THE EDITORIAL TEAM

Bottom(L-R) Narmeen Sajid(Art), Prap i Budhadev (Sponsorship), Shweta Verhani

(Editor-in-Chief), Ananya Mohan (Sub-Editor), Dr. Archana Mishra, Ms. Safina
Rakhangi(H.O.D), Ms. Firdaus Sarnoubat, Ruqaiya Kagalwala (Sponsorship),
Priya Tiwari (Sponsorship), Adi i Shastri (Research).

Top(L-R): Samit Sharma(Art), Jayosmita Ganguly (Editor), Jahnavi Rao

(Sponsorship), Janki Sampat (Research), Vaishnavi Rao (Sponsorship).

Not Pictured: Ms. Yasmin Hashmat Ullah,

Ruqaiya Harianawala and Ria Sharma (Editors).

Layouts and Graphics by Anirudh Narayan and Samit Sharma

Cover by Samit Sharma

Artwork by Samit Sharma & Shweta Verhani

 01
CONTENTS 02
Principal's desk 04
H.O.D's message

Editors' note
05
Event's Calendar

Achievements.
07
Theme Introduction
09
10
Articles

Reports

32
Paper Presentations

Photo Album

38
68
 Principal's Note
The college has grown considerably in size and
appearance over the years but we con inue to strive
as a community serving ins itu ion. Our motto I
Will and I Can is a broad and ambi ious mission
aimed to create among the students an urge to
struggle for excellence.

Though we take great pride in the triumphs of our

high-achieving students but we also look for the
hard-won accomplishments of every student and
faculty. Every member of the Jai Hind family
through his determina ion, energy and talent perpetuate the vitality and growth of
the ins itu ion. Success without the faculty, sta f and students is impossible.

We have had many successes along the way, receiving na ional and interna ional
recogni ion for our students, faculty, sta f and programs.We con inue to work, to
improve our capacity and upgrade technology in order to keep ourselves abreast
with the expanding world.

Our collabora ions with industry and philanthropic organiza ions have further
broaden our course o ferings, helping us to facilitate scholarships and internships.

One last message for the students of History Department is that rather than just
studying history, you will have to make history.

Dr. Ashok Wadia

Principal

1
 HOD’s Message
“Educa ion is not the filling of a pail, but the ligh ing of a fire”.
Keeping this quote in mind the History Department began its
academic year 2016-2017. Studying and teaching history is like
understanding human interac ion and response under di ferent
set ings, fostering a cri ical understanding of our collec ive past
and ins illing passion and curiosity in future genera ions.

The results of the TYBA 2015-16 Batch has been rewarding with
100% promo ions. Our undergraduate students have moved
further to pursue amazing courses and careers, as educators,
lawyers, entrepreneurs, ac ivists, journalists and a host of other
occupa ions.

Despite their diverse needs and goals of the students, our duty has always been to ensure that
they receive qualita ive educa ion that prepares them for whatever course or career they
undertake. The journey to reach their goals can be long and arduous but the department guides
them and does all that it can to help them reach the ladder of success by impac ing their
thinking, their percep ions and their aspira ions. The idea that we are engaged in such life-
changing task mo ivates us to plan and execute ac ivi ies to make the learning process an
enjoyable one.

The Student Seminar equips the students with methodology to locate and analyze complex
documents and present them, thus ins illing a passion for research. Whatever may be the form
of engagement with the students the department tries to develop skills which can help them to
express their ideas with eloquence and convic ion.

The History Department endeavors to provide an environment that o fers meaningful

opportuni ies for professional development and advancement. We strive to appropriately
cul ivate talent and abili ies, loosing no opportunity to reward when ime arises. The Cer ificate
Courses in IR and ICH enable students to appreciate the rich composite of our heritage and
develop cri ical thinking, strategic and analy ical skills. Internships at ORF provide them with
valuable and marketable experience. Through mentorship and collabora ion students interact
with interdisciplinary faculty not only for the course enrolled but also for their choice of career
thus grooming them into global ci izen.

I congratulate my colleagues, the Editorial Team headed by Shweta Verhani, Ananya Mohan and
Jayosmita Ganguly in put ing in their best to make the magazine UMLOCA 2016-17 possible. The
department believes joint e fort s imulates crea ive work and success of the accomplished goals.
I have full faith and confidence in my colleagues and students of con inuous support to march
forward with a firmer step to achieve the set goals.

In my dedica ion and sense of duty to my Department and College I humbly seek the blessing of
The Almighty to protect and guide me in the days to come.

Ms. Safina Rakhangi

Head of Department

2
 Color
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3
 From The Editors’ Desk
From an iquity to names to places to forts and wars, history is
like a ime machine that takes us back to those ancient,
revolu ionary civiliza ions that paved ways and finally
brought us to this era where we are currently residing in.
Studying history is like going down the line and re-living the
ime that has gone, of course, with in-depth detailing to
maintain its purity.

As you know, Umloca is dedicated to history and our

magazine comes up with a new kit of historical facts and
tragedies every year. In the fi th edi ion this year, we take you
through the delicious, lip smacking varied kitchens of India
which will leave you with a strong desire to have every dish
men ioned in here. They say, "India has an open door policy, you show up at the door, we will
deluge you with food," 'A ithi Devo Bhava!'

The History Department uncovers a new Pandora's Box every year and the members are very
dedicated towards their work. This year, the Annual Seminar was based on Dr. Babasaheb
Ambedkar for his 125th birth anniversary. Students presented papers on our cons itu ion and a
few victories of Dr. Ambedkar. You get a sneak peek as to what happened in the seminar as you
keep reading the magazine.

We have a lot more things to say but you can go through and discover it on your own as we leave
that upon you. And as one keeps exploring, he finds new things, same for our magazine, you just
keep get ing interes ing stu f inside this.

We would like to share a quote by Maya Angelou which pretty well sums an apprecia ion for the
past, "Your ancestors took the lash, the branding iron, humilia ions and oppression because one
day they believed you would come along to lesh out the dream."

And as we sign o f, we can't thank enough Mrs. Safina Rakhangi (Head of the History
Department), Dr.Archana Mishra, Ms.Firdaus Sarnabaut and Ms. Yasmin Hashmat Ullah for
mentoring and nurturing us with such great experience that we received a whole new caboodle
and lastly for giving us such a huge responsibility.

Shweta Verhani (Editor-in-Chief) and Ananya Mohan (Sub-Editor)

4
 Events Calender
JUNE:
· 20th June - Jahangir art gallery visit.

· 29th June - Guest lecture for carbon da ing methods in archeology.

JULY:
· Collaborated with Poli ical Science department and set up a lecture for students who
were appearing for civil service examina ions.

· SYBA students were taken to CSMVS Museum and RBI Museum.

· Dr. Kalra was invited to conduct a numisma ic workshop for the TYBA class.

AUGUST:
· 6th August - Research Methodology workshop conducted by Dr. Neeta Khandpekar.

· 22nd and 23rd August - Seminar on Birth Anniversary of Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar in
collabora ion with Philosophy, Poli ical Science, Law dept.

· Interna ional Rela ions Level-I Course was organized.

SEPTEMBER:
· Interna ional Rela ions Level-II Course was organized.

NOVEMBER:
· Annual History Trip to Bijapur, Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal in Karnataka.

DECEMBER:
· ICH Level - 1 was conducted.

· Students attended the book launch of Dr. Kir i Narain, itled, "Par icipa ion and posi ion
of women: Uprising of 1857. Redefini ion of Social Status. Then and Now.”

JANUARY:
· Applied component students of Travel and Tourism presented the di ferent cultures in
Muslims from di ferent states of India.

· Students had a Maratha Architectural Talk.

· A talk was organized for TYBA student's on Na ionalist Movement in Asia.

· TYBA students attended the digital exhibi ion on Sardar Vallabhai Patel.

5
 Junior College
Budding Historians

Grade 11 studied the Early History of Maharashtra, Mughal Empire, Empire of

Chhatrapa i Shivaji and Forma ion of Maharashtra.

Grade 12 was taught the revised syllabus of Applied History via teaching aids such as
movies, skits , Youtube videos and heritage walk.

Interac ive sessions were conducted with Floyd Gracias who is a media person and
senior ci izen ac ivist and with Mansoor Bagdadi of Bonvoyage tours and travels. A
Senior O ficer from Indian Administra ive Services was called to explain the students
of benefits of examina ions like the UPSC and MPSC. All these talks were to help open
new avenues for the children.

Heritage walk from Jai Hind College to Chhatrapa i Shivaji Maharaj Vastu
Sanghralaya encompassing Hutatma Chowk, Flora Fountain and Jehangir Art Gallery
was conducted. Students also took part in various ac ivi ies of NSS and JCS- Junior
College Social Service Club. They also par icipated in the ac ivi ies organised by the
Women's Development Cell. Students were also a part of History Educa ional Tour to
Badami and several projects on historical , poli ical and social themes on India and the
World were made.

A special session with the History board moderator Mrs Kulkarni from Vikas College
was conducted for class 12 students so that they are well guided and are able to score
well.

6
 Achievements

Dr Archana Mishra ,
Her book >

Dr. Archana Mishra, one of our history teachers, wrote a book itled
"Early Indian Jurisprudence : Precepts, Prac ice and Gender Status" (pictured)
which got published this year itself. She also presented a research paper at
an interna ional conference, 'Media Summit' on 'Glocalisa ion' held at KC
college, Mumbai. Her research paper itled "A Historical perspec ive on the
role and ethos of Civil Service in India" got published in Indian Journal on
Psychological Issues. She was also invited as a resource person to Sophia
Centre for Women's Studies in a session based on Literature Review.
Dr.Archana Mishra has achieved a lot this year and we appreciate it to
the fullest. We hope she has a never ending list in future for the same.

7
 Topper’s List

Aaira Aggarwal, Khya i Sharma,

Junior College Topper FYBA Topper
94/100 in History 92/100 in History

Haniya Rumaney, Fatema Contractor,

SYBA Topper TYBA Topper
History 2 - 87/100 508/600 in Sem V
History 3 - 86/100 503/600 in Sem VI

8
 eme Introduction
"People who love to eat are always the best people." - Julia Child

India as a country is culturally very rich and a lot of factors have contributed in
making it so. Not only the di ferent kinds of dresses, religions or fes ivals but also
our varied delicious dishes from di ferent parts of the country. People in our
country are not restricted to any par icular religious or cultural background and
that has helped a lot in the forma ion of such di ferent yet mouth watering cuisines.

Cuisine of a country is mainly determined by its loca ion and climate but in India,
foreign invasions have also in luenced our food pattern deeply. Portuguese gave us
potatoes and chillies. The Mughals gave us Mughlai food that is enjoyed so much.

You enjoy your wine and stop at these beau iful dhabas while travelling in Punjab.
You are a street food lover and being a typical 'Mumbaikar', your love for Irani cafes
is immense. In the end, you cannot do without desserts and some imes paan too.
But have you ever wondered whether they were always here or someone brought
them from their land or whether they have always tasted the way they do or have
they evolved over the years.

Through this 5th edi ion of our magazine Umloca, we try to put an end to your
curiosity about the history of your favourite food items.
So, come join us on this mouth watering journey!

99
1. Wine History by Jyoti (TYBA)
2. In search of lost time - Irani cafes -
Krithika (FYJC)
3. By the road- Lopa
4. Saam Daam and Paan - Nupur (SYJC)
5. Raja ki Rasoi - Tanaya (SYJC)
6. Paws on Pav - Shivam (SYBA)
7. Pome Secret - Aditi (FYBA)
8. Chandni Chowk over China - The
Paratha Way - Urvashi (FYBMM)

10
10
 ON CLOUD WINE

Wine consump ion is first men ioned in a text on statecra t written about in 300BC. It was a
beverage for elites and not for the masses and lived a shadowy existence that con inues due to
concerns about alcohol consump ion. Jyo i Advani takes you through di ferent ime zones and
writes about how wine and its status was interpreted di ferently by di ferent rulers and leaders
during these ime zones.

Wine in Ancient India-2000BC-1000AD them we find in what light drinking was

taken; not only drinking but for smelling
Of all religious books of the Hindus, the Vedas liquor,touching a drunkard,penance had to
are the most respected and the most ancient. be done!
There are four Vedas, of which Rig Veda is the
chief. T h e e p i c s -T h e R a m a y a n a a n d t h e
One can find the men ions of wine in Rig Mahabharata.
Veda. Grog shops were in existence then. The epics are regarded as great religious
Wine or beer was stored up in leather vats for books. During Ramayana, wine drinking had
the use of public. In the sacrifice called become common in the society. Sages and
Sautramoni - yajna, wine was consumed. hermits used wine in fes ivi ies. Sages like
Wine is a modern name; though in the olden Vashistha and Vishwamitra honoured guests
days it was called as 'Somaras'. with wine.
There was a sacrifice in honour of Soma in During Mahabharata, the common people
which it was first o fered to the gods a ter appeared to be more sober than the rich.
which the priest and sacrificing party Almost all the chief characters in
partook the Soma themselves.Needless to say Mahabharata were addicted to wine. The
large quan i ies of Soma were used. evils of drinking are fully depicted in the
book. The celebrated clan of Yadavas, was so
Smri i- much addicted to wine, that their chief had to
Smri ies are the codes of law on domes ic, proclaim that anyone preparing wine within
social religious du ies of man. There are the city must su fer capital punishment. But
many smri ies but only some of them are the precau ion did not save them and the
important. Manu, Yajnavalkya and Parasara whole clan was destroyed by a family quarrel
were the greatest. started through drinking. Some 500,000
On the contrary to Vedas, wine was looked Yadavas were killed.
down upon in Smri ies, especially by the Though the leading characters were all wine
higher castes where it was totally forbidden. drinkers, they were not quite blind to evils of
T h e r e a r e fi ve m o s t h e i n o u s c r i m e s intemperance and some of the best advices of
men ioned there and drinking wine or Hindu shastras is found here-
spirituous liquor was one of them. “To abstain from meat and wine is the best
The penance for drinking wine was very Brahmacharya or con inence.”
severe, the wine drinker should be made to “Those who never touch wine in their lives
drink that liquor boiling hot, un il he was are called Munis or Hermits”
completely scalded. There are many When the rulers themselves used wine freely,
injunc ions in all di ferent Smri ies and from one cannot expect his people would follow

11
his example, rather than precepts of the Wine is called 'the Supreme being in liquid
Shastras. And so all advices for abs inence form'. It is called the 'great medicine of
fell on deaf ears. humanity, helping us to forget deep sorrows,
is the cause of great joy.'But when not
Buddhist Precepts- purified,'stupefies and bewilders, breeds
Buddhism is known for its great modera ions disputes and diseases.' But when consumed
in all things, adop ing the golden mean or the properly is 'the mother of enjoyment and
middle course,it is a system of self-culture or libera ion.' However there are warnings and
self-restraints. all excesses are forbidden.
Gautama Buddha-the founder, never thought In majority, the Shastras disfavour wine and
that he was preaching a new religion, he we can conclude with the words of Manu-
believed that he was just proclaiming the “There is no fault in taking meat, drinking
reformed form of an ancient religion. Among wine or craving a ter lesh, these are quite
the moral precepts of Buddha we find,''let the natural, but to abstain from these is the
house-holder who approves of his Dharma, highest attainment.”
not give himself to intoxica ing drinks, let
him not cause others drink, nor approve of Wine during medieval India-1000AD-
those that drink, knowing it to end in 1700AD
madness”-Dhammika Sutra. There are five
commandments in Buddhism which are Before the Turkish invasions of India, the
binding on Buddhists and one of these is-“let religious prac ices of Hindus and Buddhists
not one take intoxica ing drinks” d i s p l aye d d e g e n e r a i o n . T h e t a n t r i c
To be ini iated in the Buddhist order, one has philosophy of mys icism which dated back to
to accept the 10 commandments and take this 6th century, had started showing its ugly
vow along with other-“I take the vow to results as it encouraged all sorts of
abstain from intoxica ing drinks which supers i ions and blind prac ices. The
hinder progress.” exponents of vam-marg indulged in wine,
lesh and women. The scholars of this period
The Tantras- exhibited low taste in their literar y
It is found that Tantric age ,followed Buddhist composi ions and produced obscure
age as a reac ion. The severe austeri ies of literature. The architecture of this period was
B u d d h i s m g a ve r i s e t o r eve l r y a n d also a fected where it is found that men and
debauchery. And this religion of ease and women indulge in drinking wine and make
pleasure was highly welcomed. love.
It is observed that wine is looked down upon At the end of ancient period around
in the Smri ies, especially worship and if one 1000BC,India was vulnerable to Turkish
o fers wine to God, they are severely invasions. Mahmud of Ghazni led 17
condemned, but not so in Tantras. There are expedi ions to India from 1000-1027 AD.
five chief ingredients of worship and wine is These invasions led to advent of Islam, which
one of them. Wine is indespensable in Tantric was an epoch making event in the history of
rituals. Great care is taken to guard against India. These invasions gradually led the
the abuse or misuse of it. Before taking wine, founda ion of Delhi Sultanate. During the
it should be purified as there are some curses Sultanate, some rulers indulged in wine
attached to it, and to drink wine, which is not while some were totally against the
purified by Mantras is a sin and is like consump ion and selling of wine.
drinking poison. During sultanate,temperance was prevalent
There are many praises of wine in Tantras. in the society and consuming wine was now

