To Pourakarmikas With Love from SACHPS on Dr Ambedkar Jayanthi
To Pourakarmikas With Love from St Aloysius College Higher Primary School {SACHPS} on Dr Ambedkar Jayanthi
Mangaluru: Most of us are so self-centred, we take all the people providing us various services, for granted. One such group is the group of Pourakarmikas or municipal sweepers. Think what would happen if these people went on strike! Think of the garbage that many citizens throw on the road, into empty sites and at corners of pavements. Non-segregated, stinking garbage. Plastic bags torn up by street dogs and garbage strewn all over. Yet, we do not spare a thought for these poor workers performing a thankless task, and often abuse them. These are the people who wake up early before many of us are still on the bed- they start their work as early as 6 am, and many a times they only go home late evening. Theirs is a hectic and dirty job, but they are still do it for a living, with no other option.
In recognition of the hard work done by the Pourakarmikas, the management, staff and students of St Aloysius College Higher Primary School-Mangaluru to mark the 127th Birth Anniversary of Dr Ambedkar- “Ambedkar Jayanthi’, felicitated 12 Pourakarmikas, during a function arranged the School auditorium on Saturday, April 14. It was a good initiative taken by the School to acknowledge the Pourakarmikas work and make them feel proud that they are also contributing to make the city clean. The programme also touched on the importance of generating less waste by re-using or recycling, and proper disposal of the waste by handing it over to the pourakarmika.
BR Ambedkar can easily be remembered as “The Father of the Constitution of India” and the man who fought for the oppressed in the country. He was the principal architect of our Constitution and a founding father of the Republic of India. On Saturday, April 14, 2018, India celebrated the 127th birth anniversary of Bhim Rao Ambedkar. Popularly known as Babasaheb, he was an Indian jurist, economist, politician and social reformer who inspired the Dalit Buddhist Movement and campaigned against social discrimination against untouchables since he was a Dalit too and also supported the rights of women and labour. And this programme organized by St Aloysius HPS was very appropriate to felicitate these 12 Pourakarmikas, mostly Dalits, and make a difference in their lives, and also make them happy.
The programme began with a prayer song by the students, followed by a traditional classical welcome dance- and then student Elvis Franklin Lobo welcoming the gathering and the dignitaries of the occasion. The programme was inaugurated by showering flower petals on to the portrait of Dr Ambedkar by chief guest Ms Reevathy Laxman- Health Worker at Mangaluru City Corporation {whose son is a student of SACHPS, and who aspires to be a IAS officer}; along with other dignitaries- Fr Dionysius Vaz Sj-Rector, St Aloysius Institutions; Fr Eric Mathias Sj-Director of the School; Ms Philomena Louis- School Headmistress and Loy Noronha- Vice President- PTA .
For her vast service in the MCC as a Health Social Worker, chief guest Ms Reevathi was honored during the occasion with shawl, memento, flower and memento. Addressing the gathering Ms Reevathi said, ” I feel very much humbled and honored to be felicitated by such a great institute where my son is also pursuing his education. Words can’t express as to how much I am grateful to this moment which I will cherish for my entire life. Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar is a yug purush (man of the era) who lives in the hearts and minds of crores of Indians. His life is characterized by unmatched determination and a firm commitment towards social justice. He made a mark as a bright lawyer, scholar, writer and intellectual who always spoke his mind. His fight for the rights and justice towards the dalits needs to be commended, and therefore we should remember Ambedkar everyday of our lives”
Following the felicitations of the 12 Pourakarmakis by the chief guest, Rector and other dignitaries with Shawl, garland, fruit basket and memento, the School director Fr Eric Mathias Sj in his speech said, ” This is a perfect day to mark Ambedkar Jayanthi, and take care of the poor. When you take care of the poor you see God, and today these Pourakarmikas are like our Gods. St Aloysius institutions gives education to students from UKG to Phd and therefore, I invite children of these Pourakarmikas to join our institution and we will provide them education free of cost. That is our commitment on this prestigious day. We need to show our love towards our children and encourage them, because you never know, someday they could be many Dr Ambedkars of our country”
Rector Fr Dionysius Vaz Sj in his presidential address said, ” No doubt Ambedkar has contributed a lot to this country. Being a Dalit himself, he has supported and fight for their rights. When we respect every citizen, then it is real democracy.But presently we see only political democracy, where Dalits are left aside. However, Ambedkar’s importance in Indian history cannot just be limited to a person who championed for the rights of the poor, downtrodden and lower caste people. He can easily be remembered as “The Father of the Constitution of India” and the man who fought for the oppressed in the country. He was the principal architect of our Constitution and a founding father of the Republic of India. Many of Ambedkar’s dreams are yet to be materialized-so we need to carry forward his legacy and fight for real democracy in our Country. Finally we should thank our Pourakarmikas for their hard work and determination in keeping our city clean”.
