Rich tributes were paid to freedom fighter and author of the Indian Constitution Dr B. R. Ambedkar on the occasion of his 123rd birth anniversary by various government and non-government organisations here on Sunday. At a function held at the Northern Power Distribution Company of A. P.
Limited office, its chairman and managing director Kartikeya Misra said that Dr. Ambedkar was a great social reformer and had fought for equality in the society. “In 29 hamlets, solar power supply would be installed with a cost of Rs. 9 crore under the RGGVY scheme under the SC, ST Sub-Plan.The State government also decided to give free power to SC and STs up to 50 units,” he said.
K. Rajeswara Rao, Director (Finance), Sri B. Venkateswer Rao, Director (Projects), CGMs P. Sandhya Rani, G. Raja Rao, G.
Veeramallu, M. Venkatnarayana, T. Sadarlal, and K. Ashok, GMs Madusudhan, Ramesh, Satyanarayana, V.
Thirupathi Reddy, K. Venkatesham, Company Secretary S. Amarnath, DE/Tech to CMD members of SC, ST Employees Association and other staff members participated in the meeting. At a function held at CPI(M) office, district secretary G. Nagaiah said building true and genuine social movements would be the correct way of paying tributes to Ambedkar.“Even after 60 years of Independence, the SC and STs are still deprived of land and are alienated from their villages in the name of development,” he said.
At the official function held at the Collectorate office, District Collector Rahul Bojja explained about various welfare programmes aimed at uplifting the SC and STs. He said every person should strive to build an equal society where persons of all castes and communities were treated equally. Irrational criticism will not be tolerated’ Major Industries Minister J. Geeta Reddy said that irrational criticism against Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy would be not tolerated.
Addressing a gathering after participating in Dr. Ambedkar birth anniversary celebrations held at Sangareddy on Sunday, Ms. Geeta Reddy said that the Chief Minister has been implementing the schemes that would benefit dalits. “We are ready for any constructive criticism on the schemes being implemented by the Opposition parties but will not accept any irrational comments,” she said.Government Whip T. Jayaprakash Reddy said that the SC, ST sub-plan was aimed at benefiting the downtrodden.
He said that the State Government was implementing welfare measures incomparable in any other states. Collector A. Dinakarbabu, Joint Collector A. Sarath, AJC B.
V. S. S. Murthy and others have participated in the programme. District Collector Christina Z. Chongthu led the people in paying tributes to Dr.
Ambedkar by garlanding his statue at Phulong Chowrasta here.Among those who garlanded the statue included the MLCs D. Srinivas and D. Rajeswar, MLAs Yendala Lakshminarayana and Hanumanthu Shinde, DCC president Gadugu Gangadhar, former MLA Akula Lalitha, SP Vikram Jeet Duggal, Additional Joint Collector C. Sreeram Reddy and Dalit leaders Gaini Gangaram and C. Dayanand.
Later at an official programme, the Collector and the elected representatives gave away Rs. 50,000 each to four couples of an inter-caste marriage and distributed tractors and autorickshaws provided by SC and ST Finance Corporations to Dalit beneficiaries.Government help Adilabad Collector A. Ashok assured dalits and downtrodden sections of society of all possible help from the government to improve their economic condition. In his address to a gathering at Dr. Ambedkar Jayanti celebrations here, he enlisted all the welfare programmes by the government for their benefit.
Adilabad MLA Jogu Ramanna, a host of leaders from Dalit organisations and officials of all departments participated in the celebrations. The portrait of Dr. Ambedkar was garlanded at SC Corporation office and at bus stand also. A rally was taken out later, which culminated in a public meeting.Mr.
Ramanna recounted the work of Dr. Ambedkar as Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee and as a social worker. He said it was because of the great leader that Dalits set foot on the path to progress. For those of us born after 1950 Dr Ambedkar is mostly remembered to as the Father of the Indian Constitution.
He is also referred to as the Savior of the Depressed Classes called Dalits today. I had always wanted to read about him but the man aroused me after I read his book ‘Thoughts on Pakistan’. His style is well researched, simple, straight possibly blunt. He came across as a very well read person whose arguments were based on sound logic.After completing the book I was in awe of the man’s intellect. Where did this Man come from? Why do the depressed classes worship him today? What were the problems that he had to undergo? Why did he become a Buddhist? What were his views on Ahimsa? Not knowing whether any book would satisfy my quest for knowledge I went to my favorite bookshop at the Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan & was fortunate to find a book by D Keer.
Having read Life Story of Veer Savarkar by the same author I instinctively knew that this was the book. Dr Ambedkar is referred to as BRA & Depressed Classes as DC henceforth.How have I compiled this piece? Done a precis of the book taking the most important events in BRA’s life. Focused on the problems faced by him, his achievements, dual with Gandhi, role in India’s Independence movement & framing India’s Constitution, reasons for embracing Buddhism.
The book also has extensive quotations from historic interviews & inspiring speeches. Have ignored aspects of Partition that are covered in essays on Patel & Savarkar. My comments start by saying Friends. Excerpts from Preface by the Author 16/5/1954 “BRA has played the part of destiny in the liberation of suppressed humanity in India.
So India must learn to understand his life, character and mission & know him as he is & not as he is distorted by his enemies or deified by his devotees. In order to help readers see the development of his mind and understand the bitterness and violence with which he attacked the old views & values that had defaced a part of humanity in this land, I have traced the events & facts in their proper context and perspective & dealt with the views of his great contemporaries with whom he came into clash. In doing so I have not the remotest idea of his belittling his greatness.Every great man has his minor foibles and flaws and when he moves & struggles in a particular field, he comes into conflict with the great ones in that field”. Friends hope that my precis is up to the mark, if not apologies in advance.
This piece is dedicated to Valmiki, Veda Vyasa, Sant Tukaram, Mahatma Phule, Veer Savarkar, Swami Dayanand Saraswati and lastly to the author Dhananjay Keer. He attained eminence as a biographer, in recognition of which The Govt of India conferred on him the honor of Padma Bhushan. This piece is divided into 27 chapters as they appear in the book.