12
very normal. Wi n e d u r i n g m o d e r n I n d i a - 1 7 0 0 A D
Ghiyasuddin Balban (1266-86) had onwards
established the theory of kingship. In order to
claim his divine origin of the sovereign, he Under Bri ish rule during the Victorian era,
bought a radical change in social behaviour vi iculture and winemaking was strongly
and mannerisms. He gave up drinking and encouraged as a domes ic source for the
banned public drinking by the nobility. Bri ish colonists. Vineyards were planted
Allaudin Khilji (1296-1316) also claimed the extensively through Barama i, Kashmir and
theory of kingship and hence as a ruler he Surat regions. In 1883 at the Calcutta
gave up drinking wine. Wine was banished Interna ional Exhibi ion, Indian wines were
from Delhi and the suburbs of the city were showcased to a favourable recep ion. The
closely watched. Those who violated the law Indian wine industry was reaching a peak by
were punished but people did not give up the ime phylloxera epidemic made its way
drinking and hence smuggling began. and devastated its vineyards.
Allaudin later realised that people would not Post the epidemic ,the industry had a very
be made sober by legisla ion and relaxed di ficult ime get ing back on its feet due to
some ordinance, permitted private various poli ical, social and economical
manufacture, but sale was s ill prohibited. challenge. From alcohol being considered a
However ill the beginning of the Mughal taboo in society in the 1940s and 1950s, to
rule, there is hardly any reference of wine strange and unfavourable tax rulings being
found. targeted towards industry, Ar icle 47 of the
The first Mughal emperor Babur used wine in Indian cons itu ion makes it a func ion of a
a way to mo ivate his army to fight the battle state to discourage alcohol, so wine imports
of Khanua in 1527 with Rana Sanga. To infuse were highly taxed and adver ising is
confidence and courage within his soldiers, forbidden. It was only in the early 1980s that
Babur solemnly declared that the war against the trend began to change.
Rajputs would be a Jihad(holy war). To The contemporary history of Indian wine
demonstrate his religious fervour, Babur can be told through three most important
emp ied all the wine jars and broke all the wineries-Chateau Indage, Grover Vineyards
wine cups on the eve of the war. This appeal of and Sula Vineyards.
Babur had the desired e fect and all his army Chateau Indage is generally credited with
men swore on the holy Quran to stand firm by star ing quality wine industry in India in
him in the contest. 1980s. Former Bombay investor Sham
The second Mughal emperor-Humayun,due Chougule sought to produce sparkling wines,
to his personal weaknesses could not rise to mainly for export. Piper-Heidsieck,the
occasion. A man of ease loving habits, he Fr e n c h c h a m p a g n e h o u s e , p r ov i d e d
wasted much of his ime and energy in the technical exper ise for site selec ion, grape
pursuit of sensuous pleasures such as wine variety choice and winemaking. The result
and opium. was India's most famous wine-Omar
Jehangir and Shah Jahan were also involved Khayyam-a sparkling wine. Chateau Indage
in drinking wine and merry making. today is expanding globally, having acquired
In the 16th century, Portuguese colonists at wineries in Australia and a distributor in U.K.
Goa introduced port-style wine and the Grover vineyards came next, a collabora ion
produc ion of for ified wines soon spread to b e t we e n Ka nwa l G r ove r a n d Fr e n c h
other regions. winemaker George Vasselle. Their ambi ious
goal was to bring Bordeaux to Bangalore-to
make French style wines in India using only

13
French varie ies. With the help of winemaker Sources -
Michel Rolland, Grover's signature red wine
L a Ré s e r ve g a i n e d a n i n t e r n a i o n a l ª J.L.Mehta-Advanced study in the history
reputa ion. of medieval India-volume1,2,3.
Sula vineyards recently took over Chateau
Indage to become India's top wine producers. ª Wine in ancient India by Dhirendra
Sula is a project of Rajeev Samant. His Tuscan Krishna Bose
inspired winery and associated vineyards in
Nashik, is a part of an elaborate economic ª www.wineeconomist.com
development plan that includes vineyards,
wine produc ion and wine tourism. ª www.thewineclub.in

Conclusion- ª www.winesfromindia.co

Wine in India has been through ups and

downs but today it stands as a great
commodity that contributes to economic
development.It is clear that good wine can be
made in India and that a large and growing
poten ial consumer market exists.

14
 IN SEARCH OF A LOST TIME - IRANI CAFES

Irani cafés used to be numerous and popular but compe i ion from modern cafés and fast food
restaurants have le t them behind. Many have closed down or are changing into pubs and
restaurants. Krithika Ramnath writes about di ferent such cafes and how they have changed over
ime.

If one is a true Mumbaikar, the common sight came here an icipa ing a gra ifying lifestyle.
of an Irani cafe in the Fort/Colaba area, will They were welcomed by the Indian kings and
give rise to hunger pangs for their delicious that led them to become an integral part of
cuisine and baked delicacies like breads, the Indian cultural thread. The Indian
cakes and chicken pat ies. These Irani cafes freedom struggle saw many Parsis and Iranis
are di ficult to miss if one is on a tour around join Indian freedom fighters and take ac ive
the town. High ceilings with an archaic look part in the post Independence poli ical
and the “not to miss” chequered table cloth on scenario. The whole idea of an Iranian cafe
round tables and bent wooden chairs - are started when a bunch of Iranians were sit ing
their dis inguishing characteris ics, with an together, discussing what they had le t
old Irani owner at the counter who accepts behind in their country when a man who was
only cash. serving them tea asked money for his
services. This was the seed for the then
For all of us, our parents and grandparents, it blooming business. Dhansak, akuri or keema,
feels like these cafes have been here since the b a ke d b e a n s , k h a r i b i s c u i t , m u t t o n
ime Mumbai was born. Nothing really sandwiches and who could miss to men ion
changed there except the customers and the the quintessen ial instruc ion signs that say
owners probably. Britannia s ill serves the (almost reprimand) “Don't sit unnecessarily”
best mutton biryani and Yazdi s ill serves the “Don't comb your hair”, “Don't waste food”, or
best muska pav. Many of these family owned “Don't make noise”.
cafes are more than 75 years old and the
“established in 1920 something” boggles us. One of the most well known Irani cafes is
Their history is closely linked to the history of Britannia. Established in the year 1923 by Mr.
the Iranis and the Parsis in Mumbai - a Rashid Kohinoor, it is now run by his son, an
community that is dwindling and elderly Mr. Boman Kohinoor and his brother
diminishing day a ter day. The cafes are as and two sons. The groundwork for this cafe
enterprising and interes ing as the was laid when it started serving con inental
community and has seen the pre food to the Bri ish o ficers and modified the
I n d e p e n d e n c e a g e s a n d t h e Po s t menu a ter the Bri ish reign, making the food
Independence era surviving history and coveted to the Indian palette. Their mutton
poli ics all through their existence. kheema berry pulao is to die for. Mutton
dhansak is admirable. Desserts are no
The Iranis crossed the Hindukush mount excep ion. Caramel custard, raspberry soda
ranges and settled down in the west coasts of and chocolate mousse are mouth watering
Maharashtra and Gujarat in the early 19th desserts that every Mumbaikar will vouch
century to dodge the Arabic supremacy. They for.

15
Yazdani, also being one of the pres igious bakery shop.
Irani eateries, was started in 1951 by
Mehrwan Zend. It is now being owned by The cafes are now a nostalgic feeling of a
Rashid Zend ,who has maintained his family bygone ime. They are losing their touch.
business ill date. The name Yazdani is People prefer mul i billion dollar food chains
inspired by a town in Iran, Yazd which is the like KFC and McDonalds' burgers and cold
hot pot of the fascina ing Iranian culture. co fee to the sense evoking cup of Irani chai.
Presently, the restaurant is run by Zend, McDonald's and KFC sprang up at every nook
Rashid, Parvez and his son, Tirandaz. and corner of Mumbai leaving the cafes out
Ini ially, they served only dal rice, dhansak, of business. Several cafes had to shut their
keema pulav but later on moved on to oblige shops due to the cut throat compe i ion in the
the customer with lip smacking ginger corporate world. In the early 19th century the
biscuits, mul i grain bread and rum soaked city had around 400 cafes but now only a
plum cakes. Their bun maska is one of the mere 40 remain. One of the cafes that bit the
best and sweeps the crowd o f their feet. dust was B Merwan and Co. It downed its
shutters a ter a hundred years leaving its
In Colaba Causeway, sits a quaint Leopold regulars crestfallen. On the last day, people
cafe. It started out as a cooking oil store and enjoyed their last meal before the restaurant
then was reformed into a restaurant and is endured its sad demise. The well known
now one of the oldest in Mumbai . It was Crown bakery in Mahim will go out of
established in 1871. Leopold cafe was fired business due to the construc ion of the
upon in the annihila ing tourist attack on the underground metro in Mumbai. Thanks to
26th November 2008 . Since then, the cafe is Mumbai's ever growing popula ion and a
not frequented much by foreigners but is s ill need for infrastructural development.
remains a hub for Indian foodies.
It is indeed sad to see the legacy of the
Hyderabad has the largest concentra ion of community in danger and along with the
Irani cafes in India. The cause of this is the community goes the culture too. I, for sure
striking similarity between the Iranian and cannot imagine my life without these cafes. I
the Hyderabadi cultures. They are inter am sure the community is also trying its best
related. The patronage given by the Nizam of to retain its delicate cultural thread.
Hyderabad made sure the Iranis settled here.
They feel homely in Hyderabad. Infact, they
are so inter related that the topography of the
infamous Charminar is inspired from Char
Bagh in Iran.

Why should one leave out Pune? Pune

harbours the very famous Kayani bakery
which is very popular for its shrewsbury
biscuits. The en icing shrewsbury biscuits
that originated from England forces the
customers to come again and again.

It was established in 1955 by Homruz and

Khoyadar Irani. They moved to India with a
handful of other people in 1947 to open a

16
 BY THE ROAD

Dhabas are small restaurants on the highway that serve local cuisine and serve as truck stops as
well.
These dhabas are a commonsight in the state of Punjab. The word has come to represent sub-
con inental cuisine so much that many Indian restaurants in Europe and America have adopted it
as a part of the name. Lopamudra Jena Kaul writes about how dhabas ini ially started and how
they have evolved.

Dhabas are roadside restaurants found on Dhabas have become so popular thanks to the
highways for travelers to freshen up before homemade touch to the food and the
they go along their journey. The idea of a inexpensive prices. There are a lot of
cheap eatery which was originally for the controversies whether the word dhaba has
poor truck drivers and labourers has now originated from the word "dabba" which in
become a trendy place to be visited by today's Mumbai means lunch box or whether the
upper middle class who used to prefer air word has some other meaning in old Punjabi
condi ioned set ings and lodgings instead of which is a dialect of old Indo-Ar yan
the usual road side stall with "chatais" and languages.
wooden seats. Even though dhabas were
meant specifically for Punjabi food ,now we Sit ing on the plas ic chair inside the air
get 24 hours open junk food and di ferent condi ioned hall one wonders, do we call this
kinds of cuisine. We cannot limit it to kaali - chao ic set ing of LCD TVs playing
daal and paranthas as every producer has to Bollywood songs and pizzas being preferred
adapt in this highly compe i ive world. Hence over authen ic Punjabi food - a dhaba or a
do not be surprised by the moderniza ion of three star restaurant in a metropolitan city.
dhabas which are now just a fancy name for The actual homely eatery first popped up in
restaurants and hotels. But I assure you, one the 20th century on the Grand Trunk Road by
will s ill find the old indian tradi ional dhaba Punjabis for the truck drivers and workers.
if one looks for it especially in the original Stretching from Kabul, Lahore to as far as
situa ions such as the cross country roads Chittagong, the dhabas provided some sort of
from across Punjab to the East. familiarity among the Punjabi workers who
would rest on the "charpais" and drink "lassis"
Dhabas are found near petrol sta ions and in tall brass glasses while they eagerly waited
the food is heavily spiced and fried to appeal for "kaali daal" ,"sarso ka saag" with "alu
to the Punjabi workers. If a customer requests parathas" (with extra butter of course).
even for the least spicy food, it is quite spicy
for some. Most of the drivers who frequently Accompanied by college friends for the
visit these dhabas are of Punjabi descendant. mandatory gradua ion road trip, I got a
This singular culture is appreciated all over chance to experience the morphing culture of
India by every ci izen from di ferent states the rural yet trendy hotspots for the youths of
because most people do enjoy Punjabi food India. Dhabas are a mobile system, ensuring
and music. Since this kind of ea ing joint that it pops up anywhere a Punjabi goes.
encompasses a whole subcon inent ,the word From Canada to ex-Soviet Union countries,
dhaba is known all over the world including Dhabas have opened up on most of the
in Indian restaurants in di ferent con inents. highways changing the menus according to

17
the clientele. Unlike the past, when travelers
such as Megasthenes and Hiuen Tsang
sampled the Punjabi cooks' original recipes;
the rich family on a vaca ion traveling in
their AC sedan are adop ing the western
culture of cheese chilli sandwiches and ice
cream sundaes replacing the family cook
with young Nepalis and Garhwalis who can
cater to today's tastes.

Sit ing in that plas ic red chair and wai ing

for a cuppa, I couldn't help but look back to
that road trip, twenty years ago in the hot
summer under the fiery April sun. Canopy
made of blue tarp gave the illusion of a
coolness which even the stand fans couldn't
provide. As we finished our tea which was
served in a "kullad" (earthen-made) the
waiters dished out the most exo ic food. With
garden fresh vegetables and the spiciest
mutton biryani ever, we cried our way to
paradise. Four students with just pocket
money to survive on, had the widest smile
they could manage, as they paid the bill. That
money couldn't have even covered desserts in
Taj Hotels, let alone a full blown meal for four
people. As we laughed at this knowledge the
spell was broken by the laughter of a group of
teenagers sit ing at the table beside me in
2017, comparing the dhaba's burgers to
McDonald's and wondering over their
misfortune.

18
 SAAM DAAM AND PAAN

How do you compensate for a gulab jamun in a wedding? Writes Nupur Pai of SYJC Arts on the
ul imate solace for diabe ics in a wedding, or wait! Maybe more.

“Paan khaaye saiyyan hamaaro

saanvali sura iyaan hoth laal-laal
haay haay malmal ka kurtaa
malmal ke kurte pe cheet laal-laal.
Paan khaaye saiyyan hamaaro.”

