NAGA ANCESTRAL HUMAN REMAINS
1. Context
The Naga community of Northeast India has initiated an overseas repatriation effort to bring their ancestral human remains home from a museum in Britain. The step is in line with a larger effort by museums around the world to “decolonise” their collections. This is the first such effort to repatriate the ancestral human remains of an indigenous community in India, possibly South Asia
2. What is the Initiative
- In 2020, the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, England, announced that it would take its collection of “human remains” and other “insensitive” exhibits off display, following a three-year-long “ethical review”
- Museum director Laura Van Broekhoven said these items, sourced during the expansion of the British Empire, played into stereotypical thinking about cultures elsewhere as “savage” or “primitive”
- The museum, which has a rich collection of 500,000 items from almost all periods of human existence across the world, also said that it was reaching out to communities for restitution and repatriation of these remains to their rightful homes
- Melbourne-based Naga anthropologist Dolly Kikon then reached out to Broekhoven to ask if Naga remains housed in the museum for more than 100 years could be repatriated to the Naga homeland
- The request triggered a community-led initiative for repatriation
- The Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) — a Nagaland-based collective which, since 2008, has been a key facilitator in the Naga peace process — is the main mover of the initiative
3. Naga Objects in the Museum
- The museum is home to the largest Naga collection in the world: approximately 6,500 objects, 898 of which are on display.
- The Museum is largely typologically displayed but there is a dedicated Naga display in the Upper Gallery
- The collection includes objects of everyday Naga life including clothing items, agricultural tools, figures, basketry, ceramics, and musical instruments but also human remains
- Most of these objects were sourced by colonial administrators James Philip Mills and John Henry Hutton in the 1800s
4. About Naga Human remains
- Broekhoven said that the ancestral remains including skulls, trophy heads, a part of a finger, etc. originate from at least 13 different Naga groups
- The largest number of remains (78) are attributed to the Konyak Naga, followed by Angami Naga (38) and Sumi Naga (30)
- Repatriation is a long and complex process that takes years
- Most successful repatriation efforts such as those of New Zealand’s Moriori and Australia’s Tasmanian aboriginal people from the Natural History Museum, London to their native lands have taken at least two decades
- In the Naga case, conversations are underway. In 2020, the FNR, in collaboration with Kikon and Edinburgh-based Arkotong Longkumer, another Naga anthropologist, formed a Naga research team called “Recover Restore and Decolonise” (RRaD)
- The RRaD team is conducting interviews, holding community-facing meetings, and generating public awareness about the initiative
- This is the first step to building a case for an official claim to the University of Oxford (of which the museum is part).
- The Pitt Rivers Museum said it takes requests or claims for repatriation on a case-by-case basis
- In December 2022, Broekhoven visited Nagaland to meet with the stakeholders, including community elders
Source: indianexpress
MAHAD SATYAGRAHA
1. Context
Babasaheb’s most significant contribution lay in galvanising the movement for Dalit emancipation. He is credited with awakening the Dalit consciousness, which powered the community’s bid for political power. It all started with the Mahad Satyagraha of 1927, which was the first major collective protest of the so-called “untouchables” under the stewardship of Ambedkar
As a grateful nation celebrates the 132nd birth anniversary of the father of India’s Constitution, here is a recall of the Mahad Satyagraha, one of the earlier and among the most significant of milestones in a great life
2. Situations led to Satyagraha
- The events that led to the Mahad Satyagraha began to unfold in August 1923.
- The Bombay Legislative Council passed a resolution moved by the social reformer Rao Bahadur S K Bole, which said “the Untouchable classes be allowed to use all public water sources, wells and dharmashalas which are built and maintained out of public funds or administered by bodies appointed by the Government or created by statute, as well as public schools, courts, offices and dispensaries.”
