Diwakar became a judge because of his struggle, he did not lose his courage even after losing his parents.

On 10.10.2022, the result of 31st Bihar Judicial Service Competitive Examination was released by Bihar Public Service Commission, Patna, in which a total of 214 candidates were selected. There is also a name in that of Diwakar Ram, whom the Bahujan youth of Kaimur call Kanshiram of Kaimur. Since becoming a judge, there has been an influx of people congratulating Diwakar Ram. Everyone in the village is feeling that their son has become a judge. After all, who is Diwakar Ram, let’s know-

By Dalit Dastak News

Birth

Diwakar Ram was born in a poor family of Malik Sarai village of Chainpur panchayat under Chainpur police station of Chainpur block of Kaimur district. Diwakar’s father’s name was Sudhir Ram and mother’s name was Kunti Devi. Diwakar’s grandfather’s name was Mahipat Ram and Diwakar’s father was the eldest of his four sons, or rather, he was the eldest of all the brothers in his family, so he was respected in the entire family. Diwakar has three siblings. Younger brother’s name is Prabhat Ram and younger sister’s name is Jyoti Kumari. The people of the village used to call Diwakar as ‘Patalu’ till the tenth standard. Even today the elders of the village call him Patalu and Prabhat as ‘W’. It is the greatness of Gopal sir that when his father went to write his name, he changed the names of both the brothers and wrote Diwakar’s date of birth as April 01, 1989. Today, birthday greetings have to be collected considering that date as true. Well, this has happened to most of the rural students. Gopal sir has done free naming ceremony for many students of our village at the time of enrollment.

Childhood

Diwakar’s childhood was spent in the streets of the village. All the children in the village are brought up in almost the same way. In childhood, Diwakar was also a topper in sports. He has also been beaten many times by his father for playing Chutti (shots) and cards. His Babu ji did not speak on playing cricket, football and gulli danda, but he used to take out slippers immediately on chutti, cards and gambling, yet he did not desist from playing Balman. A lot of hide and seek was played.

Education and struggle

Studied up to class VI from Government Middle School, Chainpur and studied from VII to X from Gandhi Smarak High School, Chainpur. No party got majority in Bihar assembly elections 2005 due to which President’s rule was imposed on March 07 and matriculation board exams were held in the last week of March. Diwakar passed the matriculation board examination with first division. In the Savarna family of the village, some children had got first division earlier also, but for the first time in a Dalit-backward family, Diwakar had a chance to pass with first division. At that time, till the ninth grade, the students were careless about studies, but as soon as they went to the tenth grade, the load of matriculation started feeling like a truck load. Almost every day, in every conversation, Guruji used to remind people of the board. After going to class 10th, Diwakar had reduced playing and jumping a lot. Till seven o’clock, after washing his hands, he used to sit on the chair with a book in front of the lantern. Diwakar was rich in this matter that even in poverty his Babu ji had arranged for a chair, otherwise most of them had to study sitting in front of a lamp or lantern by spreading a sack on the cot or on the ground.

After 10th, he went to Banaras for intermediate studies, then his father used to stay at a landlord’s place and do farming and drive a tractor. Most of the time in Banaras, Ambedkar studied in the hostel. In 2007, after completing class 12th from PCM (Science stream), he was still preparing for engineering when his father’s health deteriorated and due to lack of better treatment, he passed away in Banaras. Father’s departure was a big blow for Diwakar. It was difficult to survive with small siblings and disabled mother, then it was more difficult to study…., but Diwakar had understood the importance of education in intermediate itself, so it was not easy for him to decide to leave studies. He thought of working and studying in Banaras and also started driving a rickshaw but it was not easy because of his young age and weak body. Couldn’t walk for a long time. He came home from Banaras packing his sacks and bedding. After coming home, he felt that I would be disenchanted with higher education, so he decided to stay in the district headquarter Bhabhua and teach tuition and continue my studies. Diwakar took a room on rent in a house just opposite to the Jagjivan Ram Stadium in Bhabhua and started living with his younger brother. In the beginning it was difficult to get a tuition. Anyone can easily understand how difficult it would be to survive by teaching Rs.500 a month tuition in Bhabua. His disabled mother also started doing Katia-Biniya and Majuri to bring up the children. We didn’t even have agriculture to get some grains. The name was just a piece of land. Used to take rice and flour from home.