This is a famous song from the film "Teesri Skilled paan makers were earlier known as
Kasam" that many of us have heard and even 'paanwaris' or 'paanwadis', they are simply
sung at imes, but how many of us know known as 'paanwaalas' in modern imes.
about the subject of this song- "The Indian Though imes have changed, 'paanwaalas'
Paan"?! even today follow some age-old tradi ions
and rules. There exists e iquette for making,
The Indian paan is famous by many names ea ing as well as serving paans. A paan leaf is
such as 'beeda' in 'Hindi', 'thambulum' in never eaten with its stalk as it is believed that
'Tamil', 'thambula' in 'Kannada' and 'killi' in doing so brings sorrow to the consumer. Betel
'Telugu'. Paan is a prepara ion of betel leaves leaves are considered sacred by many as they
into which fillings like areca nut, kattha, are never used as o ferings in sacrificial fires.
chuna, gulkand, kesar, elaichi, mukhvas, Tradi ionally the leaves are kept wrapped in a
dilbahar chutney, too i froo i, lavang are moist, red coloured, pure cotton cloth. It is
added. Other than India, paans are also eaten known as 'shaal-baaf'. Paan leaves and its
in countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, ingredients are stored in compartmentalized
Philippines, Taiwan, etc. boxes to make it convenient to prepare the
paan. That box is known as a 'paandaan'. A
The concept of ea ing paan originated in tradi ional betel box has individual
South Asia. Ghiyas-uddin Khalji, the Sultan of compartments to store the leaves, nut slices,
Mandu (1469–1500), first described the lime and various other spices used in the
elaborate way of preparing paan in a paan. Not only do paanwaalas work hard to
cookbook da ing back to the 16th century. In prepare their paans well, but also serve it in
that book, Nimmatnama-i Nasiruddin-Shahi, dis inct ways. In Delhi or Lucknow, the
describes the Sultan of Mandu, watching ingredients are already mixed and kept;
tender betel leaves of the finest quality being while in Varanasi, the paanwaalas mix the
spread out and rosewater being sprinkled on ingredients at the ime of purchase. They
them, while sa fron is also added. An believe that if the ingredients are mixed
elaborate betel or paan would contain earlier, then the paan loses some of its taste.
fragrant spices and rose preserves with When the customers ask for paans, the
chopped areca nuts. The Paan was also an paanwaalas always serve with their right
important part of the Mughal Era and the hand. While serving, they follow the nawabi
Indian royal or Nawabi lifestyle. Sultans used style of touching the elbow of the right hand
to keep betel leaves by their bed to be used as with the le t hand. It is believed that this
mouth fresheners. unique style of serving adds more taste to the

19
paans. ingredients. The making and ea ing of the
Fire paan is a life ime experience. The paan is
There are more than thirty di ferent types of made, dipped in 'thandai', lit and popped into
paans depending upon filling, ingredients the mouth immediately. Ice paan is a contrast
and the type of leaves used. The price of paans to Fire paan. Ice paan is packed with crushed
ranges from 10-15 rupees for a simple paan to ice, fruit syrups and squashes making it an
1000-1500 for exquisite paans. Paans also excellent desert. In South India, paan is
di fer based on their fillings and the type of prepared from small and fragile leaves
leaves used. Per their fillings, Saada paan is known as Chigrlayele, but it is not very well
one of the most famous type of paan. It is known. The thicker paan leaves like Ambadi,
known for its mint lavour, strong taste of Kariyele are better known and o ten chewed
spices and areca nuts. Meetha paan is with tobacco.
another famous variety with gulkand, mint,
saunf and glazed cherries being the principle At the ime of departure a ter marriage
ingredients along with the usual others. (vidaai), the newly married bride is given two
Maghai paans and Jagannath paans are the betel leaves, areca nuts, coconuts or some
two most famous varie ies of Varanasi paans. fruits along with a string of threaded lowers
Some of the ingredients in these paans are (gajra). The Kathi women of Saurashtra are
rose petals, grated coconut, mint and dry known for making ornate bags for keeping
dates. Chaahi paan, Bangla paan, Kolkata betel leaves and areca nuts. These bags are
paan, Mish i paan are some of the famous then distributed as return gi ts in weddings
Bengali paans, Deshi Mahoba being the most or other func ions. Among Maharashtrians,
famous. The speciality of these paans is that there is a tradi ion of feeding paans to the
they are infused with spices and di ferent bride and bridegroom during the wedding. In
ingredients such as fennel seeds, elaichi, Rajasthan, there exists a custom called as
saunf and even glazed cherries. Lucknowi 'Niyona' wherein the bridegroom's rela ives
paan is made in the shape of a cone, this paan can have dinner only a ter the bride's
comprises some exquisite ingredients such as rela ives serve them paans. During any
rose petals, dry fruits and gulkand. Special func ion that involves ancestral worship,
Kesar paan made up of long fine strands of betel leaves are compulsorily required
sa fron along with freshly chopped fruits
make it a treat for the taste buds. Jarda paan is One may well wonder why paan ea ing is
a rare speciality among paans as Jarda is one such a coveted habit. The answer is that
of the most expensive components of a paan. provided certain precau ions are taken, paan
The First Night paan as the itle already says ea ing has many health benefits. Paans act as
is a paan that is specially made for the an an isep ic, diges ive aid and mouth
wedding night; it is more famous in Northern freshener; hence, they are eaten a ter meals.
India. It is prepared from two or more leaves Sushruta, the father of ancient Indian
wrapped in a pyramid-like shape making it medicine believed that chewing paan
next to impossible to eat it in one go. The First strengthened the gums and teeth. It is only
Night paan has a mix of kaaju, pista, raisins, when these same leaves are mixed with its
areca nuts, gulkand as its filling. In modern other close friends such as guthka, areca nuts
imes, many innova ions have appeared in or tobacco that they become hazardous to
Indian cuisine and paans are no excep ions to health and cause problems like oral cancer
this rule. Flavoured fruit paan as the itle and ulcers.
already gives away has fruit syrups, too i
froo i and fresh fruit pieces as a part of its Now, that you know so much about the

20
'Indian Paan', you may be tempted to try one.
Here's a list of some of the best paanwalas in List of references-
Mumbai- Mucchad paanwaala (Breach
Candy), Ghantawaala paan mandir (Borivali), ª Paan Wikipedia.
Yash Prakash paanwaala (Wilson college),
Mishra paan bhandar (Juhu beach), Maama ª Bhandari paan -
paanwaala (King's Circle). www.bhandaripaan.com/announcemen
ts
So, go ahead. Have your pick!
ª Ek paan dena!

Index - ª Banaras paan store-

wwwbanaraspaanstore.com
1) Supari- areca nuts (kesh, lachcha and silver
foiled supari are types of areca nuts) ª www.healthsite.com

2) Kattha- catechu (an extract of acacia tree) ª song lyrics credit to-
www.lyricsbogie.com
3) Chuna- slaked lime
ª recipes. imesofindia.com
4) Gulkand- sweet preserve of rose petals

5) Kesar- sa fron

6) Mukhvas- mouth freshener with fennel

seeds, anise seeds and sesame seeds

7) Too i froo i- confec ionary containing

chopped and dried pieces of fruits

8) Lavang- cloves

9) Saunf- aniseed

10) Elaichi- cardamom

11) Jarda- sort of tobacco

12) Kimam- tobacco with lots of spices and

assorted essences

21
 RAJA KI RASOI

“Upper class to me means you are either born into wealth or you are royalty,” said the Sherlock
man, Bennedict Cumberbatch; Tanaya Patwardhan understands royalty as to what is cooking in
your kitchen.

India is a land of kings and emperors, known lavoured milk.

for its hospitality that is the essence of its
deep-rooted culture. We Indians truly believe We know when the Mughals arrived the
in the age-old dictum “A ithi devo bhava.”. whole tapestry of cuisine underwent change.
There was a ime when gold varq adorned The royal palaces maintained fine kitchens
many a biryani and gold guineas were boiled and employed the best cooks. O ten there
with dal to give it the added lavour. Even now would be a separate cook for each recipe.
we bend backwards to give a shahi feast at
weddings. But gone are the kings and Star ing from the north, one cannot ignore
maharajas and their rich repast. What Kashmir as it was through Kashmir that the
remains is history as witness. Unfortunately, Tughlaq's and the Mughals came to India.
there is not enough documenta ion of the Hence there took place a migra ion, among
ancient food habits of all the royalty. other skilled labourers, cooks from
Samarkand to the Kashmir valley. The
Today every well-known Indian dish is the descendants of these cooks are the Wazas,
product of a long history of invasion and the who are the master chefs of Kashmir. And
fusion of di ferent food tradi ions. The food Wa z w a n , t h e r oy a l c u i s i n e , t h o u g h
habits and preferences of Indians have in luenced by Iranian, Afghan and Central
changed in stages over the last 4000 years. Asian styles of cooking is the ul imate in
Kashmiri banquets. It is truly spectacular:
TRAVELLING THROUGH THE ERAS: thirty-six courses replete with Tabakh Maas,
Rogan Josh, etc.
We get informa ion on the food served to the
royalty in the Sanskrit and regional literature With the entry of Mughals, there was entry of
from 1000 to 1500 A.D. During the reign of Mughalai cuisine which was a fusion of the
King Someshwar III of Chalukya dynasty, he exis ing Persian and Indian cuisines. 'Naan-e-
wrote a book named as “Manasollasa.” In tanuk', and 'Naan-e-Tanuri' was being served
Annabhoga, recipes are given to prepare at the imperial court in Delhi. Tanuri was a
variety of dishes like idli, disai, vadai, etc. thicker bread baked in Tanur (Tandoor).

The early kings followed the seven-course Use of Tandoor, Naan, Keema, and Kebab
meal i.e., first served were the fruits that were already introduced by Delhi Sultans
could be chewed like grapes, followed by the before the Mughal empire, but it became a
fruits that can be sucked like oranges, major part of Mughalai Cuisine. The hakim
mangoes, etc. Then food that could be licked (royal physician) planned the menu, making
was served. Then came the solid sweet items sure to include medicinally beneficial
like sevaka, modaka, next rice was served. It ingredients. For instance, each grain of rice
was followed by Broths. Curd prepara ion for the biryani was coated with silver oil,
was served and was followed by thick which aided diges ion and acted as an

22
aphrodisiac. It was made at court by freezing
a mixture of khoa, pista nuts and zafran Moving towards the south, were the states of
essence in a metal cone a ter sealing the open Maharashtra ruled by the Marathas and
top with dough. (The only modifica ion today Andra Pradesh ruled by the Nizams. The
is to use aluminum or plas ic cones with their Maharashtrian cuisine included rice (the
own caps). staple food), bhakri and di ferent types of
curries and vegetables. The food was
They grew and ate a lot of fruits and nuts. By accompanied with various types of pickles
now, Moghul had adapted ea ing pan (old and papad. The most popular dessert in the
Indian custom). Akbar employed over 400 royal houses of Maharashtra would be
cooks. Some of them were Rajput who cooked “puran poli”. The other desserts included
for Jodha Bai. These Rajputs would fuse their “modak”, “shrikhand”, “laddoo” etc.
cooking with Persian cooking. Example is
Murgh Mussaamman (Murgh Musallam). The food served in the royal court of nizam
Jahangir loved Lazizah (Gujara i Khichri included dishes like Biryani, Nalli, Kulchas,
made of rice, Dal, ghee, spices and nuts), Zarda, Sheermals etc. Rich dishes of mutton
Falooda, and milk of antelope. and paneer infused with spices like
cardamom and sa fron would be spread on
Moving towards the west were the Rajputs of the dastarkhwan, a me iculously laid-out
Rajasthan. The royal kitchens of Rajasthan ceremonial dining spread.
were very lively with several cooks, called
either Maharaj or Purohit, cooking for the A ter knowing about the food prepared in the
royal ies. The cooks could experiment and royal kitchens, it is important to know the
try out new dishes, which would be unique. e iquettes followed in the royal palaces.
The lavishness of their food was quite like the
Mughals or that of any other royal kitchen. In the royal palaces, the host (the women)
asked the king and his cour iers to start the
Gold and silver utensils, the décor of the room meal. It was compulsory for one to not leave
and the elaborate presenta ion of the meat the sit ing before the eldest person or the king
dishes created a regal mood. A unique finishes his food.
crea ion of the Maharaja of Salwar is the
Junglee Maas. Due to the lack of exo ic In history, it is observed that in a tradi ional
ingredients in the camp kitchen, the game Indian meal setup, the sit ing arrangements
brought in from the hunt was simply cooked were done by arranging cushions or cloth on
in pure ghee, salt and plenty of red chilies. the loor. The plate was served with small
However, now this dish has been adapted to quan i ies of all the food items. When the
the less controversial ingredients like lamb food is served, there is a certain pattern
and poultr y. Perhaps the best-known which is observed. Always the salads were
Rajasthani food ill date is the combina ion of served on the le t side of the plate and the
Dal Ba i and Churma. Some other dishes are subzi's were served on the right side. The
Banjari Gosht, Dahi Kheema, Samosa, Ker- curries or the halwa were served in small
Sangri, etc. Since there is always a scarcity of bowls.
water in Rajasthan, more of milk, buttermilk
and ghee are used in cooking. The food in A cardinal rule of dining was to use the right
Rajasthan is known for its spicy nature but hand when ea ing and not use the cutlery.
sweets such as Lapsi, Ghevar, Mawa, etc. keep The le t hand was to be kept dry to receive
the balance. food or to drink water. Hand washing, both

23
before sit ing to have the meal and a ter REFERENCES:
ea ing was important then. Cleaning hands
w i t h j u s t t h e c l o t h wa s c o n s i d e r e d ª The cuisine of Rajputana (DNA ar icle)
unhygienic. It was not acceptable to burp,
slurp, or spit. Certain Indian food items ª Game cuisine: A Rajput Legacy (The
would create sounds, so it was important to Indian Express)
close the mouth and chew at a moderate pace.
Leaving the sit ing without comple ing the ª Mughalai cuisine (IndiaCurry.com)
food was considered to disrespect to the food.
In some parts of India i.e. in Rajasthan and ª Culinary legacy of Maharashtra (Free
Delhi, the food was served to the kings in Press Journal)
silver or golden plates whereas in
Maharashtra or south India, the food was ª E iquettes of Indian dining (E iquette
served on banana leaf. scholar)

Though so many decades have passed, we s ill ª Zomato.com

enjoy the royal dishes. Even today some of the
royal hierarchy's have kept alive the ancient ª Tradi ional food recipes (NDTV ar icle)
dishes and the methods followed then. If one
wants to tr y the na ive cuisine of ª History of Indian Cuisine (Culinary
Maharashtra they may try Aaswad (Dadar), Scoop)
Prakash (Dadar). Authen ic mughalai food is
served in Bademiyan, Persian darbar and
many more.

24
 PAWS ON PAV

“Streets that follow like a tedious argument of insidious intent

To lead you to an overwhelming ques ion..,” said Eliot, and Shivam Talreja of SYBA exclaimed,
“What delicious stories do the streets tell!”

Welcome to the land of words, where taking have a speciality to them. Tea is popularly
you on this journey of street food is going to consumed by majority of the working class
leave you hungry and definitely as excited as on stalls and roads on their way to their
Pavlov's saliva ing dog. o fices or taxis. The city that never sleeps has
to be fed! If you're bored and home on a
In this city, the languages you don't speak are holiday night or are just starved a ter a party
the cuisines you eat. If you must summarise with a poor spread, it all leaves you with one
the diversity of street food in Mumbai, it solu ion= Street Food. There are many
could be something like: Maacher Jhol living popular areas around the city that are known
next to the Dosas, and the Dosas for serving the hungry owls. Mumbai has a
neighbouring Puran Poli, and the Puran Polis lot of its street food stalls set up by the
residing adjacent to the Parathas, Dhansaks, beaches. The buzzing atmosphere and
Dhoklas, which are living next to the Biryani. staring into the horizon leads to a meal on the
Focussing on the history of food in Mumbai beach and slippers full of sand. Juhu beach is
for a second takes us to the fishermen. What on the list of the popular des ina ions of
was on their plate was quite straightforward street food in Mumbai. The stalls out there
and simple; they helped themselves with fish serve plates and dishes from Dosas, Pav Bhaji
curry and rice with a por ion of vegetables. to Chaats, to even momos. If the heat is
Majority of their meals were concentrated get ing to you on a summer night, you can
around the same. The fishing community always have the Gola which is basically ice
started drawing people's atten ion with ground down to a semi hard form filled with
dreams and geographical quirks. People did your lavour of cola (kala khatta) or orange
respond, they came (these people) and along which are the favoured op ions among many
with their dreams brought their cuisines others.
with them. Soon enough there were eateries
and restaurants and it only helped everyone The appeal of many food stalls in its aesthe ic
prosper. I mean, even Gautam Buddha wasn't form is a wooden-table like structure over
able to put his mind and heart into wheels accompanied by a table cloth shying
medita ion un il he got a bowl of kheer. away half the wheels. We might not have ice
Giving you a sneak peek into the origin of cream trucks but we do have a desi form of
something that would turn out rather big, food trucks in our own way.
let's now talk about the locals and street food.
The diversity of food in this city is spoiling
As a student with limited amount of money to you with op ions more than your grandma
spent and an unlimited amount of hunger to ever will. Giving a perfect example of unity in
battle, I don't believe there is any student out diversity, are the street food vendors at
there who isn't familiar with the likes of Mohammad Ali road, pulling of all nighters
street food. The very popular, cut ing chai has on nights of the fes ive Ramzan.
been tried by all. The iny glasses used for tea

25
They, in the previous years have stalls serving industries, was previously packed with mills
dishes that are pure Jain (without onion, that produced cloth around the city. Having
garlic) in order to make sure no one feels le t the labour class work in these mills claims
out of their celebra ion. Mohammad Ali road that when it was their lunch ime, they would
attracts many foodies during the fes ive resort to street food to fill their stomachs and
season, and is set up only a ter midnight. sa isfy their hunger. The stalls that served
Pav Bhaji then were basically using
The Chinese food one would consume by the ingredients such as abandoned and cheap
street is its own form of Chinese and not vegetables not liked by most, filled with tons
authen ic, it's interes ing to try cuisines and tons of Garam Masala.
modified to the spices of the city their being
made in. The street food vendors never fail to It turned out well for the vendors as it wasn't
try something new with the dosas, with a no iced and s ill made sales everyday with
personal experience of trying something the the labour class.
stall called "Pizza Dosa," which, just to clarify
is a mixture of Italian and South Indian
cuisines. Considering how seriously most
Europeans take their food, it would be
interes ing and rather funny to note their
reac ions at the collabora ion of all cuisines.
However keeping the mixtures of di ferent
cuisines aside, they say that if you ever want
to try the local speciality it lies in the street
food of any country and we here in mumbai
have plenty of that, with Vada Pav and Zunka
Barker. Leaving the fun and desire aspect of
street food aside and looking at it prac ically,
street food plays the role of being a saviour to
the working class; most railway sta ions have
street food vendors wai ing right outside to
serve the common man, helps them and gives
them the price of the dishes to digest as
comfortably as the food.

