A Piece of Oral History – Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Visit to
Jalandhar in October, 1951
The forthcoming October 27, 2026 will mark 75 years of the epoch making visit of Babasaheb Ambedkar to Jalandhar. It is a matter of great honour and pride that during the visit, he not only visited and stayed at the residence of Seth Kishan Dass and addressed a mammoth public meeting at my native place, Bootan Mandi, an abode of Dalits in the out-skirts of then Jalandhar city. My motivation to write on the subject arose from the decision of
The historic visit of Babasaheb Ambedkar to Jalandhar took
place at a very crucial period of the changing socio-political milieu. PM
Jawaharlal Nehru’s famous speech “tryst with destiny’ was still making waves in
the air and euphoria of newly gained independence in August, 1947 was still
prevailing. The new constitution, of which Ambedkar himself was the chief
architect, came into force in January, 1950. In spite of the fact that Ambedkar
was a staunch and vocal critic and opponent of Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress
Party, it fell on him to draft, steer and get the constitution of India made
which he did with aplomb; one of the best written document prepared in the
given situation in the spirit of accommodation and unity to keep India on rails
in the aftermath of partition and resultant communal animosity. Though, to my
mind, the new constitution did not completely conform to the ideas and vision
of its framer, Babasaheb Ambedkar yet he succeeded in incorporating and leaving
a definite imprint of his thought of ‘Sovereign, Socialist, Secular and
Democratic Republic’ to secure to ‘We the people of India’, Justice, Liberty,
Equality and Fraternity’ – the very essence of Lord Buddha’s lofty
philosophy. After this great job done
for the country, Ambedkar was interested, as a staunch nationalist and
visionary leader, doing his bit for the total transformation of the country and
the society at large with a view to convert the newly established political
democracy into social and economic democracy. He proposed to PM Nehru to engage
him with some concrete duties and delivery in some important portfolios in the
cabinet but Nehru did not pay any heed to these proposals. Ambedkar as a man of
principles and unimpeachable integrity and moral standing resigned from the
Nehru’s cabinet in March, 1951, of course a difficult decision at that juncture
of the crucial times. I have given this background purposely for the benefit of
the younger generations and put the things in perspective. One can make out that
in what circumstances, Ambedkar embarked upon the political journey as a leader
of the opposition for the empowerment of the weaker sections of the society and
to establish a just and equitable social order, a subject dear to him from the
very beginning of his struggle to reform the society.
On resigning from the government, the first thing at hand was
to awaken and organize the masses particularly of the marginalized segments of
the society. Ambedkar undertook this difficult exercise right earnestly under
the umbrella of All India Scheduled Castes Federation (AISCF) which he floated
some years ago to carry forward his political agenda. Ambedkar’s visit to
Jalandhar in October, 1951, hosted and organized by the Punjab Chapter of AISCF
under the stewardship of Seth Kishan Dass and supported by his young lieutenants,
K.C. Sulekh, Pritam Ramdasspuri, Bhagmal Pagal, Kartara Ram Madhas, among
others, was to pursue that process and goal. The political atmosphere was
charged with the forthcoming first elections under the new constitution
scheduled to be held in early 1952. The security situation was also worrisome
due political killings in the region including that of Liaquat Ali Khan of
Pakistan. It was further charged with
opposition and protests of the right-wing elements in the Hindu society; RSS,
Jan Sangh, Hindu Mahasabha among other against the constitution, Hindu Code
Bill and Dr. Ambedkar himself who was the maker of the constitution and initiator of the Hindu reforms. The political and also socio-cultural
situation in the country was fluid. One may imagine how difficult it might have
been to for Babasaheb to take the lead and start the mobilization without any
financial and organizational edifice and patronage. The visit took place under
these trying conditions.
Some snippets and nuggets pertaining the visit –
-
Babasaheb
landed at Rajasanshi (now named Guru Ram dass) Airport at Amritsar. He was
given a rousing welcome, unprecedented to an ordinary citizen by his followers
mostly of the Dalit communities. AISCF
made all the arrangements to travel by road to Jalandhar. My fellow
BootanMandian, Pritam Ramdasspuri, nephew of Seth Kishan Dass drove him in
their personal saloon car. In view of the security situation, Pritam
Ramdasspuri, a dedicated and committed man was armed with personal revolver.
Dr. Bhagat Singh was another young man who touched the feet of Babasaheb at the
reception line at the airport.
-
The
road journey should have taken about 2 hours at the most but it took more than
6 hours. The carcade of Ambedkar Saheb had to stop to honour the public wishes
at many a times and places in an organized way and otherwise too. People were
so overwhelmed that they were falling on each other to see one of the greatest
sons of India in the contemporary times. This is what was shared with me by
Pritam Ramdasspuri himself.
