ಬಲಿತ ದಲಿತರೂ ಮತ್ತು ದರಿದ್ರ ದಲಿತರೂ....

ಬಲಿತ ದಲಿತರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಮತ್ತು ದರಿದ್ರ ದಲಿತರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಡಾ. ಬಾಬಾಸಾಹೇಬ ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ ಅವರಿಗೆ ತುಂಬ ಖೇದವಿತ್ತು. ಅದಕ್ಕೇ ಅವರು ಹೇಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು : ನಾನು ಮುನ್ನಡಿಸಿಕೊಂಡ ರಥವನ್ನು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾದರೆ ಮುಂದೆ ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಂಡು ಹೋಗಿ. ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾಗದಿದ್ದರೆ ಅದನ್ನು ಅಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಬಿಡಿ. ಆದರೆ ಹಿಂದಕ್ಕೆ ಮಾತ್ರ  ಎಳೆಯಬೇಡಿ ; ಸರಿಸಬೇಡಿ ! ಈ ಚಿತ್ರದ ಮೂಲಕ ಆ ಮಾತಿಗೊಂದು ಮೂರ್ತರೂಪ :

'ಇಂಗಳೆ ಮಾರ್ಗ' ಸಿನೇಮಾ ಮಾಡುವ ಮುನ್ನ.....

ಡಾ. ಸಿದ್ರಾಮ ಕಾರಣಿಕ

ದೇವರಾಯ ಇಂಗಳೆಯವರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ 'ಇಂಗಳೆ ಮಾರ್ಗ' ಎನ್ನುವ ಕನ್ನಡ ಸಿನೇಮಾವೊಂದು ರೂಪುಗೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಿರುವುದು ಖುಷಿಯ ಸಂಗತಿ. ಅಂಥ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿರುವವರು ನಿಜಕ್ಕೂ ಶ್ಲಾಘನೀಯರು. 
ಆದರೆ ವಾಸ್ತವ ಇತಿಹಾಸವನ್ನು ಮರೆಮಾಚಿ, ಸುಳ್ಳನ್ನು ತುಂಬಿ ಬಿಡುವ ಮಂದಿ ಬಹಳ ಇದ್ದಾರೆ ಎಂಬುದನ್ನು ಚಿತ್ರದ ನಿರ್ದೇಶಕರು ತಿಳಿಯುವುದು ಉತ್ತಮ ಎಂಬುದು ನನ್ನ ಅನಿಸಿಕೆ ಮಾತ್ರವಲ್ಲ ; ದಲಿತನೊಬ್ಬನ ಇತಿಹಾಸವನ್ನು ತಿರುಚುವ ಕೆಲಸ ಆಗಬಾರದು ಎಂಬ ಕಾಳಜಿಯಾಗಿದೆ. ಬಹುಶಃ ನಿರ್ದೇಶಕರು ಇನ್ನೂ ಕೆಲವು ಸಂಗತಿಗಳನ್ನು ತಿಳಿದುಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕಾದ ಅವಶ್ಯಕತೆ ಇದೆ. ಅದು ಸಿನೇಮಾಗೆ ರೋಚಕತೆಯನ್ನೂ ಇತಿಹಾಸದ ದುರಂತವನ್ನೂ ಕಟ್ಟಿಕೊಡಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಚೇಳು ಕಡಿಸಿಕೊಂಡವನಿಗೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ಅದರ ಉರಿ ಗೊತ್ತಿರುತ್ತದೆ ಎಂಬ ವಿಚಾರವೂ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲಿರಲಿ.

