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.

Part 6: Jati: a practical weapon to split society

Waman Meshram, National President, Bharat Mukti Morcha

Jati - A Brahmin weapon of dismembering society

One specialty of our people is that while disclosing their own samaj (society) they say Mahar Samaj, Matang Samaj, Kunbi Samaj, Mali Samaj etc. if one has to study sociology carefully then you will understand that ‘Jati’ is not ‘samaj’. ‘Jati’ is bad thing, while ‘samaj’ is good thing. Individual always needs samaj. World is need of samaj that’s why there is no need to finish it off.

Instead there is need to strengthen it. But ‘jati’ is not samaj. ‘Jati’ is a weapon of Brahmanism. By using and deploying this weapon Brahmins has split samaj. In India there is no samaj, only jati. In india instead of teaching sociology jatilogy must be taught. If Jatilogy is taught then it is possible to change people mindset against Jatis.

In India there is no samaj (society), whatever is there it is jati and from jati has evolved jatilogy and this very jatilogy had done the job of dismembering society. If jatis are the weapons of dismembering society then Mulnivasis Bhahujan samaj that forms organizations by making jati as a foundation they carry on the work of making jatis stronger. And those who make jatis strong carry on the task of making Brahmanism strong. And those who make Brahmanism strong they go about the task of making their slavery strong. How many people have realized this? Amount of energy Mulnivasi Bhahujan samaj applies that much energy even Brahmins don’t apply. There must have been time when Brahmins must have played their role in creating jatis. Brahmins created jatis. In order to make sure that ‘jatis’ remains intact in society they created the positive feelings, they promoted jatis. And not only this, they got religion in support of jatis and established jatis in society as institutions.

Brahmins established them in the beginning, put in all the available energy with them but in today’s date the way Jatis are promoted by mulnivasis bhahujan samaj people themselves, that much promotion even Brahmins are not doing. Brahmins have left this task on us and we ourselves are promoting jatis. Not only this possibly mulnivasis have even created the saying: ‘We may eat soil of our jati, but not eat gold of another jati’. Why did Mulnivasis must have created this saying? This is so because Brahmins created pride about jatis. This is not the matter of pride. There can never be pride of one’s lower status. This pride was created by Brahmins and that’s why every man living in Jati takes prides in ones jati. There is a feeling in pride in his mind about his jati. If any person after he lands in USA is asked as to who he is, then he replies that he is an Indian. Same person if he comes to Delhi and if he is asked in Delhi as to who he is, then the same person begins to tell that ‘I am Brahmin’, I am Kshatriya’, ‘I am Vaishya’. This means the reply depends upon as to what question is asked and in which location, there is importance to this aspect too. This pride about jatis was created in us by Brahmins and because of this pride our people are forming Jati based organizations but we don’t find it wrong. By making jati based organization jatis become strong. When Jatis become strong Brahmanism becomes strong. When Brahmanism becomes strong our slavery becomes strong, we don’t even realize all this. We organize programs by spending our own money.

In all this programs jatis get stronger, jati organizations get stronger, all this we understand. This means that we buy our slavery. I was sitting in the house of our activist in Punjab’s Phagwada city, over there one broom cleaner woman came over with her son. That activist was working in Municipality, that lady began to say now the post of sweepers has been advertized in the Municipality, you give the job of sweeper to my son. If required I am willing to pay you Rs 50,000/-. Dr. Ambedkar has given an example at one place that when Brahmin woman is pregnant that time she searches as to where the post of Magistrate is vacant for her yet to be born son. And sweeper woman when pregnant thinks as to where the post of sweeper is vacant for her son.

There is limit to our thinking as to how high we must think. Our people feel that they should not think too high. Once in Nanded streets one leader named Shyamsunder carrying on the transformative movement in Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh) was passing by. He saw one beggar begging at the edge of the street. When he took 5 – 10 paise to give to that beggar he saw that this beggar had taken out two pieces of his dry roti and was eating in such a style as if he was eating chilies with roti. When Shyamsunder asked this beggar about it that, when you don’t have anything in your hand, even then how come you are eating in a style as if you are eating the roti with as if with chilies. Then beggar replied to Shyamsunder that I go about believing that I am eating roti. This way taste buds on my tongue are awakened. It becomes easy to swallow piece of roti.

Then that leader Shyamsunder said “If you want to think then you would have thought about Ghee, why you thought about Chili? You don’t have to buy Chili nor Ghee, only you have to think. You should have thought about Ghee.” There is also limit to thinking. He can think only up to Chili, he cannot think about Ghee. Jatis has given rise to number of limitations. By imposing limits to thinking Jatis fulfilled the task of counter revolution. There is no need for Brahmins to generate counter revolution every day. This counter revolution is carried on by people living within jatis, every day they generate counter revolution within themselves. There is no need for Brahmins to carry on this work themselves. The people who form jati based organizations make Jatis strong. Those who strengthen jatis strengthen Brahmanism. Those who make Brahmanism strong, make their own slavery strong. Not only this, they even purchase their slavery. Their intelligence, their money, and their labor they invest on jati gatherings, jati programs. Our people invest all their resources on this.

