On October 5, a 10 ft tall bronze statue of King Ashoka – an icon central to the Buddhist movement – rolled into Chennai city and made its way to the Ambedkar Manimandapam in Adyar. The statue, made in Nagapattinam district, is being taken across multiple states as part of Ashoka-Ambedkar Dhamma Yatra to a historic site: The Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur, Maharashtra, where Dr Ambedkar, alongside nearly half a million Dalits, converted to Buddhism. The yatra, undertaken by the Buddhist Fraternity Council, aims to build alliances in various states among Ambedkarite Buddhists.
The rally began at the Ambedkar Manimandapam and made its way to the old South Indian Buddhist Vihara and then to the new South Indian Buddhist Vihara, in Perambur, which was the final stop for the day. Activists, monks, members of Tamil Buddhist sangam of women and children and political leaders like the Dravida Kazhagam’s (DK) president K Veeramani, gathered to assert their solidarity with the rally.
Speaking to TNM, Bharathi Prabhu, one of the organisers, quoted Ambedkar who said that ‘I believe my people will sacrifice everything to establish Buddhism in India,’ to underline the significance of the event. Buddhism means sacrifice, said Bharathi.
And for each participant of the rally, Buddhism means something different. To the youngsters of the Tamil Buddhist sangam, Nila Dhamma, Buddhism means freedom. Tharani and Akshatha, teenagers who are a part of the sangam, said they’re proud to be part of a sangam dedicated to women and children. They pointed out that most Buddhist sangams tend to be male-dominated.
“We all know, wherever it may be, whether a profession or a movement, women have not come into those spaces easily. It has only been through the struggle of many leaders and movements,” said Tharani who is 14-years-old. “Our role models are Babasaheb Ambedkar and King Ashoka. Babasaheb ensured equality for women. It is also on us to take the fight forward,” she said. Fifteen-year-old Akshatha said an emphasis on rationality is what separates Buddhism from other religions, “The Buddha tells us to test his ideals for ourselves. Don’t follow an ideal simply because I have told you, do it only if it feels right to you, is what he says. We feel blessed to walk such a path of freedom,” she said.
Both teenagers along with their families converted to Buddhism some years back at Ambedkar Manimandapam. “After the Buddha, another person to create a great revolution was Ashoka. So when a yatra is taking place for him, there is no way that we could not participate. So we have taken leave from school and we are very, very happy to be here,” said Akshatha.
Sammana Ariya Brahma, a monk from the Theravada sect of Buddhism, said between Babasaheb Ambedkar and Buddha, there is a missing link. “That link is Ashoka. He was a Theravada king. Jawaharlal Nehru called Ashoka’s rule a golden period because he abolished war. He ruled by loving kindness which is a Buddhist concept.”
For Udayakiran, a Dalit college student representing the Telangana Buddhist Society, Buddhism offers a way to make sense of his own fights. “I need peace. I am very confused by this patriarchal society. I’ve had some humiliating experiences in my childhood, so I don’t like this patriarchal society. I want to explore Buddhism and other parts of south India’s culture. I want to know why people converted to Buddhism. Maybe they were Hindu or Muslim in the past, so why did they convert to Buddhism? In my family they pray to all gods, but I am an atheist. I go to places of worship only to see the architecture and the place, but I don’t pray,” he said.
The Ashoka-Ambedkar Dhamma rally began at Mavelikara in Kerala on September 30 and crossed into Tamil Nadu, stopping in Madurai and in Theni district’s Periyakulam before reaching Chennai through Puducherry. The yatra entered Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) in Karnataka on October 9 and is presently in Bangalore. The yatra is scheduled to reach the historic Dheekshabhoomi site on October 22 which will be the final resting place of King Ashoka’s statue.
With inputs from Anisha Seth
Watch: Why King Ashoka came to Chennai: An Ambedkarite Dhamma Rally