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Why Go For Conversion? – Speech by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar

In 1935 at Nasik district, Maharashtra, Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar had
declared his firm resolve to change his religion. He had declared that
he was born as a Hindu but will not die as Hindu. About a year later, a
massive Mahar conference was held on May 30 and 31, 1936, in Mumbai, to
access the impact of that declaration on Mahar masses. In his address to
the conference, Dr.Ambedkar expressed his views on conversion in an
elaborate, well- prepared and written speech in Marathi. Here is an
English translation of that speech by Mr.Vasant Moon, OSD to the
committee of Govt. of Maharashtra for publication of Writings &
speeches of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar

Conversion is not a game of
children. It is not a subject of entertainment. It deals with how to
make man’s life successful. Just as a boatman has to make all necessary
preparations before he starts for voyage, so also we have to make
preparations. Unless I get an idea as to how many persons are willing to
leave the Hindu fold, I cannot start preparations for conversion.

For a common man this subject of conversion is very important but also very difficult to understand.
Class Struggle

There are two aspects of conversion; social as well as religious;
material as well as spiritual. Whatever may be the aspect, or line of
thinking, it is necessary to understand the beginning, the nature of
Untouchability and how it is practiced. Without this understanding, you
will not be able to realize the real meaning underlying my declaration
of conversion. In order to have a clear understanding of untouchability
and its practice in real life, I want you to recall the stories of the
atrocities perpetrated against you. But very few of you might have
realized as to why all this happens! What is at the root cause of their
tyranny? To me it is very necessary, that we understand it.

This
is not a feud between rival men. The problem of untouchability is a
matter of class struggle. It is the struggle between caste Hindus and
the Untouchables. That is not a matter of doing injustice against one
man. This is a matter of injustice being done by one class against
another. This “class struggle” has a relation with the social status.
This struggle indicates, how one class should keep its relation with
another class. This struggle starts as soon as you start claiming equal
treatment with others…
Conversion not for slaves

The reason
for their anger is very simple. Your behaving on par with them insults
them. The untouchability is not a short or temporary feature; it is a
permanent one .To put it straight, it can be said that the struggle
between the Hindus and the Untouchables is a permanent phenomena. It is
eternal, because the religion which has placed you at the lowest level
of the society is itself eternal, according to the belief of the Hindu
caste people. No change, according to time and circumstances is
possible. You are at the lowest rung of the ladder today. You shall
remain lowest forever. This means the struggle between Hindus and
Untouchables shall continue forever. How will you survive through this
struggle is the main question. And unless you think over it, there is no
way out. Those who desire to live in obedience to the dictates of the
Hindus, those who wish to remain their slaves, they do not need to think
over this problem. But those who wish to live a life of self-respect,
and equality, will have to think over this. How should we survive
through this struggle? For me, it is not difficult to answer this
question. Those who have assembled here will have to agree that in any
struggle one who holds strength becomes the victor. One, who has no
strength, need not expect success. This has been proved by experience,
and I do not need to cite illustration to prove it.
Three types of Strength

The question that follows, which you must now consider, is whether you
have enough strength to survive through this struggle? Three types of
strength are known to man: (i) Manpower, (ii) Finance and (iii) Mental
Strength. Which of these, you think that you possess? So far as manpower
is concerned, it is clear, that you are in a minority. In Mumbai
Presidency, the untouchables are only one-eighth of the total
population. That too unorganized. The castes within themselves do not
allow them to organize. They are not even compact. They are scattered
through the villages. Under these circumstances, this small population
is of no use as a fighting force to the untouchables at their critical
moments. Financial strength is also just the same. It is an undisputed
fact that you at least have a little bit of manpower, but finances you
have none. You have no trade, no business, no service, no land. The
piece of bread thrown out by the higher castes, are your means of
livelihood. You have no food, no clothes. What financial strength can
you have? You have no capacity to get redress from the law courts.
Thousands of untouchables tolerate insult, tyranny and oppression at the
hands of Hindus without a sigh of complaint, because they have no
capacity to bear the expenses of the courts. As regards mental strength,
the condition is still worst. The tolerance of insults and tyranny
without grudge and complaint has killed the sense of retort and revolt.
Confidence, vigour and ambition have been completely vanished from you.
All of you have been become helpless, unenergetic and pale. Everywhere,
there is an atmosphere of defeatism and pessimism. Even the slight idea,
that you can do something does not enter your mind.
Muslim Example

