Senior journalist and editor of Suddi Chintana, R.H. Narinal opined that dalit and other down-trodden communities played an unquestionable role in the 12th century reformist movement, both as frontline leaders and following masses.
He was delivering a special lecture at Dalita Vachanakarara Jayanti organised by the district administration at Pundit Siddarama Jambaladinni auditorium here on Wednesday.
“Basavanna had a great love, affection and respect towards dalit poets who composed powerful Vachanas during reformist movement. In his Vachanas, Basavanna time and again commended Madara Chennayya, a dalit vachanakara, for his outstanding contributions to the movement. Urilinga Peddi, another dalit Vachanakara, was a great scholar and no other Vachanakara had used the Sanskrit slokas as extensively as he did,” he said.
The people belong to dalits and other backward and downtrodden communities, who are involved in physical labour, are the real inheritors of reformist Vachana movement of 12th century, he added.
According to Mr. Narinal, Buddha was the first person to infuse self-respect and independent thinking among the deprived sections of the society and 12th century reformist Sharanas successfully continued this tradition.
He condemned the efforts of various community leaders to confine great reformist leaders of past who enlightened and led the entire mankind as an icon of a particular community alone.
"It is very bad development that the community leaders are now projecting historical leaders, who had happened to be born in their communities, as the icons of their community alone. It is indeed an insult to those leaders who grew for beyond to serve the entire mankind," he said.
Recalling the bitter fight that Vachanakaras fought against the oppressive and exploitative caste system in the society, Mr. Narinal said that India was the only country in the world where untouchability was in practice. He lashed out at rightist forces for their false glorification of Indian history and culture which enshrined inhuman caste system with untouchability as its worst form.
Earlier, Minister for State for Medical Education and Raichur In-charge Dr. Sharan Prakash Patil, after inaugurating the function, said that the Vachanakaras had advocated only such ideals and values which were practically adoptable.
"The greatness of Vachanas is that they did not advocate impractical ideals and unadoptable values. The Vachanakaras not only composed the Vachanas, but also practiced the practical and adoptable values enshrined in them," he said.
MLAs Badarli Hampanagowda, Pratapgowda Patil, Shivaraj Patil, MLC Sharanappa Mattur, Tungabhadra Command Area Development Authority chairman A. Vasanth Kumar, Deputy Commissioner S. Sasikanth Senthil and others were present.
