An illustration in a textbook must expand or add to the lesson; Shankar's cartoon of Ambedkar does neither
The controversy kicked up over the withdrawal of a textbook for high school over a cartoon after a ruckus in Parliament has been superficially interpreted and uniformly criticised without understanding the sensitivities of the oppressed for whom B.R. Ambedkar is a hero. The anger of Dalits is being interpreted as intolerance while in fact it is an assertion of a people who are in the process of finding their long-suppressed voice and learning to stand up to insults and humiliation. What is needed is not criticism and anger but sensitivity to the emotions of a horribly wronged people.
Those lamenting the move by the government in Parliament and the apology by Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal for using the cartoon have preferred to understand it as a cynical move to “appease” the supporters of B.R. Ambedkar for political reasons, namely not to antagonise a large section of voters when elections are round the corner. A social scientist was scornful calling it “psepho-cracy” and ruing that the spirit of democracy hadn't seeped into society. Yet another said the government's withdrawal of the offending textbook was a “nominal if not hypocritical” acknowledgement of Dalit power. One could agree with both commentators: there is no question that democracy has not seeped into society which has remained deeply and irreconcilably divided along caste lines; what prevails in our society and in very many minds that have not been influenced either by education or modernity is “caste-ocracy.” As for Dalit power, it has not yet gained mass but is strong enough to force the government of the day to draw back. Hence, it is immaterial whether the acknowledgement is nominal or hypocritical. The crucial thing is that it is real.
While the government is supposed to have caved in to the protests in Parliament, it is a fact that the issue witnessed the unusual spectacle of the entire Opposition united in the belief that the cartoon had denigrated Ambedkar. The issue led to the resignation of two “chief advisers” of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), both professors of political science, as they did not agree with Parliament's stand on the issue.
What the critics say
The critics of the government's decision make the following points to show that the inflamed sentiments of Dalit supporters both in Parliament and outside are misplaced: that the cartoon is about 60 years old and that it was drawn by a well-known and highly popular cartoonist Shankar; that Nehru was democratic enough to appreciate and even enjoy the lampooning he occasionally got at Shankar's hands; that even Ambedkar would have chuckled at the cartoon especially since there is no evidence of him being offended by it when it was first published in 1948. Those who made the decision to include the cartoon also point out that an effort was made to make the lesson interesting, to infuse some humour in it. Using outdated cartoons as this one certainly is, is hardly fun. Perhaps Ambedkar laughed on seeing the cartoon. Or if he hadn't, he would have shaken it off as he had so many barbs in his lifetime, but that is beside the point. What is the relevance of this particular cartoon in the context of a lesson? Sure, it is important for a student to be told that the process was laborious and that it took several years for the Constitution to be finalised. A cartoon is a comment and a reflection on current situations and personalities of those times. Then, the cartoon was relevant and summarised pithily the delay in finalising the Constitution, but today, after 60 years, it is totally outdated and neither provides any insight nor reflects on the process of the making of the Constitution.
Importantly, any illustration with a lesson or with any piece of writing, expands and adds to the “body” or the text. It even contextualises the text. The cartoon neither adds to nor contextualises the Constitution. Importantly, in the overall context of the making of the Constitution, seen from the perspective of the present, how is the delay in finalising it important? There are more important things that need to be foregrounded to understand the process of the making of the Constitution such as how the then President Rajendra Prasad, a confirmed conservative opposed equal property rights for women, and how a modernist Nehru caved in to him and how when an outraged Ambedkar threatened to quit the team they agreed to it. Poking fun at somebody else's icons is so much easier than one's own, just as it is easy to use somebody else's opinion to introduce one's own predilection.
Panic situation
Apart from criticising the “intolerance” of Dalits and the “weak-kneed” response of the government, the critics are trying to create a panic situation, making alarmist statements that perhaps the government will now withdraw all the textbooks produced by the NCERT under the National Curriculum Framework or that now cartoonists will have to think twice before they put their pencils or paint brush to paper. At this rate all cartoons will have to be banned, says an apologist for the cartoon.