It's hard to predict, but many children can

relate to something I came up with changing
the words of a popular nursery rhyme. It goes
like this:

"Johny Johny? Yes, Papa?

Ea ing street food? No, Papa.
Telling lies? No, Papa.
Open your mouth!
HAHAHA!”

Concluding this journey with a fun fact and

history in it is that - Mumbai being the hub for

26
 POME GLUTTONY

Pa ience can be bitter but its fruit is always sweet and if it's a mango it's definitely the sweetest.
When banana shows o f height, apple mesmerizes it with its red blush. The tanginess of orange is no
less tantalizing but the ease of grapes always helps him to gain profit. The berry community
making everyone count, who reach more “berries”. Every pome has its specialty we can always
adore. Let's read what Adi i Shastri has to say about it.

India's diverse climate ensures availability of KODU-KAI PULI means VINED

all varie ies of fresh fruits & vegetables. It TARMARIND, is mainly available from June
ranks second in fruits and vegetables to September. It is eaten raw as an
produc ion in the world, a ter China. India accompaniment to various meat dishes and
has a Pandora's Box (of fruits) which are used as a base for drinks with sugar and
highly nutri ious as well as mouth watering water. The seeds are also edible and refined to
but the saddest part is that s ill people are extract oil. This fruit has various medicinal
unaware about this. 'The Mango' is much uses as well. The bark is used for gum
more than a fruit in India. From the ailments, toothache and hemorrhage , the
Baburnama, we know that the "pres ige fruit" bark extract is also used against dysentery,
was most certainly the melon. The new ruler chronic diarrhea and tuberculosis . An
craved for the sweetness of Samarkand. extract of the leaves is used for gall bladder
ailments and to prevent miscarriage. The
But Babur's descendants, born in the ground seed is used to cleanse ulcers.
subcon inent, tasted lavors di ferently.
Mango, the ancient Indian fruit, became Star fruit, also known as carambola, is a star
Akbar's choice. He is known to have planted shaped tropical fruit with sweet and sour
an extensive orchard outside Agra. And it was lavor. IT is an ancient fruit with muddled
also Jahangir's passion, a ter whom a variety origins. Since pre-historic imes, it has grown
is named. The Mughal Empire declined but wild throughout Southeast Asia. Based on its
the mango's popularity didn't. We Indians references in early Sanskrit texts, some cite
eagerly await throughout the year for MAY that Sri Lanka and India as its Na ive place
since the mango season begins but there are though Botanists believe that its true origin is
hardly a few who wait for some fruits like Malaysia or Indonesia. In India, the fruit is
Lasoda (commonly called bird lime or the available in two seasons: October- September
Indian cherry) is available in local markets in and January-February growing primarily in
Rajasthan and parts of northern India for just the southern states and along the west coast,
15 days a year. It looks like an olive, is s icky extending from Kerala up to West Bengal. It
and the only way to eat it is to cook it very grows very well under hot, humid, tropical
s l owly w i t h s p i c e s s i l l i t l o s e s t h e condi ions. Unripe ones are lime green, taste
gumminess. Let's have a look at some of the sour and are best eaten when sliced and
unpopular fruits of India: sprinkled with some salt and chili powder,
the more yellow the sweeter is the taste. Star
Jungli Jalebi or Kodukkapuli is grown in fruit is one of very low calorie exo ic fruits.
Maharashtra and West Bengal as well as 100 g fruit just provides 31 calories, which is
throughout the parts of Southern India. The much lower than for any other popular

27
tropical fruits. Nonetheless, it has an season shines in the fall and winter months.
impressive list of essen ial nutrients,
an ioxidants, and vitamins required for well- Bael (wood apple) as the name suggests, this
being. fruit has a woody exterior that you need to
break open with a knife or pestle. Inside it
The Queen of Tropical fruits Mangosteen or you will find a s icky pulp, with a taste that
Mangustaan is a fragrant tropical fruit with a ranges from very tart when raw to sweet and
maroon shell that surrounds moist, snow sour when fully ripe. Regions growing Bael
white and sweet leshy interiors is grown in include the lower Himalayas of Uttar
four areas of India as all of them are tropical, Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh,
have high humidity and decent rainfall: A n d h r a P r a d e s h , We s t B e n g a l a n d
Nilgiri hills, the southern districts of Maharashtra. A few trees are scattered in the
Tirunelvely and Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu lower south of Tamil Nadu and Kerala too.
and Kerala. The taste is not easy to describe, it Commonly eaten with jaggery to temper the
replicates mango and passion fruit's acidity the fruit is also used to make jam,
m e l l ow n e s s , s we e t n e s s a n d t r o p i c a l chutney or sherbet. It is actually considered
earthiness. It is the Na ional fruit of Thailand. sacred by Hindus. India's Bael season is from
It comprises of an impressive list of essen ial February-May .In the south, fruits form on
nutrients which required for normal growth the trees as early as October, although they do
and development and overall nutri ional not ripen un il early winter. The health
well-being. The Mangosteen season occurs benefits include relief from cons ipa ion,
twice a year in India: April-June and during indiges ion, pep ic ulcer, piles, respiratory
the monsoon season from July to October. problems, diarrhea, and dysentery. It also
Mangosteen is good source of vitamin-C and boosts the immune system, fights o f
also contains a splendid amount of minerals bacterial and viral infec ions, reduces
like copper, manganese, and magnesium. in lamma ion and various in lammatory
This fruit is also used to make the tasty condi ions, prevent cancer, increases milk
Mangosteen tea. produc ion for nursing mothers, cures
diabetes.
Ambarella or Indian hog plum (wild
mango) is a fast-growing tree, with edible Blocks of ice or tadgolas are available in all
fruit that contains a fibrous pit. Ambrellas Indian coastal regions during the summer.
can be enjoyed in every imaginable form: as Also called as Nungu, they grow in the dry,
juice, as pickle, as lavoring in fruity cocktails tropical regions of mid and southern India.
and as simple slices sprinkled with salt and These plants thrive in sandy soils, but are also
chilli powder. Amberalla possess a sour taste hardy, drought resistant plants. Each region
with a dis inct crunch for bite. When they may have a slightly di ferent type of fruit that
ripe to golden yellow, they taste similar to an varies in size and colour. The taste, however,
unripe mango: crunchy fibrous and mildly is generally uniform. The Tadgola season
sweet. Grown in the regions of Tamil Nadu, begins in May and ends by start of August.
Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra is The leshy, juicy fruit palm sugar is probably
eaten with shrimp paste. In some places, they the only thing you need to eat on a hot
are dried and made into a spicy paste as an summer a ternoon. It is translucent and pale
add-on to certain dishes. It has a lot of white in color and resembles a litchi in
medicinal uses: treat mouth sores, prevent texture. The fruit is called tadgola in Marathi
from diarrhea and dysentery, treat itchy skin and Hindi, Tamil and is Taa i Nungu Munjali
and preven ing diabetes. The Amberalla in Telugu. It regulates body temperatures and

28
also prevents dehydra ion and fa igue. The mangosteen, ambarella, bael, chalta, targola,
fruit is also used to make Toddy, a local phalsa, khirni,etc are just few of the little
alcoholic beverage. known fruits in India. There exist a lot of
druthers, from people preferring di ferent
Phalsa (Indian Sherbet berries) is a iny tastes of fruit at di ferent ime of the year. It is
purple fruit that beau ifully balances sweet not that people consume it in a single form
and sour lavors origina ing in India and but make them into di ferent dishes ( in the
other parts of Southeast Asia. Phalsa is a form of sherbets, squashes, juices, pickles,
summer fruit, ready for picking in the south jams, chutneys, sabzi, etc.) and relish it
from June to April, and in the north, from equally every ime. Indian kitchens being a
May to June. Phalsas have a sweetness treasure of secret recipes can even turn a fruit
beau ifully counterbalanced by astringent, into rich and mouthwatering delicacy. The
acidic and sour notes. They resemble vast variety of beneficial, abundant and
blueberries in appearance and the texture di ferent fruits pleases the di ferent taste
mirrors a grape with its leshy, whi ish pulp. buds more and more every day.
Extremely rich in calcium, iron, vitamin C
and potassium, Phalsa is a super fruit with
e fec ive cooling e fect .mostly eaten ripe and REFERENCES :-
fresh with a sprinkling of black pepper and
salt. Squashes and syrups are also prepared of ª APED.GOV.IN (AGRICULTUR AL AND
this fruit. Unripe fruit relieves in lamma ion PROCESSED food products EXPORT AND
and is used to treat respiratory, heart, fever, DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY)
and blood a lic ions. It is used to relieve heat
condi ions, throat disorders, and stomach ª www.linkedin.com - Ar icle by Chandra
aches. The juice is diges ive and alleviates Venkatsubramanian Ph.D ,RD die ian
stomach aches, normalizes the heart rate and and Nutri ion educa ion
blood pressure. The fruit is full of
an ioxidants and is used to reduce cancer ª www.theindianvegan.blogspot.com
risk. Phalsa cures anemia and skin dryness.
ª www.nutri ion-and-you.com
Khirni fruits are very sweet and liked by
people. In fact khirni fruits are considered to ª www.fruitsinfo.com
be a seasonal delicacy and sell at fairly high
price in Indian metros. One of the best of ª www.organicfacts.net
these fruits is also one of the least known.
This is khirni or rayan golden yellow berries ª www.caloriebee.com
that come for only a very short ime in May
just when the real heat of summer starts. It is ª www.healthdiseasegene ics.blogspot.in
o ten sold in striking contrast, alongside dark
purple jamun and many people associate it ª www.economics imes/india imes.com/
with a similar astringency. It has a touch of it magazines/panache
but this disappears if you let it to ripen almost
to the point when rot sets in. ª www.betterindia.com/unique-rare-
indian -fruits
Our country being so diverse and our cultural
and agricultural heritage being so diverse,
Jungli jalebi/kodukkapuli, carambola,

29
 CHANDNI CHOWK OVER CHINA - THE PARATHA WAY

It's a chilly winter morning in Delhi where the Satan has forced you to accompany your friend and
meanwhile hunger creeps in. Here's Urvashi Valecha with a solu ion to this complica ion. Read
through to find what she's got for you.

Crowded streets, tra fic jams, narrow dusty oil, brought about uniqueness and a sense of
lanes and crumbling structures welcome us purity in its quality. The lane adapted to the
to Old Delhi's humble neighbourhood, changing palettes of the locals and
Chandni Chowk. The neighbourhood now introduced a variety of parathas which
crumbling and congested, was once the pride included Rabdi Paratha, Nimbu Paratha and
of Delhi during the Mughal era. Designed by Papad Paratha ser ved with di ferent
Jahanara, the daughter of Emperor Shah chutneys and pickles to adapt to every single
Jahaan, the neighborhood was a souk, selling lavor and choice. These quirky and
spices and silverware. The narrow lanes and adventurous varie ies added to the charisma
bylanes look almost the same un il you enter of the street and was successful in attrac ing
the one that smells of unsaturated more customers. The lane saw significant
butter(ghee), di ferent pickles and parathas. highs over the ime, A ter independence, one
This lane is popularly known as Paranthe could see the Prime Minister, Pandit
Walli Galli (The Lane of Paranthas). The lane Jawaharlal Nehru and his family ea ing at
is almost as old as Chandni Chowk itself. The one of the restaurants which have pictures
story of Paranthe Walli Galli started when a with them even now. The street reached the
family from Gwalior migrated to Chandi summit of fame and popularity in 1960's
Chowk in the Mughal era and set up a stall when it was a home to about 20 stalls.
named Pandit Gaya Prasad Parathe Walla Subsequently, the stalls shut down or moved
which sold paranthas back in the year 1872. out leaving only three func ioning stalls
Back then it was s ill a silver souk. The family namely, 'Kanhaiya lal Durga Prasad Dikshit,
belonged to the Brahmin sect and adhering to Babu lal Paranthe Wala and Pandit Gaya
the tradi ion cooked parathas in ghee Prasad'. The stalls are currently run by the
excluding garlic and onion, it is a norm sixth genera ion of their families who are
maintained by all the shops ill date. They making e forts to preserve their tradi ion
used to sell tradi ional aloo (potato) and matar which is older than a century.
(peas) parathas along with a glass of lassi and Currently speaking, the stalls earn their
a variety of pickles and chutney. Over the profits from seasonal tourism and a few
years, the stall saw significant rise in sales customers daily. They are struggling to cope
and gained popularity among the Jain up with the growing compe i ion from fast
popula ion in the locality. Family feuds led to food chains and other alterna ives. Though
breaking o f the stall into various others. e forts have been made to revive the culture,
Back then, the lane was home to about 20 it looks like there is a long way to go before
stalls and restaurants which sold only the street revives its fame; but the sizzling
parathas ill the late 1960's. The popularity of smell of ghee and parathas being cooked in
Paranthe Waali Galli spread besides and them along with those spicy and tangy
beyond it that it turned into a tourist hub in chutneys is an irresis ible combina ion
Chandni Chowk. The exquisite taste of the which represents North India in one plate
parathas, deep fried in hot ghee as opposed to and tempts all types of people to experience

30
smell of ghee and parathas being cooked in
them along with those spicy and tangy
chutneys is an irresis ible combina ion
which represents North India in one plate
and tempts all types of people to experience
it. Well, I know you want to have one too.

31
 Indian Cultural Heritage
The ICH (Level I) course was held from 5th December 2016 to 18th January 2016 under the
guidance of Ms Safina Rakhangi, HOD of History as the Convenor and ably assisted by Ms
Firdous Sarnaoubat as the course co-ordinator.
The course was inaugurated by Mr Bhalchandra Kulkarni, Deputy Director, Department of
Archaeology, and Government of India. He passionately spoke about Forts of Maharashtra and
the role of ci izens in it apprecia ion. The course started with a lecture on the Hindu
Iconography and concluded with a lecture on the Role of the Media in promo ing our cultural
heritage. From engaging lectures on the Bollywood Icons of the 60's and 70's by Dr. Varalakmi,
(from the Mass Media Department in Jai Hind) to Ms Deepna Rao, (English department of JHC)
talking about the colonial and post colonial Indian wri ings of women.
The lecture on Spirituality of Sufism was delivered by a prac icing Sufi.The guest speaker for
classical music sang a couple of ragas. Students were taught the ' Ethnic embroidery' with
special reference to Kutch region in Rajasthan.
The study on the Dalit literature by Ms Anamika Purohit from the English Department of Jai
Hind College was intriguing. The evolu ion of Indian at ire was showcased by another alumnus,
Ms Tarannum Samtani. The course became more enjoyable as we also had lectures cum
performances by the singers and dancers on Hindustani Classical Dance from Nalanda Ins itute
which enabled us to understand these popular art forms.
Understanding the contribu ion of Urdu literature, Caves and Brand India also made the course
vast. Apart from the classroom session, we were taken on a field trip to visit the Heras Museum
in St.Xavier’s College and NGMA. At the end of the course, the students were evaluated vividly.
This course came to an end with a Valedictory func ion where Principal Dr. Ashok Wadia
addressed the students. The department is greatly thanked for the course.