If, whatever I have described above is correct then you will have to
agree with the conclusion that follows. The conclusion is, if you depend
only upon your own strength, you will never be able to face the tyranny
of the Hindus. I have no doubt that you are oppressed because you have
no strength. It is not that you alone are in minority. The Muslims are
equally small in number. Like Mahar- Mangs, they too have few houses in
the village. But no one dares to trouble the Muslims while you are
always a victim of tyranny. Why is this so? Though there may be two
houses of Muslims in the village, nobody dares to harm them, while the
whole village practices tyranny against you though you have ten houses.
Why does this happen? This is a very pertinent question and you will
have to find out a suitable answer to this. In my opinion, there is only
one answer to this question. The Hindus realize that the strength of
the whole of the Muslim population in India stands behind those two
houses of Muslims living in a village and, therefore, they do not dare
to touch them. Those two houses also enjoy free and fearless life
because they are aware that if any Hindu commits aggression against
them, the whole Muslim community from Punjab to Madras will rush to
their protection at any cost. On the other hand, the Hindus are sure
that none will come to your rescue, nobody will help you, no financial
help will reach you. Tahsildar and police belong to caste Hindus and in
case of disputes between Hindus and Untouchables, they are more faithful
to their caste than to their duty. The Hindus practice injustice and
tyranny against you only because you are helpless.
Read - Ravidas, Thakurs’ Arrogance, and Double Game
Outside Support

From the above discussion, two facts are very clear. Firstly, you can
not face tyranny without strength. And secondly, you do not possess
enough strength to face the tyranny. With these two conclusions, a third
one automatically follows. That is, the strength required to face this
tyranny needs to be secured from outside. How are you to gain this
strength is really an important question? And you will have to think
over this with an unbiased mind.

From this, you will realize one
thing, that unless you establish close relations with some other
society, unless you join some other religion, you cannot get the
strength from outside. It clearly means, you must leave your present
religion and assimilate yourselves with some other society. Without
that, you cannot gain the strength of that society. So long as you do
not have strength, you and your future generations will have to lead
your lives in the same pitiable condition.
Spiritual Aspect of Conversion

Uptil now, we have discussed why conversion is necessary for material
gains. Now, I propose to put forth my thoughts as to why conversion is
as much necessary for spiritual wellbeing. What is Religion? Why is it
necessary? … ‘That which govern people is religion’. That is the true
definition of Religion. There is no place for an individual in Hindu
society. The Hindu religion is constituted on a class-concept. Hindu
religion does not teach how an individual should behave with another
individual. A religion, which does not recognize the individual, is not
personally acceptable to me.

Three factors are required for the
uplift of an individual. They are: Sympathy, Equality and Liberty. Can
you say by experience that any of these factors exist for you in
Hinduism?
No Equality in Hinduism

Such a living example of
inequality is not to be found anywhere in the world. Not at anytime in
the history of mankind can we find such inequality, which is more
intense than untouchability… I think, you have been thrust into this
condition because you have continued to be Hindus. Those of you who have
become Muslims, are treated by the Hindus neither as Untouchables nor
as unequals. The same can be said of those who have become Christians…

That God is all pervading is a principle of science and not of
religion, because religion has a direct relation with the behaviour of
man. Hindus can be ranked among those cruel people whose utterances and
acts are two poles apart. They have this Ram on their tongues and a
knife under their armpits. They speak like saints but act like butchers…

Thus we are not low in the eyes of the Hindus alone, but we are the
lowest in the whole of India, because of the treatment given to us by
the Hindus.

If you have to get rid of this same shameful
condition, if you have to cleanse this filth and make use of this
precious life; there is only one way and that is to throw off the
shackles of Hindu religion and the Hindu society in which you are bound.

