Ambedkar Statue Put Behind Bars

Dalits feel insulted after an Ambedkar statue had to be protected with grills in Chennai.

One of the architects of the Indian Constitution, Ambedkar was also a prominent Dalit figure, who dedicated his life to fighting the caste system and its exploitation. He is now acknowledged as one of the greatest figures of Indian history, and statues, posters and images of him have flourished in every city in India.

However, more than 60 years after Indian Independence, and after the abolition of Untouchability, certain sections of society still find it hard to accept the Dalit leader’s presence and the honor he is paid. Thus, in Chennai, “upper-caste” people vandalized an Ambedkar statue, throwing stones at it and causing severe damages. From then, the municipality constructed grills around the statue. Although the grills are intended to protect the statue from further attacks, local Dalits see them as a symbol of disrespect.

Mani, our Community Correspondent in Chennai, himself a Dalit, covered the story. He was scandalized by the whole event: “Ambedkar is a central and inspiring figure for all Dalits. Stoning his statue was a terrible sign of disrespect for us. But putting grills around it does not improve anything.”

Unfortunately, this incident is only a minor event among a long list of discrimination and atrocities faced by Dalits in Tamil Nadu, one of the states worst affected by casteism, in which inter-caste violence have been the most intense. For Mani, reporting on such events is a necessary task. He thinks that all deprivations and injustices faced by Dalits have to be voiced out, so that one day full respect can be gained by the community.

Mani Manickem
I come from a very poor, dalit family. I grew up in a Chennai slum, and had to leave school in Class 4 because my parents could not afford to pay for my education. I was adopted by a richer family who helped me complete high school. When my father passed away, I moved back in with my family in a South Chennai slum and started working with an NGO that made storybooks for children. I now work with another NGO, where I train more than 5000 science teachers a year in how to teach science. I had no background in science and yet I taught them. This showed me that if I wanted to do something, I could put my mind to it and do it. Even though I hate studying, I did my Bachelor’s in Science because the teachers I was training did not feel I was qualified to teach them. I want to work for my community, and I want to be a role model for them. I want to represent them in the government so I am going to run for the MP elections in the next five years. In this way I’ll be able to work to make their situation better. For now, through IndiaUnheard, I tell some stories about them to the world so that people outside get to know what our lives are like. In the last few months, I’ve produced stories about the transgender community, garbage-related problems in the city and the midday meal scheme.

Mani Manickem has produced 19 stories for us.

2 Responses to “Ambedkar Statue Put Behind Bars”

1. 4thAugust1932 says:

   December 10, 2011 at 6:45 pm

   Take your caste share of land FC(5-15%), BC(50%), SC/ST/MC(35-45%) from India and build your own nation. Otherwise you’ll regret.

   Google “Communal Award”.
2. vijay rangari says:

   January 12, 2012 at 11:04 am

   It is very shameful for all dalits. now time is denie these type matters