- Ms Payal Singh (SYBMM)

Around The World In 40 Days

With its brilliant insight Jai Hind College's History Department launched a cer ificate course on
Interna ional Rela ions (Level I) conducted from August to September in the college premises.
India's recent power push in the world has triggered a demand for specialists in this field of
constant challenges. Students were briefed on various subjects like India's socio economic
scenario and rela ions with the countries of the world, terrorism as well as theories and
conspiracies circula ing the world. Professionals from Observer Research Founda ion along
with other specialists spoke and openly discussed the truth behind various interna ional events
and theories surrounding them libera ing students from media propaganda. Documentary
viewing and debates were the highlight of academic learning for various subjects.
The prac icality of the subjects was the prime focus of the course which broke the theore ical
monotony of mainstream academics and oriented students towards the dynamic world of
Interna ional Rela ions.

-Urvashi Valecha

32
33
 International Relations Level II Program, 2016-17
The Interna ional Rela ions Level II program in this academic year 2016-17 was organized
between August 18 and September 20th.The program opened with a keynote lecture by
Mr.Kishore Mandhyan, former ambassador to UN (a Jai Hind alumni), introducing students to
current trends in Interna ional Rela ions. A panel discussion was organized on “Na ionalism
and Interna ionalism in today’s poli ics.” A good chunk of lectures were devoted to developing
an understanding China’s economy, its foreign policy, new ini ia ives such as One Road One Belt
and ongoing South China Sea dispute. Other lectures were on topics such as American
Presiden ial elec ions, US foreign policy in South and East Asia, etc. This program was organised
in collabora ion with Observer Research Founda ion, Mumbai. They provided the opportunity
to our IR II students to attend a lecture on the current scene of the Gulen Movement. An
elaborate assessment was conducted through written mode based on analy ical ques ions, case
study and video based ques ions.

This year’s program featured the ini ia ion of internships at ORF. The program was coordinated
by Dr.Archana Mishra in associa ion with colleagues from Arts faculty and ORF speakers.
Dr.Archana took the SYBA students for an assignment linked to the study of Indus Valley
artefacts at the Museum in August. Students were also taken to the RBI Coin Museum where an
interac ion was organized with the Chief Curator of the Museum. They were introduced to the
courses available for Tourism in New Zealand and were explained various Tourism theories
with reference to des ina ions. A Civil Services Ins itute, Shiv Vidya Prabodhini organized a
seminar introducing our students to the UPSC pattern and prepara ions. One of our History
Majors student qualified for an entrance conducted by them.

History Trip: Bijapur-Badami-Aihole-Pattadakkal

A trip for history students was organized to Karnataka. Ms Safina Rakhangi(H.O.D), Ms Yasmin
Hashmatullah (Jr. College) and Ms Zubeda Sur i(Coordinator, Jr. College, Commerce)
accompanied 23 students.

The first site was Gol Gumbaz, Museum and Ibrahim Roza followed by Jama Masjid, Jod Gumbaz,
Taj Gumbaz, Chand Bawri and Barah Kamani.

The Durg temple at Aihole was studied. The next visit was to the incomplete Jain viharas where
eulogis ic type of inscrip ion of Pulakesin II is found (Aihole Fort). Students presented on ‘Aihole
Inscrip ion’ and ‘Pattadakkal as a UNESCO site’.
Following day, Badami caves built from volcanic rock in the 6th century A.D. dedicated to Shiva,
Vishnu and Jainas were visited.

Through the regular presenta ions ,the best one was on “Poli ical History of the Chalukyas”, the
Best Speaker was Ms Simran Chahal and the Best Listener was Janki Sampat.

It was enriching, as students found themselves intrigued and historically curious.

34
35
36
37
 125th Birth Anniversary of
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar

History Department has always been inspira ional and

versa ile with it's events and ac ivi ies. History Department organises
seminars every year wherein a very thoughtful topic has been taken up
by the teachers and students prepare research papers for the same.
Seminar is a student centred ac ivity which gives the student a chance
to think outside his books.
This year, History Department chose a topic that marked Dr.
Babasaheb Ambedkar's 125th birthday. We also presented it as a tribute
to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar through the annual seminar. The focus
was on his ideas and philosophy. This seminar was interdisciplinary in
nature as Philosophy, Poli ical Science and Business Law departments
collaborated with us to present the research papers on Dr. Babasaheb
Ambedkar. Student's have given their best and here are a few of those
Research Papers.

38
 DRIVEN BY KARMA: DR. BR AMBEDKAR
(Winner: best paper)
Research Paper by: Devika K. Deshpande, Gautami P. Bada
Guided by: Ms. Safina Rakhangi.

1. INTRODUCTION tradi ions of this country.

Who was the guiding light to the unfortunate He does not believe in God,
sec ion of the Indian society? He was none Rebirth, soul, Holy books teaching
other than the great orator, teacher, separa ism, fate and heaven
philosopher and leader, Dr. Ambedkar. Because they have made him a slave.

2. OBJECTIVE Dalits across India were known by many

This versa ile personality is a subject by names and Dr. Ambedkar, belonging to
which the curiosity of the reader and Maharashtra, was from the Mahar
researcher increases. But due to space community.
constraints, we have limited it to only a few
poets, their work depic ing certain events. AMBEDKAR'S EXPERIENCE AS A DALIT
It is said that a beau iful lotus always blooms
3. METHODOLOGY in a dirty pond. Similarly, before becoming
In this descrip ive paper, we aim to put forth an intellectual scholar, he was subjected to
the dogma of Dr. Ambedkar that we have humilia ion and discrimina ion due to his
gathered by referring to certain books. Mahar Dalits roots. He was denied the right
to sit with other classmates of his school,
4. IDEOLOGY wasn't given a ride on the horse cart and
wasn't even given glass of water at a local
THE INDIAN SOCIETY IN 19 CENTURY
TH
Dhabi. Talking about drinking water, which
The Indian society in the 19th century was is the basic need of any human being,
backward and plagued by various problems Ambedkar at school was not allowed to touch
and prac ices like Sa i, Untouchability, and either the water or the vessel that contained
Child marriage. Social rigidity and irra ional it. The water was poured by a person of higher
prac ices were a conspicuous feature. caste, mostly the peon. If the peon was not
Adding to this, the structure of the Indian available, he was not provided with water.
Society was abominable. It was based on the Later in his wri ings, he described it as an
concepts of the VARNA and JATI system. Due instance of “NO PEON, NO WATER”.
to these systems of hierarchy, the lower class, Such was the extent to which the Dalits were
known as Dalits or untouchables were treated that they forgot that they were
subjected to physical and mental human too.
harassment. Gangadhar Pantawane, a
revered Marathi poet, in his poem said: Childhood memories never fade away and
these horrific experiences haunted him even
To me, Dalit is not a caste when he was older by the discrimina ion
He is a man exploited by faced at Government Law College where
the social and economic being an untouchable he had to drink water

39
from a di ferent container and in Sydenham MAHAD SATYAGRAHA
College, another professor of higher caste Dalits were banned from water bodies which
was promoted despite Ambedkar being so were used by high caste Hindus. To break this
highly deserving. He was even opposed in the concep ion, Ambedkar led a group of
Cons ituent Assembly by the pres igious of untouchables to the Mahad Tank in Raigad to
leaders like Nehru, Sardar Patel and Gandhi. enable access of water to the public in
general. Arjun Dangle, one of the founding
Such was a struggle which instead of making members of the Dalit Panther Party, praises
him weak, made him stronger and was Ambedkar in the following words:
instrumental in helping him stand tall and All the merchants of darkness were fear
fight for the depressed classes. struck
But you kept on walking
AMBEDKAR BEGINS HIS STRUGGLE With everyone following
Faith? Faith it was! Faith in humanity that led You stopped at the bank of the pond
Ambedkar through the struggle whose aim And gave us life …
was to create a society with no
discrimina ion. To create society with TEMPLE SATYAGRAHA
HUMANISM as its only core. The temple satyagraha was a movement that
gave the Dalits the right to enter a temple and
Of various methods of educa ion, holding bring them at par with the higher castes. Dr.
conferences seemed best suited for spreading Ambedkar led a mass procession of the
the message of awakening of the depressed classes at Kalaram Temple in
untouchables and for gathering mass Nashik as part of the satyagraha. This
support for public ac ion. In one of these procession caught an eye of the world which
conferences, he established the rendered his movement to become more
'BAHISHKRIT HITKARINI SABHA' for the puissant. Similar heavyweight temple entry
'ameliora ion and upli t of the depressed movements were conducted in Amrava i and
classes'. Ambedkar, the chairman of this Nagpur.
council told the audience “EDUCATE,
AGITATE, ORGANISE'. POONA PACT
Ambedkar began his tedious journey for the
BURNING OF MANUSMRITI untouchables. The temple satyagrahas gave
Other than establishment of organiza ions, them social rights and the next step was to
the conference extended into ac ion in give them poli ical rights. The Poona Pact at
spontaneous gestures of defiance against Yerwada Jail in Pune between Ambedkar and
several social restric ions. At a conference in Gandhi was significant step towards
Mahad, the holy book MANUSMRITI (The providing separate electorates to the Dalits
Laws of Manu) was burnt, ideologically for elec ing members of state legisla ive
jus ifying caste discrimina ion and assemblies in Bri ish India.
untouchability. On 25th December 1927, while
he led thousands of followers to burn the CONVERSION TO BUDDHISM
copies of this Manusmri i,he asserted that it “The religion that doesn't recognize you as a
did not contain good principles and had led human being or gives you water to drink or
his people through a lot of melancholy and prohibits your entry in temple is not worthy
misery. Although, it was a dras ic step , but it of to be called a religion. The religion that
was an impera ive one to be taken. doesn't teach its followers to show humanity
in dealing with its co-religionists is nothing,

40
but a display of force. Because we have the provisions for the labourers. Among which
misfortune of calling ourselves Hindus, we the Minimum Wages Act ensured the life of
are treated thus. Choose any religion which the labourers to live with dignity and meet
gives you equality of status and treatment. the expenses of health, protec ion and
We shall repair our mistake now. I had the educa ion of his children. He reduced the
misfortune of being born with the s igma of working hours from 12 to 8 with equal pay for
an untouchable. However, it is not my fault; equal work irrespec ive of the sex. The
but I will not die a Hindu: for this is in my labourers could report their grievances to the
power.” recognized trade unions.

This was the historic moment when FOR CHILDREN

Ambedkar decided to embrace Buddhism as CAVES
it has no place for the caste system.
A ter publishing a series of books and ar icles Their human atroci ies have carved caves
arguing that Buddhism was the only way for in the rock of my small heart
the untouchables to gain equality, Ambedkar How did we ever get to this place?
on 14 October 1956, publicly converted to This land which was never mother to us
th

Buddhism at Deekshabhoomi, Nagpur along Which will never give me

with lakhs of his followers. the life of cats and dogs?
I will hold their unpardonable sins as witness
Wouldn't you want to divorce your abusive And turn here and now.
husband?
Wouldn't you want a fair share from your In these words, Jyo i Lanjewar reckons the
father's property along with your brothers? very situa ion of the children to be very
How you feel if your child is treated di ferently at appalling. With child labour, beggary, and
school? tra ficking predominant, Ambedkar
Would you work for 12 hours a day in a life replaced these evils with compulsor y
threatening environment and yet receive primary educa ion of children from 6 to 14
meagre wages? years. Ambedkar was in favour of a uniform,
compulsory and free elementary educa ion
Ambedkar further redeemed the society for each and every child of the country
through other regula ions which translated irrespec ive of caste, creed, religion or region.
into the Indian Cons itu ion. He believed that educa ion is the only power
that can cut the shackles of discrimina ion
FOR LABOURERS and poverty. His trust in educa ion was so
'BONDED FOR LIFE' BANDHUA 1947 firm that he gave educa ion the first place in
his famous slogan “self-educate, struggle and
“Mother told me how grandfather remain united”.
Took a small loan which my father Dr. Ambedkar unceasingly advocated the
Could not repay, died reserva ion in the sectors of educa ion and
Now me, my sons, my wife, we are employment for Dalit Communi ies, so that
All bonded labourers they could avail equal opportuni ies of
We work all day at this brick- kiln growth and progress like the rest of the
Work and work ill we sleep in.” country.

This poem re lects the agony of labourers and IDEA OF EQUALITY

to end this agony Ambedkar made several This country is broken into a thousand

41
pieces; the parliament. Due to further con lict
Its ci ies, its religion, its castes, Dr.Ambedkar resigned from the post of the
Its people, and even the mind of the people Law Minister.
All are broken and fragmented. In order to radicalize the Indian society, the
The people here rejoice in their black laws cons itu ion as the highest rule of land was
And deny that we were ever born. enacted on January 26th 1950.
Let us go to some country brother Ambedkar's words a ter the adop ion of the
Where when you die, there will at least be Indian Cons itu ion,
a cemetery to receive you. “I would like to thank all the people who have
sacrificed their life to help our na ion to see
Equality in India was a myth and Bapurao this day. On this auspicious day of 26
th

Jagtap stages this pi iful situa ion in the said January 1950, we, the people of India enact
poem. For this, in Ambedkar's vision of India, this cons itu ion. From this very day, we enter
all ci izens would be equal before law; they a life of contradic ions. While on one hand,
have equal civic rights, equal access to all poli ical equality shall exist, but on the other
ins itu ions, conveniences and ameni ies hand, there s ill shall be social and economic
maintained by or for the public; they possess inequality. In poli ics, we will be recognizing
equal opportuni ies to settle or live in any the principle of one man, one vote, one value
part of India to hold any public o fice, or but in our social and economic life, we s ill
exercise any trade or calling. He pleaded for shall con inue to deny the principle of one
special privileges and safeguards for the man, one value. But we shall overcome all
Dalits as scheduled Castes. these di ficul ies, for now, our mentor shall be
this very cons itu ion of India whose core are
FOR WOMEN the three principles of equality, liberty and
Women have an incredible gi t of giving birth fraternity.
to a child, Ambedkar ensured that every We enact this vehicle of life for the sole aim of
working women was en itled to maternity serving its people and taking this great
benefit for 8 weeks. He was the first person in na ion to further glory.”
India to endorse the Universal Adult
Franchise as a cons itu ional right which
allowed women to vote irrespec ive of their
caste, class, literacy and religion to be valued Credits: Ms. Yasmin Hasmat Ullah, Ms.
at one value. Deepna Rao, Mrs. Neeta Khandpekar,
Tarannum Samtani.
HINDU CODE BILL
It sought to abolish di ferent marriage
systems prevalent among Hindus and to set BIBLIOGRAPHY
up monogamy as the only legal system. It
aimed to confer the right to property and Books
adop ion for women. It provided for
res itu ion of conjugal rights and judicial 1. Zelliot Eleanor “Ambedkar World: The
separa ion. It attempted to unify the Hindu making of the Balasaheb and the Dalit
code in tune with progressive and modern Movement”, 2013, Navayana Publishing.
thought.
2. Je frelot Christophe “Ambedkar and
However, this modern bill was not acceptable the Untouchability Movement”, 2004,
to the patriarchal society of India and hence Columbia University Press.