One of the professors claims that the cartoon was included to expose students to the different ways in which leaders and events were understood and viewed. One has no issue with this. If one wants to include criticism, then do it openly and not go about it indirectly. The way it has been done in the book shows dishonesty. Surely, a rational and reasoned critique won't be objected to by any thinking person. Shankar lampooned Nehru, Parliament and important events in his cartoons. Why were those not included to expose students to different interpretations? The professor also claims that for the first time, Ambedkar was given his due in a textbook as not just as Father of the Constitution but as one who laid the democratic foundations of the country: you give with one hand and take it away with another!
The issue is not that it is after all a cartoon; not about a sense of humour or the lack of it among some; nor is it about the unreasonableness or prickliness of some. It is about misrepresenting, it is about trivialising, it is about a lack of sensitivity. Most importantly, it is about a callousness that is rooted in one's own biases and prejudices. That is why the cartoon is hardly funny.
(R. Akhileshwari is a journalist and academic.)
Keywords: Ambedkar cartoon row, CBSE books, NCERT, Political Science textbook
The cartoon is, in no way offending, though I am a great admirer of Dr
BR Ambedkar (You might argue I am not a Dalit either.) All I would
want to say is "Dear writer, please get a sense of humour." Funnily,
this issue is being bought up after 60 years!! I think there are so
many issues that require more attention than a cartoon which did not
mean any offence, but just intended to make the otherwise boring NCERT
text books more readable. This is your opinion and you are entitled to
have yours. But, don't victimise Dalits even more by making this seem
their cry for help!
That book was about making of constitution and that cartoon
particularly represents the time consumed in its making. Relevance
need not be temporal, it can be contextual as well.
It doesn't seem to show that Dr.Ambedkar (the Chairman of Drafting
Committee) was the reason for its delay. It represents chairmanship
and not Dr.Ambedkar, per se and definitely not about dalits. Now, the
point that giving Ambedkar his due share in the text book and later
taking it away (if at all it seems that Ambedkar's work has been
belittled by this cartoon, which is false) is actually good. Students
are at least shown two sides of a coin which helps them in thinking
objectively.
Its definitely wrong on the part of critiques if they attribute this
issue to dalit intolerance or political mileage. It is the intolerance
of our political leadership for criticism. Political cartoons are used
for critical apprisal of actions/non-actions of leaders, with some
humour though.
We do not want debate on Ambedkar, least in a class room. It is strange, but true.
Satire has never been an Indian mindset. We are literal people, never attempting to explore the comic of our character. We become aggreived at satire because our emotions get the better of our introspective.
Thank you very much for publishing this article. Unfortunately, the selection of this particular cartoon for pedagogy purpose is highly misplaced. I doubt their intellectual judgement and sensitivity! There are several cartoons that can easily depicts the constitutional making process but not the way the present cartoon tried to portray the two important leaders of this great country. It shows the brahminical mindset of ‘treating daits with a whip’; for a dominant caste people this cartoon is very much aligned with their mindset but for others it is not acceptable. While responding to this issue many Parliamentarians cutting across party & caste lines have demanded for withdrawal of this cartoon…why not our matured and the so called intellectuals respect the wisdom of the house? One strange argument put by some sections in the media that Ambedkar never objected to this cartoon; please show us the evidence that he has approved this cartoon? Let us now play with the words…
The cartoon was never published in 1948 as how the cartoonist could make
two Ambedkars in the cartoon one riding on a snail while another
standing on a heightened platform having a copy of constitution in his
right hand in 1948..when there were no statues of Dr. Ambedkar in famous
streets in 1948 like present days.
The gist of the article is (as is that of the protests): "My sense of humour and/or wit
is not developed enough to understand satire, as as result I don't find it funny. Thus,
I demand it be removed." Well, Mr. or Ms. author (I can't say), get a sense of humour.
That you don't find it funny is no reason to claim that a decades-old cartoon by a
much revered cartoonist can not be funny and/or evocative to anyone.
I tend to agree with the author. The cartoon is “hardly funny”. It leads to the understanding the constitution making was slow. This was because over 2,000 amendments were introduced by the members when the draft of the Constitution was introduced in the Constituent Assembly. Such inquisitiveness may eventually lead to understanding that Dr. B R Ambedkar was one of the several members of the Constitute Assembly; he was Chairman of Drafting Committee, which had six other people. If that is so what happens to the myth the Dr. Ambedkar is the author of our constitution? We have to protect our heroes at any cost and not inculcate an inquisitive mind.
