Event marks the death anniversary of B.R. Ambedkar

On the eve of B.R. Ambedkar’s death anniversary on Thursday, around 50 Dalit families embraced Buddhism at his memorial in Chennai.

Organised by the Nila Dhamma Kuzhu, the Dalit families took the 22-point oath, as prescribed by Dr. Ambedkar, before embracing Buddhism.

Anand Siddhartha, one of the organisers, said: “We have been conducting 3-4 events every year. We conduct such ceremonies on April 14 (Dr. Ambedkar’s birthday), October 14 (day when Dr. Ambedkar embraced Buddhism) and December 6. In the last 4-5 years, there has been a growing interest in Buddhism amongst Dalits because of increasing violence against the community in Tamil Nadu and all over India.”

‘To shed caste identity’

Dalit intellectual and writer, Stalin Rajangam, said that the renewed interest in Buddhism among the educated, Dalit middle class is due to the fact that it provides a progressive identity, which, he stated, was not possible within Hinduism.

“When Caste Hindus need to mobilise, they take on the Hindu identity or speak highly of their caste history. When Dalits face a social problem, they are unable to do either of that within the Hindu fold. Buddhism provides that progressive platform and allows the community to shed their caste identity. They are now able to say: I too have a great history but it is not informed by caste like yours. Rather, it is anti-caste,” he said.