AMBEDKARTIMES.COM REMEMBERS
SAHIB SHRI KANSHI RAM JI ON HIS BIRTHDAY

Prem Kumar Chumber (Editor-In-Chief) chumbermedia@yahoo.com
www.ambedkartimes.com , www.ambedkartimes.org, www.deshdoaba.com

As victims of the Brahminical culture, for centuries, the Shudras and Ati-Shudras, now known as the Backward Castes (S.C., S.T. and O. B. C.) were passing through the Dark Age Around 1848 Jyotirao Phule initiated revolt against the Brahminical culture. From the beginning of the 20th century, the Depressed Classes all over India started revolting against the Brahminical culture. Around 1920, they were lucky to have the leadership of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

Up to 1930, the struggle of the Depressed Classes was largely ignored by Gandhiji and the Congress. During the Round Table Conferences of 1930, 31, & 32 when the communal Award was announced, Gandhiji was shocked to see that the able leadership of Dr. Ambedkar could secure for them, both Recognition and Rights.

This was too much for Gandhiji and his Congress. To deny the Depressed Classes their due Gandhiji, went on fast till death on 20th September 1932. Such coercive methods forced Poona-Pact on the Depressed Classes. But even the Poona-Pact could not take away Recognition. Thus, we see that when Caste Hindus were forced to concede a little bit of power, they took to second line of defense. They saw to it that they must not lose control over it. This was secured by the Poona-Pact, by way of denying the right to Separate Electorates and forcing the Joint Electorates on the Depressed Classes. Through the Joint Electorates, the representatives of the Depressed Classes became only nominal representatives and not real representatives, for no untouchable who did not agree to be a nominee of the Caste Hindus and be a Chamcha in their hands, could be elected in a Joint Electorates in which the untouchable voter was outnumbered in ratio of 1:5.

With this started the Chamcha Age on September 24, 1932, the date when Poona-Pact was signed taking away the Separate Electorates and forcing the Joint Electorates on the Depressed Classes of India. Now when the Chamcha Age is 50 years old, it has been decided to write the book, besides denouncing the Poona-Pact in a big way all over India.

The purpose of writing this book is to enlighten, awaken and caution the Dalit-Shoshit Samaj (Oppressed and Exploited Society) and its workers and leaders about the large scale existence of the element of stooges (Chamchas) in our oppressed and exploited society. The book is also designed to make the masses, especially the workers, distinguish between the genuine and the counterfeit leadership. Those who struggle to change the times, the Age, must know and understand the Age in which they are living and operating. The book is designed to serve that purpose as well.

To make the book more purposeful, it has been divided into 4 parts and 17 chapters. Part I and II give a glimpse of the past struggles, Part III speaks of the present times and Part IV suggests ways and means for the future struggles. Thus all the 4 parts and 17 chapters put together secure continuity of the past, present and future happenings and struggles relevant to the purpose before the Book.

Initially a booklet of about 50 pages was designed to enlighten and caution our own missionary workers about the existence and nature of the element of stooges amongst the oppressed and exploited Indians. Later on, it was thought necessary to give background, the past events that eventually pushed us into the Chamcha Age. To fulfill this need, the quoting of past events extensively became inevitable. All this brought the book to its present size.

The book contains 3 memorandums and one long statement by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. Even otherwise Dr. Ambedkar has been largely referred and extensively quoted. Keeping in mind the controversial nature of the topic and the wrong stand on celebrating the golden jubilee of the Poona-Pact by the lieutenants of Baba Saheb Ambedkar, we are forced to take shelter under the heavy cover of his writings and works. Thus, the risk of repetition and over-emphasis has been purposefully and willfully taken to secure continuity, clarity and credibility.

The following 4 words: - (i) Tool (ii) Agent (iii) Stooge (iv) Chamcha carry almost the same meaning, but slightly different spirit. All over the book, these 4 words have been used depending upon their effectiveness in carrying the meaning and the spirit. In the common man’s terminology, a tool, an agent, or a stooge is termed as Chamcha. And in this book, I have decided to use common man’s terminology. To my mind, it will be fruitful to use common man’s terminology when we fight for his cause.

If you call some one as Chamcha, he will not like it and is likely to go against you. But when you are calling the Age as the Chamcha Age, you are biting so many and they may hit back. But as Chamcha cannot operate on its own, the operator may hit you back with Chamcha. We should, therefore, be prepared for the ‘Chamcha Attack’. To keep the attack mild, we have refrained from illustrating the events by giving the names, even at the risk of becoming vague and leaving a lot of guess work for our readers.