One day Diwakar left the house carrying rice and flour in his jhola to go to Bhabua around five in the evening. When he reached near Vishwakarma ji’s temple and Pokhara outside the village, seeing three-four friends sitting on the platform talking, he himself also came and sat down. Actually he was going to Bhabhua but he did not have even a single rupee in his pocket while the fare was Rs.5 to go from Chainpur to Bhabhua. Mostly such mischievous boys used to go to Bhabhua for free in the bus or if they found a crooked conductor, they gave a rupee or two, but Diwakar did not do this. None of the friends sitting on the platform had five rupees with them. Finally, after sitting and talking for two hours, Diwakar returned home with the bag from there. After a few days, got one or two more tuitions, then started teaching in a school also. Now the problem of his eating and drinking started to go away, but teaching in the school did not give him a chance to study, so he left the school soon. Many boys of his age had started earning in factories outside, so many people did not desist from saying in a suppressed tongue that the father is dead and the disabled mother is working hard at someone else’s place and he is unfit to become a collector. Well, even if someone says this to Diwakar’s face, he does not feel bad because he has immense tolerance within him. Yes, his brother has been of the exact opposite nature, but has improved over the years. It is not that Diwakar ever scolded or hit him, but used to laugh at his mistakes and say that he is still a child. But gradually, by living with Diwakar, he also started understanding the society and started looking for his happiness in the prestige of his elder brother. when prabhat was in intermediate

For many days both the brothers used to work with the same pant. If Diwakar went for tuition or somewhere else, Prabhat would have stayed in the room for the whole day or if he was very bored, he would have roamed around wearing half pants. Both could not even go home together. It was such a coincidence that the body structure of both the brothers was the same, due to which even one pant could work. That time distracted Prabhat a bit and he started thinking to earn but could not even go out leaving studies due to fear of Diwakar. After twelfth, he started running his pocket expenses by buying stamp tickets and selling them in black in the court. After a few days, he started working here and there and then went to Khalasigiri on the truck, but continued to graduate under the pressure of Diwakar. By then Diwakar had completed his graduation in 2015. He had taken admission in BSc Math Honors in Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Mahavidyalaya, Bhabhua in 2009 itself. College classes in Bihar did not run even then and even today they run almost non-existent.

Diwakar was studying in graduation when he became Vikas Mitra of his Panchayat, in which he started getting some monthly salary from the government. After becoming Vikas Mitra, he gradually left all the tuition. Never wanted to make tuition a means of earning. He needed only as much as could meet his food, drink and studies. In the year 2012, again decided to return to Banaras and made three applications for the entrance examination in Kashi Hindu University, Varanasi. After tutoring and teaching in school, Diwakar started dreaming of becoming a teacher, so applied for the entrance exam for B.Ed course as well as for Library Science and LLB. Did not bring nominationable index in B.Ed, but got good index in LLB. The entrance examination for Library Science and LLB was held on the same day, so the examination for Library Science had to be skipped. On the day of enrollment in LLB, Diwakar got a roommate of the same temperament, whom everyone calls Lankesh till date. Well, I returned to Varanasi again and this time got Bhagwan Das Hostel in BHU. Lankesh used to get very upset due to Diwakar’s carelessness because he used to lose the key of the room every day and used to break the lock without even waiting for Lankesh. In fact, he had been shy for four years but had never locked his room, no matter how many days he was missing. Whoever wants to go to the room, cook food, eat, sleep and leave, there is no one to interrupt.

