The incident of casteist insult in Mahatma Phule’s childhood which lit the spark of social revolution within him, is described in detail in Sanjeev’s book ‘Jyoti Kalash’.
In the childhood of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, a great hero of extraordinary personality who staked everything for the marginalized society in Indian history, an incident happened after which he got inspired to start a big movement against casteism, Brahminism, superstition and ostentation.
The book “Jyoti Kalash” written by Sanjeev, who edited popular magazines like “Hans”, wrote columns and authored many novels, is in itself a sequential document of true events related to the life of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule. In this book published by Rajkamal Prakashan, Sanjeev, who has been awarded the “Sahitya Akademi Award”, mentions an incident from Phule’s life at the very beginning of the book after which Jyotiba Phule became firmly committed to the welfare of the Dalit-backward society.
In the book Jyoti Kalash, Sanjeev tells that Jyotiba receives an invitation card for his classmate Paranjape’s wedding. It says, “Tum nahi aaye to kutti?” [If you don’t come, the friendship will end.]
On seeing the invitation card for his classmate’s wedding, Phule happily starts dressing up to go to the wedding procession. Seeing him getting ready, his father Govindrao asks, “Where are you going?”
Phule says, “I told you, right? I have received an invitation to go to Paranjape’s wedding procession.” Seeing his son’s enthusiasm to go to the wedding procession, Govindrao remembers some humiliating incidents in the Brahmins’ wedding procession. These were pricking him like thorns. But he did not think it right to dampen his son Jyotiba’s enthusiasm.
The wedding procession had started with the sound of drums and cymbals. The boys were busy dancing and singing. Paranjape was sitting on a chariot with a sword and crown on his head, his younger brother was beside him.
Jyotiba felt like meeting Paranjape. Then he came to know that the Patil who would fire the fireworks was missing. People were whispering that who would fire the fireworks now? It was also important to fire the fireworks at that time. The dancing and singing boys were asked, “Will you fire the fire?” Many said, “I am afraid.”
Then Phule came forward and said, “I am not afraid.” He moves forward with the ball and then returns and starts firing the ball with the torch in front of the procession.”
At that time, a person wearing a Tripund, Tilkit and a turban, who was garlanding everyone, stood in front of Jyotiba. He said, “You…?”
Phule stopped. He asked, “You are Govindrao Gonhe’s son, right?”
Phule replied, “Yes!”
Immediately, he pounced upon Phule. He said, “How dare you come to the procession of Brahmins?”
Phule said, “I had invited you!”
Tripund, “Huh invitation! He (Paranjape) did whatever he wanted, but how did you forget that you are a Shudra and this is a procession of Brahmins. You had lost your senses. Since when did you become equal to Brahmins?” Then the kind Brahmin interrupts, “Let him go now, he is a boy. Thinking him to be a friend, the boy called his friend, so the poor guy came! Both are children. He also threw the ball…”
“Forgive me considering him to be a child. Find a way out.”
The turbaned man says, “Okay, then go to the back where the Ramoshis [a socially lower caste] and the people carrying the luggage are following behind.”
Jyotiba goes and stands next to them. Feeling completely insulted!
A Ramoshi standing apart from the procession comes near him. He says, “The Brahmins have thrown you out of the procession, right? What were you thinking when you came here? Have you forgotten the old days when the Brahmins used to treat the Shudras and the untouchables? Go home, child! This garland is not for you, the musical instruments are not for you, the torches, the incense, the ceremony is not for you. You are a Shudra! Shudra! You were dragged out of the ceremony by holding your arm.” Jyotiba returned home. Govindrao saw his son’s sad face, “What happened? Didn’t you go?”
The son told him the whole story. The father kept listening to the tale of insult and kept looking at his son’s dark face. He remembered his humiliated past and said, “I wanted to stop you! But I kept quiet thinking that your heart will be broken.” He paused for a while and then said, “They didn’t beat you, didn’t punish you – isn’t that enough son! It was your mistake, why did you go?”
“But”, Jyotiba’s eyes filled with tears. Govindrao immediately said, controlling himself, “No son, no! How can we be equal to them? They are Brahmins and we are Shudras!”
Jyotiba’s wounded heart was struggling again and again. Just then Ramoshi, hiding behind the tree, interrupted, “Why did you come to the Brahmins’ wedding procession? I don’t go.”
“This is the result of your previous birth that they were born as Brahmins, you were born as Shudras and I was born as Ramoshi. What can you do?” He said.
That heavy night passed with great difficulty. This was perhaps the first incident in Phule’s life that shook him to his core.
In his book Jyoti Kalash, Sanjeev also mentions many such incidents and those untold things that Mahatma Jyotiba Phule saw, heard, endured and faced bravely in his life.
Courtesy: Rajan Chaudhary, Hindi News