At any rate, the Chamcha attack should not frighten us, because a Chamcha is not a powerful or deadly weapon. Besides, we must aim at the hand that uses Chamcha. If hit hard the Chamcha will fall. A fallen Chamcha is absolutely harmless. Thus, this way, we hope to end the Chamcha Age within a short Span of about 10 years.

AMBEDKAR TIMES Forum REMEMBERS SAHIB SHRI KANSHI RAM ON HIS DEATTH ANNIVERSARY Remembering Sahib Shri Kanshi Ram Ji in Contemporary Times Prem K. Chumber Editor-In-Chief: www.ambedkartimes.com  & www.deshdoaba.com

Dalit Chetna has its roots in the sufferings of its progenitors who never tired in making efforts to wake up their people/Samaj. The beginning was made in a more systematic manner during the life time of revered Jyotirao Phule who with the support of his bold life partner revered Savitri Bai Phule made stringent efforts to educate the lowest of the low while equating education with the milk of Lioness that whosoever drink it will roar like a lion. The flame of this struggle was taken up soon after by Periyar E.V. Ramasamy who founded Justice Party to struggle for long lost Dalit human rights during colonial India.

Babasaheb Dr B. R. Ambedkar became the legitimate heir of Phule-Periyar tradition of the generation of Dalit consciousness and took the same to new heights, never witnessed before since the beginning of the raising of voice against social exclusion and justice in the discourses by Tathagat Buddha. Babasaheb Dr Ambedkar remained on the platform of Dalit struggle from the time of his first publication on Genesis of Caste in 1916 till his last breath on December 6, 1956. From 1956 till 1972 Dalits in India experimented with his conversion formula to get rid of untouchability and getting organized under Dalit political parties (Independent Labour Party, Scheduled Castes Federation, Republican Party of India) to fight back social segregation, political marginalization and economic peripheralisation. Conversion somehow could not succeed in throwing off the debris of untouchability even from the confines of their newly embraced religions. The experience with the distinct Dalit political parties also remained quite disheartening as at different electoral intervals Scheduled Castes failed to register victory. Reservation in the legislature both at state and national levels encouraged opportunists from within the rank and file of the low castes to get played in the hands of the upper castes masters in the mainstream political parties to be ready to come forward to defeat their counterparts from the Dalit political parties. That is why Babasaheb used to say that on the reserved seats deaf and dumb low castes are picked up by the shrewd mainstream political party bosses to defeat the genuine Dalit candidates from the Dalit Political Parties. This was the outcome of the failure of Communal Award hard earned by Babasaheb Dr Ambedkar.

A new wave came with the arrival of Sahib Shri Kanshi Ram Ji on the political scene of the Dalit Politics in India as well as with the birth of Dalit Panther movement in Maharashtra in the early 1970. It was also the time of the revival of Ad Dharam movement in Punjab by Mr. Mangu Ram, the namesake of Babu Mangu Ram Mugowalia, who after long stay in England came to stay put in Jalandhar to work for the upliftment of the Dalit Samaj. Sahib Shri Kanshi Ram Ji also made sincere efforts to stir new consciousness in the minds of Dalit people in Punjab while referring to the various achievements of the glorious Ad Dharam movement. Sahib Shri Kanshi Ram Ji, in fact, had successfully been able to  inject a new energy and passion among the Scheduled castes, especially of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, by bringing them together on the platform of BAMCEF, DS4 (Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangarsh Samiti) and Bahujan Samaj Party. He was of the firm opinion that political power is the key to all locks of Dalit empowerment. He wanted to strengthen his own people and Samaj who had been taken for a free ride during centuries.

What Sahib Shri Kanshi Ji said and done for the Dalit Samaj has once again being realized by his followers and scholars of Dalit studies that the current times need him and his style of politics more strongly for the emancipation and empowerment of the Scheduled castes people.
Ambedkar Times (www.ambedkartimes.com) and Desh Doaba (www.deshdoaba.com) forum pay floral tributes to the fond memory and momentous work that Sahib Shri Kanshi Ram Ji had done for his people and Samaj on his anniversary!!

Prem K. Chumber
Editor-in-Chief www.ambedkartimes.com
Posted at www.ambedkartimes.com on October 9, 2019