-
My
father, Sodhi Ram, a young man of about 25 at that time who was also involved
with the visit as a young volunteer to raise the funds, told me that more than
7 lakh people right from the Guru Ravidass Gurdwara in Bootan Mandi to Ambedkar
Bhawan, a vast chunk of agriculture land around, were waiting eagerly to see
the messiah of the depressed and oppressed masses. I think Jalandhar never saw
that kind of congregation in its history of centuries.
-
My
friend Prem Dass Shant, BSP activist, told me that he was a young lad of 5
years and the only memory of the huge rally which is still inscribed in his
mind is that his cousin, Gurnam, one of volunteers of the Samta Sainik
Dal, was dressed with blue cap and blue
trouser with a stick in hand along with other volunteer. Samta Sainik Dal,
founded by Babasaheb Ambedkar in the latter half of-1920s, was deployed to man
he bandovast of the rally.
-
A
special and designated Chair of the Gurus (made of Chandi/Silver) were brought
from Kartarpur, a small town in the vicinity of Jalandhar for the dignitary but
Babasaheb refused to sit on that chair on the plea that he was a simple man, a
humble representative of the poor and hapless people. But he had to relent as
the hosts insisted and said that Babasaheb was, to them, was more revered than
anyone else. My father told me that the next day the Urdu Partap carried an
editorial written by Mahashey Krishan which sarcastically mentioned about this
incident.
-
Our
forefathers of that time were a band farsighted people. It was decided to
present a bag of token money, Rs.1100/- to the visiting dignitary. In spite of
the fact that Seth Sunder Dass of Bootan Mandi, a renowned socio-political
activist of Bootan Mandi, was the supporter of the Congress Party, the hosts of
the AISCF led by Seth Kishan Dass choose Seth Sunder Dass to do the honours to
handover the pouch (Thailli) as Ambedkar was the icon of the community much
above the political considerations. In all magnanimity, Seth Sunder Dass agreed
and did the job graciously.
-
The
atmosphere at the public rally was fully charged with the socio-political
emotions which was fully reflected and delivered by the poets/shyars of the
community; Gurdass Ram Alam, a poet of the poor people, recited his freshly
penned Punjabi poem – Aj Kaun Aya Savere Savere; Bada Shor Painda Gariban De
Dere and Pritam Ramdasspuri, an Urdu/Persian/Punjabi poet of standing paid his
respect – Hindostan Ko Hasti-e-Ambedkar Pe Naaz Hai among others.
-
The
hosts thoughtfully presented a Letter of Honour – Maan Patar written in Urdu and
read by Seth Kishan Dass himself which not only spoke high of the icon but also
hoped and prayed for the continued leadership of Babasaheb. Now that Maan Patar
has been translated into English and Punjabi after more than 70 years. There is
a small story behind this which I would like to share here. No one could
preserve and keep the Maan Patra in the fast changing political equations, not
even the young General Secretary of Punjab AISCF who was the Master of
Ceremonies or Stage Secretary on October 25 rally, K.C. Sulekh. One of my close
friends, Ram Lal Dass who was a staunch Ambedkarite and a man of academic and
intellectual pursuits produced the original copy of the finely calligraphed
document and shared it with Sulekh Sahib and Lahori Ram Balley Editor-in-chief of
the Bheem Patrika, an informal archive keeper of the letter and spirit of the
Ambedkar thought and legacy. Ram Lal told me that it was just accidental that
one day one of their close relations mentioned to him that he had found an old
document in his papers but, as it was written in Urdu, he could not make out
but it was. Ram Lal knew a bit of Urdu from the days of his initial education
in Patna and found that it was a document of historic value, the Maan Patar
presented to Babasaheb on October 27, 1951 at Bootan Mandi. He thoughtfully
curated it and treasured. The opening para of the Patar reads -
“Most
Revered Baba Sahib,
“This is
either the sheer good fortune of the
untouchables
of Punjab or may I just call it to be a
nature’s
bounty that finally the much awaited
celebrated
day has arrived when we are actually able
to have your
august presence amongst us. We are
actually in
a state of disbelief and our eyes still are
enchanted
that we are actually having the ‘Darshan’
(divine
view) of our beloved god. Your great saga of
accomplishments
for this hapless and god-damned
community in
liberating it from the strangulating
clutches of
the mighty religious and social ‘gods’ or
better be
called ‘devils’, has even surpassed the
Fables of
Hatim Tai.”
-
Vidya
Bhushan Rawat in one of his write ups in the Forward Press has written about
his interview of K.C. Sulekha who was the eye-witness of the public rally at
Bootan Mandi as an Anchor. It gives the true account of the huge assembly of
mankind, “Sulekh recalls that a rousing welcome was given to Ambedkar in
Jalandhar. Ambedkar addressed the rally at around 4 pm. He spoke in a language
that the common people could easily understand. His style was akin to that of
an elder counselling the younger members of the family. Ambedkar was
accompanied by his wife Savita Ambedkar, Seth Kishan Das, R.C. Pal (secretary,
SCF) and others. So popular was Ambedkar that people were dying to come close
to him, to touch him. He spoke for about an hour and a half. The audience heard
him with rapt attention. Only his voice resonated in the air.”