ಡಾ. ಬಾಬಾಸಾಹೇಬ ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರರ ವಿಚಾರಧಾರೆಯನ್ನೇ ಬುಡಮೇಲಾಗಿಸುವ ಪ್ರಸಂಗಗಳು ಮೇಲಿಂದ ಮೇಲೆ ಜರಗುತ್ತಿವೆ. ನಿಜವಾದ ದಲಿತರು (ಅಲ್ಪಸಂಖ್ಯಾತರನ್ನೂ ಒಳಗೊಂಡಂತೆ ಹಿಂದುಳಿದವರು, ಅಸ್ಪೃಶ್ಯರು, ಇತ್ಯಾದಿ ಜನಾಂಗ) ಧ್ವನಿ ಎತ್ತಬೇಕಾದ ಅವಶ್ಯಕತೆ ಇದೆ ಎನ್ನುವುದಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಅನಿವಾರ್ಯತೆ ಇದೆ. ದಲಿತರಲ್ಲದವರು ದಲಿತರ ಹೆಸರು ಹೇಳಿಕೊಂಡು, ಕೆಲವು ದಲಿತರನ್ನು ಒಳಗು ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡು ಬೆಳೆದದ್ದು ಸಾಕು. ಈಗಲೂ ನಾವು ಬಾಯಿ ಬಿಡದಿದ್ದರೆ ನಮಗೆ ಉಳಿಗಾಲವಿಲ್ಲ. ಪೇಶ್ವಾಯಿ ಹುಳಗಳಿಗೆ ನಾವು ಪಾಠ ಕಲಿಸಲೇಬೇಕು. ವೇದಿಕೆಯೊಂದು ಸಿದ್ಧವಾಗಬೇಕಾದ ತುರ್ತು ನಮ್ಮ ಮುಂದೆ ಇದೆ. ಆಗ ನಾನು ಮತ್ತು ನನ್ನಂತೆಯೇ ಇರುವವರು ವಾಸ್ತವದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಹೇಳಲು ಮುಂದಾಗುತ್ತಾರೆ. ನಾನಂತೂ ದೇವರಾಯ ಇಂಗಳೆಯವರ ಮೂರು ಪೆಟ್ಟಿಗೆಗಳ ರಹಸ್ಯವನ್ನೂ ಬಿಚ್ಚಿಡುತ್ತೇನೆ. (ಇದನ್ನು ಸುಮಾರು ಎರಡು ವರ್ಷಗಳ ಹಿಂದೆಯೇ ಗುಲ್ಬರ್ಗ ವಿಶ್ವವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯದ ವೇದಿಕೆಯ ಮೇಲೆ ನಿಂತು ಸಾರಿದ್ದೇನೆ) ಬಲಿತ ದಲಿತರನ್ನೂ ದರಿದ್ರ ದಲಿತರನ್ನೂ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಬೇರೆ ವಿಚಾರ ಮಾಡಬೇಕಿದೆ. ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಹೋದ ರಥವನ್ನು ಹಿಂದಕ್ಕೆ ಒಯ್ಯುವವರ ನಡ ಮುರಿಯಬೇಕಿದೆ.

Jhalkari Bai : Dalit woman with Jhaansi !

Laxmibai and Jhalkari Bai led the Durga Dal ( women’s army) recruits to repeatedly foil attacks by the British army. And but for the betrayal by one of Laxmibai’s generals, the Jhansi fort would have remained invincible for at least some more time. Ignored by mainsteam historians, Jhalkari — a dalit woman — has now emerged from oblivion and finds mention in works of local writers, which include an epic poem by Chokhelal Verma, Virangana Jhalkari Bai by Bhavani Shankar Visharad, and a biography by dalit scholar and Arunachal Pradesh Governor Mata Prasad.

Her appearance, which was strikingly similar to Laxmibai, helped the Jhansi army evolve a military strategy to deceive the British. But before all that, Jhalkari was an ordinary village girl in Bundelkhand who would take care of household chores besides tending cattle and collecting firewood from the jungle.

She once had an encounter with a tiger in the jungle and killed the beast with her axe. On another occasion, she challenged a gang of dacoits who raided the house of a village businessman and forced them to retreat.

As a mark of gratitude, the village organised her marriage with Pooran Kori who matched her in courage. Pooran was inducted into Laxmibai’s army and his fighting skills were soon recognised by her generals. Once on the occasion of Gauri Puja, Jhalakari with the other village women went to the Jhansi fort to pay homage to the queen.

Laxmibai was struck by Jhalkari’s uncanny resemblance to her. After being told about her courage, she ordered Jhalkari’s induction into the Durga Dal. Jhalkari, along with the other village women, was trained in shooting and igniting the cannons at a time when the Jhansi army was being strengthened to face any British intrusion.

The British did not allow the childless Laxmibai to adopt her successor, in a bid to bring the state under their control. However, her generals and the people of Jhansi rallied round the queen and resolved to take up arms against the British instead of surrendering to them.

During April 1858, from inside the Jhansi fort, the queen led her army and repulsed several attacks by the British and their native allies. One of her commanders, however, betrayed her and opened a well protected gate of the fort. When the fall of the fortress became imminent, her generals advised Laxmibai to escape with a handful of fighters. The Rani slipped away from Jhansi on horseback.