The taste of a thing can be changed. But the poison cannot be made
amrit. To talk of annihilating castes is like talking of changing the
poison into amrit. In short, so long as we remain in a religion, which
teaches a man to treat another man like a leper, the sense of
discrimination on account of caste, which is deeply rooted in our minds,
can not go. For annihilating caste and untouchables, change of religion
is the only antidote.
Untouchables are not Hindus

What is
there in conversion, which can be called novel? Really speaking what
sort of social relations have you with the caste Hindus at present? You
are as separate from the Hindus as Muslims and Christians are. So is
their relation with you. Your society and that of the Hindus are two
distinct groups. By conversion, nobody can say or feel that one society
has been split up. You will remain as separate from the Hindus as you
are today. Nothing new will happen on account of this conversion. If
this is true, then why should people be afraid of conversion? At least, I
do not find any reason for such a fear…
Revolution – Not Reform

Changing a religion is like changing a name. Change of religion
followed by the change of name will be more beneficial to you. To call
oneself a Muslim, a Christian, a Buddhist or a Sikh is not merely a
change of religion but also a change of name.. Since the beginning of
this movement of conversion, various people have raised various
objections to it. Let us now examine the truth, if any, in such
objections…

A congenital idiot alone will say that one has to
adhere to one’s religion because it is that of our ancestors. No sane
man will accept such a proposition. Those who advocate such an argument,
seem not to have read the history at all. The ancient Aryan religion
was called Vedic religion. It has three distinct characteristic
(features). Beef-eating, drinking and merry-making was part of the
religion of the day. Thousands of people followed it in India and even
now some people dream of going back to it. If the ancient religion alone
is to be adhered to why did the people of India leave Hinduism and
accept Buddhism? Why did they divorce themselves from the Vedic
religion?… Thus this Hindu religion is not the religion of our
ancestors, but it was a slavery forced upon them…

To reform the
Hindu society is neither our aim nor our field of action. Our aim is to
gain freedom. We have nothing to do with anything else.

If we can
gain freedom by conversion, why should we shoulder the responsibility
of reforming the Hindu religion? And why should we sacrifice our
strength and property for that? None should misunderstand the object of
our movement as being Hindu social reform. The object of our movement is
to achieve social freedom for the untouchables. It is equally true that
this freedom cannot be secured without conversion.
Caste can’t be destroyed

I do accept that the untouchables need equality as well. And to secure
equality is also one of our objectives. But nobody can say that this
equality can be achieved only by remaining as Hindu and not otherwise.
There are two ways of achieving equality. One, by remaining in the Hindu
fold and another by leaving it by conversion. If equality is to be
achieved by remaining in the Hindu fold, mere removal of the sense of
being a touchable or an untouchable will not serve the purpose. Equality
can be achieved only when inter-caste dinners and marriages take place.
This means that the Chaturvarnya must be abolished and the Brahminic
religion must be uprooted. Is it possible? And if not, will it be wise
to expect equality of treatment by remaining in the Hindu religion? And
can you be successful in your efforts to bring equality? Of course not.
The path of conversion is far simpler than this. The Hindu society does
not give equality of treatment, but the same is easily achieved by
conversion. If this is true, then why should you not adopt this simple
path of conversion?
Conversion is the simplest path

According
to me, this conversion of religion will bring happiness to both the
Untouchables as well as the Hindus. So long as you remain Hindus, you
will have to struggle for social intercourse, for food and water, and
for inter-caste marriages. And so long as this quarrel continues,
relations between you and the Hindus will be of perpetual enemies. By
conversion, the roots of all the quarrels will vanish… thus by
conversion, if equality of treatment can be achieved and the affinity
between the Hindus and the Untouchables can be brought about then why
should the Untouchables not adopt the simple and happy path of securing
equality? Looking at this problem through this angle, it will be seen
that this path of conversion is the only right path of freedom, which
ultimately leads to equality. It is neither cowardice nor escapism.
Read - What Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Said about Nietzsche
Sanctified Racism

Although the castes exist in Muslims and the Christians alike, it will be meanness to liken it to that of the Hindus. There

is a great distinction between the caste-system of the Hindus and that
of the Muslims and Christians. Firstly, it must be noted that though the
castes exist amongst the Christians and the Muslims, it is not the
chief characteristic of their body social.

