YET ANOTHER BIRTHDAY!

My latest birhday

It's my birthday and I am surely going to have a lovely day. I am waiting for the phone to ring, it will ring without fail. My grand children and children will be vying with each other to wish me! It gives me so much pleasure  to hear them wish me. My mother, my husband and my brothers and my sisters in law from both sides will wish me. Yes, indeed it is wonderful to be wished for another year.

The day one is born is a wonderful day. That is the day one sees the world for the first time. Our journey on earth begins with eyes wide open. Every year the anniversary of that date becomes an important day of our life.

After being born we begin learning by the inculcation of knowledge, the language for communication, the myriad relationships, the difference of mine and yours. The concept of sharing, the theory of belonging, the problem of possessions.

One learns and grows. Through different stages of life we all learn different values. We learn manners, mannerisms and the love for lucre. 

"Go forth and grow" becomes our motto as time passes. First in height then in girth and then in stature. We go forth and multiply. We contribute to the future generations.

For me, my first important birthday was my 16th, then the 21st when I was in Bangalore and my father wrote a beautiful letter to me, wishing me. After that time flew and I went from age to age until I was on the threshold of my 40th. I realised oh my gosh! I am Four Zero, forty!

On my 50th, I was posted in Dehradun. I was alone, so I celebrated my birthday with my colleagues in the Bank.

When my 60th arrived my children wanted to celebrate it together. So off we went to USA. We all went to the beautiful Lake Winnipausakee and spent two carefree and wonderful days together.

Since then every birthday has become special. Each passing year adds to the candles on the cake and the fun is only increasing. I think I am surely in my second childhood stage, because I have so much fun on my birthday!

Friends, near and dear ones spare time for me, there is the essential cake and candles. We  meet, we eat and  laugh the day away.

Time I know can not take away anything, it only adds. It adds to my wrinkles, it adds to my wisdom,  it makes me more careful as I walk up and down the steps, it makes me more patient with those around me, it makes me weigh a little more after every meal. It teaches me the value of taking regular walks. Time has taught me very clearly about the food that I must eat. I also know which food has carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and what have you. I know now  after about 50 years of having left School, the different kinds of food, fruit and vegetables that I need to eat. It is now all about sustenance and maintenance.

I wonder if it is a good idea to go back to School again in this, the second childhood of my life.  In the first childhood, I learnt about life and how to lead it, now I have to learn about how to lead the second half of my life. 

Now there is an objective, a purpose and  time which is all my own. I have the freedom to chose what I want to do. There is no binding and no rush. I can develop all the skills that I have always had but which had been kept under wraps so far. I can learn to write, paint, draw or sing, play a musical instrument or even learn a new game, or cycling which I never learnt. 

I am now a free person with time ticking away. To use this time fruitfully and leave for posterity something which is my personal contribution is really important.  A friend had recently said to me "write your own Obituary". It will tell you all about yourself and also tell you about your achievements so far. Perhaps after seeing my own movie in hindsight,  I will be able to work wonders and leave something for posterity.

As far as cells of the body go, they keep renewing themselves. I am changing all the time. With my positive approach and cheerful countenance I can keep myself happy and renew  my cells well. If I keep feeling apprehensive of impending old age then perhaps the deterioration will set in faster. 

Now I am in search of that school which will teach me lessons for my second childhood. Hey, do you know of any such school? Let's find it or  if we can't find it then let's found it...what do you say??

My second birthday

Dr. B R Ambedkar Champion of the weak.

Today is the birthday of the greatest son of India of all times. Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, was a great statesman, orator, debater, and a very highly qualified person.  He was a GIANT who walked this earth and left a legacy for posterity. 

He was born in an untouchable family on 14.04.1891, but  overcame all the disadvantages of discrimination against him single handedly. He was one of the most educated and highly qualified persons of India. He did his Post Graduation from Colombia University in 1915 majoring in Economics, followed by a P hD in Economics from the same University.

 He took a second Master's Degree in 1921 from London School of Economics and a D Sc also from LSE in Economics in 1923.

 He was also called to the Bar by Grey's Inn. 

He was an eminent Jurist, Economist, Politician and social reformer who campaigned against social discrimination of dalits and women. 

He was appointed to the Bombay Presidency Committee to work with the all-European Simon Commission in 1925. This commission had sparked great protests across India, and while its report was ignored by most Indians, Ambedkar himself wrote a separate set of recommendations for the future Constitution of India. He also represented India at the Round Table Conferences.

He served on the Defence Advisory Committee and the Viceroy's Executive Council as Minister for labour.

He was Independent India's First Law Minister and the Principal Architect of the Constitution of India as he was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution of India. 

He introduced the Hindu Code Bill as Law Minister of the First cabinet of free India, and resigned when the Bill was not passed.

He launched active movements against Untouchability and led the fight for human dignity and self respect. Untouchables were not allowed to draw water from the Village well or tank and they were not allowed to enter a temple.  Therefore in 1927 Babasaheb led a satyagraha in Mahad to open up and share drinking water resources with the untouchables.

On 25th December 1927 copies of Manusmriti which justifies the system of caste discrimination and untouchability were ceremoniously burnt.

In 1930 Babasaheb led a non violent procession of 15000 volunteers to the Kalaram Temple at Nashik, so that the untouchables could have the right to enter a temple and worship  God . Yet when the procession reached the temple the gates were closed by the Brahmin authorities, denying them this facility. 

In 1936, Dr. Ambedkar founded the Independent Labour Party which contested in the 1937 Bombay election to the Central Legislative Assembly for the 13 reserved and 4 general seats and secured 11 and 3 seats respectively. His Political party was later transformed as the Scheduled Caste Federation.

He was a voracious reader and writer. His books and writings have been published by the Government of Maharashtra.

I consider him the greatest Indian of all times as after having been born in an untouchable family, and having faced immense humiliation at the hands of people of higher castes, he did not allow it to break his spirit and instead went from strength to strength. His motto was Educate, Agitate, Organise. His maximum emphasis was on education. It is only because of him that the people belonging to the Scheduled Caste are able to live their life with dignity today. The mind set of the caste Hindus has still not changed and so they continue to discriminate and have a bias against people belonging to Scheduled Caste. Had it not been for Dr. Ambedkar the Scheduled Caste people would never have got the opportunity to rise in society.
He was not only the leader of Untouchables as is made out today. One has to read his writings to know how evolved his thinking was. He was a champion of freedom, equality, fraternity and democracy. His thoughts were for freedom of every individual. He said, "Freedom of mind is the real freedom. A person whose mind is not free, though he may not be in prison, is a prisoner and not a free man. one whose mind is not free though alive, is no better than dead. Freedom of mind is the proof of one's existence."
One more quote of his which shows the importance that he gave to enlightenment of woman is, "I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved"
His achievements, thoughts, philosophy need to be read and understood, to know the person that he was. He was know for his wisdom and learning all over the World. He stood alone and led his people to emancipation. I have only written a very brief glimpse of the person who fought against the mind set of a dogmatic, hierarchical people who discriminated on the basis of a caste in which a person was born. Babasaheb's followers blindly follow him and treat him as a God.

My grand father was a friend of Dr. Ambedkar. While Dr. Ambedkar lived in 22 Prithviraj Road, my grand father G T Meshram lived in 4 Lodi Road. Every evening my mother and her parents went to Babasaheb's house. Babasaheb would usually ask my mother to fetch a book from his library. Dr used to work for 18 hours in a day. He was never without a book. There would be pencil marks, and notes on the margin of the book that he read. 

My mother's wedding was fixed by Dr. Sahib and the engagement ceremony was held at Dr Ambedkar's  house.