After reading this article I purchased a copy of the said book . The picture on page 18 of the book seems to have been rightly put there with a purpose of explaining to the students the very complex and tedious and therefore time consuming process of constitution making. A querry placed therein even asks the learners to think as to why did the constituent assembly take such a long time to complete its job. This was presumably intended to encourage the learners to see through the immense complexties of the process of constition making where view points of very large sections of the population of the country distributed in an equally large number of religions, castes communities and tribes had to be accomodated. The cartoonist has also very aptly depicted this time scale of the process by making Ambedkar, the principal maker of the constitution sit on a snail pushing it on with a whip. No part of the cartoon seems to give even the slightest idea of causing an insult to any one person.
i agree with Nilesh's comment above. and would just like to add Dr.Ambedkar is not just a hero of the Dalits..but Indians in general. and i am a forward caste and strongly feel that way.And for heaven's sake the cartoon itself isn't so important that all the important issues need to be set aside.We Indians have a sense of humor and need to laugh at silly things like the cartoon and the silly reaction of our 'glorified' politicians.
The syllabus experts for NCERT deserve this and better. These peopele were brought in to 'detoxify' the politcal leanings with their pet ideologies. So while trying hard for minority appeasement, they overlooked this dailt sentiment angle which got their goat.
This cartoon did not hurt the feelings when it was created 63 years ago or when it was introduced into syllabus 6 years ago. There was nothing malicious or derogatory in the cartoon. However, it is purported to be so since a few 'leaders' in parliament found it suddenly objectionable. It smacks of opportunism that government and opposition have rallied together and raised hue and cry over the cartoon. Now while proclaiming to be the greatest democracy on the 60th year of parliament, all the politicians of all hues want all cartoons about them banned from all books etc, going one step above our 'didi'. Now, the fate of all political cartoonists hang at their mercy.
The worse enemy of the 'real' dalits are the creamy layer among them. The creamy layer has attained an exalted position among the 'real' dalits and a middle class status among the general public. Now, like the religious fundamentals they want to keep the attention of the masses diverted to non-issues. If it is Christ, the Prophet or Goddess Kali for the christian, muslim or hindu fanatics, it is Ambedkar for the dalits with a status quo. Unless the dalit masses are not emotionally blackmailed about the glory and honour of Ambedkar or any other dalit icon and their percieved desecration, it will be difficult to keep them in utter ignorance of their rights and actual their place in society and history. And this poses a threat to a minuscule population who have cornered the benefits of reservation during the last six decades.
It is so unfortunate how Dr Ambedkar is being used by every Dalit leader, owning him for their political gains. Ambedkar, unlike Khanshiram or Mayawati was against the caste system. He dreamed of a society where caste would immaterial. That might be slow, but more sustainable model than the current model followed by the politicians in allowing caste politics which take us two steps back for every step forward it gains. How sad he himself is being used to foster the caste feeling among many!
Thank you for this article. This cleared a lot of cobwebs in my head. Valid points, and
very well-put. Kudos.
“Cartoonist’s impression of the ‘snail’s pace’ with which the Constitution was made. Making of the Constitution took almost three years. Is the cartoonist commenting on this fact? Why do you think, did the Constituent Assembly take so long to make the Constitution?” (NCERT, Constitution at work, page 18).
This is the text added beneath the space for cartoon for elaboration in the NCERT book. Instead of trying to develop cynicism about our politics and politicians, it calls for an introspection of our past, which is very necessary to develop in a young student. Indeed, our politicians are in dire need of education.
A good article.In televised debates speaker after speaker says Ambedkar didn't mind,but the author rightly pointed out-was he in a position to protest with the media being pro upper caste.There were so many barbs aimed at him.Kudos to The Hindu for covering and publishing wide range of articles on Dalit.BC issues,no other English daily does.By the way look at the way the press criticises Masyawati for her silk robes.diamonds,footwear and cleverly pass remarks her people are living in misery.Doest it imply that all dalits should go around wearing leaves.Sorry Media is casteist and yes Ambedkar belongs to ALL,because he fopught for woman equality,wrote on water issues,states etc etc but its all deliberately masked.