There is one more
difference between the caste system of the Hindus and that of the
Muslims and Christians. The caste system in the Hindus has the
foundation of religion. The castes in other religions have no sanction
in their religion …Hindus cannot destroy their castes without destroying
their religion. Muslims and Christians need not destroy their religions
for eradication of their castes. Rather their religion will support
such movements to a great extent.
Conversion alone liberates us

I am simply surprised by the question, which some Hindus ask us as to
what can be achieved by conversion alone? Most of the present day Sikhs,
Muslims and Christians were formerly Hindus, majority of them being
from the Shudras and Untouchables. Do these critics mean to say that
those, who left the Hindu fold and embraced Sikhism or Christianity,
have made no progress at all? And if this is not true, and if it is
admitted that the conversion has brought a distinct improvement in their
condition, then to say that the untouchables will not be benefited by
conversion, carries no meaning…

After giving deep thought to the
problem, everybody will have to admit that conversion is necessary to
the Untouchables as self-government is to India. The ultimate object of
both is the same. There is not the slightest difference in their
ultimate goal. This ultimate aim is to attain freedom. And if the
freedom is necessary for the life of mankind, conversion of Untouchables
which brings them complete freedom cannot be called worthless by any
stretch of imagination…
Economic Progress or Social Changes?

I
think it necessary here to discuss the question as to what should be
initiated first, whether economic progress or conversion? I do not agree
with the view that economic progress should precede…

Untouchability is a permanent handicap on your path of progress. And
unless you remove it, your path cannot be safe. Without conversion, this
hurdle cannot be removed…

So, if you sincerely desire that your
qualifications should be valued, your education should be of some use to
you, you must throw away the shackles of untouchability, which means
that you must change your religion…

However, for those who need
this Mahar Watan, I can assure them that their Mahar Watan will not be
jeopardized by their conversion. In this regard, the Act of 1850 can be
referred. Under the provisions of this Act, no rights of person or his
successors with respect to his property are affected by virtue of his
conversion…
Poona Pact

A second doubt is about political
rights. Some people express fear as to what will happen to our political
safeguards if we convert…

But I feel, it is not proper to depend
solely on political rights. These political safeguards are not granted
on the condition that they shall be ever lasting. They are bound to
cease sometime. According to the communal Award of the British
Government, our political safeguards were limited for 20 years. Although
no such limitation has been fixed by the Poona Pact, nobody can say
that they are everlasting. Those, who depend upon the political
safeguards, must think as to what will happen after these safeguards are
withdrawn on the day on which our rights cease to exist. We will have
to depend on our social strength. I have already told you that this
social strength is wanting in us. So also I have proved in the beginning
that this strength cannot be achieved without conversion…
Political Rights

Under these circumstances, one must think of what is permanently beneficial.

In my opinion, conversion is the only way to eternal bliss. Nobody
should hesitate even if the political rights are required to be
sacrificed for this purpose. Conversion brings no harm to the political
safeguards. I do not understand why the political safeguards should at
all be jeopardized by conversion. Wherever you may go, your political
rights and safeguards will accompany you. I have no doubt about it.

If you become Muslims, you will get the political rights as Muslims. If
you become Christians, you will get the political rights as Christians,
if you become Sikhs, you will have your political rights as Sikhs. In
short, our political rights will accompany us.

So nobody should
be afraid of it. On the other hand, if we remain Hindus and do not
convert, will our rights be safe? You must think carefully on this.
Suppose the Hindus pass a law whereby the untouchability is prohibited
and its practice is made punishable, then they may ask you, ‘We have
abolished untouchability by law and you are no longer untouchables…

Looking through this perspective, conversion becomes a path for
strengthening the political safeguards rather than becoming a hindrance.
If you remain Hindus, you are sure to lose your political safeguards.
If you want to save them, leave this religion. The political safeguards
will be permanent only by conversion.

The Hindu religion does not
appeal to my conscience. It does not appeal to my self-respect.
However, your conversion will be for material as well as for spiritual
gains. Some persons mock and laugh at the idea of conversion for
material gains. I do not feel hesitant in calling such persons as
stupid.
Conversion brings Happiness

I tell you all very specifically, religion is for man and not man for religion. To get human treatment, convert yourselves.

CONVERT -For getting organized.

CONVERT -For becoming strong.

CONVERT -For securing equality.

CONVERT -For getting liberty.

CONVERT -For that your domestic life may be happy.

I consider him as leader who without fear or favour tells the people
what is good and what is bad for them. It is my duty to tell you, what
is good for you, even if you don’t like it, I must do my duty. And now I
have done it.

It is now for you to decide and discharge your responsibility.

Reference: “Bhim Chakra 1996” published by Oil & Natural Gas Corp. Ltd. Tripura project, Agartala.