42
3. Singh Janak “The Messiah of the ª crea ivesulekha.com
Downtrodden”, 2010, Kalpaz Publica ion.
ª legalservice.com
4. Jadhav Narendra “Awakening of
India's Social Conscience”, 2014, Konark ª karthiknavayan.wordpress.com
Publica ions.
ª http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/downlo
ad?doi=10.1.1.201.969&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Websites
ª http://www.encyclopedia.com/philosophy-
a n d - r e l i g i o n / e a s t e r n -
religions/hinduism/hinduism
ª Dalitna ion.wordpress.com

ª https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wo
ª wikipedia.org
rldviews/

ª Mulanivasiorgansiner.bam.org ª http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar icle-

2108923/Babies-born-just-weeks-early-
ª Sabrangindia.in higher-risk-health-problems.html

ª Ambedkar.org ª https://www.scribd.com/document/2646145
94/Print-Ar icle-Dr-B-R
ª freeindia.org
ª http://www.poli icalsciencenotes.com/equal
ª parliamentofindia.nic.in ity/equality-meaning-aspects-and-
theories/785

43
 DR AMBEDKAR’S PHILOSOPHY IN THE PRESENT CONTEXT
(1st Runner-up)
Research Paper by Jay Dongre

1. Introduc ion

Philosophy means nature or at itude that acts as As Swami Vivekananda had once said that to
a guiding principle of behaviour, which means know about the greatness of great people, you
the way we carry our self and our at itude. We
can simplify it just by saying that it's a way of books, speeches, empires but observe them in
living, ac ing and thinking i.e. general behaviour their day to day life while doing common
in any sense. But when an individual becomes a insignificant things. Because it shows the actual
social/poli ical figure his minute insignificant level of consciousness, philosophy and, in
ac ions can be studied to understand as a part of present context smartness.
his personality and can be termed under strata
Whatever we think we act, so ac ion is the best
unit to measure the velocity of thoughts and
It is very interes ing to study the philosophy of philosophy.
Dr. Ambedkar or any other great figure. But on
So an attempt is made by throwing a beam of
the other hand it becomes a task by itself to
relate it with the contemporary and present
life which act as an indicators of his philosophy.
context owing to the huge ime lapse of around
70 decades. Incidents are stressed more rather than the
dates.
And a ter a certain point of ime one realizes a
broad sphere of horizon and foresight of his 3. Scope and limita ions of the research.
philosophy beyond the ime. Dr. Ambedkar was
a man who lived in the present but thought far As Dr. Ambedkar acted and commented in a very
ahead of his ime. wide range ac ively over an extensive period of
ime the scope of research seems to be wide in
2. Objec ives of research. context.

Dr. Ambedkar was born in an outcaste family But the wide scope is narrowed down to relate in
the present context and the incidents are
and on his own merit and hard work he was
watched through the glasses of philosophy
counted as one of the most educated man in
India. 4. Research Methodology

What made him so great was an attempt that Here the research is done in various languages
acted as a common bridge between all great and mediums like Marathi, Hindi and Sanskrit
figures around the globe and to relate their life, but it is ul imately translated in English.
philosophy to his philosophy, bringing it to the Transla ion s imulates our thought process and
we become more conscious about the intensity
present era even with our life and philosophy.
of the topic. Rather, much similar kind of

44
thoughts come up in the low of reading and especially if we will observe poli icians or any
transla ing. social figure.
Biographies of few other great social, poli ical - Deepsatmbha 40. 357 . Shivaji rao Bhonsle.
and contemporary figures were studied to find
some commonness and relevance of his
philosophy and to connect it to the present · Realism
context. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar always stayed
close to realism but was stuck to reality. He
5. Findings never spoke of anything that was unrealis ic or
una fordable to impress the masses but just put
· Simplicity the truth as it is without bothering if he is
When Dr. ambedkar was in Delhi working as a favoured or disliked by the majority. The same
Law minister, he used to live in a palacios pattern was followed by Abraham Lincoln, while
bungalow.
But his house was as good as a royal mansion winning or losing, but I will speak the truth.
from one end and like a hermitage from other. Ambedkar was becoming the most famous and
Ambedkar had a hobby of collec ing designer also the most hated man in the country during
walking s icks, beau iful fountain pens, his poli ical career. i.e. in 1930 to 1950. But he
colourful lower bouquets which he used to never worked for gaining apprecia ion and
arrange in his ballroom and hall to decorate it. applause. While travelling at night he was even
And his reading room, kitchen, bedroom were attacked by upper classes but was not at all
extremely simple with very little furniture and deviated from his struggle. Ambedkar says
elegance. Buddha, Kabeer and Mahatma Phule are my
Once a reporter asked him why there is so much teachers and knowledge, pa ience and character
of contrast in your life? And very promptly is my God. Here too it can be seen that he has
Ambedkar replied : Simplicity is for me to live chosen the real figures and real moral human
and elegance is to show my people that what is values to be followed, as a role model. (speech
the power of knowledge as everything is delivered on 28 October 1954. ) He always spoke
followed by knowledge. whatever came from within which can be
Sri yogi Aurobindo too lived an extremely simple experienced and expressed by every common
life though he owned huge wealth. individual. i.e his thoughts were absolutely clear
Lokmanya Tilak always maintained simplicity and easy to understand but di ficult to accept
in his Kesari and Maratha o fice. All these and follow.
great people always gave importance to He says that one should build his personality by
glorifica ion of thoughts, inner building and knowledge, wisdom, compassion, character and
externally maintained simplicity. Because a friends.
simple body can hold a great mind and great
mind s imulates great philosophy. The idea of · Philosophy Related to Life
simplicity is missing somewhere and we all
always try to live a fashionable and fancy life, Once Ambedkar said that if you have two annas
then spend one for buying food and second one

45
for buying a lower. Food will make you live and denied doing so, this shows his loyalty, sincerity
lower will teach you how to live. This sentence andthat he never misused the post he owned.
sounds very simple but carries a profound
meaning. It has two parts first one is of - Book: Maazi Atmakatha. Ch.8. Dr.Ambedkar
prac icality i.e. at a level of our body for buying
food and second one is of our inner being
i.e. at the level of our mind.
· Educa ion
As lowers have many petals and each one has
As Ambedkar was a highly educated
the same fragrance, though they are plucked out
professional, poli ician and social reformer he
and are separated apart then too they con inue
had the right to comment on educa ion. He
having the same fragrance, crush the lower
stressed upon giving great importance to
then too it will smell sweet. So should be the
at itude of any person to others. No matter how educa ion as he had experienced its e ficiency.
people behave to us we have to maintain
compassion and discipline and pa ience always also preached how educa ion should be.
in any condi ion.
He said knowledge is a two sided sword and
so much of philosophy. We should observe the should be obtained without help of any teacher
nature, it teaches us so many things it is a live by self-experience and examina ion as it leads us
example of sel lessness and benevolence. Today to self-realiza ion.
we cease to ignore the nature.
In 1928 while discussing with Simon commission
-Deepsatbha . 363. Prof. Shivajirao Bhonsle. he suggested to make the primary educa ion
compulsory by the law. And was implemented in
the present era in 2010 1st April.
· Respect to law and rules.
In the opening ceremony of the Siddharth
Dr. Ambedkar worked as a professor in the college in Mumbai on 20 June 1946 in a gathering
Sydenham College from 1918 to 1920. Whenever you cannot
any Dalit used to approach him for get ing build your personality by just studying from
admission of their children in the college he books rather you should start building up your
used to politely reject. But while making the own thoughts , and ac ing on the current social
cons itu ion he made provisions for Dalits. and poli ical issus. This will fulfil your
personality and will make you a good human
He never went out of the way, rather he made the
way.
So here stress is given on the prac ical
Today we can see that when one person gets
applica ion of the knowledge that is gained.
posted on any considerable high posi ion in any
ins itu ion he fetches employments to his
rela ives and friends in his o fice. Amberkar

46
should be clear like light and should travel
speedily in a straight line but in all direc ions. i.e. experience and knowledge. When we get highly
it should have wide range and one should not educated and a social figure we lose respect and
only study in a specific direc ion and restrict modesty towards other people, but it never
himself to only one subject. happened with Ambedkar.

He said you should learn what is useful for you. - Book: Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and Swami
Vivekanand, ch.6 pgno. 216.
But today many imes we restrict our study to
our por ion and textbooks and overlook our Sant Gadge maharaj: Shivajirao Bhonsle ,
library which provides us knowledge of various
Prakashachi Zade.
topics. Many imes we also just study topics
irrelevant to prac ical applica ion as a part of our
por ion, this was strongly opposed by Dr. · Personal and poli ical
Ambedkar.

Modesty and humbleness and no egoistic common prac ice of publicly tarnishing and
nature. commen ing cri ically on the private life of our
poli ical opponent.
It has been always seen that modesty and
humbleness follows the true knowledge. Gandhi was one of the most intense and
powerful poli ical opponent of Ambedkar, his
Ambedkar held degrees like MA. Ph.D, M.Sc,
thoughts and the dalit movement.
Barrister of law, L.L.D, D.Litt . when he decided
and declared about changing his religion many Gandhiji declared a fast un il death during 1932,
religious people and gurus approached him for for opposing the demand of separate
gaining favour of Dalits. He studied Hinduism, cons ituency for Dalits. 24 September, in the
Sikhism, islam, but at last he went to saint Yerawada jail the Poona Pact was signed.
Gadgebaba, for taking his guidance. Gadgebaba
was totally illiterate.
weapon very o ten, your life is very precious for
So highly educated person visits an illiterate old
man for guidance on such a serious topic like
religion is astonishing, But its true. Such a kind of respect for our opponent is now
hardly seen.

choose any way coming from outside. And These great people were like huge mountains,
Ambedkar got the hidden meaning. they had di ferences among opinions but never
took anything personally. Huge mountains
never fight because they stand in the same soil
and touch the same sky.
We will never prefer to consult anyone
academically and educa ionally subordinate as - Film: Ambedkar his life and Mission.

47
- Book: Mahanayak by Vishwas Pa il. ch.4 pg 97. religion is just a name given to a group of
scien ific and spiritual principles favourable to
- Poonapact audio recording. Youtube.
the socio poli ical atmosphere. So were the
· Philosophy regarding religion and religious books, shastras and the smri is that
annihila ion of caste were written.

Philosophy of Dr. Ambedkar related to religion As social condi ion and requirements
was crystal clear. changed they s
rec ified and redefined for the common
Dhaaraya i sah Dharma benefit, but that never happened under the
name of God given law.
Means: That what holds, supports you is your
religion. Ambedkar's philosophy was totally based upon
scien ific outlook and aimed at social benefit.
Though Ambedkar was a hindu, he was a
outcasted, so hinduism did not support him and - Book: Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and Swami
his people to develop. Vivekananda. Shyam Atre. Pg. 163.

He never hated Hinduism and Hindu philosophy - Annihila ion of caste.

rather always said that our Hindu philosophy is
more profound than Islam and Chris ianity. Dr. Ambedkar gave us an e fec ive way of
Then too, with due respect he embraced breaking the caste system and that was inter
Buddhism because Hinduism did not accept his caste marriages. If inter caste marriages will
happen for couple of few genera ions, caste
people. We can see that he waited ill the end and
monsters will disappear. Because then nobody
then made his mind to change.
can be iden ified by their caste to get hate and
He got many o fers from Chris ians and Muslims everyone will eventually become a combina ion
of wealth and posi ions but he never got of various casts.
infatuated and accepted Buddhism without
- Ambedkar Archive: New delhi.
get ing any economic benefit as his struggle was
for social equality. - Interna ional conference on Dr. Babasaheb
Ambedkar.

6. Conclusion

Philosophy of Dr. Ambedkar can be described in

Dr. Ambedkar never preached such sad
philosophy, though it was real.. he always spoke
whole was a central idea of his philosophy.
about posi ive parts of the religion. i.e scien ific
at itude. Rather than any religion his religious He talked about upli ing masses, that too in a
philosophy was based upon pure spirituality. very realis ic and prac ical approach by cri ical
Science and spirituality goes hand in hand and analysis. He always thought of everyone as he

48
struggled for the rights of outcaste shudras and Ek hota carver .
never hated Brahmins or other casts/religions.
Veena gawankar.
While struggling for his own rights he never

Up to very great extent his philosophy is Peakashiche Zaade.

applicable and is relevant to the current context
as its core ideas were equality, fraternity,
brotherhood, gaining knowledge, and building
up a coopera ive and ra ional cosmos. And these
are the very basic human values and are
imeless.

7. Bibliography:

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and Swami

Vivekananda. 2014.

- Professor. Shyam Atre.

Sangharsha Maaha Manavacha.

- Ramesh Patange.

Swami Vivekananda and Dr. Babasaheb

Ambedkar.2013.

- Ramesh Patange.

Jaateche Vidhwansan. 1936.

- Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

Mahanayak. 2003.

- Vishwas Pa il.

49
 THE FATHER OF THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION : DR. B.R. AMBEDKAR
(2nd Runner-up)
By:- Hina Tolani, Ruqaiya Kagalwala, Prap i Buddhadev, Priya Tiwari.

Guided by Dr. Archana Mishra and Ms. Safina Rakhangi

1. Introduc ion

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, also known as 5. Significance of the Indian Cons itu ion
Babasaheb, was an Indian na ionalist, ju- in the present context
rist, Dalit, poli ical leader, ac ivist, philos-
3. Methodology
opher, thinker, anthropologist, historian,
orator, profilic writer, economist, scholar, Primary Sources as well as Secondary and
editor, revolu ionary and the revivalist of ter iary sources were used for this re-
Buddhism in India. He was also the search. Primary Sources included various
chairman of the dra ing Committee of the quotes from the speeches of Babasaheb
Indian cons itu ion. Due to his seminal Ambedkar whereas Secondary Sources
role in the framing of the Indian Cons itu- were the numerous books written on him
ion, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar is popularly and ar icles published on him. Ter iary
known all over India as the chief architect Sources were also used in places where
of the Indian Cons itu ion. The great man the help of the internet was necessary and
important and relevant.
glorious personality and great capability
4. Childhood, Early Life and Background
these characteris ics forever are worthy of
of B.R. Ambedkar
wri ing with the golden letters, in the use-
ful history of India, of the en ire world Bhimrao Ambedkar was born on 14th
and of the universal mankind. April 1891 in village Mahu in a Mahar
Caste, which was considered to be of the
2. Objec ives
untouchable1s. His fa
1. To analyse the cri ical inputs Dr. Ramji Sakpal and he was married to
Ambedkar in the making of the Indian Bhimabai. In 1897, Ambedkar's family
Cons itu ion. moved to Bombay where Ambedkar be-
came the only untouchable enrolled at
2. To iden ify and the key features of the
Elphinstone High School. In 1906, when he
Indian Cons itu ion by Dr. Ambedkar.
was about 15 years old, his marriage to a
3. To trace the journey from the Standing nine-year-old girl, Ramabai, was arranged.
Committee to the final Cons itu ion. He concentrated his energy on studies and
passed his B.A. examina ion in 1912
4. To address the problems faced by
Ambedkar and the dra ing committee 5. Background
while framing the cons itu ion.

