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'''''Annihilation of Caste''''' is an undelivered speech written in 1936 by [[ | '''''Annihilation of Caste''''' is an undelivered speech written in 1936 by [[B. R. Ambedkar]], an [[Indian people|Indian]] academic turned politician. He wrote ''Annihilation of Caste'' for the 1936 meeting of a group of liberal Hindu caste-reformers in Lahore. After reviewing the speech's controversiality, conference organizers revoked Ambedkar's invitation. He then self-published the work. The work is considered a classic and is being re-evaluated time and again. | ||
==Background== | ==Background== | ||
In a letter dated 12 December 1935, the secretary of the ''Jat-Pat Todak Mandal'' (Society for the Break Up of Caste system), an anti-caste Hindu reformist group organisation based in [[Lahore]], invited B. R. Ambedkar to deliver a speech on the [[caste system in India]] at their annual conference in 1936.<ref name="Annihilating" /> Ambedkar wrote the speech as an essay under the title "Annihilation of Caste" and sent in advance to the organisers in Lahore for printing and distribution.<ref name="aoc2">{{cite web|last=Arundhati Roy|title=The Doctor and the Saint|url=http://caravanmagazine.in/reportage/doctor-and-saint|access-date=6 April 2014|work=caravanmagazine.in}}</ref> The organisers found some of the content to be objectionable towards the orthodox Hindu religion, so intemperate in the idiom and vocabulary used, and so incendiary in promoting conversion away from Hinduism, that they sought the deletion of large sections of the more controversial content endangering Brahmanical interests.<ref name="Annihilating" /> They wrote to Ambedkar seeking the removal of sections which they found, in their words, "unbearable." | In a letter dated 12 December 1935, the secretary of the ''Jat-Pat Todak Mandal'' (Society for the Break Up of Caste system), an anti-caste Hindu reformist group organisation based in [[Lahore]], invited B. R. Ambedkar to deliver a speech on the [[caste system in India]] at their annual conference in 1936.<ref name="Annihilating" /> Ambedkar wrote the speech as an essay under the title "Annihilation of Caste" and sent in advance to the organisers in Lahore for printing and distribution.<ref name="aoc2">{{cite web|last=Arundhati Roy|title=The Doctor and the Saint|url=http://caravanmagazine.in/reportage/doctor-and-saint|access-date=6 April 2014|work=caravanmagazine.in}}</ref> The organisers found some of the content to be objectionable towards the orthodox Hindu religion, so intemperate in the idiom and vocabulary used, and so incendiary in promoting conversion away from Hinduism, that they sought the deletion of large sections of the more controversial content endangering Brahmanical interests.<ref name="Annihilating" /> They wrote to Ambedkar seeking the removal of sections which they found, in their words, "unbearable."<ref name="Annihilating">{{cite news | url=http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl2815/stories/20110729281509500.htm | title=Annihilating caste | work=Frontline | date=16 July 2011 | access-date=22 March 2014}}</ref> Ambedkar declared in response that he "would not change a comma" of his text. After much deliberation, the committee of organizers decided to cancel their annual conference in its entirety, because they feared violence by orthodox Hindus at the venue if they held the event after withdrawing the invitation to him.<ref name="Annihilating" /> Ambedkar subsequently published 1500 copies of the speech as a book on 15 May 1936 at his own expense as Jat-Pat Todak Mandal failed to fulfill their word.<ref name="Wankhede2009">{{cite book|author=Deepak Mahadeo Rao Wankhede|title=Geographical Thought of Doctor B.R. Ambedkar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1QT2oec2u3oC&pg=PA6|year=2009|publisher=Gautam Book Center|isbn=978-81-87733-88-1|pages=6–}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=We Need Ambedkar--Now, Urgently...|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?289691|work=Outlook|publisher=The Outlook Group|access-date=5 April 2014}}</ref> | ||
In the essay, Ambedkar criticised the Hindu religion, its caste system and its religious texts which are male dominant and spreading hatred and suppression of female interests.<ref name="Annihilating" /> He argued that inter-caste dining and [[Inter caste marriage|inter-caste marriage]] is not sufficient to annihilate the caste system, but that "the real method of breaking up the Caste System was... to destroy the religious notions upon which caste is founded"<ref>{{cite book|last=Timothy Fitzgerald|title=The Ideology of Religious Studies|date=16 October 2003|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0195167696|page=124|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R7A1f6Evy84C&pg=PA124}}</ref> | In the essay, Ambedkar criticised the Hindu religion, its caste system and its religious texts which are male dominant and spreading hatred and suppression of female interests.<ref name="Annihilating" /> He argued that inter-caste dining and [[Inter caste marriage|inter-caste marriage]] is not sufficient to annihilate the caste system, but that "the real method of breaking up the Caste System was... to destroy the religious notions upon which caste is founded"<ref>{{cite book|last=Timothy Fitzgerald|title=The Ideology of Religious Studies|date=16 October 2003|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0195167696|page=124|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R7A1f6Evy84C&pg=PA124}}</ref> | ||
==Gandhi's response== | == Mahatma Gandhi's response== | ||
