Ambedkar’s conversion to Buddhism: Jairam Ramesh’s post shows how far politics has travelled

Ramesh’s statement reflected the Congress’s bid to come full circle on the issue. In his lifetime, Ambedkar was critical of the Congress and Mahatma Gandhi, viewing Gandhi’s Harijan movement as a “Hindu reform” meant to keep Dalits tied to Hinduism, and which he sought to “break free” from through his conversion to Buddhism.

Ambedkar’s conversion

Ambedkar embraced Buddhism with his followers at a public rally at Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur on Vijayadashami in 1956, that fell on October 14 that year, barely two months before his death.

A Times of India report from Nagpur that day said that 3 lakh people attended the event, as 83-year-old Mahasthaveer Chandramani from Myanmar administered the oath of Dhamma to Ambedkar and his wife Savita. Ambedkar in turn administered 22 vows to the gathering, recited Pali mantras, and translated them in Marathi for them.

The report quoted Ambedkar as telling the people that he was renouncing the Hindu religion “as it looked down upon men of his caste and treated them with discrimination”. He said he would henceforth follow the principles of Buddhism, not venerate Hindu gods or perform any pujas, and not drink.

A PTI report said the gathering observed silence for a minute before bursting into slogans of “Babasaheb Ambedkar ki jai” and “Bhagwan Buddha ki jai”.

Ambedkar told his supporters that by discarding Hinduism, he was reborn. He also denounced the belief that Buddha was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Thirteen days later, Ambedkar explained why he chose Nagpur as the venue of his conversion, telling his followers that it being the RSS headquarters could not be a reason. “Some people say that because the great battalion of the RSS was here in Nagpur, we took the meeting to this city in order to lay them flat. This is completely untrue,” Ambedkar said, as reported in his Marathi periodical Prabuddha Bharat. “Our work is so great that even one minute in a lifetime cannot be wasted,” he said, adding a proverb, “I don’t have enough time to make an ill omen for others by scratching my nose.”

Ambedkar then said: “Those who read Buddhist history will come to know that in India, if anyone spread Buddhism, it was the Nag people”. He claimed that “the Nag people were fierce enemies of the Aryans”, adding that there was much harassment of the Nag people, and Agastya Muni helped only one Nag person “escape”. “We spring from that man,” he said, weaving an alternative narrative of a purported ancient struggle. He underlined that the Nag people lived “chiefly in Nagpur and the surrounding country”, adding that the Nag river near Nagpur derives its name from the Nag people.

He recalled his earlier pledge that although he was born a Hindu, he would not die one, reiterating that “there is no equality in the Hindu religion”.

Savarkar’s criticism

While the BJP is among the parties which hails Ambedkar now, Hindu Mahasabha leader and Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar had castigated his conversion move. He wrote a long piece about it in May 1956 in the Marathi Kesari newspaper, admitting it was a matter of concern but adding that it didn’t mean any disaster for Hinduism, says historian Prabodhan Pol, who teaches at the Manipal Centre for Humanities.

“Despite Dr Ambedkar loudly proclaiming his intent to uproot Hinduism and establish Buddhism as supreme among all religions in India, there is no reason to give more importance to his shoutings than to the enraged mobs. Lord Buddha himself preached uninterruptedly for 40 years after establishing his religion but could not overthrow the eternal Sanatan religion anywhere, even with the royal power of Emperor Ashoka, after which he too got tired and gave up,” Savarkar wrote. “How can the story of Dr Ambedkar be different?”

Savarkar charged that some people, including Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and Buddhists from abroad had given support including funds to Ambedkar’s Buddhism campaign, claiming that within 2-3 years, 10 million people in India would accept Buddhism.

Savarkar said that while Ambedkar “repeatedly declares through his newspapers and speeches that Buddhism is the supreme religion of the world”, he had said the same about Islam and had also declared that he would embrace Christianity or Sikhism.

He averred that Ambedkar knew that for centuries before him, untouchables were “forcibly or voluntarily converted to Christianity and Islam”. “Even among our Mahar brothers, many were converted to Christianity and Islam before Ambedkar’s birth. But those converted untouchables remained socially untouchable within Christian and Muslim communities,” he said.

Savarkar also accused Ambedkar of looking to convert to Islam or Christianity to “insult” Hindus. “The fact is, over the last two or three years, under the guise of promoting Buddhism, Ambedkar and his propagandists have constantly criticised what they call Hindu religion and Hindu society through their newspapers and speeches,” he wrote. “They have criticised Hindu scriptures such as the Vedas and Puranas, religious figures like Shri Ram and Krishna, and Hindu customs and traditions, often in harsh, unfair, and even degrading language over the years, to the point that no other society except tolerant Hindus would have endured such criticism.”

Taking a swipe at Ambedkar for maintaining that he was born a Hindu but would not die as one, Savarkar stated: “But now he is trapped such that if he does not attempt another religious conversion and spends his life as a Buddhist, he must still be considered Hindu! Because his attempt to jump beyond the boundary of Hindutva failed, and he landed within the limits of Hindutva.” This was in line with Savarkar’s theory that those whose “fatherland” and “holy land” lay in India were within the ambit of Hindutva.

Ambedkar’s counter

On his part, Ambedkar wrote in Prabuddha Bharat in June 1956 that Savarkar could continue to “spew hell” against him, but it would not deter him from pursuing the path of Buddhism, notes Pol.

“I have accepted Buddhism. Now this religion must spread across India. For this, everyone must work,” Ambedkar stated. “While I was a Hindu, the humiliation I endured is known to you all. But today, I proudly say I am now a follower of Buddhism. Regardless of how insensitive Savarkar’s statements may be, I do not care, because I walk the path of truth and compassion.”

He said “the wave of Buddhism has come and it will never retreat”. “Everyone should join this wave and work for social transformation. Our society desires progress, so people from all castes, religions, and sects should participate,” he said. “Even if Savarkar sends me to hell, I am not afraid of that hell. I will live following the path of Buddha.”

Nehru’s stance

While Savarkar apparently referred to Buddha’s 2500th birth anniversary celebrations, held in 1956, to accuse Nehru of backing Ambedkar’s Buddhism push, Dalit sites like Navayana.org and velivada.com reject it. They cite evidence to state that a month before his conversion, Ambedkar wrote to Nehru to request him that the government should buy 500 copies of his then forthcoming book, The Buddha and His Dhamma, as he was Rs 20,000 short of the required funds. Nehru replied the next day that the government had exceeded the funds set aside for the Buddha anniversary celebrations, and that Ambedkar should look at selling the book during the event.

The PM advised him to contact S Radhakrishnan, who also expressed his inability to do anything about his request. The book was finally published after Ambedkar’s death.