50
At the ime,when the Standing Committee Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyas 4) K.M. Mun-
was proposing the making of the cons itu- shi 5) Saijio Mola Saadulla 6) N. Madhava
ent assembly the condi ions in India Rao and 7) D.P. Khaitan.
t. We were captured
In a presiden ial address at the All India
and been a colony of the Bri ish and social
Scheduled Caste Federa ion in May 1P65
economic and poli ical all aspects were
he warned
disarming. The Indian Cons itu ion was to
opposed to the proposals of a Cons ituent
be made in such a period of ime which
Assembly. It is absolutely super luous. I
was dominated by brilliant minds debat-
regard it as n most dangerous project
ing for a strong .The expecta ions of the
which may involve this country in a civil
rest of the na ion were very high and this
war. I do not see why Cons ituent Assem-
a lot of pressure built up on Ambedkar. He
But what comes as
had to find a way to reconcile develop-
a shock is statement he made in Parlia-
ment with inclusion of poli ical social and
ment on September 2, 1953 in great angst.
economic progress. The chronology starts
Said the man praised to the skies for his
with the Round table conference. The
work in dra ing the Cons itu ion:
Round Table Conference was a landmark
be the first person to burn the Cons itu-
in the history of the Indian Cons itu ion.
ion. I do not want it, it does not suit any-
Being invited to discuss on cons itu ional
body. People always keep on saying to me:
matters Dr. Ambedkar demanded inde-
you are the maker of the Cons itu-
pendence and hoped that the people of In-
dia would be able to redress their griev-
was asked to do, I did, much against my
ances by poli ical power. At the first ses-
Shocking? Yes. But it is the same
sion of the Round Table Conference, he
man who said also in Parliament on
gave a clear warning to the Bri ish Gov-
March 19, 1955 how elated he was with the
ernment.
fulfilment of his task.
6. B.R. Ambedkar and Dra ing of the
7. Why Ambedkar was elected as the the
Cons itu ion
Chairman of the dra ing committee?
On 29th August, 1947 the Cons ituent As-
1. Ambedkar was the most qualified
member of the dra ing committee.
with the seven members including Dr.
His educa ion qualifica ion s as fol-
Ambedkar .The Law Minister Dr.
lows:- B.A.(Bombay University)
Ambedkar was appointed the Chairman of
Bachelor of Arts, MA.(Columbia
the Dra ing Committee. The seven mem-
university) Master of Arts, M.Sc.(
London School of Economics) Mas-
ter of Science, PhD (Columbia Uni-
Ambedkar, Chairman 2) N. Goipalswami 3)

51
 versity) Doctor of philosophy , discussions on Cons itu ional mat-
D.Sc.( London School of Economics) ters from the Monsford Reforms
Doctor of Science , L.L.D.(Columbia (1919) to the Cabinet Mission (1946)
University) Doctor of Laws , D.Litt.( proposals.
Osmania University) Doctor of Lit-
6.
erature, Barrister-at-Law (Gray's
(The Pune Pact refers to an agree-
Inn, London) law qualifica ion for a
ment between Babasaheb
lawyer in royal court of England.2
Ambedkar and Mahatma Gan-
2. A ter his return from the USA, he dhi signed on 24 September 1932
went for his doctoral studies and at Yerwada Central Jail in Pune.)
obtained degrees in economics and
· Fundamental Rights
poli ical science he joined service
of Baroda state. He simultaneously AMBEDKAR was a champion of funda-
started working as a social ac ivist mental rights, and Part III of the Indian
figh ing against caste discrimina- Cons itu ion guarantees the fundamental
ion and untouchability .His ac iv- rights to the ci izens against the state.
ism and scholarly espousal soon Some of the fundamental rights contained
saw him emerging as a poli ical in Ar icles 15(2), 17, 23, and 24 are also en-
leader of na ional stature. forceable against individuals.The text pre-
pared by Ambedkar provided cons itu-
3. Dr. Ambedkar had a charismatic
ional guarantees for a wide range of civil
personality. Being a democra ic so-
liber ies for individual ci izens, including
cialist, he strongly believed that po-
freedom of religion, the aboli ion of un-
li ical independence cannot assure
touchability and outlawing all forms of
either social solidarity or na ional
discrimina ion. Ambedkar argued for ex-
integra ion in the absence of social
tensive economic and social rights for
jus ice
women.4
4. Dr.Babasaheb was known for his
professional approach, his excellent · Parliamentary Democracy
knowledge of cons itu ion and his
DR AMBEDKAR was a strong advocate of
great work in "States and Minori-
the parliamentary form of government.He
ies"
firmly believed that the parliamentary
5. Dr. Ambedkar was one of the very system of government alone can usher in
few Indian Statesmen-poli icians an egalitarian society through the applica-
who ac ively par icipated in the ion of the principles of social democracy.
The Preamble of the Indian Cons itu ion

52
echoes the principles of parliamentary In the Dra t Cons itu ion Dr. Ambedkar
democracy. o fered more powers to the Centre and
made it strong. Some members of the con-
· Protec ive Discrimina-
s ituent assembly cri icised him on the
ion/Reserva ion
ground that since Dr. Ambedkar postulat-
THE real contribu ion of Ambedkar is re- ed the rights and values of each individ-
lected in the protec ive discrimina ion ual and the development of each province
scheme or the reserva ion policy of the and each village, it was contradictory of
government envisaged under some provi- his part to make the Centre strong.
sions of Part III and many of Part IV to
· Equality Of Opportunity
ameliorate the condi ion of the Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes and the other
backward classes. Provisions like Ar icle
17 prohibi ing untouchability, Ar icle 30 the Court of Law. Of all the rights, Dr.
dealing with the protec ion of minori ies
are some of the notable examples.
ing the cons itu ional remedies, he char-
Ar icles 15(4) and16(4) of Part III and Part
acterize Ar icle 32 as the very soul of the
XI, and Schedule V and VI dealing with
Cons itu ion and the very heart of it.
the upli tment of the Scheduled Castes
and Schedule Tribes speak clearly about · Direc ive Principles Of State Poli-
significant contribu ion of Ambedkar for cy
the development of untouchables.
The Direc ive Principles of State Policy
· State Socialism contained the posi ive obliga ions of the
state towards its ci izens. The Direc ives
DR AMBEDKAR advocated his economic
were meant to ensure social and economic
democracy which was secured by the pro-
Cons itu ion. He proposed state ownership
visions of fundamental rights in a written
of agriculture with a collec ivised method
Cons itu ion
of cul iva ion and a modified form of state
socialism in the field of industry. But due · Cons itu ion: A Dynamic Docu-
to strong opposi ion in the Cons itu ion ment
Assembly, he could not incorporate his
The Cons itu ion is a dynamic document
scheme under the fundamental rights as a
it should grow with the growth of the na-
part of the Cons itu ion.
ion and should suit the changing needs
· Centre Was Made Strong and circumstance. So Dr. Ambedkar urged
the necessity of amendment.

53
 · Concept Of Sovereignty And Suze-
rainty golden letters in the history of India as a
creator of social jus ice. If Mahatma Gan-
dhi gave direc ion and lesson of morality
and suzerainty and of the Indian States,
then Baba Saheb gave shape to social as-
i.e., integra ion of the na ive Indian
pect without exploita ion. In true sense of
Princely States which gave the shape to
the word, he gave democra ic and an i
the rap of India as if is today, has indeed
caste aim. He spent his whole life for the
been prophe ic.
betterment of the poor, exploited, un-
· Na ional Integra ion touchables and troubled classes. Thus, Dr.

In the Dra t Cons itu ion Dr. Ambedkar

Cons itu ion is undoubtedly of the highest
prescribed single ci izenship, a single judi-
order. Indeed he deserved to be called the
ciary and uniformity in fundamental
Laws to integrate Indian society which
an Cons itu ion.
was not only divided into caste and class,
but also into regions, religions, languages, 9. References
tradi ions and cultures.
1. Dr. Dhyanraj Kashinath Gaikwad
Compara ive study
Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar.
While presen ing the Dra t Cons itu ion to
the Cons ituent Assembly in 1948, 2. Lalit. K. Sahay Dr. B.R. Ambedkar: Man
Ambedkar maintained that ―there was of Millenium.
nothing to be ashamed of in borrowing
3. B.J. Bhandu ia Champion of Human
because nobody holds any patent rights in
Rights. B.R. Ambedkar.
the fundamental ideas of a Cons itu ion.
Perhaps, this is why the creators of Indian 4. W.N. Kuber, B.R. Ambedkar.
Cons itu ion took inspira ion from both
5. Veridemder Grover, Bhimrao Ramji
domes ic and foreign sources.
Ibid., Mirac.: A Biography of his vision and
ideas.

8. Conclusion

The contribu ion of Dr. Ambedkar in In-

dian Democracy is not to be forgotten. As
a chairman of the Cons itu ional Commit-
tee he gave a shape to our country of a
complete Sovereign, Democra ic and Re-
public based on adult franchise. Baba Sa-

54
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL VIEWS OF DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR

Research by Jayosmita Ganguly, Neha Sutaria and Zenobia Charania

Guided by Ms. Safina Rakhangi

Introduc ion: Angels Unawares- by Swami Ÿ Analy ical study on Hinduism and
Vivekananda Buddhism with cri icisms against Neo-
One bending low with load of life — Hinduism and Neo-Buddhism.
That meant no joy, but su fering harsh and
hard —
And wending on his way through dark and LIMITATIONS:
dismal paths Ÿ Di ferent schedules of respondents and
Without a lash of light from brain or heart inability to interview many respondents:
To give a moment's cheer, ill the line Unavailability of respondents. Due to this,
That marks out pain from pleasure, death interviews were not an op ion.
from life,
And good from what is evil was well-nigh Ÿ Limited ime and geographical constraint:
wiped from sight, We had limited ime in our hands and
Saw, one blessed night, a faint but beau iful di ferences in the residences further a fected
ray of light the research.
Descend to him. He knew not what or
wherefrom, PART I :- Morality
But called it God and worshipped. Morality is a subjec ive and is defined in the
Oxford Dic ionary as, “Principles concerning
OBJECTIVE: the dis inc ion between right and wrong or
The objec ive of this paper is to understand good and bad behaviour.” Thus, Ambedkar's
the views of Dr.Ambedkar on religion and views on morality are also revolu ionary.
morality, as the topic is not only intriguing According to him, religion and morality
but also informa ive and relevant to the should mutually coexist, and absence of
current socio-poli ical context. either contradicts its founda ion. He
His views guide us through the turbulence of elaborates on ideal religion involving the
religion, poli ics, equality, morality, etc. The principles of equality, fraternity and liberty,
crème of the topic has changed but with the and o fer all its followers equal status. The
same base. research is through the following quote:
Thus, this specific topic appealed and “The Hindus have an innate and inveterate
directed us to research on the same. conserva ism and they have a religion which
is incompa ible with liberty, equality, and
METHODOLOGY: fraternity, i.e. with democracy.”
Ÿ Referred books and speeches by Dr.
Ambedkar. He majorly cri icised the Hindu policies,
Ÿ Re f e r r e d a r i c l e s f r o m b o t h p r i n t considering them to be a medium to serve the
magazines and online forums on Dr. social hierarchy rather than being the
Ambedkar. spiritual platform and moral basis that it

55
needs to be. He stated, “all the sins in Hindu Hardly had the cart gone a few yards when
scriptures are basically acts of wrongdoing the Hindu cart-man realized that the two
against the Brahmins, who were the highest boys in his cart were "untouchables". He
caste”, whereas, sins should actually be threw them out on the road in rage, realising
wrongdoing against any human. This blatant that they had polluted his wooden cart.
lack of respect and equality for the Shudras Ambedkar and his brother calmed the cart
or the 'untouchables' struck him the most; man by paying double the fare. Ambedkar's
being a Shudra and a staunch supporter of elder brother drove the cart, and the cart-man
equal rights for all. followed it on foot afraid of being polluted.
This implies that a Hindu is socially strict but Ambedkar and his brother could not get
not morally. He is a willing tool in the hands drinking water during the whole journey.
of his society, content to follow and not a free
agent of his mind. THE STATEMENT:
The list is long and illustra ive to give us the The philosophy of religion, according to
idea which underlies its no ion of 'Sin'. In A m b e d k a r , i s b o t h d e s c r i p i ve a n d
either case, 'sin', according to Hindu no ion is norma ive. When dealing with the teachings
a decease of the soul. It is either merely of various religions, it is a descrip ive science,
breach of a rule of external conduct or a whereas norma ive involves the use of
defilement of the body to be cleaned and cri ical reasoning for judging those teachings
purified by both or by pilgrimage or and is a norma ive science.
sacrificial o ferings. But, is never the spiritual Religion is “the propounding of an ideal
defilement associated with the harbouring of scheme of divine governance, the aim and
evil thoughts and purposes. object of which is to make the social order in
This depicts the morality of the Hindu is which men live a moral order".
purely social implying that the level of his Religion, as a social force cannot be ignored.
morality is purely tradi ional and customary. Similarly, the view, encouraged by the study
He stated two evils in customary morality. of compara ive religion – goodness of all
Firstly, lack of surety that it will always be religion – is mistaken and untenable.
charged with sincerity and purity of mo ive. Compara ive religion has broken down the
Secondly, customary morality is an anchor claim and arrogance of revealed religions as
and a drag holding up the average man. It is the only true and good religion. However, it
only another name for moral stagna ion with has also brought in its wake some false
an evil feature peculiar to it. It is a matter of no ions about religion. The most harmful one
meritorious conduct. Ordinarily this is good is that “all religions are equally good and that
from the public point of view. But in there is no necessity of discrimina ing
Hinduism, this conduct is not concerned between them”.
with the worship of God or the general good However, firstly, it is essen ial to understand
o f c o m m u n i t y. I t i s c o n c e r n e d w i t h the fundamentals of the religion cri icised by
presenta ions, of good and honour to the Dr. Ambedkar.
Brahmins.
HINDUISM
PART II :- Religion The origins of Hinduism is unknown, yet is
understood to have rooted from the
The Incident :- philosophy of Sanatana Dharma which
Once, Ambedkar and his brother were going developed through the imes. The theory of
to Goregaon from Masur Railway Sta ion. Hinduism during the Pre-Vedic Era, briefed
They hired a bullock-cart for this purpose. upon no ecclesias ical order or ques ionable

56
religious authori ies, no governing bodies, no scien ific world-view, set great store by
prophet, no binding book; a Hindu can religion, understood religion as essen ially a
choose to be polytheis ic, pantheis ic, matter for right living, a framework for a
monotheis ic, monis ic, agnos ic, atheis ic or moral life.
humanist. According to Ambedkar, religion must be
judged by social standards, based on social
Manusmri i ethics. He remarked, “The religion which
Manusmri i, is the most authorita ive Hindu discriminates between two followers is
Law Book (Dharmashastra), which served as par ial and the religion which treats its
a founda ional work on Hindu law and adherents worse than dogs and criminals,
jurisprudence in the ancient Indian society. and in licts upon them insu ferable
Although men ioned above, the absence of a disabili ies is no religion at all.”
binding book on Hinduism, un il the modern
imes it was the standard reference for both REASON
the rulers patronizing Vedic faith and the Ambedkar was impressed because Buddha
people prac ising it. preached his prac ices.
The work we have today as Manusmri i must “Whatever rules the Blessed Lord had made
have reached its final form through the for the members of the sangha were
contribu ion of many by 200 CE. voluntarily and willingly accepted by him to
Manusmri i emphasizes on the four aspects be binding on him also.”
namely: Buddhism “directed man's search inwards to
1. Crea ion of the world the poten iality hidden within himself”,
2. Source of dharma whereas the Vedas are full of “prayer, praise
3. The dharma of the four social classes and worship” of the gods; Buddhism aims at
4. Law of karma, rebirth and final libera ion “training of the mind to make it act
righteously”.
The Dharma of the four classes have been
f o c u s s e d u p o n e x t e n s ive ly w i t h t h e Buddha, unlike the founders of other
distribu ion of du ies as: religions, claimed himself to be “one of the
I. Lo n g e s t s e c i o n o f M a n u s m r i i - many human beings” — an ordinary person.
Brahminism, explaining Dharmavidhi. He claimed no divine origins for himself and
II. Kshatriya- Upholding laws, rules of war, his teachings; not claiming his teachings
the role and limits on the power of the king. infallible.
III. Vaishyas- the traders (only eight verses). Above all, Ambedkar was impressed by the
IV. Shudras- the filth of the society (two scien ific support for Buddha's doctrine of
verses, depic ing irrelevance of the class). anicca (transitoriness). “Modern Science”,
according to him, “echoes the Buddhist
The Con lict doctrines of transitoriness (anicca) and
While Hinduism a ter the post Vedic Era egolessness (anatta)”.
dealt with caste, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar sought to
find resolu ion in Buddhism, which were Finally, Buddhism alone has the glory of
based on the theories of eight fold path of the rightly judging the intrinsic greatness of
right view, resolve, speech, ac ion, livelihood, man's capacity to work out his salva ion
e fort, mindfulness and concentra ion. without extraneous aid. It lays stress on
knowledge and self-rule as a prerequisite.
PART III:- Ambedkar and Religious Tryst
Ambedkar, a humanist, and one embracing

57
CONVERSION 20. I am convinced that Buddha's Dhamma is
Ambedkar's journey to Buddhism can be Saddhamma.
traced during a span of about forty years. 21. I believe that I am taking new birth.
When he was just 16 years old; professor and 22. I commit that henceforth I shall act as per
author, Krishnaji Arjun alias Dada Keluskar Buddha's principles and teachings.
who wrote Bhagwan Buddhache Charitra,
gi ted him a copy of his book on the life of A ques ion raised by many cri ics when
Gautam Buddha. Ambedkar resolved to renounce Hinduism,
“Why had he waited for a long period of
The 22 vows taken during the conversion:- twenty years?” It is said that he deliberately
1. I shall not consider Brahma, Vishnu and waited up to the 2500th birthday of Buddha,
Mahesh as God nor shall I worship them. however that is a percep ion, also seen as a
2. I shall not consider Ram and Krishna as ground of cri icism.
God nor shall I worship them. B.S.Murthy answered, “The only answer
3. I shall not believe in Gouri-Ganesh and seems to be that he dearly loved all that was
other Gods and goddesses of Hindu Religion best in Hinduism”. He also knew that
nor shall I worship them. compassion, equality and freedom were not
4. I don't have faith incarna ion of God. to be found in Hindu religion.
5. I believe that, Buddha is incarna ion of
Vishnu, is a false and malicious propaganda. CONCLUSION
6. I shall not perform shraddha, nor shall I It, however, is our observa ion, that his stakes
give pind-dan. regarding religion and morality was due to
7. I shall not prac ice anything which is the social condi ions and not the religions per
against and di ferent from Buddha's se. It is our responsibility while following a
Dhamma. religion, to be curious enough to read the
8. I will not perform any rituals to be original deciphers and interpret accordingly
performed by Brahmins. because ul imately every religion has its own
9. I believe that all human beings are equal. social and ime biases.
10. I shall make e forts to establish equality
11. I shall follow the Eightfold path as told by BIBLIOGRAPHY
the Buddha. ª http://bihar.humanists.net/B.%20R.%20
12. I shall prac ice ten Paramitas as told by the Ambedkar.htm
Buddha. ª B. R. Ambedkar, Emancipa ion of the
13. I shall have compassion and kindness for Untouchables, pp. 52-53.
all living beings and protect them. ª Dr. Ambedkar has analysed Hindu
14. I shall not steal. Dharma in his book & quote: Philosophy
15. I shall not tell lies. of Hinduism & quote:- quotes from his
16. I shall not commit any sexual misconduct. book.
17. I shall not consume liquor/intoxicants. ª Outlook Ar icles on B.R Ambedkar
18. I shall lead a life based on Buddhist ª http://www.chris ianforums.com/thread
Principle of wisdom, Precepts, and s/is-hinduism-montheis ic-monotheis ic-
compassion. polytheis ic-pantheis ic-or-
19. I denounce Hindu religion which is panentheis ic.7743983/
Harmful for my development as a human ª http://www.poemhunter.com/i/ebooks/p
being and which has treated human being df/swami_vivekananda_2009_5.pdf
unequal lowly and I accept Buddha's ª https://quizlet.com/21765500/art-
Dhamma. history-ch-9- lash-cards/

58
 PANDIT NEHRU & DR. AMBEDKAR FROM CONSENSUS TO
DIVERGENCE

Research Paper by Manthan Bachani

Guided by Dr. Archana Mishra.