LLB was still going on when Diwakar’s mother got paralysis. Diwakar’s troubles were compounded, more so than those of his siblings, as both of them were more emotionally attached to the mother. Prabhat now started getting his mother treated by earning here and there. Prabhat tries to do everything himself so that Diwakar’s studies are not disturbed by his mother’s illness. By that time he had become a driver but did not drive a regular vehicle. Sometimes someone asked, he took it away, but for the treatment of his mother, he started driving liquor-laden vehicles at night. The work was of number two and risky, so the money was also well received, but as soon as Diwakar came to know, he left it. For many months the mother remained bedridden and both the brothers and sisters continued to do medicine and service. In 2015, Diwakar was in LLB final year and his exam was round the corner when his mother became serious. He had to be admitted to BHU. When there was no improvement in BHU, he was taken to a private hospital, but even there no improvement was seen and the expenses were too much, which was not in his control, so he was again brought to BHU and after a few days the mother also left him. Diwakar is deeply saddened by his mother’s departure but he never shows his sadness on his face. Prabhat and Jyoti broke down crying for their mother. It was difficult to handle them. Well, he was cremated and after the examination was over, when Diwakar vacated the hostel and went to the village, he gave a dead-feast to the villagers.

After doing LLB, Diwakar stayed in Bhabua and intensified his political and social activities. The whole time he started keeping himself busy in socio-political activities here and there. Appeared in 29th Bihar Judicial Service Competitive Exam but could not appear in Interview due to lack of some marks in Main Exam. Made up his mind to return to Banaras again in 2017 but this time did not get a chance in BHU and went to BBU, Lucknow. Enrolled there in two year LLM. When he was in LLM, on someone’s complaint, his development friend’s money stopped. After doing LLM in 2019, he started preparing for NET and Judiciary. Appeared in the 30th Bihar Judicial Services Competitive Examination as well but missed the interview because of only one number in the main examination. Well, one thing happened that UGC-NET was taken out. After clearing UGC-NET, he stayed in Allahabad and started coaching with his brother. I had just started coaching after taking financial support from my friends that Corona knocked. At the time of Corona, when the lock down was imposed in the entire country, then all the students also left the lodge/hostel and went home. Diwakar also returned home with his brother and started living in Bhabua. After the lock down, again went to Banaras and took a room. In the second wave of Corona, again had to vacate the lodge of Banaras and return home, till then both the brothers had passed PT in the 31st Bihar Judicial Services Competitive Examination. Well, it was not mentioned that Diwakar Prabhat was also tricked into getting his LLB done in four years from Harishchandra PG College, Varanasi. Not only this, he had also done B.Leave in Library Science from BBU. However, staying with Prabhat Diwakar, PT cleared both PCS-J and APO but failed in the mains exam, while Diwakar succeeded in the mains exam this time in the third attempt itself. After coming to Corona, Diwakar started studying seriously keeping himself away from socio-political activities. Even before the result of the main examination came, he left Banaras and started living in Bhabhua again. Actually, after Vikas Mitra’s money stopped, Diwakar became completely dependent on friends. It was only with the financial help of friends but he continued his studies continuously and the result is in front today. Now the main exam of APO of both is going to be held in November.

Sister marriage

After the death of the parents, it was felt that now the sister should get married, because both the brothers often stayed outside and the sister used to cry alone remembering her mother. There was no money for sister’s marriage, so a piece of land which was on the roadside was sold for about eight lakhs and got the sister married with pomp. Many people tried to explain that there is only so much land, why are you selling it, then Diwakar said that if not today, tomorrow I will get a good job and buy more land from this land, but will my sister get a good house that day? Will I be able to give a groom? That’s why it is better that I find her a good house-groom today itself, so that she remains happy, otherwise she will always say that mother and father were not there, so brothers got married in such a house. However, today the sister is very happy.

