Babu Milkhi Ram (1926-1989)
Babu Milkhi Ram Ji was an
uncompromising crusader for social justice. Despite heavy odds in his personal
and social life, he carried on his campaign of mass awakening and building up
pressure on the Government of granting the Dalits their rights to reservation
in services, allotment of land with
ownership rights to the landless poor. He declined the tempting offers
of the berth of a Finance Minister in the State Cabinet of the J&K State
under Prime Minister ( As was then designated), Bhakshi Gulam Mohammad, so
preferring a life of poverty and
suffering , sharing the joys and sorrows of the milieu he spouted from. He fought a relentless fight,
both within and outside the legislature, against the discrimination meted out
to the Dalits especially in the affairs of the State administration, imparting
them quality free education
As Baba Sahib, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar,
Babu Milkhi Ram too did not enjoy very big personnel successes in the literary
sense of the term, but the mark made by him on the people’s psyche is indelible, indeed. People, old and
young, and socio-political leaders, irrespective of their political leanings,
remember him with a sense of reverence.
Born on 14 June, 1926 in a family of
a cobbler or shoe maker Shri Rohlu Ram
of Jammu, young Milkhi Ram was physically strong and mentally alert. He played
football and Kabaddi and was also very found of wrestling and kiting. He was a
great lover of sweets and pakoras ( A black gram flour Fried with vegetables dish). A sense of purpose and firm
conviction were reflected in his thought, action and speech.
He passed his Matriculation
Examination in 1944. He married to a Middle Standard (8th Class)
pass lady, Smt. Ishri Devi, in 1947 at the age of21 years. Shri Rohlu Ram was
ditched by business associates/ partners at Jammu, so he migrated to Kashmir
leaving young Milkhi Ram and otheer family members under his care back home. Shri Rohlu Ram never
returned back and breathed his last in Kashmir. Milkhi Ram bravely shouldered
the entire responsibility to run the family as an undergraduate, by carrying on
tuitions and working in shoe making shop.. To eke out a living and meet his
educational expenses, Milkhi Ram Ji
worked as a shoeshine boy and made rubber chapels from worn out Tyres
which were then popular among the poor
hilly people of J&K.
Influenced by the teachings of Swami
Jai Gopal Gir Maharaj of Palouta Sahib (Ramgarh, Samba tehsil of then Distt.
Jammu ) , a Dalit saint and a
staunch follower of Sant Guru Ravi Dass.
Palouta area has a large population of
Chamars also called as Ravidasias . Shri Milkhi Ram chose the path of service
of poor, the downtrodden and rid them of the curse of social discrimination
meted out to them in various walks of life. Despite heavy odds throughout his
life, he did not budge from his set goal of “Service to masses is service to
God” . The life and mission of Baba Saheb, Dr. B.R. Ambedker influenced Babu Ji
to whom Babu Ji met in Punjab sometime in 1951-52. Their meeting changed still
further the life’s motto of Babu Milkhi Ram, so he dedicated his whole life for
the just cause of the deprived, depressed, neglected, illiterate half fed
peoples of J&K State. In later years
Babu Milkhi Ram was greatly influenced by the working & teaching of Babau
Jagjivan Ram and both used to have close contacts & intimate interactions
on all matters pertaining to welfare of the Depressed classes peoples.
On the advice of Mr. William, then
Principal of a private school, Babu Ji
served as a teacher for a while as Babu Milkhi Ram was a trained teacher as
he had already passed the B.T. (Bachelor
of Teaching) Exam. After a considerable gap of time , he felt the necessity of
providing legal assistance to the penniless people from the villages so he
perused his Law studies at Delhi and earned LL. B Degree in 1964. He practiced
as lawyer at Jammu, which helped the poor peoples to get justice. But he
charged very very nominal fee at times even free of costs.
In 1950, he founded Harijan Mandal
(Central) in contradiction with the already existing organization of the
similar name, viz. Harijan Mandal (founded in 1940 by the Harijan elite after
dissolving a single caste organization called Megh Mandal) whose protagonists
were pro-establishment. After completion of his graduation, he contested the
first Assemble election in 1952 which lost. He, however, won the 1957 Assembly
poll but found him self alone as a Dalit leader amongst the opposition.
