December 6 is an opportunity for Dalit civil servants to serve their community and understand its needs.
Dec 6 is an opportunity for Dalit civil servants to serve their community and understand its needs.
MUMBAI: BEST general manager Uttam Khobragade always visits Chaitya Bhoomi in Dadar on December 6. RK Gaikwad, director of the Handicapped Welfare Board, also looks forward to participating in the annual ceremonies that mark the death anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar and helps the organisers as much as he can.
The list of IAS officers who rub shoulders with 10 lakh Dalits on December 6 to pay obeisance to the architect of the Constitution runs long. Together, they form a lobby that is distinctive from the political leaders and wholly committed to Ambedkar’s ideology. Even those who fail to keep their date with Chaitya Bhoomi, either in the line of duty or to avoid the crowds, work behind the scenes for the cause of Dalit reform.
Khobragade says, “I believe that if a Dalit officer fails to respond to the Dalit cause, he should be ostracised. Anyone who tries to hide their Dalit identity or fails to stand up for the cause is a cowardly idiot.”
According to official statistics, there are 800 Dalit IAS officers in the country. About 55 of them serve in Maharashtra.
Shashikant Daithankar, a retired IAS officer who is currently admitted in a city hospital, regrets that he will miss this important day.
“I will have to skip Chaitya Bhoomi because of illness,” he said. For Daithankar, December 6 is also the day when he can mingle with Dalit activists. “This helps me understand their problems and gives me an indication of where Dalits are heading,” he said.
Planning Commission member Bhalchandra Mungekar is another example of this spirit of service to the community. He independently took on the mission of preparing a report on the killings in Kherlanji and submitted it to the Prime Minister.
Tushar Jagtap, a doctor who runs the Dr Ambedkar Reservation Protection Front in Mumbai, maintains, “IAS officers keep away from the limelight as they are afraid of inviting government wrath if they are identified with the Dalit cause. But most of them are committed and provide moral support.”
But economist Narendra Jadhav is not shy of admitting to his Dalit identity. Neither does he hesitate to speak against the exploitation of Dalits. Yet, when it comes to economics, he pursues policies that are pragmatic, often inviting the wrath of his own community.
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