1. INTRODUCTION di ferences on the issue of Hindu Code Bill

this led to Uniform Civil code, legacy &
“िनंद अपनी खोकर जगाया हमको footprints which embossed a permanent
आं सू अपने गीराकर हसाया हमको mark in the dignitaries of new ideas.
कभी मत भुलना उन महान इं सानो को
जमाना कहत ् ा है ' भीम ' और ' नेह ' िजनको ” 3. METHODOLOGY
Due to ime constraint, I was not able to refer
Pt Jawaharlal Mo ilal Nehru & Dr. Bhimrao to the primary sources but I have attempted
R a m j i A m b e d k a r ( S a k p a l ) we r e t wo to refer to the secondary sources & get the
legendary & iconic figures just two years best result on the dedica ion, determina ion
apart by birth, born at Allahbad in Uttar & commitment of Dr. Ambedkar & Pt Nehru
Pradesh & Mhow in Madhya Pradesh in making of this na ion. It is descrip ive &
respec ively, who Modern India can never analy ical in nature.
forget. As visionaries, both shared a vision of
an inclusive & secular society in which 4. IDEOLOGY
government & poli ical ins itutes would play Pt Nehru & Dr. Ambedkar believed in social
a vital role in ushering the same. Ambedkar democracy & economic democracy of the
spearheaded the dra ing of the Cons itu ion, country which means a socialist system of
he was an admirable jurist, reformer & government achieved by democra ic means.
intellectual, but like so many others of the Social democracy is a poli ical, social &
g e n e r a i o n wa s d wa r f e d by Ne h r u ' s economic ideology that supports economic &
charisma. However, some great sons of India social interven ions to promote social jus ice
with great ideas & vision do not change but within the framework of a countr y's
create history separately. Contribu ion of economy, a commitment to representa ive
both in the making of modern India is d e m o c r a c y, m e a s u r e s f o r i n c o m e
possibly more substan ial than that of any redistribu ion, regula ion of the economy in
other leaders of that era. Which leader of the the general interest & welfare state
21st century is as relevant to every dream of a provisions. Their consensus on Hindu Code
just, modern, liberal, secular, humane and Bill & get ing it passed gives an image of
democra ic society in India today? secularism & dedica ion towards welfare of
the state with the commitment on Resolu ion
2. OBJECTIVE of Objec ives.
'Nehru & Ambedkar: From Consensus to
Divergence' aims to study – The ideology and Pt Nehru was an Interna ionalist, with great
beliefs of Pt Nehru & Dr. Ambedkar, agenda & in luences of Wri ings of Bernard Shaw, H.G
scope of state ac ion & civil par icipa ion in Wells, J.M. Keynes, Bertrand Russell, Lowes
achieving the vision of an inclusive society & Dickinson & Meredith Townsend which
social jus ice, to enforce the fronts of molded much of his poli ical & economic

59
thinking, whereas Dr. Ambedkar, though people through conduc ing free & fair
educated from foreign universi ies, he always elec ions, suppor ing reser va ion for
faced enormous personal odds like caste temporary basis in various ins itutes for
humilia ion, poverty, etc. Ambedkar was their upli tment.
in luenced by John Dewey, AA Goldenweiser,
Edwin Seligman & their work on poli ics, Dr Ambedkar started with mass movement &
economics & democracy. mass mobiliza ion first & then went towards
the state ac ion when he realized that it's not
Dr. Ambedkar was a revolu ionary person & possible to bring change by being within the
P t Ne h r u a t r u e Pa r l i a m e n t a r i a n , fold giving speeches & appealing them for
Cons itu ionalist & Interna ionalist by their upli tment. He had a sense that every
thoughts. If one goes through the wri ings of bill introduced should be passed easily by
Ambedkar, it is a vast, in-depth study, a PM's issuing of whip in na ional assembly
powerful analysis & brilliant; quite unlike the when having majority whereas Pt Nehru had
airy views & superficial treatment of Nehru. a di ferent point of view to pass a bill only
Ambedkar's views on religions, castes, Islam, a ter taking consensus of all sides of the
Buddhism, Pakistan, Kashmir, China, foreign house. This thought emerged when vo ing on
policy & so on are worth reading. The a certain bill failed despite of whip issued by
uniqueness in literary records of both the congress party & repea ing it twice.
visionaries is that Pt Nehru was very open situa ion, situa ion Dr. Ambedkar in a
minded and liberal in nature whereas Dr. statement said “I have never seen a case of
Ambedkar due to in luence of great people & whip so disloyal to Prime Minister & the
experience he received from his life gave Prime Minister so loyal to disloyal whip.”
another vision in his wri ings.
Dr. Ambedkar lived in era of Nehru who
State Ac ion & Civil Par icipa ion represented the universal mode & code based
Dr. Ambedkar & Pt Nehru were in favour of on ideological instruments of secularism,
social, poli ical & economic jus ice. The development & na ion-state. Both leaders
consolida ion of the new na ion was led by always believed in a firma ive ac ion for
the triumvirate of Pt Nehru, Sardar Patel & social jus ice & making India's future bright
Dr. Ambedkar. Nehru for the Democra ic through inclusive development of the society
path, Patel for the unifica ion & Ambedkar by attemp ing to form a consensus between
for social jus ice. It is unfortunate that we do all par ies of country irrespec ive of their
not have such itans any longer in our public poli ical mo ives.
life. Dr. Ambedkar in his essay 'Reply to
Mahatma' says “Everybody wants social Hindu Code bill to uniform civil code
stability & some adjustment must be made in The most controversial of Dr. Ambedkar's
the rela ionship between individuals & ac ivi ies in the turmoil of the early post-
classes in order to have stability. Stability is Independence years was his e fort to get the
wanted but not at the cost of change when Hindu Code bill passed. During the
change is impera ive & nobody wants is mere discussions in na ional assembly Dr.
adjustment but adjustment is wanted but not Ambedkar was firm to reform Indian society
at the sacrifice of social jus ice.” Dr. by recommending the adop ion of a common
Ambedkar followed the path of social Jus ice civil code. Dr. Ambedkar submitted the
giving priority to backward classes & Dalits revised bill to the assembly in Oct 1948 which
first & Pt Nehru followed the path of was going to have a di ficult history which
democracy by ensuring social jus ice to gave rise to a widespread and bitter

60
controversy. Dr. Rajendra Prasad in his letter some of his thoughtful expressions &
to Patel and Nehru had expressed strong remarks in apprecia ion of the Buddha, his
reserva ions against the bill, poin ing out teachings, Buddhist tradi ion & followers.
that the new concepts and ideas are not only Edwin Arnold's 'Light of Asia' became one of
foreign but are suscep ible to dividing every Nehru's favourite books. In his
family & privately campaigned against the autobiography, he writes: “Buddha has
bill & Pt Nehru supported the bill & had even always had a great appeal for me whom was
declared that his government would resign if di ficult to analyze, but it is not a religious
the bill is not passed in parliament. On Aug appeal, & I am not interested in the dogmas
10,1951, Dr. Ambedkar wrote to PM that his that have grown up round Buddhism. It is the
health was causing him anxiety & that he was personality that has drawn me. So also, the
keen that the bill be taken up in parliament personality of Christ has attracted me
on priority; in response Pt Nehru stated that greatly”. Sita Ram Goel draws atten ion to the
there is opposi ion to the bill both inside & fact that Dr. Ambedkar candidly admits that
outside the government and that it would be his own Buddhism has little to do with the
taken up in parliament at the beginning of Buddhist doctrine as laid down in the Pali
Sept 1951 and di fused the opposi ion by Canon. In Ambedkar's book The Buddha & his
strategically split ing the code into 4 subsets. Dhamma, we do come across statements
Dr. Ambedkar, ailing & disgusted resigned which are rather surprising under the pen of
the cabinet. A ter walk out on Oct 11, he a convert to Buddhism. He writes that the
distributed copies of his statements to media Nikayas (the core literary tes imony about
having following points:1) Pt Nehru had le t the Buddha) are unreliable and that the story
him out of every cabinet committee.2) The of Siddhartha Gautama is absurd. He rejects
apathy of the congress government towards the four Aryan Truth which makes Buddha's
the upli t of the SCs.3) The unwillingness of Gospel a gospel of pessimism, because they
the government to resolve Kashmir issue.4) deny hope to man.
The wrong foreign policy of India which
increased enemies,5) Nehru's lukewarm Legacy
policy towards bill. He resigned from the In post-Independence India, Ambedkar's
Union Cabinet on the issue of gender equality socio-poli ical thought is respected across the
which he had sought to achieve through the poli ical spectrum. Many public ins itu ions
Hindu Code bill. However, Dr. Ambedkar are named in his honour. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
could get nothing more than an Ar icle in the Na ional Ins itute of Technology, Jalandhar is
DPSP s ipula ing that “The state shall also named in his honor. A large portrait of
endeavour to secure for the ci izens a Ambedkar is in the Indian Parliament. The
Uniform Civil Code throughout the territory h o u s e o f D r . A m b e d k a r a c q u i r e d by
of India.” This has only remained on paper Maharashtra Government at London is
due to many poli ical & social mo ives. converted into a museum-cum-memorial.
His poli ical philosophy has given rise to
Thoughts on Buddhism many poli ical par ies, publica ions &
Buddha emphasized many imes that the workers' unions that remain ac ive across
doctrine he preached was understandable India. His promo ion of Buddhism has
only by the wise. Jawaharlal Nehru was given rejuvenated interest in Buddhist philosophy
the honorific itle 'Pandit' meaning a wise among Indian popula ion that he was
man. This fact is a reminder of the Buddha's regarded as Bodhisattva. Several movies,
saying that only the wise could understand plays & other works have been based on the
his words. My purpose is to draw atten ion to life & thoughts of Ambedkar. Jabbar Patel

61
directed the English film Dr. Babasaheb themselves but thought of the future of
Ambedkar in 2000.The untended grounds of n a i o n . A s h a s b e e n f a m o u s ly s a i d ,
26, Alipur Road, in New Delhi's upscale Civil democracy must be something more than
Lines neighbourhood, give a telling foretaste two wolves and a sheep vo ing on what to
of the overall neglect of the building. It's hard have for dinner. Social change and jus ice are
to believe that this is the Dr. Ambedkar cri ical to the egalitarianism any democracy
Na ional Memorial, where the man spent his must aspire to. Poli ical correctness should
twilight years & breathed his last. The not make us blind to historical accuracy.
visitor's book here reveals more than the There is no comparison between Ambedkar
wa l l s t h e m s e lve s , a l l t h e way f r o m and Nehru in terms of shaping the Indian
Maharashtra, Haryana, Gujarat are urgent na ion. They had lots of di ferences but there
requests, not only for a 'better' memorial but were many issues on which they had
for basic ameni ies like fans, lights & some similari ies or some imes they arrived at
ven ila ion. consensus which we saw in the above-
men ioned issues.
As India's first Prime minister & external
a fairs minister, Pt Nehru played a major role
in shaping modern India's government and
poli ical culture along with sound foreign
policy. He is praised for crea ing a system REFERENCES
providing universal primary educa ion,
reaching children in the farthest corners of 1) Rajnikant Puranik, Founda ions of
rural India for which his birthday is Misery-Blunders of the Nehruvian Era,
celebrated as Bal Divas (Children's Day) and rajnikantp.blogspot.in
he was known as Chacha Nehru. Nehru's
educa ion policy is also credited for the 2) M J Akbar, Nehru: The Making of India,
development of world-class educa ional Dhananjay Keer, Dr. Ambedkar: Life &
ins itu ions such as the All India Ins itute of Mission
Medical Sciences, Indian Ins itutes of
Technology and the Indian Ins itutes of 3) Narendra Jadhav, Ambedkar-Awakening
Management. Congress leaders and ac ivists India's social conscience, pg 225,226,486
o ten emulate his style of clothing, especially
the Gandhi cap, the "Nehru Jacket" and his 4) Dalit Iden ity & Poli ics, Cultural
mannerisms. Teen Mur i houses various Subordina ion & the Dalit Challenge, Vol 2, pg
ins itu ions including the Nehru Memorial 309
Museum and Library (NMML),o fices of the
' Jawa h a r l a l Ne h r u Me m o r i a l Fu n d ' , 5) Narendra Jadhav, Ambedkar-Awakening
founda ion also awards 'Jawaharlal Nehru India's social conscience, pg 480-488
Memorial Fellowship' & within the complex
is the 'Centre for Contemporary Studies' and 6) Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, The Discovery
the Nehru Planetarium. of India, The Buddha Story, pg 130

5. CONCLUSION 7) Dr. B. R Ambedkar, Buddha & His

Historical figures provide legi imacy to Dhamma, pg 3,4,347
poli icians. It is certainly progressive to
remind the elites about historical journey of 8) Narendra Jadhav, Ambedkar-Awakening
both great sons of India who did not work for India's social conscience, pg 581,583,592

62
9) Namit Vora, Ambedkar & Nehru in the BIBLIOGRAPHY
Indian Imagina ion, Blog on Ÿ http://www.history.com/
shunya.net,14/8/16
Ÿ https://archive.org/stream/communismdemo
10) Rajdeep Sardesai, Nehru Ambedkar cra009480mbp/communismdemocra009480
mbp_djvu.txt
legacies shadowed by poli ical par isanship,
India
Ÿ http://koenraadelst.bharatvani.org/books/wi
To d a y w e b s i t e , 1 2 / 1 1 / 2 0 1 5 - r e a d o n ah/ch11.htm
1/8/2016,6:45pm
Ÿ http://www.axs.com/thelatestonaxs
11) Neha Bhatt, A Fall into Sear & Yellow
Leaf, Outlook magazine,20 August 2012 Ÿ http://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/stor
y/the-higher-statesman/281951

63
MYTHOLOGY, MANUSMRITI AND RADICAL AMBEDKAR

Research paper by: Riddhi Mastakar and the Prial Soni

Guided by: Mrs. Simmin Bawa

64
65
66
67
PHOTO ALBUM

Trip to the Museum

Coin Museum

68
68
PHOTO ALBUM

Valedictory

Heritage Walk

69
69
PHOTO ALBUM

Guest Lecture

Concluding the ICH Course

70 70
 TYBA HISTORY

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BATCH OF 2016 - 17
Jai Hind College
72