In July 1936, [[ | In July 1936, [[Gandhi]] wrote articles under the title "A Vindication Of Caste" in his weekly journal (Harijans) in which he made comments on Ambedkar's address. He defended the right of Ambedkar to deliver his speech and condemned the Jat-Pat-Todak Mandal for rejecting the President of its choice because the Mandal already knew Ambedkar was a staunch critic of Hinduism and caste system: <ref name=":0">{{cite web | url=http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/mmt/ambedkar/web/appendix_1.html | title=A Vindication Of Caste By Mahatma Gandhi | publisher=Harijan | work=Columbia University | access-date=23 March 2014}}</ref> | ||
<blockquote>The readers will recall the fact that Dr. Ambedkar was to have presided last May at the annual conference of the Jat-Pat-Todak Mandal of Lahore. But the conference itself was cancelled because Dr. Ambedkar's address was found by the Reception Committee to be unacceptable. How far a Reception Committee is justified in rejecting a President of its choice because of his address that may be objectionable to it is open to question. The Committee knew Dr. Ambedkar's views on caste and the Hindu scriptures. They knew also that he had in unequivocal terms decided to give up Hinduism. Nothing less than the address that Dr. Ambedkar had prepared was to be expected from him. The committee appears to have deprived the public of an opportunity of listening to the original views of a man, who has carved out for himself a unique position in society. Whatever label he wears in future, Dr. Ambedkar is not the man to allow himself to be forgotten.</blockquote> | <blockquote>The readers will recall the fact that Dr. Ambedkar was to have presided last May at the annual conference of the Jat-Pat-Todak Mandal of Lahore. But the conference itself was cancelled because Dr. Ambedkar's address was found by the Reception Committee to be unacceptable. How far a Reception Committee is justified in rejecting a President of its choice because of his address that may be objectionable to it is open to question. The Committee knew Dr. Ambedkar's views on caste and the Hindu scriptures. They knew also that he had in unequivocal terms decided to give up Hinduism. Nothing less than the address that Dr. Ambedkar had prepared was to be expected from him. The committee appears to have deprived the public of an opportunity of listening to the original views of a man, who has carved out for himself a unique position in society. Whatever label he wears in future, Dr. Ambedkar is not the man to allow himself to be forgotten.</blockquote> | ||
Gandhi, however, accused Ambedkar of selecting the wrong interpretations of the Shastras while Ambedkar made his arguments. Gandhi argued that the Shastras selected by Ambedkar cannot be accepted as word of God and cannot be accepted as authentic:<ref name=":0" /> | Gandhi, however, accused Ambedkar of selecting the wrong interpretations of the Shastras while Ambedkar made his arguments. Gandhi argued that the Shastras selected by Ambedkar cannot be accepted as word of God and cannot be accepted as authentic:<ref name=":0" /> | ||
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Gandhi also added that the standard set by Ambedkar would fail every known living faith:<ref name=":0" /> | Gandhi also added that the standard set by Ambedkar would fail every known living faith:<ref name=":0" /> | ||
<blockquote>In my opinion the profound mistake that Dr. Ambedkar has made in his address is to pick out the texts of doubtful authenticity and value, and the state of degraded Hindus who are no fit specimens of the faith they so woefully misrepresent. Judged by the standard applied by Dr. Ambedkar, every known living faith will probably fail.</blockquote> | <blockquote>In my opinion the profound mistake that Dr. Ambedkar has made in his address is to pick out the texts of doubtful authenticity and value, and the state of degraded Hindus who are no fit specimens of the faith they so woefully misrepresent. Judged by the standard applied by Dr. Ambedkar, every known living faith will probably fail.</blockquote> | ||
==Later editions and translations== | ==Later editions and translations== | ||
In the second edition of his book, Ambedkar replied to Gandhi's comments. This edition was published in 1937 as ''Annihilation of Caste: With a Reply to Mahatma Gandhi''.<ref name="University1999">{{cite book|first=Timothy|last=Fitzgerald|title=The Ideology of Religious Studies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R7A1f6Evy84C&pg=PA124|date=16 December 1999|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-534715-9|pages=124–}}</ref><ref name="Columbia">{{cite web | url=http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/mmt/ambedkar/web/index.html | title=The Annihilation of Caste | publisher=Columbia University | access-date=23 March 2014 | author=B. R. Ambedkar}}</ref> He published a third edition in 1944; it included another essay, ''[[Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development]]'', which had been presented at a seminar in New York in 1916.<ref name="Columbia" /> | In the second edition of his book, Ambedkar replied to Gandhi's comments. This edition was published in 1937 as ''Annihilation of Caste: With a Reply to Mahatma Gandhi''.<ref name="University1999">{{cite book|first=Timothy|last=Fitzgerald|title=The Ideology of Religious Studies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R7A1f6Evy84C&pg=PA124|date=16 December 1999|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-534715-9|pages=124–}}</ref><ref name="Columbia">{{cite web | url=http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/mmt/ambedkar/web/index.html | title=The Annihilation of Caste | publisher=Columbia University | access-date=23 March 2014 | author=B. R. Ambedkar}}</ref> He published a third edition in 1944; it included another essay, ''[[Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development]]'', which had been presented at a seminar in New York in 1916.<ref name="Columbia" /> | ||