a weapon to make oneself low. Those who are made low they must not realize that they are made low. The people who takes pride in their jati, must keep in mind that jati is an identity given by Brahmins.

Why did Brahmins give this identity? Brahmins continuously changed our identity: In Vedas it is Danav, Daitya, Rakshas identity. Afterwards when Varna system was created then our identity was changed and made into Shudra. Afterwards  our Shudra identity too then was split into various identities. Gandhi came in modern India. First he said Vaidik dharma, then said Varna Dharma, and then said Brahmin Dharma. Gandhiji that time called Scheduled caste people ‘Harijan’. For some other people he called ‘backward’. For still others he said Girijan, Harijan, Criminal tribes. Every time Brahmins carried on the task of giving us identity. Only they carried on the task of giving us identity. Every time they decided our name.

Child is born in our house. We procreate our child. Then we go to Panditji and ask him as to what name should be given to him? But he never thinks that because I have procreated this child and that’s why I will to give name to him. When our man goes to Brahmin to decide on his name then Brahmins ask ‘on which day was he born?’ Father replies ‘on Wednesday’. Then Brahmin says ‘you name him Budduram’. Some people’s children do not leave many days, they die soon after their birth, these kind of children Brahmin says name them as ‘Ghodea’. In Gujarat too there are names like this. Like Kachrabhai, Punjabhai. In Eastern Uttar Pradesh our people’s names are such as Ramprasad Ram, Rambhajan Ram, Rampujan Ram, Ramtirath Ram, Ramhari Ram. This means in front there is Ram and at the end there is Ram. This is an issue of identity.

Children are born in our houses but we don’t even have right to decide their names. From this it is possible to understand as to how deeply Brahmins have captured our intellectual life. This cultural control is very dangerous. This dangerous control is an evidence and clue of the fact as to how strongly Brahmins have enslaved us. That’s why it is very important to know and understand this fact. Only after knowing and understanding this we will be able to fight against it.