Page 29 - SocialHarmony

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar: The Revolutionary Social Reformer 33

invasion, sometimes by saying that India did not have any
aboriginal people, they diseased the minds of many generations
of our people. In such a deceptive atmosphere, Dr. Babasaheb
gave us a message of love and equality. His dream was for the
creation of a casteless society, meaning thereby that the whole
society unites harmoniously without any difference of high and
low castes.

Babasaheb’s Message
Babasaheb had made up his mind that though he was born

as a Hindu, he will not die as a Hindu. When he decided to
relinquish Hindu religion, several communities were willing
to take him into their fold. On one hand, he was promised vast
riches if he agreed to convert to Christianity and on the other,
the Islamic community was eager to convert him to Islam. The
Nizam of Hyderabad was ready to shower gold coins on him.
Babasaheb observed this frenzy with a cool detachment and
made a very important statement. His words will prove to be
golden words for the unity and integrity of India in coming
years. Even if people do not appreciate his decision today, the
thinking behind it was of the highest order. He had said: “I will
relinquish Hinduism because I am against the evils that have
crept into Hindu society. But I love Hindustan and will live and
die for Hindustan. I feel that my very birth has taken place so
that every cell of my body and every second of my life can be
given up in service of Hindustan. I will let go of Hinduism but
I will embrace a religion whose seeds have been sown in the
soil of Hindustan. Only a religion that has not come from foreign
shores is acceptable to me. Hence, I shall embrace Buddhism.”
His idea behind converting to Buddhism was to reach the
pinnacle of patriotism and fight against the evils of society, but
not in a manner that the entire Dalit community would be
ostracized after his death. What depth of thinking! What
immaculate vision! Those involved in conversions should accept
this message of Babasaheb unconditionally. Babasaheb was able
to free Dalits from the tortures of untouchability without being
disloyal to his country and his religion.