Uncategorized

Mr. Gandhi and the Emancipation of the Untouchables

This treatise was used to express the oppression of Dalits, possible solution, and hurdles presented by the Indian National Congress to a foreign audience.

At the time the treatise was written the Indian constitution was being created. Ambedkar explains the conditions that will be met for the Dalit to accept the new structure. The first is the Dalit have to be recognized as a group outside of Hinduism. The second is the law needs to have provisions that address Dalit needs.

These provisions include

Funding set aside specifically for Dalit education
Guaranteed political representation for Dalits
To ensure political representation Dalits will have a separate electorate
Government jobs set aside for Dalits

One of the solutions Ambedkar presents is separate villages for Dalits. Traditionally, Dalits live on the outskirts of the city. The proximity to caste Hindus relegates Dalits to menial and unsanitary jobs. Because caste Hindu see Dalits as inferior, and Hindus control the economy, it is not realistic that a Dalit would get an opportunity to try new professions. New Dalit settlement will be created on government land and ruled by a commission. There will also be a set aside to fund the commission.

Gandhi opposed these provisions so vehemently he decided to fast till death. He proposed what he called the National Scheme as an alternative. The scheme consisted of:

Government in which official were elected purely on territorial basis
Executive drawn from majority party
Administration run solely on efficiency

Gandhi also disparaged Ambedkar’s plan as the Communal Scheme. Insinuating it focused on the local level and separated India. Ambedkar rebutted by saying India is not united now or was it united in the past. A temporary period of separation will reduce economic and political disparity that can lead to a united India in the future.

Also, Ambedkar supported the idea Dalit representatives and a separate electorate are needed to address Dalit issues. To assume Dalit issues or minority issues can be addressed by someone from the majority elected by the majority is not founded in history. People have a natural tendency to work in their favor and the favor of those close to them. The idea a person can remove their identity and ego while in office is laughable. Also, a Dalit representative elected by the general electorate would be beholden to the majority, not his people. So India requires both Dalit representatives and a Dalit electorate. Dalit would vote in the general election and the separate election.

There would also be a set-aside for Dalits for government jobs. Dalits would be required to pass an entry exam to show they have a basic level of skill. The minimum testing requirement will ensure competent employees. Ambedkar explains it is not realistic that Dalits have the same education level as Caste Hindus. Because of bias, discrimination, and economic disparity Dalit have been kept out of higher education. These problems can only be remedied by Dalits having stable jobs and being involved in the implementation of government policy. Many assume that a Dalit set-aside would lead to incompetent or less competent employees. To think this one must believe that there are no qualified Dalits that just aren’t being given the opportunity.

Hindus that are against Ambedkar’s plan are not uninformed or unrealistically optimistic. These Hindus are knowingly working in their self-interest against Dalits. The Dalit plan would not leave Hindus without power or opportunity. The Hindu plan could prevent Dalit economic mobility. Ultimately, in Ambedkar’s plan, the winners win more than the losers lose.

The treatise warns Americans and other Westerners of Hindu motives for Independence. Hindus ultimately want to install Hindu rule to the exclusion of other groups. Hinduism does not include an inclination for social justice. Also, Castes are not the same as Western concepts of class. Class implies social mobility and the ability to develop individual talent. These concepts are not in Hinduism.

The demands of Dalits are not dissimilar to demands of Sikhs and Muslims. Unfortunately, Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims conspired to get Caste removed from census questionnaire. The removal of Caste on government forms does nothing concrete to improve the life of Dalits. It buries their problems and state from public view.

The full-text can be found HERE

Written 1943

20 pages

Ranade, Gandhi, and Jinnah is a transcript of a speech given on the 101 birthday of the deceased Justice Mahadev Ranade. Justice Ranade was a social reformer of the previous generation that focused on women’s rights. Widows won the right to remarry due to Ranade’s work.

Ambedkar praises Ranade as a fearless social reformer. Social reformers face far more significant risks than political reformers. The belief that the social structure was determined by their extremely moral ancestors or the gods underpinned Hindu society. Calling core beliefs into question makes people far more uncomfortable than questioning an external authority. Whereas a government can jail an agitator, a society can excommunicate him. Being alone is a far worse punishment.

Social change must precede political change for it to be effective. The nature of the justice system is to punish individual bad actors. If everyone defies a law, nothing can be done. He uses for an example black Americans having constitutional rights. No one disagrees that they have them. However, no one respects these rights. From an Integral perspective, Ambedkar and Ranade understood how internal change proceeds and affects external change.

Progress also needs congruence in political and social/spiritual philosophy. Democracy the idea that a free and educated people can rule themselves is incompatible with the caste system. The caste system says only on caste of people will serve, another become educated, and yet another fight. Ambedkar points out how impractical it would be to hold on to a caste system during an invasion. If only ten percent of the population that comprises the warrior class could join the army, the country would be taken over in very little time.

Ranade’s pragmatism impressed Ambedkar. Ranade would have realistic goals in mind before negotiations would start and when a settlement could be reached that was advantageous, he would move to conclude the negotiation. Ranade did not make unreasonable ideological demands that the other party would not be able to accept.

He compares the two most prominent Indian leaders at the time Jinnah and Gandhi to Ranade. Jinnah controlled Muslim politics, and Gandhi controlled Hindu politics. Both take on ideologically conservative positions to stay in constant tension. Both men make spectacles of their beliefs to garner support. Gandhi goes further by claiming he is an enlightened soul, Mahatma. He claims to be guided by divine forces. Ranade, in contrast, justified his positions with rationality and worked toward a compromise.

Ambedkar also corrects the misconception that Ranade was against Indian independence. Ranade often talked about how British rule and military protection would facilitate Indian progress. Because the British are handling the main engines of government, the Indians could concentrate on social development. Ranade did not believe Indians were ready for Democracy. Indian society needed to be more equitable and egalitarian or another tyrannical regime could be installed. The Indian people should avoid tyranny both foreign and domestic.

Most analysts consider this transcript and treatise on hero-worship. Although the treatise does cover hero-worship, it has so much more. In twenty pages Ambedkar covers a wide range of topics and gives a detailed description of his own and Ranade’s philosophy.

A copy can be found here

Ranade, Gandhi, and Jinnah

Black Leadership Analysis

This is an unofficial Spiral Dynamics blog. It is not endorsed by D. Beck PhD.

Category

The Quadrants and Race

Interviews

The Work of Elza Maalouf

The Quadrants: Introduction

Mr. Gandhi and the Emancipation of the Untouchables

The Crucible by Don Beck : Part 3 Influences for the Crucible

The Crucible: Part 2 Value Memes and Transitions

Dr. Ambedkar’s Library

Ranade, Gandhi, and Jinnah