Thereafter, he contested almost all
Assembly elections till 1987 but lost with a lower vote percentage in each
successive poll. But, paradoxically, his popularity, both among the masses and
in the political and Government circles, rose day by day. That was, perhaps,
due to the extraordinary qualities of leadership he possessed. Undeterred by
his election failures, Babu Milkhi Ram ji continued to hold high the flag of
the Dalit Movement in the Jammu region of J&K. He offered resistance, led
demonstrations and organized rallies and strikes in protest against the
discriminatory behavior of the establishment towards the Dalits.
He provided leadership to the Dalits
agitation in Marhin and Chhann Rodian in Kathua Distt in 1956. Unfortunately,
meeting at both these places were disrupted by a Dalit Patwari who, obviously,
was misled by certain unscrupulous elements from amongst the non-Dalits who didn't approve of the Dalits’ Unity and restoration to them their legitimate
rights.
Following this, on 26 July 1956 a team
of eleven volunteers went on a hunger strike which continued fro five days,
till the Prime Minister Bakshi Ghulam Mohd. Came thee and assured of justice to
the Dalits in J&K. He commended Babu Milkhi Ram as a true leader and
offered him he berth of Finance Minister in his Cabinet provided he merged his
Harijan Mandal with National Conference. Later, on 15 November, 1956 a rally
was organized at Karan Park Jammu, where the same conditional offer was
repeated by the Prime Minister. But he declined the offer both in favour of
betraying the movement he had started in 1950, although many that he could have
served the Dalits more effectively, had he joined the J&K Govt. as Finance
Minister.
Consequent upon bowing down by the
Government to the demands of the strikers, many of the miscreants were who had
stone pelted the meetings were put behind bars. A couple of them went
underground and became Sadhus to avoid detection. 165 pounds of the strikers’
blood lost thus bore fruit in the form of Babu ji’s entry into the J&K
legislative Assembly in 1957 and many others became officers and ministers in
the later years. He continued raising the reservation and farmers’ tenancy
rights issues-with the result the Government of J&K issued an order of
reservation for SCs in public services in 1971.
As a
precursor to his joining National Conference under the leadership of Sheikh
Mohd. Abdullah, in 1975, he participated in the meeting of Democratic Socialist
Forum organized by the latter on 2 December,1974. In 1979 he joined Mirza Afzal
Beigh’s Revolutionary National Conference and was nominated its provincial
president (Jammu).
Irrespective of his political
affiliations, Babu ji pursued the Programme of forging and strength the SC- BC
unity rather relentlessly. As a step in
that direction, he started a news-paper SUBH-E-Jammu in 1980 and presented a 25
point charter of demands to the Government. In 1982 he was nominated as Vice
Chairman of the J&K State Scheduled Castes Advisory Board. But, on the fall
of Dr.Farooq Abdullah’s Government in 1984 he resigned it and preferred to
return home walking instead of using the official car. Thereafter, he founded
the SC-BC Federation and became its President.
Once a confidant of Babu ji told him
that the people considered him a fool, as he worked for those who worked
against him. His reply was, “if you are not satisfied with my way of working,
you may also abandon me, but I will continue working for them irrespective of
their being my friends or foes”. Such was the greatness of that saintly figure
of the Dalit Movement in J&K.
Babu ji breathed his last on 7 May,
1989. Although he is no more with us, physically, but Dalits still cherish his
memory. He will be remembered for his straight forwardness, righteousness and
his concern for the poor and the meek. He will continue to serve as a beacon
for us for centuries to come.
Note
Although the
above accounts, based on a write up from one of the close relatives of Late
Babu ji, is supposed to be most authentic and comprehensive’ still, as there is
always a scope for improvement, readers and his contemporaries and devotees may
send more entries on the missed out important points, if any, for publication
as supplements to the above articles in the next issue of Samatavadi Bharat. In
addition to English, such entries received in other local languages shall be
adapted to Hindi or English.
More such
entries from other parts of India are invited for publication in the series
“Unsung Heroes of the Dalit Movement in India” in the future issues of
Samatavadi Bharat.
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