Maya's cultural jaal
July 7th, 2010
By Kancha Ilaiah
When the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Ms Mayawati, changed her
ideological position from Bahujan Samaj formulated by her mentor
Kanshi Ram to Sarvajan Samaj there was elation among the upper caste
intellectuals and sadness among the dalit-bahujan intellectuals.
Delhi-based intellectuals, who usually hate Ms Mayawati, started
praising her for her accommodative approach and for leaving behind the
confrontational approach of Kanshi Ram.
In fact, many were surprised how a militant anti-manuwadi woman leader
could compromise with the Uttar Pradesh brahmins against whom she had
been fighting so virulently.
When she worked out a formula for roping the Uttar Pradesh brahmins
into the fold of her votebank by repositioning her party's slogan
itself, from Bahujan Samaj to Sarvajan Samaj, several dalit-bahujan
scholars thought that this would be the end of Ambedkarism in Uttar
Pradesh, even north India.
Kanshi Ram's death had led to depression in the dalit-bahujan
political circles of the nation. Kanshi Ram was an inspiring and
uncompromising political and intellectual leader and Ms Mayawati was
not seen as a leader in her own right then.
I too was very sceptical of her abilities to lead the Bahujan Samaj
Party in a manner that could help it survive — leave alone coming to
power as it did later.
Once she came to power there was also speculation that she would serve
the brahminical interests — leaving Kanshi Ram's legacy behind.
However, it has now become evident that in the cultural realm she is
simply dalitising the whole state. This was something unexpected. Not
only are districts being renamed after dalit-bahujan icons, but the
very ethos of Uttar Pradesh is undergoing a revolutionary change now.
Ms Mayawati has built many monuments on the Navayana Buddhist theme
(navayana is Pali for new vehicle). Navayana Buddhist refers to the
idea that a Buddhist movement may represent a new yana. Dr Babasaheb
Ambedkar: "I will accept and follow the teachings of Buddha. I will
keep my people away from the different opinions of Hinyan and Mahayan,
two religious orders. Our Bouddha Dhamma is a new Bouddha Dhamma,
Navayan".
The Buddhist and Ambedkar parks that Ms Mayawati is building will
inevitably reduce the spiritual significance of Ayodhya,
Kashi-Benares, Mathura and so on.
By renaming districts after Ambedkar, Phule, Sahuji Maharaj, Rama Bai
(the illiterate first wife of Ambedkar), the dalit-bahujan icons of
Maharashtra and the birthplace of Navayana Buddhism, she has changed
Uttar Pradesh's cultural atmosphere itself.
Of course, Kanshi Ram and Ms Mayawati herself have been elevated as
icons in the process. In Uttar Pradesh, they are not only names of
districts but their statues are being worshipped in Ambedkar parks.
Ms Mayawati's decision to transform the cultural realm of Uttar
Pradesh would certainly have all-India implications. I do not think
that the brahmins of Uttar Pradesh are in a position to resist this
transformation. She has put it on an irreversible course.
The Congress cannot stall this course either. Wherever the Congress is
in power, they have named institutions after Nehru, Indira Gandhi and
Rajiv Gandhi. But they do not have any culturally transformative
implications. Buddha, Ambedkar, Phule, Sahuji Maharaj, Periyar, Kanshi
Ram and so on are not like that. They have serious anti-Hindu cultural
implications. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) knows this but is not
in a position to do anything because it burnt its hands in Ayodhya and
Gujarat. Further, the BJP cannot say that these are anti-national
icons.
Likewise, the Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mulayam Singh Yadav cannot
reverse or stop the trend because he has no alternative of his own to
offer. His party is now competing for power for the sake of power,
without constructing any socio-cultural agenda of its own. Its icons,
Ram Manohar Lohia and Charan Singh, do not have much impact in the
cultural realm, unlike Ambedkar.
The fact is that unless icons are associated with alternative
spiritual culture they do not create a following that lasts long. In
the modern period only Ambedkar did that and Kanshi Ram brought that
icon into unbelievable achievability. And Ms
Mayawati's dalit common sense captured that imagination very well.
Even if the Congress, the SP or the BJP come to power they will not be
able to dismantle the Ambedkar parks or rename the districts. Earlier,
Ms Mayawati was in power only for six months each time — that too with
the BJP's support. But now she will be there for full five years and
the chances of her getting re-elected are very high. If she is in
power for 10 years, Uttar Pradesh's cultural history will change
beyond recognition.
Not many know that Kanshi Ram had a vision of constructing the biggest
Ambedkarite Buddha Vihara in Uttar Pradesh along with a massive
international airport in Lucknow. His plan was that Uttar Pradesh
should become a big Ambedkarite Buddhist international tourist centre
so that it could generate a competitive tourist capital.
Ms Mayawati seems to think that she has to fulfil her mentor's dream.
She seems to understand that cultural capital will be more
long-lasting than political and economic capital.
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