The author of this article has no where mentioned the harm or adverse effects this cartoon had on the minds of the students who have read it since 2006. The cartoon simply portrays the slow pace of formation of the constitution which was later on explained by Dr. Ambedkar on 25 Nov. 1949 in his speech on the adoption of the Constitution. This cartoon has been there since 1949. I think the real cause behind this sudden uproar is the politics of vote and politics of pressure to which the ruling party very cleverly succumbed. It is bound to strengethen the fascist and fundamentalist forces of which Dalits have been the victims for centuries and now they have unconsciously strengethened the same forces. If tomorrow a demand is raised for banning the books of Dr. Ambedkar which of course very critical of many things how Dalits will denfend it. Let us remember the uproar over "Riddles of Hinduism" a book by Dr. Ambedkar which could see light the of day due to Dalit's pressure only.
Not only the cartoon speaks volumes about the process of making the
Indian constitution, it is ably supported by the text present in the
book. Isn’t it important for a young student of today to know about
the delay in the making of constitution?
I don’t think the course developers did not intend to poke fun at
‘somebody else’s icons’. Does R. Akhileshwari suggest that the process
of stratification by caste have worked amongst Yogendra Yadav and
Suhas Palshikar and encouraged them to put this cartoon to hurt the
Dalit community?
Re: "Importantly, in the overall context of the making of the Constitution, seen from the perspective of the present, how is the delay in finalising it important?". The DELAY could be interpreted as a measure of diligence and care the framers of the constitution took in drafting the all important document. It could ALSO be interpreted as the difficulty encountered by the prime minister (i.e. Nehru) and the chariman of the drafting committee (i.e. Ambedkar) in attempting to "drive" (metaphorically represented by the whips in their hands) home their respective goals through the constitution. Hence the DELAY IS important.
I would like to ask how can parties like BSP,LJP & RPI claim to
represent Dalits?The only way to judge this is by looking at their
vote shares,and it is more than obvious that Dalits are not beholden
to these rabble-rousing parties.They are much smarter than that.
If it was so important,then why was it brought up after such a long
time?Intolerance begins in steps.Today sham parties which don't even
represent Dalits & misuse Dr Ambedkar's name are creatig a furore;
what stops someone else from picking another cartoon/text etc and
saying this and that is offensive ? The BJP(and RSS/VHP) want to tone
down the references to caste atrocities that were carried out in the
past;should we agree to them and purge our history?
Your argument that Nehru etc's lampooning was not included and hence
Dr Ambedkar's cartoons should not be there is just specious.Nehru was
also lampooned in that cartoon.
And please,Dr Ambedkar was NOT just a Dalit icon. He belongs to ALL of
India,not just a community.
thought evoking,educative,rational,deeper thinking.fully enjoyable reading.columns like this make Hindu unique.Thank u.
There are so many bigger issues crying for attention. does anybody
really believe that a student is going to spend time pondering on the
meaning of the cartoon. If the critics are not aware a student using
this text book is more concerned about juggling his time to study all
the other subjects.These cartoons serve to make the text book lighter
in content and more readable. I should know because my son
completed his 10th recently.
This is a case where everybody joins the bandwagon for free publicity
over a non issue.Getting lampooned in cartoons and negative publicity
are part of the package when somebody becomes famous or is in a
responsible position. It is those who have time and no work who make a
hue and cry over such matters.
Why dont the politicians rather focus on ensuring that the quality and
availability of education is guaranteed all over the country instead
of trying to gain publicity for something which is not actually
benefitting the students.
The writer deserves a humble thanks for a simple and appropriate message. Someone above had mentioned that he owes his status to Baba Saheb but he still feels that the instant issue is childish. These people are psuedo beneficiaries and behave like a popular saying of south india (translation)"..one who burns the boat after crossing the rivulet". We should be aware about the sentiments attached to particular person. What if the persons in cartoon were replaced by our Gods whom we worship every day. Imagine them in the place of Ambedkar in the cartoon and watch. The matter would have become a law and order problem.
