Mumbai: 40 monks welcome Vemulas to Buddhism

Three months after Dalit scholar Rohith Vemularsquos death brought the issue of caste discrimination to the fore and sparked nationwide protests his brother and mother embraced Buddhism in the hope of forever leaving behind the curse of the system casteDeceased Hyderabad scholar Rohith Vemularsquos brother Raja and mother Radhika embrace Buddhism on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar yesterday The initiation ceremony took place at Ambedkar Bhawan in Dadar PicDatta KumbharldquoFrom today my mother Radhika Vemula and I are going to start the kind of life that Rohith had always dreamed of the kind of life that Babasaheb Ambedkar wanted us to lead ndash a life without blind belief a life outside Hindu system From today we are truly free Free of shame daily humiliation guilt of praying to the same gods in whose name our people have been tortured for centuriesrdquo said Rohithrsquos brother Naga Chaitanya Vemula popularly known as Raja who travelled to Mumbai for the special ceremony that was held in the backdrop of Dalit icon Dr BR Ambedkarrsquos 125th birth anniversary yesterdayMonks march in the procession towards Ambedkar Bhavan where Raja and Radhika took deeksha PicAtul KambleIt was in the presence of Babasaheb Ambedkarrsquos grandson Prakash Ambedkar that Raja and his mother Radhika accepted deeksha in an initiation ceremony at Ambedkar Bhavan in Dadar The Vemula family has been at the centre of the caste controversy since Rohithrsquos death so it was hardly surprising that Raja was prepared with a 3page statement that he issued to the media after the ceremonylsquoFor RohithrsquoWhile his mother hardly spoke because of the language barrier she speaks Telugu Raja spoke at length about how they were fed up of discrimination much like his brother was Rohith firmly believed in the tenets of Buddhism but had never converted so it was in his honour that Raja and Radhika took this stepldquoIf my brother Rohith Vemula were alive he would have been proud of the step we have taken todayrdquo said Raja adding that Rohithrsquos last rights had also been performed according to Buddhist traditionsHowever it doesnrsquot seem like the motherson duo had told the rest of the family about their decision to convert Rohithrsquos elder sister who is married remains a Hindu so Raja was asked whether the extended family would support their decision ldquoIt is our decision about the way we want to live our life They will now know about it when they will see it on the newsrdquoAsked whether embracing Buddhism would allow them to lead a life without any social discrimination Raja said ldquoI cannot control how people behave but as a family we are coming out of this system We have nothing against Hindu religion but we are against the lsquobrahminicalrsquo ideology that encourages discriminationhellip We want azaadi from the caste systemrdquoHe recounted an encounter with his mathematics teacher ldquoThat teacher would not touch a glass if we had drunk water from it If somebody wishes to behave like this how can we change itrdquo questioned RajaHe also pointed out that the prime minister had remained silent on his brotherrsquos death ldquoThe PM is the most powerful person in the country Even though he knows about the issue there is not single statement or attempt to approach us by him Nobody from the government has approached usrdquo he said adding that instead of support his family had received threats to keep mumRaja also repeated the familyrsquos demand for a highlevel investigation into Rohithrsquos death and the sacking of Appa Rao the vicechancellor of Hyderbad Central University where Rohith Vemula studied and had committed suicidePoliticsHowever Raja denied that their conversion would play any role in their battle to find justice for his brother There were several questions raised in the press meet about the matter being politicised but Prakash Ambedkar pointed out that if anyone was looking to score political mileage out of the issue it was the BJP Ever since the Rohithrsquos death the party has tried to be more active on the Dalit front but Prakash alleged this was merely eyewash ldquoBJP is embracing Dr Ambedkar in name but in reality they have left behind the beliefs and principles he lived withrdquo he saidAsked why the ceremony was held all the way here in Mumbai when the Vemulas hail from a village near Hyderabad Prakash said ldquoThe function was organised after Radhika Vemula Rohithrsquos mother approached me and conveyed their wish to embrace Buddhism in MumbairdquoAfter the ceremony the Vemulas visited Chaityabhumi in Dadar mdash where Babasahebrsquos last rites took place mdash to pay tribute to him For Prakash it was the sign of things to come ldquoThis society needs revolution This was Dr Ambedkarrsquos dream I feel that this is the beginning of social revolutionrdquo