Why Did Babasaheb Burn Manusmriti? Unraveling the Motives Behind a Historic Act

Yesterday was the 25th of December, a day globally celebrated as the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ, known for his teachings of love and non-violence. However, for the Dalits in India, it marked Manusmriti's combustion day.

On December 25, 1927, Dr. Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar openly burned Manusmriti. Babasaheb, a great philosopher, academician, jurist, scholar, journalist, social reformist, politician, and the main architect of India's Constitution, experienced the pain and stigma of untouchability in his upbringing. A voracious reader, he urged everyone to invest 10 percent of their income in books, amassing over 35,000 books in his personal library.

Babasaheb was not only widely read but also well-informed about critical issues that helped shape modern India. His multidimensional nature is evident in his writings, speeches, and works, covering linguistics, foreign policy, parliamentary democracy, economic development, communism, and the tenets of Buddhism.

Babasaheb did not dishonor a book; instead, the burning of Manusmriti condemned the justification of the social hierarchy in Indian society based on birth and caste identity. Manu categorized Indian society into Chaturvarna, the ideal form as per him, which Babasaheb vehemently rejected. His arguments questioned the viability of such a societal structure, highlighting the folly and criminality of assigning education, arms, trade, and service to specific classes.

In his work "Mooknayak," Babasaheb pointed out that if a European is asked about his identity, the answer would indicate his nationality and suffice. However, the same cannot be said about Hindus. The statement "I am a Hindu" satisfies nobody, as it is necessary for a Hindu to declare his caste for a specific identity. According to Narendra Jadhav, who wrote Babasaheb's biography, Manusmriti, revered by the so-called upper-caste Hindus, directed heinous punishments for untouchables. Babasaheb felt that Manusmriti was a charter of rights for the upper caste but a Bible of slavery for untouchables. He called for publicly burning copies of the book on December 25, 1927, stating that Manusmriti provided a philosophical ground for the discrimination of the so-called upper caste.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson accepted, after a deep study of the era of Jim Crow, that racism is not a sufficient term to understand the pain of blacks; instead, caste is an appropriate term. Racism is reflected in our skin, while casteism exists in our bones.

Caste and race are not matters of feelings; instead, they are matters of power. The USA and India, though profoundly different, have adopted social hierarchies, keeping their dominant caste separate and above those deemed lower. Both countries enacted laws to chain the lowest groups — Dalits in India and African-Americans in America — to the bottom, using terror and force to keep them there. While racism has been a cause of discrimination and exclusion globally, it was produced during hard-core capitalism, when human beings became the means of production to enhance profit in business.

With the end of hard-core capitalism, racism was rejected by the people of Europe, the US, Africa, and Asia, as no books or documents justified it. Caste is not rejected by the people of Asia, and, as per my personal views, caste is not a problem for Indian society. However, caste-based hierarchy and narratives like those of upper castes, lower castes, touchable castes, and untouchables are the biggest problems for us. That is why the combustion of Manusmriti is the condemnation of irrational societal narratives.

-The Author Dr. Krishan Kumar is a scholar based in Haryana specializing in Dalits and Marginalized Studies, with a focus on social inclusive policies. He is currently engaged in research related to caste issues

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