In the same line, Baba Saheb is god to dalits. Today they drink proper Water, Eligible for temple visits, Children go to Schools / higher studies etc. Finally they achieve a social status that provides them a respectable life. It all because of him. Like the author has said, the cartoon is irrelevant today. Government should probe the hidden agenda of Dr Palshikar.
It is unfortunate on the part of professors who agreed to put cartoons
that they were not able to contextualise the whole thing in a proper
way. The cartoon indirectly does imply that it was Dr.Ambedkar who was
responsible for the slow drafting process (nearly 3 years) and it
shows as if Mr.Nehru was the main driving force to hasten the process.
Anybody who has gone through the process of constitution making would disagree with such caricaturing. Moroever, did the professors shed light on why the process was slow? What did the country loose in those 3 years? What are good features of constitution? This cartoon probably can be better understood by a graduate level student who is more aware about the Indian modern history, Indian Independence movement, constitution making process, debates of constituent assembly and further developments post 1950. Un-necessary denigration of historical personalities should be avoided by one and all.
I have a great respect for Dr.Ambedkar and his contribution not only to the Dalit cause, but also for the nation. That does not prevent me from saying that there should not be a ban on criticism and jokes about anybody who has chosen to have a prominent place in Public life. If such criticism is based on falsehood or is malicious or indecent, the person who made it can be prosecuted in public interest, but there is no case of persecuting them or gagging them. That is not democracy.
I find your "side of the debate" funny and in several places lame. Firstly, Dr. Ambedkar is no single person or group of people's property to be termed among "somebody else's icons". He could very well be my icon or anybody else's. And that should never stop me to have a bit of satiric humor at the expense of him. Secondly, just because one has included one cartoon of the time, which you term as backdated, it should not mean that all other cartoons of the time need to be included too. Your very idea of labeling it as backdated astonished me, since the cartoon does portray the humorous side of slow build up of our constitution. And although you make the controversy sound like an outcry of the dalits, it seemed (at least on Tv) to be more of a political gimmick. I heard at least one leader say that the cartoon seems to "show" that Pandit Nehru is whipping Dr. Ambedkar! And such controversial cartoons should be banned. If this is not a gimmick, I don't know what is.
The author seems to be infuriated and incensed in his rebuttal. This
leads to prejudice and narrow-mindedness. We must not lose sight of
the fact that Constitution provides for free speech and expression
with reasonable restrictions. A mere cartoon can not be seen or held
derogatory to Dalits. The author's views that it portrays travesty
even dishonesty is completely without evidence.
Why can't criticism take subtle forms and why is it has to be open?
For that matter any movie which highlights the lack of government
apathy on any issue should be banned. Civil society should not
complain against corrupt politicians by way of peaceful protests but
violent struggles and verbal duel.
This is no question of Dalit power awakening to consciousness. It is
just a handful of politicians trying to gain political mileage by
sensationalizing petty and trivial non-issues. Even if it was a case
of Dalit majority opposing it, you can not allow freedom guaranteed by
constitution to be held hostage.
I am an OBC myself, although not a truly backward class since I was
raised in an educated family, & I know that I owe it to Dr. Ambedkar
but still I don't agree with many things done with his name & I don't
think he himself would have been happy with the same things. As far as
the cartoon goes I think there are so many important issues to be done
in parliament that to halt it for this issue is childish. I would like
to know opinion of this author about ransacking of Dr. Palshikar's
office by self proclaimed dalit activists who were 'deeply offended' &
what would Dr. Ambedkar feel about it. I don't see MPs come together
for some real issue & work upon it but for this nonissue they are
unanimous & I can smell only race to gain votes in this activity. It is
wrong to assume Std. XI children are going to create a negative opinion
about a great leader from 1 cartoon when text recounts his
extraordinary work. I think dalit community has to shed this
oversensitivity & sooner the better.
Thanks you for this! You've given clarity to a confusion I was having - everybody was lampooning the government decision to remove the cartoon as stupid; and while I understood their side, the cartoon in question did make me feel quite uncomfortable. It did somehow seem to make fun of both Nehru and Ambedkar. And while there was some element of humour, I wondered if this wouldn't just end up making the next generation even more cynical of our politics and politicians? After all, even when there is an occasion to smile, and cherish that, most indians tend to only focus all their energy on the negative ...
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