Following a scintillating filmy dance by the students, the formal function ended with vote of thanks by Miss Grashel Fernandes, and the National anthem. The programme was compered by students Madhukar Prabhu and Allan Pinto; Names of the Pourakarmikas to be felicitated were read by teachers Ms Sindhu and Ms Ranjeetha; Importance of Dr Ambedkar was read by Miss Joylene.
During an interaction, Team Mangalorean asked one lady Pourakarmika about her difficulties, and what citizens can do to help. She replied, “Work is very hard, but we have to do it, we have no choice, to earn. We face difficulties when people don’t hand over the waste to us when we go door-to-door and throw it on the road or in corner sites. We get scolded by our supervisors saying we are not doing our work. We clean the roads and very soon the roads gets dirty. If children like the students of this renowned institution also help us, then our job will be done easily. My humble request to the public is that Firstly, don’t waste so much. Then, collect and separate the waste, and please hand it to us. Don’t litter on the road and pavement. Together we can keep Mangaluru clean, without putting the whole burden on us Thank You”
About Dr B M Ambedkar:
Born on April 14, 1891 in the town and military cantonment in Madhya Pradesh to Ramji Maloji Sakpal and Bhimabai Murbadkar Sakpal, Ambedkar had to face isolation in school because of his caste. Ambedkar was born into a poor low Mahar (Dalit) caste, who were treated as untouchables and subjected to socio-economic discrimination. His ancestors had long worked for the army of the British East India Company, and his father served in the British Indian Army at the Mhow cantonment. Although they attended school, it is reported that Ambedkar and other untouchable children were segregated and given little attention or help by teachers. They were not allowed to sit inside the class.
When they needed to drink water, someone from a higher caste had to pour that water from a height as they were not allowed to touch either the water or the vessel that contained it. This task was usually performed for the young Ambedkar by the school peon and if the peon was not available then he had to go without water; he described the situation later in his writings as “No peon, No Water” However, despite facing all hardships, Ambedkar, in 1897 became the only untouchable enrolled at Elphinstone High School. In 1906, when he was about 15, he got married to nine-year-old Ramabai.
Ambedkar pursued a degree in economics and political science from Elphinstone College, University of Mumbai, and then completed his Masters in Economics (Major) at the Columbia University and Doctor of Science in Economics from London School of Economics with the help of a scholarship. Ambedkar went on to work as a legal professional. In 1926, he successfully defended three non-Brahmin leaders who had accused the Brahmin community of ruining India and were then subsequently sued for libel.
While practicing law in the Bombay High Court, he tried to promote education to untouchables and uplift them. His first organized attempt was his establishment of the central institution Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha, intended to promote education and socio-economic improvement, as well as the welfare of “outcastes”, at the time referred to as depressed classes. For the defence of Dalit rights, he started many periodicals like Mook Nayak, Bahishkrit Bharat, and Equality Janta.
After India attained independence in 1947, Ambedkar accepted Congress’ proposal to serve as the country’s first Law Minister and was appointed chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee on August 29, 1947. On November 26 1949, the Constitution was adopted by the Constituent Assembly. On December 25, 1927, Ambedkar publicly condemned the Manusmriti for justifying caste discrimination and untouchability and led thousands of Dalits and burnt copies of the text. Ambedkar opposed Article 370 of the Constitution of India, which granted a special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and which was included against his wishes. He resigned in 1951 when the Parliament delayed the draft which sought to enact gender equality in the inheritance law.
Ambedkar considered converting to Sikhism. But after meeting with Sikh leaders, he concluded that he might get “second-rate” Sikh status, as described by scholar Stephen P Cohen. Instead, he studied Buddhism all his life. Around 1950, he devoted his attention to Buddhism and travelled to Sri Lanka to attend a meeting of the World Fellowship of Buddhists. After meetings with the Sri Lankan Buddhist monk Hammalawa Saddhatissa, Ambedkar organized a formal public ceremony for himself and his supporters in Nagpur on October 14, 1956.
Accepting the Three Refuges and Five Precepts from a Buddhist monk, in the traditional manner, Ambedkar completed his own conversion, along with his second wife Savita. Ambedkar passed away on December 6, 1956 in New Delhi where he was accorded a Buddhist cremation. In 1990, Ambedkar was posthumously conferred with Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award.