Part 5: Jati: a practical weapon to split society

Waman Meshram, National President, Bharat Mukti Morcha

Development of Jatis after Counter Revolution

 Jati identity that is associated with Mulnivasis bhahujan samaj is not our fundamental identity. By dividing our people into 6,000 jatis our people are not only made untouchables but also criminal tribes. The meaning of criminal tribes is that in order to feed ones stomach one need to kill people, cut people and this was their life and source of livelihood. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar wrote at one place that how great is that culture that generated crores of shudras, crores of untouchables, crores of adivasis, crores of criminal tribes. This is such a great culture. The factory would be such a great factory that has produced such degraded products. The issue of identity that is linked with Jati, it is developed after counter revolution; meaning ‘Jati’ was created after counter revolution.

Part 4: Jati: a practical weapon to split society

Waman Meshram, National President, Bharat Mukti Morcha

Reason for creation of Jati system

Brahmin declared all the Mulnivasis Shudras. There was only one identity of Shudra and that’s why it was easy to unite. Brahmin noticed this danger after revolution. That’s why Brahmin made 6,000 pieces of Shudras. Brahmins divided single identity into 6000 identities. 6,000 pieces were made. Brahmins were not satisfied by breaking Shudras into 6,000 pieces; they not only split Shudras into 6,000 pieces and into 6,000 identities but also created graded inequality. One jati is above second jati, second jati is above third jati, in this way graded inequality was founded. In USA person earning Rs 2000/- and the person earning Rs 2/- are believed to be equal to each other.

In India if Brahmin earns Rs 2,000/-, Kurmi earns Rs 2,000/-, Adivasi earns Rs 2,000/-; all earn equal amount but all of them are not equal amongst them. If Varna system is imposed on the World then in the World affairs America is a brahmin and when India’s Brahmin goes to America he becomes Harijan. India’s brahmin calls Kurmi from here Shudra, but same Brahmin when he goes to USA he becomes Harijan; meaning even below Shudra. That’s why Brahmins in USA formed an organization and complained that there is discrimination against Eurasian people in USA. Brahmins formed an organization named ‘Eurasian group’ in USA. Person’s identity creates various types of problems.

After counter revolution 6,000 identities were created against single Shudra identity. They did not stop by creating these separate identities; they placed one jati against another. There created graded inequality. There should have been equality amongst least unequal people but no. Unequal people are not equal amongst themselves. First of all they are divided in pieces of jati. This was enough but Brhamins were not satisfied. They thought that 200% perfect system must be created.

These people must be never be ready for revolution again. Brahmins had faced the assault of revolution. They learned from this experience and after counter revolution they made 6,000 pieces of jatis. They were not satisfied with this much. They prepared a system in which there will be continues fight, everyday struggle amongst the 6,000 jatis that they created. These 6,000 jatis that are fighting amongst themselves, in these fights so much of their energy gets exhausted that even if 10% of it had to be applied in fight against Brahmins then Brahmins would be completely destroyed. This 10% energy itself would be highly valuable in order to bring about revolution in the country, but due to graded inequality this energy is wasted.

Brahmins did not satisfy themselves only with this; they created system even more degrading than this. They declared all the people who were not accepting Brahmin domination and following Buddha -all these Buddhists people – as Untouchables. Those who were Shudra earlier divided into 6,000 pieces. Even in these pieces they discriminated into two. In the pieces of jatis people who did not compromised with Brahmins were labeled as ‘Mahari’ it means great foe. ‘Mahari’ word got changed over the years, and changed into ‘Mahar’. Mahari people’s nagvanshi identity was ended and Brahmins gave them new identity as ‘Mahar’.

If you veiw it from the point of view of example when Krishna takes birth his father puts him in a weaved basket and takes him from one place to another. In film it is told that when Vasudev was taking Krishna from one place to another in a weaved basket then it begin to rain from top of basket, that time snake protects him from upper end of the basket. This was a totem system amongst adivasis. It was a practice of adivasis living in their respective settlements to have their own identity. The Nagvanshi people were of combat variety that’s why they made snake their ancestral identity. If viewed at from this perspective then in Maharashtra’s Auragabad city there are Buddhists caves, in these caves there are names carved of those who gave donations to make Buddhists caves. The names like Haknak, Sidhnak are excavated, carved on Bhima Koregaon’s Vijaystamb. These names are also degraded versions of the word ‘nag’. This example is given here because it is related to identity.