- Albeit with reluctance, the Bombay government adopted the resolution in the following month, and issued directions for its implementation
- The situation on the ground, however, remained unchanged upper caste Hindus would not allow the lower castes to access public water sources
- At that point, Ramchandra Babaji More, a Mahad-based Dalit political leader, approached Ambedkar to preside “over a conference of the Untouchables in Konkan”
- Ambedkar at the time was helping Dalits fight against the social evil of untouchability through the Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha, the institution that he had founded in 1924
- Ambedkar agreed to More’s proposition, and involved himself in overseeing the preparations for the conference, which was to take place in Mahad town in the Konkan (now in Maharashtra’s Raigad district) on March 19 and 20, 1927
- He conducted meetings with local Dalit leaders, stressed on creating “a wave of awakening” among the lower caste people of Konkan, and directed other organisers to conduct meetings to propagate news of the conference
- The volunteers collected Rs 3 from each of the 40 villages and also collected rice and wheat to feed the participants at Mahad. It took nearly two months of preparations to hold the Conference
- Workers and leaders personally met depressed class people and explained to them the importance of the Conference
- Soon after the conference came to an end, a priest of a local temple went around the town claiming that Dalits were planning to enter the temple, and asked people to help thwart them.
- This resulted in a clash in which “20 people were seriously injured and 60-70 people, including 3 to 4 women were wounded”, Teltumbde wrote.
- Some upper caste Hindus filed a case in court against Ambedkar and his followers on December 12, claiming that the tank was private property
- Two days later, the court issued a temporary injunction, prohibiting Babasaheb and other Dalits from going to the tank or taking water from it until further orders.
3. Significance of Satyagraha
- The Mahad Satyagraha is considered to be the “foundational event” of the Dalit movement. This was the first time that the community collectively displayed its resolve to reject the caste system and assert their human rights.
- Although anti-caste protests had taken place before the Mahad Satyagraha, they were mostly localised and sporadic
- The difference between (the) Mahad (Satyagraha) and them mainly lay in the organisation and leadership; they lacked in elements of organisation and the charismatic leadership of Dr Ambedkar
- The Mahad Satyagraha was to become the blueprint for organising future movements against the caste system and its practices.
- It marked an important point in Ambedkar’s political journey, catapulting him to the leadership of the downtrodden and oppressed classes in the country
|
Previous Year Questions:
1. In 1927, Who started the Mahad Satyagraha in Maharashtra (NDA 2022)
A. Mahatma Gandhi
B. Sardar Vallabhai Patel
C. Dr. Ambedkar
D. Jyotiba Phule
Answer: C
|
Source: indianexpress
UTTARMERUR INSCRIPTION
1. Context
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (April 14 2023 ) referred to the Uttaramerur inscription in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, while discussing India’s democratic history
“The inscription found there is like a local constitution for the gram sabha. It tells how the assembly should be run, the qualification of members, the process to elect the members, and how a member would be disqualified.”- PM Modi
2. About Uttarmerur
- Uttaramerur has multiple inscriptions spanning centuries, the most famous one.And it is from the reign of Parantaka I (907-953 AD)
- These provide a detailed description about the village’s self-governance and have been cited by historians and political leaders alike as evidence of India’s history of democratic functioning
- Uttaramerur lies in present-day Kanchipuram district, approximately 90 km southeast of Chennai.
- Today, it is a small town and had a population of roughly 25,000 in the census of 2011. It is known for its historic temples built during Pallava and Chola rule
- The famous inscription from Parantaka I’s reign is found on the walls of the Vaikunda Perumal Temple
3. Details of Inscription
The inscription gives details of the functioning of the local sabha, i.e. the village assembly
A sabha was an assembly exclusively of brahmans and had specialised committees tasked with different things
The Uttaramerur inscription details how members were selected, the required qualifications, their roles and responsibilities, and even the circumstances in which they could be removed
4. About Sabhas and their appointments
- Describing how the sabha shall be constituted, the inscription says, “There will be 30 wards
- Everyone living in these 30 wards would assemble and select one representative for the village assembly.”
- It then goes on to describe what the qualifications for such a representative must be
- These include ownership of a certain amount of land, having a house, being between the age of 35 and 70 and “knowing mantras and Brahmanas” (from the Vedic corpus)
- An exception can be made on land ownership if the person has learnt at least “one Veda and four Bhashyas”. One must also be “well-versed in business” and “virtuous”
- The inscription then lists a number of factors which disqualify someone and their family (all the relations are systematically listed) from consideration
- These include, “not having submitted accounts” while previously serving in a committee, committing any of the first four of the five ‘great sins’ (killing a brahman, drinking alcohol, theft and adultery), being associated with outcastes, and eating ‘forbidden’ dishes.
