Page 20 - SocialHarmony

24 Social Harmony

Rama had put Mata Shabri on the same pedestal as Mata
Kaushalya.

If there is any pillar of strength, to which the victory of
Mahabharat can be attributed to, it has to be Lord Krishna. The
very Lord Krishna who in His childhood could show the entire
Universe to Mata Yashodha in His mouth, had to rely on the
support of the cowherds welding their sticks, while lifting the
Govardhan mountain. Even a personality like Lord Krishna had
to rely on the cowherds. If we look at history, the role of the
smallest strata of society is omnipresent in the success of every
great person like Chatrapati Shivaji, Maharana Pratap or Guru
Gobind Singhji. There is no greater teacher of truth than history.
Therefore, it is necessary for us to learn what is essential from
history.

Gandhiji’s word, “Harijan,” is not enough to cover the ambit
and scope of the word “Dalit”. Dalits constitute a human
community which is socially neglected, untouchable, poor and
destitute. This community has its own way of life and its own
value system. They have their own pride and culture. They also
have their likes and dislikes, emotions, love, sensitivities and
life-values. The sorrows and pains of this community are
different from those of other communities. When I was a student
of history and social science, I had heard stories of customs
wherein a person belonging to Valmiki community had to tie a
broom on his back so that if he passed through a village, his
footprints would not remain on the ground! Such grave tortures
were meted out by our ancestors on the ancestors of these
brothers. This resulted in revolts erupting among Dalits who
had suffered such exploitation and humiliation. They developed
a feeling of hate and anger due to the rigid traditions and blind
beliefs of the society, as well as their continuous oppression by
those who were spreading inequalities and imbalances in the
society. Many great people had tried to give voice to these
emotions. In the modern age, the Dalit community has given
several social reformers who contributed to the foundation of
Modern Bharat. Amongst these names, the name of Babasaheb
Ambedkar as a revolutionary social reformer is at the forefront.