Skip to main content

Hell would have descended had Constitution been drafted by Hegde or his ilk. Mother India survived as Ambedkar drafted it


Award-winning Kannada novelist and Dalit public intellectual Devanur Mahadeva writes to Union minister Anant Kumar Hegde Minister Hegde, saying India survived because "Ambedkar and not you wrote the Constitution". Text of the letter:
Union minister Mr Anantkumar Hegde ji, it is frightening to have to listen to the words you have spoken at Kuknoor in Yelburga taluk. “Those who are unaware of their parentage are the ones who call themselves secularists,” you say deridingly. Now we have to make you aware of your own parentage. It is hatred that is your father, intolerance your mother, illusion your ancestry, falsehood (mithya) the source of your knowledge. I think this should be enough.
What hurts me even now, whenever I remember it, is Atal Bihari Vajpayee, BJP’s leader, being in an insensate state. Similarly, George Fernandes, a part of the NDA and who comes from a socialist background, is also in an insensate state. It then seems that precisely because leaders like these are not active in your party that the present BJP and the NDA end up making such senseless and irresponsible statements.nd then another statement of yours, “Every human being is an animal when he is born but it is what he does that makes him a human being.” In your case, I somehow feel it is quite the opposite. Even amidst the din you make, I would request you to pay attention to Kuvempu’s concept of “Being the universal human at birth itself”.
Furthermore, your knowledge of history is highly polluted. You say that the deformity called caste has grown in recent times. I have noted that you said “…in recent times”. In that case, which era’s caste would you want? That of the Peshwas? At the time of the sepoy uprising, if the British were to lose their war against the Peshwas, then Peshwa rule would end up creating hell for marginalised communities. This is what the highly enlightened members from these marginalised communities felt, including Jyotiba Phule. What was the reason? Why did they feel so? If you understand this, you will understand India.
Then, like a battle cry on the warfront, you said, “We will change the constitution…that is why we are here!” If the task of drafting the constitution had fallen into the hands of the likes of you and your ancestors, the illusionists, then you would have created hell and called it heaven. Mother India survived precisely because Dr Ambedkar drafted the constitution. Care should be taken to ensure that constitutional amendments move follow the principles of the constitution’s preamble. It would bode well for you to remember this, especially as a member of parliament.
Recently, there are some rumours that have been circulating widely. If the BJP comes to power in Karnataka, then the vibhuti-across-his-forehead-Yeddyurappa will start sporting the Vaishnavite tilak (urdhva pundra), together with a shell and gong placed in his hands. The rumours also say Anantkumar Hedge himself will become the chief minister. Going by BJP’s Delhi-Nagpur lagaami politics, the rumours seem to hold some truth. And if this were to happen, there is widespread dread that you will turn Karnataka into a graveyard. In that scenario, even Yeddyurappa might seem like a better option. Instead, the wise voter may decide that since such a bleak scenario faces Karnataka, with either of them at the helm, they should make sure that the BJP loses the election. I believe that will happen, because our mythology and history have consistently shown that we do not tolerate certain limits being crossed.
Now, a few words for you. The religious fundamentalists who were rattled by Kuvempu’s rationality kept responding abhorrently to him. Kuvempu, unperturbed by all this, said, “Those who enter the wrestling ring ought to wear a loincloth. I will not battle with those who don’t even wear one.” I would ask you to keep these words in your mind. Maybe then you, and the likes of you, who make the streets your battlefield, could save yourselves some humiliation.
Once, Yogendra Yadav (Swaraj India’s president) and I were discussing the word secularism. “There is no proper translation in India’s vernacular languages for the word secularism. Instead of translating, we need to search for a word from amongst us that is its equivalent. In India, dharma is usually understood to mean ‘duty’, and words such as vrittidharma (duties towards one’s profession), rajadharma (duties of the king), putradharma (duties of the son) are born from that very meaning. Can you find a word for secularism?” he had asked. Just like the way plants absorb muck, producing fruits and flowers, the muck of your speech has transformed itself, birthing a new word for secularism. That word is sahanadharma (religion of tolerance). This sahanadharma ought to exist within religion, as well as between different religions. Since I came upon this word because of you, Mr Hegde sahib, I thank you.
---
Translated from Kannada by Rashmi Munikempanna. Source: Indian Cultural Forum

Comments

TRENDING

Defeat of martial law: Has the decisive moment for change come in South Korea?

By Steven Lee  Late at night on December 3, soldiers stormed into South Korea’s National Assembly in armored vehicles and combat helicopters. Assembly staff desperately blocked their assault with fire extinguishers and barricades. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol had just declared martial law to “ eliminate ‘anti-state’ forces .”