-
In
the evening Babsaheb and his associates including his wife Savita Ambedkar visited
Seth Kishan Dass’s residence popularly called ’Kishan Dass Da Chabara’ and
interacted with the leaders of the community and relished the Punjabi delicacy
’Sarson Da Saag Te Makki Di Roti’ prepared on ascertaining the food preference
of the honourable Guest. During the
inter-action, it is said, Babasaheb casually enquired as to why Kishan Dass and
Sunder Dass were called ‘Seths’? There was no direct answer and was informed
that “Seth’ was just an honorific for respect and regard.
Coming to the speech, it was a clarion call to the
marginalized sections of the society to stand up and get united to capture the
political power. He said, “I want to tell you that without political power we
cannot exist in this world. We have secured reservation of seats in the
Provincial Assemblies and the Union Parliament but this is only for 10 years
and nobody can say what will happen after 10 years. If our true representatives
are not sent to Assemblies and Parliament, all our efforts will be in vain but
if they are sent something will come out of it. Otherwise, we cannot have a
voice in the Government and local bodies.” Amidst thunderous applause from the
audience, he concluded, “In the end, I want to inform you that there is only
one party which can do something for the Scheduled Castes and that is the
Scheduled Castes Federation. I have built the house for you and it is up to you
to maintain it in proper order. I have planted the tree, if you water it, you
will enjoy the fruits and you will be able to enjoy its shade, if not, you will
have to sit in the sun. Our community will be ruined. So every Scheduled Caste
should come under the banner of the Scheduled Castes Federation and make it
more powerful. Only if we unite, can we achieve something. United we stand and
divided we fall. The core message of Babasaheb exhorted the Dalit communities
to organize, stand up for their rights, and build an independent political
alternative rather than relying on existing political parties that had
sidelined them. The lecture presented a considered view, at the dawn of the
Republic of India, to set the ball rolling for the further struggle to empower
the depressed and oppressed masses under the provisions of the new constitution
of India. The full text of the speech is available in my book – Bootan Mandi:
Nerve Centre of Dalit Chetna.
The next day, on October 28, 1951, Babsaheb Ambedkar was invited to DAV College Jalandhar to address the Students’ Parliament of the College. He was not given any specific theme or subject and Principal Lala Gian Chand left it to the worthy speaker to choose the subject of his address. Thoughtfully, Ambedkar choose to speak on ‘The Future of Parliamentary democracy in India’, a topical and
.jfif)
A Free and Robust Opposition: Essential for holding the
ruling party accountable and ensuring the government can be challenged based on
performance.
Free and Fair Elections: The mechanism that grants citizens
the power to dismiss underperforming governments. His message to the youth was
clear and candid which stressed the immense civic responsibility borne by the
younger generation. He said, "A great deal of the future of this country
must necessarily depend on the students of this country. Students are an
intelligent part of the community and they can shape public opinion."
Today the things have come to such a pass when the youth: Gen – Z is vocal and
the polity is taking yet another churn. One can easily assess the relevance of
Babasaheb’s thought and vision. The historic speech of Babasaheb is available
in my book - Some Random Thoughts on Babasaheb Ambedkar and His Legacy. It is a
matter gratification to note that the photo taken at the time of the lecture is
adorning the Hall of Fame of DAV College which tends to inspire the Gen-Z. My
father told me that Mahashey Krishan of the Urdu Partap wrote the next day and
fully appreciated and applauded the visionary leader for delivering a thought
provoking lecture. Later, on suggestions and due consideration, Principal
Jagdish Joshi, an eminent academic and intellectual included the speech in his
magnum opus – One Hundred Years of DAV College (1918-2018) and wrote in
introductory commentary, ‘One conspicuous feature of this chapter is that Dr.
B.R. Ambedkar delivered a speech at DAV College Jalandhar on the 28the October,
1961. His views are still relevant about the real ‘parliamentary democracy’.
Other points touched by him are true even in 2018 as they were in October,
1951.”
Uthaye Kuch Waraq Lale Ne, Kuch Nargis Ne, Kuch Gul Ne
Chaman Mein Har Taraf Bikhri Huwi Hai Dastan Meri
(Some leaves were picked up by the tulip, some by the narcissus, some by the
rose
My story is scattered around everywhere in the garden)
Urha Li Qumriyon Ne, Tootiyon Ne, Andleebon Ne
Chaman Walon Ne Mil Kar Loot Li Tarz-e-Faghan Meri
(The turtle‐doves, parrots, and nightingales
pilfered away
The garden’s denizens jointly robbed away my plaintive way)
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