(The battle over Bhima-Koregaon is not just one of history, it is a battle for identity and equality)
About the Battle of Bhima-Koregaon
- It all began with a pillar, a little war memorial commemorating what history books antiseptically called the third Anglo-Maratha war.
- The British had established the piller in Bhima-Koregaon village.
- In January 1927, Babasaheb Ambedkar visited the site and gave it this new legitimacy. The Bhima-Koregaon Ranstambh Seva Sangh was formed to commemorate the battle of the Dalits for self-respect and equality.
- The battle now is not just one of memory, it is a battle for identity and equality.
- Dalit scholars point to Vadhu Budruk, a village close to Bhima-Koregaon and the controversy around Sambhaji, the eldest son of Shivaji.
WRITER’S VIEW
- The BJP’s electoral campaign as the party under its national president Amit Shah has been wooing Dalits into its fold.
- A caste split now threatens the huge electoral wooing of Dalits as future vote banks.
Conclusion:-
- It is not a historical controversy alone, it cannot be restricted to a caste war, it is not a battle for identity, it is also a search for equality.
- Politics in the 18th century was about control of the body, in the 19th about the control of populations, and in the 20th about the control of memory.
- It all began with a pillar, a little war memorial commemorating what history books antiseptically called the third Anglo-Maratha war.
- the British East India Company soldiers who fell in the battle of January 1, 1818.
- The Battle of Bhima-Koregaon Is thus Read differently.
- Hindutva forces, Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar felt, were trying to poison society along caste lines.
- The BJP has over the years forged an anti-Muslim meta-narrative around these struggles.
Vocabulary words:
Archive = Historical documents and records
Commemorate = Recall and show respect for
Imperialism = Rule by an emperor
Inscribe = Write or carve on something
Spurn = Reject, refuse
Villainy = Wickedness
Vocabulary words:
Valour = Great courage
Testimony = A formal or written statement
Homage = Special respect or honor shown publically
Immortalize = Memorialize
Dominant = Having power or influence over others
Surreal = The quality of being unbelievable and fantastic
Standstill = Stop, halt
Woo = Seek the favour or support
Mutilate = Inflict a violent and disfiguring injury on
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