There are some momentous speeches that have become immortal. Among them the “Gettysburg Address” of Abraham Lincoln and “I Have A Dream” by Martin Luther King. I also recall reading a speech made in the nineteen sixties by Mario Savio, a fiery leftist from the United States which has come to be generally known as “Bodies on Gears”. We now have our own Kanhaiya Kumar, who joins the pantheon with “Freedom in India”.
The vehemence, the angst, and the intensity of the speech clearly displays thousands of years of suppressed hurt. I had to delve deep into our ancient texts to find the plausible cause. An incident each in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, sticks out.
From the Ramayana:
“It happened that a certain Brahman’s son died in a premature death. The bereaved father carried his body to the gate of the king’s palace, and placing it there, cried aloud and bitterly reproached Sri Rama for the death of his son, saying that it must be the consequence of some sin committed within his realm, and that the king himself was guilty if he did not punish it; and finally threatened to end his life there by sitting on a dharana (hunger-strike) against Sri Rama unless his son was restored to life.
Sri Rama thereupon consulted his council of eight learned Rishis, and Narada amongst them told him that some Shudra among his subjects must have been performing Tapasya (ascetic exercises), and thereby going against Dharma (sacred law), for according to it, the practice of Tapasya was proper to the twice-born alone, while the duty of the Shudras consisted only in the service of the “twice-born”. Sri Rama was thus convinced that it was the sin committed by a Shudra in transgressing Dharma in that manner, which was responsible for the death of the Brahmin boy.
So, Sri Rama mounted his aerial car and searched the countryside for the culprit. At last, in a wild region far away to the south he espied a man practicing rigorous austerity of a certain kind. He approached the man, and with no more ado than to enquire of him. That person inform himself that he was a Shudra, by name Sambuka, who was practicing Tapasya with a view to going to heaven in his own earthly person. Sri Rama without so much as a warning, expostulation or the like addressed to him, cut off his head. At that very instant the Brahmin boy was revived from the dead”.
As we can see Lazarus was not the first person to be revived from the dead. That distinction goes to the unnamed Brahmin boy. The only difference; to revive a dead Brahmin a shudra had to be slaughtered.
…. and from the Mahabharata:
Ekalavya a tribal approached Dronacharya with a request to train him as an archer. Drona refused.
Deeply hurt by Drona’s rejection, Eklavya still didn’t give up on his resolute will to master archery. He once stayed hidden in the forest while guru Drona was teaching the Kaurava and Pandava brothers, after they left to the ashram, Eklavya collected the mud on which his Guru walked, as a symbolic gesture of want to follow his knowledge and footsteps, later he went into the forest and made a statue of Drona under a big old well grown tree. He began a disciplined program of self-study over many years. Eventually, Eklavya became an archer of exceptional prowess, greater than Drona’s best pupil, Arjuna. He accepted the statue as his guru and practiced in front of it every single day.
One day when Drona and his students were going out into the forest, Arjuna saw a dog that was unable to bark due to an amazing construction of arrows in and all around his mouth. This construction was harmless to the dog, but prevented the dog from barking. Drona was amazed, but also distressed: he had promised Arjuna that he would make him the greatest archer in the world. Drona and his students investigated, and came upon Ekalavya. Upon seeing Drona, Ekalavya came and bowed to him.
Drona asked Ekalavya where he had learnt archery. Eklavya replied “under you, Guruji”, and showed Drona his statue while explaining what he had done.
Drona then reminded Ekalavya that for Ekalayva to truly be Drona’s pupil, Eklvaya would have to pay guru dakshina. Readily, Eklavya offers to do anything for Drona. Drona stoically asks for the thumb from Eklavya’s right hand. Hesitant at first, Eklavya asks for Drona to confirm the command; Drona harshly does so. Smiling, Eklayva cuts off the thumb and presents it to Drona.
Now, what the Dalits feel is brought out by poet Tumbir:
If you had kept you thumb History would have happened somewhat differently. But…you gave your thumb and history also became theirs.
Eklavya, since that day they have not even given you a glance. Forgive me, Eklavya, I won’t be fooled now by their sweet words. My thumb will never be broken.
Now at least do you understand the angst of Kanhaiya? The Republic of India is ruled by the heirs of Arjuna and Drona. The heirs of Shambuka and Eklavya are still non persons. Kanhaiya now threatens the status quo.
Today, Kanhaiya represents the modern day Eklavya but with a difference. He refuses to cut his thumb. And as Shambuka is determined to do tapasya to achieve salvation. He is willing to stand up and fight those seeking to cut his thumb or decapitate him. He is seeking to achieve the dream of Babasaheb Ambedkar. Is it not time that we all support him? Are you with him? And finally as I close, let me wish Kanhaiya Kumar; Abou Ben Adhem!
(Radharao F.Gracias is a senior Trial Court Advocate.)