70,000 migrants, sold on Canadian dream, face uncertain future: Canada reinvents the xenophobic wheel

By Saurav Sarkar*  Bikram Singh is running out of time on his post-study work visa in Canada. Singh is one of about 70,000 migrants who were sold on the Canadian dream of eventually making the country their home but now face an uncertain future with their work permits set to expire by December 2024. They came from places like India, China, and the Philippines, and sold their land and belongings in their home countries, took out loans, or made other enormous commitments to get themselves to Canada.

EVMs: Govt must prove beyond reasonable doubt it's upholding mandate for free, fair polls

By Jerald D’souza  With the growth of India’s population, concerns about electoral fraud associated with ballot papers, also began to escalate. In 1989, the People’s Representation Act was amended to enable EVMs to prevent electoral fraud. In 1998, EVMs made their debut during legislative assembly elections and for the first time for general elections in 2004. However, criticisms against the EVMs and questions about their integrity have been raised by political parties, civil society and the general population. On 2 February 2024, there was a noteworthy demonstration of dissent where numerous individuals, including Ambedkarite advocates, legal professionals, and other members of civil society  convened at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar demanding the prohibition of EVMs. In 2024, the Supreme court had slapped down a petition to return to paper ballots on the basis that machines give “absolutely accurate results” unless human bias maligns them. The court stated that it was open to testi...

This Indian British Marxist blamed USSR's collapse in 1991 on Khrushchev's 'revisionism'

By Harsh Thakor*  Harpal Singh Brar, British Indian Marxist scholar and communist leader, has passed away in Chandigarh. He was 85. He was a lifelong supporter of socialism, Marxism, and the working class. He will be remembered among British Communists.

Chalapathi's death in encounter suggests Maoists' inability to establish broader mass support

By Harsh Thakor* The Maoist movement experienced a significant loss during the Ramagudem encounter on January 21, with the death of Chalapathi (Pratap), a Central Committee member of the CPI (Maoist). His death, along with 15 others, marks a major setback for the movement. Reports suggest that his location was revealed to security forces through a selfie with his wife.

A groundbreaking non-violent approach: Maharishi’s invincible defense technology

By MajGen (R) Kulwant Singh, Col (R) SP Bakshi, Col (R) Jitendra Jung Karki, LtCol (R) Gunter Chassé & Dr David Leffler*  In today’s turbulent world, achieving lasting peace and ensuring national security are more urgent than ever. Traditional defense methods focus on advanced weapons, military strategies, and tactics, but a groundbreaking approach offers a new non-violent and holistic solution: Maharishi’s Invincible Defense Technology (IDT). 

Operation Kagar represents Indian state's intensified attempt to extinguish Maoism: Resistance continues

By Harsh Thakor Operation Kagar represents the Indian state's intensified attempt to extinguish Maoism, which claims to embody the struggles and aspirations of Adivasis. Criminalized by the state, the Maoists have been portrayed as a threat, with Operation Kagar deploying strategies that jeopardize their activities. This operation weaves together economic, cultural, and political motives, allegedly with drone attacks on Adivasi homes.

Why do we mostly resist and refrain from communicating on sanitation topic?

By Nikhil Kumar, Mansee Bal Bhargava* According to UN SDG Progress report (2022), at the present moment no targets for SDG 6 are expected to be met by 2030. In 2022, 2.2 billion people had no access to safe drinking water and 3.5 million lacked safe sanitation. Approximately 50% of the world’s population was reported to have been under resourced in enough water for part of the year and a quarter of that population was living under “extremely high” water stress. Add to it, droughts have affected over 1.4 billion people between 2002 and 2021.

CCG raises concerns over Indian State of Forest Report 2023 in open letter to environment minister

By A Representative  The Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG), a collective of former civil servants, has expressed serious concerns over the Indian State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023 in an open letter to the Union Minister for Environment, Forests & Climate Change. The group has criticized the report's delayed release, flawed methodology, and misleading claims regarding the state of India's forests.

अल्पसंख्यक कार्य मंत्रालय का बजट निराशाजनक: 19.3% अल्पसंख्यकों के लिए मात्र 0.0661% ठोस आवंटन

- मुजाहिद नफ़ीस*   1-2-2025 को भारत सरकार द्वारा संसद में वर्ष 2025-26 का बजट वित्त मंत्री निर्मला सीतारमण जी ने पेश किया| इस वर्ष का बजट 5065345 करोड़ है जो कि पिछले साल के संशोधित अनुमान से लगभग 7.39% की बढ़ोतरी हुई है| वहीं अल्पसंख्यक कार्य मंत्रालय का बजट मात्र 3350.00 करोड़ है जो कि कुल बजट का 0.0661% लगभग है|  पिछले साल 2024-25 में 3183.24 करोड़ था|