Student politics

Political consciousness began to awaken in Diwakar only during his stay in the Ambedkar hostel in Intermediate. Particularly influenced by the thoughts of Baba Saheb Ambedkar and Honorable Kanshi Ram Saheb. His coming and going in hostels in Bhabhua has been there since the beginning. During LLB, BHU was also vocal about Ambedkar Jayanti celebration and student problems. When he returned to Bhabhua after doing LLB, he went to Ambedkar Hostel, Karpuri Hostel, Pal Hostel, Muslim Hostel etc. to meet the students and motivate them to study and try to gather them all on one platform. Formed a student struggle front and fielded a balanced panel in the student union elections. Chhatrapati Sahuji Maharaj’s birth anniversary was celebrated for the first time in Kaimur, in which Dr. Ratan Lal from Delhi and many speakers from Banaras-Patna were called. Diwakar had an important contribution in the successful organization of the grand jubilee celebrations. Prior to that, there was a program on Manusmriti Dahan Day in the hostel premises of Patel College itself, in which he was also actively involved. Ambedkar Jayanti was celebrated the next year in which famous critic Prof. as the chief guest and speaker. Chauthiram Yadav had a dignified presence. Diwakar had an important role in bringing him to that stage. After going to BBU, Lucknow, he started protesting and gheraoing in the interest of the students. There, there are a large number of students who believe in Babasaheb and Manyavar Saheb, due to which there is a chance to do student politics more actively. On the closure of the SC-ST scholarship scheme, he had also actively participated in the gherao of the Bihar Legislative Assembly, in which former Chief Minister of Bihar Jitan Ram Manjhi was also involved.

Motivational work

When I was doing LLB, one day while talking to my brother on the phone, he asked about the well being of an orphan brother of his own caste. When I came to know from my brother that he was going to earn outside, then he asked him to talk. That orphan brother told that brother will not earn otherwise will he feed the younger sisters. Saying this he started crying. Diwakar said that now you send your sisters to your grandmother’s house and you go to my house and eat and stay there and prepare for the board. Going to earn after matriculation board. Orphan brother did the same. After matriculation, Diwakar inspired him to enroll in polytechnic and he worked hard and completed his course. Along with that he inspired three more boys of his family to enroll in polytechnic. Motivated many more boys and girls of his family to get higher education degrees. Don’t know how many students of Bhabua have taken inspiration from this and have performed better in their studies.

Once I had gone to Lanka Gate of BHU for some work, till then I met a person from Chainpur, who touched his feet and bowed down and became emotional because he had a good relationship with his family because he belonged to the Pasi caste and used to sell toddy and lived in Diwakar’s house. Except this, almost everyone is a toddy drinker. What about in his house, the atmosphere of almost the entire village has been like this. Well, he got emotional and on enquiry, he came to know that his son has to undergo an operation at Sarsunderlal Hospital, BHU and blood arrangements are not being made. Diwakar called his brother without delay and both the brothers went and gave two units of blood without asking them. Not only this, he also bought fruits for them. Even today, when they meet somewhere, they stand with folded hands and Diwakar bows to them by touching their feet. Diwakar’s humility is that even today he is everyone’s favorite and Ajatshatru too.

In Bhagwan Das Hostel, the maximum mess bill used to come in the name of Diwakar because he was carrying a big tiffin and if someone from his village or kinship used to come from the hospital, he would definitely deliver food from the mess. Not only this, one or the other friend used to reach his place every day.

Diwakar has always been abstaining from eating unemployed juniors. He used to fulfill the duty of his seniority very well. Never hesitated to give respect to seniors and affection to juniors. Recently, I went to interview for the post of guest teacher in a private college, then I met a junior and said that brother, when you are giving then it will not be mine, so I am leaving. Without delay Diwakar said that no-no you don’t go, I leave the interview. No matter how much the economic crisis is, he does not leave his nature of dedication and cooperation.

In the intermediate there was disillusionment with religious hypocrisy, superstition and divine power. For many years he had only one or two pairs of clothes, but always wore them clean and ironed. He used to clean the clothes mostly at night and wear them only after drying them with the help of fan and ironing them in the morning. He never let his beard grow, always kept a clean save and smiling face.

Dr. Dinesh Pal

Assistant Professor (Hindi)

Jai Prakash University, Chhapra

Courtesy : Dalit Dastak

Note: This news piece was originally published in dalitdastak.com and used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes exclusively for Human Rights