Speech

Guru Ravidas was probably the first one after Gautam Buddha who dared to revolt against the
inhuman system of social exclusion and untouchability practiced for ages in India. However,
what made him different was his method of revolt. He adopted Bhakti as a mode of expression
of his social revolt. His Bhakti-based method was not only unique but also a befitting reply to the
subtle mechanisations deployed by the Brahminical class to keep the downtrodden out of the
mainstream. Bhakti was used to be considered a privilege reserved for the upper castes,
especially the priests. Whereas, ex-untouchables were not allowed to practice Bhakti because
they were condemned as polluted. It is in this context that that the adoption of Bhakti by Guru
Ravidass as a method of social protest assumes special importance.

His Bhakti-based method of social revolt was neither violent nor tied with any conventional
forms of prayers and petitions. In fact, it was a revolt with difference for an egalitarian social set
up. It was both novel and daring. It was novel, because Guru Ravidass put emphasis on
compassion for all and absolute faith in God. The principle of compassion for all reflected the
egalitarian traits of his social philosophy and struggle. His concept of the absolute faith in the
formless God showed the apathy of the elites of his times towards the plights of the
downtrodden for whose emancipation he had to seek refuge in no one else but God. His method
was daring in the sense that he chooses to imitate the Brahmins in order to symbolize his revolt
which was not only highly objectionable but was equally deadly for an outcaste of his times. He
challenged the tyranny of Brahmins and defied them by wearing Dhoti (cloth wrapped around
the waist), Janeue (sacred thread) and Tilak (sacred red mark on forehead) that were forbidden
for the untouchables. Though he attired himself like an upper caste, he did not hide his caste.
He continued with his hereditary occupation of making/mending shoes. He, probably, tried to
show that while adopting the prohibited dress and symbols of the upper castes, the lower castes
could still keep their identity intact. Thus Guru Ravidass provided an alternative model for the
emancipation of the Dalits much (six centuries) before the articulation of the concept of
sanskritisation – a model of Dalit social mobility based on an emulation of the cultural world of
upper castes.

What made the image of Guru Ravidass a catalyst in the emergence of Dalit consciousness
was his being an outcaste and at the same time a saint of very high repute. The process of
sanskritization facilitated the ambitious lower castes to improve ‘its position in the local caste
hierarchy’ by pretending to look like the higher castes that enjoy ‘great prestige’ in the
hierarchically organized Brahminical social order. Since the caste is given and cannot be
changed, the lower castes were left with no option but to imitate the culture of the upper castes.
What made the emancipation project of Guru Ravidass different from that of the sanskritization
was his emphasis on acquiring social respect without crossing over the caste boundaries? He
did not want to pretend to appear like an upper caste to ride the bandwagon of social prestige.
On the contrary, he exhibited his protest against the social oppression by putting on the
prohibited dress and symbols of the upper castes. By imitating the appearance of the upper
castes he did not want the lower castes to abandon their caste to climb up the ladder of the
caste hierarchy as in the process of sanskritization. The lower castes need not to be assimilated
into the fold of higher castes. They had to, rather, assert for their human rights by challenging
the caste hierarchy while being firm in their very caste group. He wanted to dismantle the norm
of varnashram dharma (fourfold division of Hindu society based on graded rank system in caste
hierarchy) by showing that lower castes were not beyond the pale of spiritual knowledge on the
one hand and on the other that Brahmins were in fact “…hollow figures pumped up with false
pride and hypocrisy”. In fact, he used caste to cut the steel frame of caste based social order –
the only way of Dalit emancipation.

Guru Ravidass gave a new meaning to Bhakti by projecting it as a method of social protest
against the centuries-old entrenched structures of Brahminical domination. He rejected all forms
of religious rituals and sectarian formalities. He also commented graphically on the cursed and
abject living conditions of millions of fellow downtrodden. Some scholars were of the opinion
that though the devotional songs and hymns of Ravidass reflected the sufferings of the
downtrodden, they lack the reformatory zeal and bitter condemnation of Brahminism and caste
system that animated the poetry of Kabir and Tukaram. Though there is a difference in tone
between the poetry of Kabir and Ravidass, both convey the same message. The poetry of Guru
Ravidass is known to be full of humility and devotion. But at the same time it is equally imbibed
with reformatory zeal and concern for the downtrodden. Instead of bluntly snubbing the
arrogance of higher castes, he undertook to raise the dignity of his own caste and profession, so
that the higher castes could come to realize the shallowness of their self-imposed superiority.
He advocated self-help for eliminating sufferings of the Dalits. His vision for self-help is clearly
reflected in one of the legends about his refusal to make use of a Paras (a mythical stone that
turns iron into gold) to get rich. He lent purity and respect to kirat (manual work), which also
found special mention in the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikh faith. In fact,
Guru Ravidass’s life and poetry provided a vision to the downtrodden to struggle for their human
rights and civic liberties.

