It is a rare event that captures the attention of the nation for any extended period of time. Usually, it takes a communal riot, the inhuman face of the Gujarat Pogrom or a trivial video of Godman Nithyanandha allegedly romancing with actress Ranjitha to focus the better part of India’s elite circles onto a single event for more than a passing second. It is strange to think then, that a satanic or silly cartoon of Dr.Ambedkar would ignite a storm of controversy encompassing the majority of the intellectuals for the past few months.
Unfortunately, the NCERT chose to include this particularly inflammatory cartoon of Ambedkar being whipped by Nehru for the snail’s pace in the making of Indian constitution. Debating the merit of the cartoon doesn’t work as the cartoon is based on an offensive stereotype. It might seem hypocritical for the NCERT to withdraw the cartoon from the text book, but it has a responsibility to raise debate — not become debate. In today's world of instant global communication, disagreements happen more quickly and resentments get established in real time.
It’s easy for the elites and upper caste intellectuals to say the furore over this cartoon is an overreaction, and that “it’s just a cartoon.” Some elite academicians complain that a cartoon which no Dalit in the past 60 years found offending has suddenly become disparaging to a few. It is true that Dalits remained ignorant for generations together as they were denied of all the educational avenues. Now, thanks to the Ambedkarite movement, they have started questioning the injustices meted out to them in the distant and recent past. Does the mainstream society still want them to face humiliation and keep silence. When the upper caste cry for justice they call it revolution and the cry of Dalits will be viewed as a sign of intolerance. Gandhi who stood for upholding the Varnashrama Dharma as the lifeblood of Hinduism thereby indirectly favouring the caste system and suppressing the Dalits is projected as the ‘Father of the Nation’ and progenitor of ‘Ahimsa.’ But the same textbook committee doesn’t dare to project Ambedkar as a national leader but only as a Dalit leader. Ambedkar, as the elite academicians point out, would have had the intellect and wisdom to appreciate and enjoy caricatures that lampooned him, but then the question is why not caricatures of other leaders. Will the same responsible academicians publish, for example, a cartoon of Shankar lampooning Gandhi as a protector of Varnashrama Dharma which appeared in the Hindustan Times in 1933? When everyone else disowns Ambedkar and prevents Dalits also from protecting his image, who else will come for his rescue.
Dalits everywhere are incensed by the publication of the cartoon deriding Ambedkar. Freedom of expression may at times be curtailed to avoid caste-based hatred. Dalit intellectuals, although deeply insulted by the cartoons, are no doubt embarrassed by their emotional brothers who are using the situation to attack the office of an academician like Suhash Palshikar. Dalits who rioted were not upset that they were forced to view a cartoon they found offensive; they were upset that the cartoon was printed in a class XI text book. This isn’t a case where one can say if you don’t like it, turn the channel or read another newspaper because Dalits sought the total elimination of such a cartoon, not merely the ability to ignore them. Other academicians supported the cartoon, arguing that academic textbooks should be immune from criticism. It is ironic that the intellectuals who speak out against intolerance on the part of the Dalit politicians are often the most intolerant in their views.
Academic books rarely cause riots in the streets, but the Ambedkar cartoon controversy may come close. At least this is the conclusion reached by the Centre, which considered the likelihood of violent protests by Dalits across the nation before making the decision to withdraw the negative cartoon images of Ambedkar from the Class XI text book. The issue faded when the centre decided to remove the cartoon from the book. Yet, the centre seemed to have withdrawn the cartoon not based on malicious content but because of the risk of facing violent protests by the Dalits and the fear of losing Dalit vote bank.
The cautious reaction by Kapil Sibal is understandable, but I find the rationale troubling, as it assumes that Dalit politicians like Athavale or Thirumavalavan await any new pretext to spur violence and that the other major political parties are at their mercy for the votebank. The peddlers of anti-Dalit ideologies, the so-called ‘objective’ intellectuals, and blogs of elites would have us believe that Dalit leaders are lurking everywhere just waiting for an excuse to promote violence.