- All those eligible and willing would write their names on palm leaf tickets following which, the representative would be chosen on the basis of an elaborate draw of lots, conducted by priests in the inner hall of the building where the assembly meets
5. Responsibilities
- The inscription describes a number of important committees within the sabha with their own distinct functions
- These include, the garden committee, the tank committee, the annual committee (an executive committee which required prior experience and knowledge to be a part of), the committee for supervision of justice (for supervising appointments and wrong doing), the gold committee (in charge of all the gold in the village temple) and the five-fold committee (its role is unclear in the inscription)
- These committee assignments would last for 360 days after which the members would have to retire
- Anyone in the committee who was implicated in any wrongdoing, such as forgery or having ridden an donkey (i.e. being punished for a crime), was removed instantly
- lso, the inscription emphasises upon the keeping of accounts – any discrepancy can also disqualify members of the sabha
6.Example of real Democracy
- While the Uttaramerur inscription gives details of local self-governance, on closer inspection, it is far from a truly democratic system
- Not only does it restrict sabha membership to a tiny subsection of land-owning brahmans, it also does not have true elections
- Rather, it chooses members from the eligible pool of candidates through a draw of lots
- That being said, this does not mean that this inscription should not be cited as a precedent for democratic functioning
- The idea of a democracy, as understood today, is a fairly recent phenomenon
- The United States, often hailed as the epitome of a liberal democracy, only gave universal adult franchise to its population in 1965
- What the Uttaramerur inscription details is a system of local self-government, outside the direct authority of the king
- Furthermore, for all intents and purposes, the inscription is like a constitution – it describes both the responsibilities of members of the sabha as well as the limitations to the authority of these members
- If the rule of law (rather than rule by personal diktat) is an essential component of a democracy, the Uttaramerur inscription describes a system of government which follows just that
|
For Prelims: Uttarmerur Inscription, Sabhas, Local Governance
For Mains: 1.The Cholas are said to have established a strong and well organized administration with an element of self-government at the local level. Do you agree? Give reasons (250 Words)
|
Source: indianexpress
AMBEDKAR JAYANTHI
1. Context
On the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti (April 14), we look at Dr. Ambekar's early life and his contribution to Indian society and the issue of separate electorates, Dr. Ambedkar’s position, the opposition to it from Gandhi, and how it was eventually rejected in favor of reservations.
2. About Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
- Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, popularly known as Babasaheb Ambedkar, is widely revered as one of the architects of the Indian Constitution.
- A man of immense stature and many facets, he was also a renowned political leader, eminent jurist, Buddhist activist, philosopher, anthropologist, historian, orator, writer, economist, scholar, and editor.
- Dr. Ambedkar fought to eradicate social evils like untouchability and for the rights of the Dalits and other socially backward classes throughout his life.
- Dr. Ambedkar was appointed as India's first Law Minister in the Cabinet of Jawaharlal Nehru. He was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor in 1990. The birthday of this great individual is celebrated as Ambedkar Jayanti.
- He was born on April 14, 1891, at Mhow near Indore in the then Central Province, now Madhya Pradesh.
- For the first time, activist Janardan Sadashiv Ranapisay celebrated Ambedkar’s birthday publicly on 14 April 1928 in Pune.
- Since then, this day is celebrated as Ambedkar Jayanti or Bhim Jayanti. From a humble origin, Dr. Ambedkar went on to become one of the foremost legal minds in the country.
On March 31, 2021, the Government of India decided to declare April 14 as a public holiday on account of the birthday of Dr. BR Ambedkar.
.png)
3. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar: Emancipator of Dalits
- After returning to India from his studies abroad, Bhimrao Ambedkar observed that caste discrimination was almost fragmenting the Nation. He favored the concept of providing reservations for Dalits and other religious communities.
- With the aim of reaching out to people and making them understand the drawbacks of the prevailing social evils, he launched a newspaper called "Mooknayaka" (leader of the silent).
- In 1923, he set up the 'Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha (Outcastes Welfare Association), for spreading education and culture amongst the downtrodden, improve their economic status and raise matters concerning their problems in the proper forums to focus attention on them and find solutions to the same.
- In 1927, he led the Mahad March at the Chowdar Tank. This marked the beginning of the anti-caste and anti-priest movement.
- The temple entry movement launched by Dr. Ambedkar in 1930 at Kalaram temple, Nasik is another landmark in the struggle for human rights and social justice.
- Following the British Government’s announcement of the ‘Communal Award’ granting the ‘depressed classes’ the right to separate electorates, in September 1932, Dr. Ambedkar and Gandhiji reached an understanding, which became the famous Poona Pact.