Jhalkari’s husband Pooran was killed defending the fort but instead of mourning her loss, she worked out a plan to deceive the British. She dressed up like Laxmibai and took command of the Jhansi army. After which she marched out of the fort towards the camp of British general Hugh Rose. On reaching the British enclave, she shouted that she wanted to meet the general. Rose and his men were exultant. Besides capturing Jhansi, the British thought they had caught the queen alive. When the general — thinking she was the queen — asked Jhalkari what should be done to her, she firmly said, "hang me."

Bundelkhand legend has it that her reply stunned the general, who said that if even one per cent of Indian women were like Jhalkari, the British would soon have to leave India.

Udham Singh, a revolutionary nationalist .....

                                                                                  From : apnaorg.com/articles/udhamsingh

Udham Singh, a revolutionary nationalist, was born Sher Singh on 26 December 1899, at Sunam, in the then princely state of Patiala. His father, Tahal Singh, was at that time working as a watchman on a railway crossing in the neighbouring village of Upall. Sher Singh lost his parents before he was seven years and was admitted along with his brother Mukta Singh to the Central Khalsa Orphanage at Amritsar on 24 October 1907. As both brothers were administered the Sikh initiatory rites at the Orphanage, they received new names, Sher Singh becoming Udham Singh and Mukta Singh Sadhu Singh. In 1917, Udham Singh's brother also died, leaving him alone in the world.

Udham Singh left the Orphanage after passing the matriculation examination in 1918. He was present in the Jallianvala Bag on the fateful Baisakhi day, 13 April 1919, when a peaceful assembly of people was fired upon by General Reginald Edward Harry Dyer, killing over one thousand people. The event which Udham Singh used to recall with anger and sorrow, turned him to the path of revolution. Soon after, he left India and went to the United States of America. He felt thrilled to learn about the militant activities of the Babar Akalis in the early 1920's, and returned home. He had secretly brought with him some revolvers and was arrested by the police in Amritsar, and sentenced to four years imprisonment under the Arms Act. On release in 1931, he returned to his native Sunam, but harassed by the local police, he once again returned to Amritsar and opened a shop as a signboard painter, assuming the name of Ram Muhammad Singh Azad. This name, which he was to use later in England, was adopted to emphasize the unity of all the religious communities in India in their struggle for political freedom.

Udham Singh was deeply influenced by the activities of Bhagat Singh and his revolutionary group. In 1935, when he was on a visit to Kashmlr, he was found carrying Bhagat Singh's portrait. He invariably referred to him as his guru. He loved to sing political songs, and was very fond of Ram Prasad Bismal, who was the leading poet of the revolutionaries. After staying for some months in Kashmlr, Udham Singh left India. He wandered about the continent for some time, and reached England by the mid-thirties. He was on the lookout for an opportunity to avenge the Jalliavala Bagh tragedy. The long-waited moment at last came on 13 March 1940. On that day, at 4.30 p.m. in the Caxton Hall, London, where a meeting of the East India Association was being held in conjunction with the Royal Central Asian Society, Udham Singh fired five to six shots from his pistol at Sir Michael O'Dwyer, who was governor of the Punjab when the Amritsar massacre had taken place. O'Dwyer was hit twice and fell to the ground dead and Lord Zetland, the Secretary of State for India, who was presiding over the meeting was injured. Udham Singh was overpowered with a smoking revolver. He in fact made no attempt to escape and continued saying that he had done his duty by his country.

On 1 April 1940, Udham Singh was formally charged with the murder of Sir Michael O'Dwyer. On 4 June 1940, he was committed to trial, at the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, before Justice Atkinson, who sentenced him to death. An appeal was filed on his behalf which was dismissed on 15 July 1940. On 31 July 1940, Udham Singh was hanged in Pentonville Prison in London.

Udham Singh was essentially a man of action and save his statement before the judge at his trial, there was no writing from his pen available to historians. Recently, letters written by him to Shiv Singh Jauhal during his days in prison after the shooting of Sir Michael O'Dwyer have been discovered and published. These letters show him as a man of great courage, with a sense of humour. He called himself a guest of His Majesty King George, and he looked upon death as a bride he was going to wed. By remaining cheerful to the last and going joyfully to the gallows, he followed the example of Bhagat Singh who had been his beau ideal. During the trial, Udham Singh had made a request that his ashes be sent back to his country, but this was not allowed. In 1975, however, the Government of India, at the instance of the Punjab Government, finally succeeded in bringing his ashes home. Lakhs of people gathered on the occasion to pay homage to his memory.

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Copyright © Harbans Singh "The encyclopedia of Sikhism. "

The word "militant" on this document was replaced on the request of Mr. Bhupinder Singh (bhupinder787@yahoo.com).