If the NCERT wants to use humour, it can make sure the humour is tasteful, healthy and appropriate rather than disrespectful, insulting, obnoxious and nasty. The cartoon angered Dalits because the inclusion of such a cartoon is seen as a deliberate attempt to denigrate the messiah of dalits. I view the Centre’s decision to withdraw the cartoon as pragmatic, following the advice they sought, rather than cowardice or giving into political correctness. The main problem is not over the cartoon—whether viewed as satanic or silly—but with the question of implicitly inserting a conspicuous cartoon in a XI standard textbook. We have more to teach about the making of the constitution and the achievements and ordeals of Ambedkar than anything from the outdated cartoon.
Had the cartoon been published in newspapers, magazines or any other media, none bothers. Every Dalit objects because the degrading cartoon of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar finds a place in a class XI text book. As a teacher of many years, I wonder how many students will even notice the content of the lesson “The Making of the Indian Constitution” but they will be easily carried away by the force of the cartoon. Ambedkar himself cited the time taken for preparing the constitution in other nations:
The American convention met on May 25, 1787, and the constitution was passed in four months. The constitutional convention of Canada met on the October 10, 1864, and the constitution was passed into law in March 1867 involving a period of two years and five months. The Australian Constitutional Convention assembled in March 1891 and the constitution became law on July 9, 1900, consuming a period of nine years. The South African convention met in October 1908 and the Constitution became law, on the September 20, 1909 involving one year’s labour.
While admitting that India has taken more time than America and South Africa he pointed, “Our Constitution contains 395 articles while America has just seven articles divided into sections which total up to 21. The Canadian has 147, Australian 128, and South African 153 sections.” Unlike us these countries did not have to face the problems of amendments. They were passed as moved. Whereas, our Constitution assembly had to deal with 2,473 amendments.
The moral injury experienced by Dalits from publication of the objectionable cartoon is intelligible only once one understands the relationship of intimacy that Dalits have with Ambedkar. To see this, however, requires adopting an internal perspective on how Ambedkar is regarded as a kind of messiah, and more as an object of veneration than worship. The cartoon is viewed not as defaming Ambedkar but rather as defaming or rising to the level of stirring up hatred against the disadvantaged sections-the Dalits. If we look at the past, one can easily retrospect and understand how Dalits protested violently whenever Ambedkar’s statue was desecrated by Caste Hindu miscreants. We need to consider what this cartoon may mean for a Dalit in a time when visible manifestations of hate and incitement to hatred are essentially contested. There is a great need to redefine what we call freedom of expression and make clear that our most basic freedom: to articulate critical opinions freely should not curtail our sense of respect and dignity.
By inserting a cartoon on the anti-Hindi agitation in a textbook, NCERT has again overstepped the thin veneer of respecting people’s sentiments. The depiction of the anti-Hindi agitators as aliterates when it comes to English is unwarranted and distorts the very spirit of the anti-Hindi movement in Tamilnadu. NCERT is so biased that it interpolates no cartoons critical of caste oppression and Hindi imposition in the textbooks. If undermining the greatness of the ‘prophet of the Dalits’ was the motive behind the reproduction of the cartoon on BR Ambedkar, the inclusion of the cartoon is intended to downgrade the anti-Hindi agitation from one of the major movements in post-Independent India to a mere stir by semi-literates.
However, the price of a society that allows free speech, so long as it does not directly incite violence, is that a few hatred-peddlers will get a platform. If all we see in the normative claims of Dalits are threats to academic autonomy, however, the debate will remain at its current impasse. Whatever said and done, the Committee headed by Thorat has decided to remove ten objectionable cartoons from the NCERT text books. It is a good sign that the government appointed committee has understood the feelings and apprehensions of Dalits and the Tamils.
No comments:
Post a Comment