The Bhakti approach of Guru Ravidass was a non-violent struggle for the emancipation and
empowerment of the Shudras. Though he combined humility with Bhakti, his concept of
formless God reflected an altogether different picture. Guru Ravidass’s God was not humble at
all in the typical sense of the term. He was graceful. He was not indifferent to the downtrodden.
His God was rather bold who was not afraid of anyone. He elevated and purified the so-called
untouchables. Aaisee lal tujh binu kaunu karai. Gareeb niwaaju guseea meraa maathai chhatar
dharai… neecho uooch karai meraa govind kaahoo te na darai. Guru Ravidass further said Meri
jaati kut bandhlaa dhor dhouwanta nithi baanaarasi aas paasaa. Ab bipar pardhan tihi karih
danduouti tere naam sarnaaie Ravidass daasaa. It is in this context that his non-violent struggle
based on Bhakti assumed special importance for the emancipation of the Dalits. He did not only
adopt non–violence in his struggle against the social oppression, but also motivated the
oppressors to abandon the path of violence.

Guru Ravidass envisioned an egalitarian model of state for ensuring human rights and civil
liberties for all alike. He called his ideal state as Begumpura (free from sorrows). In his ideal
state no one would be discriminated against on the basis of caste and religion and everyone
would be free from the burden of taxes and worries of food. His ideal state would be free from
the graded system of caste hierarchy. There would be no segregated colonies for the
downtrodden and they would be free to move around without caste prejudice. In other words, in
Begumpura the evil of untouchability would cease to exist. Though Begumpura was an ideal
state as visualized by Ravidass, it was not a mere figment of his mind. In fact, its articulation
was based on in-depth understanding of the socio-economic and political conditions prevailing
during his lifetime. He lived during the period when Shudras were doubly oppressed by their
political masters along with the members of higher castes; and by the Brahmins, the custodians
of Hindu religion.

He had no hope from any quarter regarding the improvement of the conditions of the
downtrodden. In one of his hymns he thus articulated Dardu dekh sab ko hasai, aaisee dasaa
hamaaree. Ast dasaa sidi kar talai, sab kirpa tumhari. In fact, his entire poetry echoed a loud
protest against slavery on the one hand and boundless love and devotion to the formless God
on the other. He believed that God created all human beings and resided in all of them. If the
same God pervaded the entire humanity, then it is foolish to divide the society on the basis of
caste. He thus condemned the division of mankind on the basis of caste. He said Jo ham shehri
so meet hamara. It is in this context that the egalitarian social philosophy of Ravidass expressed
in the mode of poetry became the manifesto of the Dalit consciousness in Punjab.

The establishment of a large number of Ravidass Deras by the Dalits in Punjab and in other
parts of India over the last few years is a case in point. Guru Ravidass became very popular
among the Punjabi Dalit diasporas as well, who have also constructed Ravidass shrines in order
to assert their separate caste identity. The number of Ravidass Deras has been multiplying very
fast. It has taken the form of a sort of a socio-cultural movement for the emancipation of the
Dalits. It has generated a sense of confidence in them and provided them an opportunity to
exhibit their hitherto eclipsed Dalit identity. The secret of the success of this movement lies in
the strategy to combine Dr Ambedkar’s socio-cultural revolution with Bhakti approach of Guru
Ravidass Dass. Ravidass Deras thrive on the elements of social protest expressed in the poetry
of Guru Ravidass and the writings of Dr. Ambedkar. These Deras, in fact, have been functioning
as missions to sensitive the Dalits and to facilitate their empowerment. In order to look different
from the shrines of Hindu and Sikh religions, and to distinctly project their separate religious
identity, Ravidass Deras have formulated their own religious symbols, ceremonies, prayers,
rituals and messages of social protest against the oppressive structures of caste domination in
the agrarian society of Punjab.

Millions of people in the world live a life in abject poverty, and this has been going
on for centuries. However, there have been entire communities, and eventually,
nations that have managed to improve their lot, and now their next generations
have broken the shackles of poverty, and have improved their lives. Nevertheless,
to do this, they get help from someone who made improving their condition their
life's mission, and worked day and night to help achieve this. Nobel Prize winner
Muhammad Younus, the founder of Grameen Bank has set an example for the
entire world to follow. He has shown how a person who makes helping people to
break out of poverty his mission can achieve this. His achievements have shown
that there is hope for people to break out of poverty as long as there is someone
who knows how to help them. This requires having a clear vision and a systematic
approach.

The down trodden know-how to live with the bare necessities of life, and their
demands are not very big. Everyone rich, well off or poor want a better future for
their children, and the poor feel that the path to achieving this lies in educating
their children. If they can be provided an increase in their income by which they
can educate their children, they gladly accept this help. They don't want handouts
as every person, especially those who are down trodden and eke out a living with
hard work have self pride. They seek opportunities to earn more and look for
openings to do so. Helping people to break the shackles of poverty is one of the
greatest social work that people can do.

If a poor woman can get a loan to buy a dozen chickens, start selling their eggs,
returns the loan, and keeps more chickens: this simple act becomes the first step
for improving her life, and that of her family. By giving loans to poor women and
helping them to setup their small businesses is what Grameen bank did, and today,
they have become a beacon of hope for Bangladesh.

Socially conscious people can change the lot of the poor by extending a helping
hand. You achieve a sense of pride and satisfaction when you see that with a little
help, you are able to help people breakout of their centuries old shackles, and move
into the main stream of life.