- According to this Pact, the provision for separate electorates was dispensed with, and reservations were provided for untouchables in Government jobs and legislative assemblies.
- The Pact carved out a clear and definite position for the downtrodden on the political scene of the country.
- It opened up opportunities for education and government service for them and also gave them the right to vote.
- Dr. Ambedkar attended all three Round Table Conferences in London and each, time emphatically projected his views in the interests of the 'untouchable'.
- He exhorted the downtrodden sections to raise their living standards and acquire as much political power as possible.
4. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar as a National Builder
- Babasaheb underlined the importance of creating not just a political democracy, but also a social and economic one.
- His doctoral thesis inspired the setting up of the Finance Commission of India and his works acted as a beacon in framing guidelines for the RBI Act, of 1934.
- He was one of the founders of Employment Exchanges in our country.
- He played a vital role in the establishment of the National Power Grid System, Central Water Irrigation, Navigation Commission, Damodar Valley Project, Hirakud Dam Project, and Son River Project.
5. Established the Finance Commission of India
- In 1951, Ambedkar established the Finance Commission of India.
- He opposed income tax for low-income groups. He contributed to Land Revenue Tax and excise duty policies to stabilize the economy.
- He played an important role in land reform and the state's economic development. He emphasized equal rights for women for economic development.
- He laid the foundation of industrial relations after Indian independence.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), was based on the ideas that Dr. B.R. Ambedkar presented to the Hilton Young Commission
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was trained as an economist and was a professional economist until 1921 when he became a political leader. He wrote three scholarly books on economics:
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was trained as an economist and was a professional economist until 1921 when he became a political leader. He wrote three scholarly books on economics:
- Administration and Finance of the East India Company
- The Evolution of Provincial Finance in British India
- The Problem of the Rupee: Its Origin and Its Solution.
6. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar as an Architect of the Indian Constitution
- Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was elected as the Chairman of the drafting committee of the Constitution. His statesmanship is visible in every article of the Indian Constitution.
- At the beginning of 1948, Dr. Ambedkar completed the draft of the Constitution and presented it to the Constituent Assembly.
- In November 1949, this draft was adopted with very few amendments.
- Many provisions have been made in the constitution to ensure social justice for scheduled castes, Scheduled tribes, and backward classes.
- Dr. Ambedkar thought that traditional religious values should be given up and new ideas adopted. He laid special emphasis on dignity, unity, freedom, and rights for all citizens as enshrined in the Constitution.
First Law Minister of Independent India
In 1947, when India became independent, he became the first Law Minister of Independent India.
7. Contribution to the Upliftment of Women
- Dr. Ambedkar stressed the importance of economic and social justice for women.
- His ideas are crystallized in his article titled "Castes in India- Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development" in which he argues that both child marriage and Sati had roots in an ancient practice of endogamy or marriage in the same caste.
- The article is one of the earliest feminist works in India.
- He strongly advocated for family planning measures for women in the Bombay Legislative Assembly.
- Dr. Ambedkar created awareness among poor, illiterate women and inspired them to fight against unjust and social practices like child marriage and the devadasi system.
- He dedicated his efforts to the adequate inclusion of women's rights in the political vocabulary and constitution of India.
8. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and his relationship with Buddhism
- Dr. B.R. Ambedkar converted to Buddhism after attending a convention of Buddhist scholars in Sri Lanka.
- On 24 May 1956, on the occasion of Buddha Jayanti, he declared in Bombay, that he would adopt Buddhism in October.
- On October 14, 1956, he embraced Buddhism along with many of his followers.
- Dr. B.R. Ambedkar founded the Bharatiya Bauddha Mahasabha (Buddhist Society of India) in 1955 and completed his final work 'The Buddha and His Dhamma' in 1956. The book was however published posthumously.
| For Mains: 1. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was the architect of the Indian Constitution and a champion of social justice. Highlight Ambedkar's contributions towards creating a democratic and inclusive India, where all citizens have equal rights and opportunities. (250 Words). |
Previous year Question
|
1. Which of the following parties were established by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar? (UPSC 2012)
1. The Peasants and workers party of India
2. All India Scheduled Castes Federation
3. The Independent Labour Party
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
A. 1 and 2 only
B. 2 and 3 only
C. 1 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3
Answer: B
|
Source: The Indian Express
