A Flawed Freedom: Revisiting India's Independence Through Ambedkar's Eyes

 

A Flawed Freedom: Revisiting India's Independence Through Ambedkar's Eyes

India’s independence in 1947 was not the liberation of a people, but the handover of power from a colonial elite to a native one. The Union Jack came down, but the soul of the nation trapped in caste, class, and gender hierarchies remained enchained. For the upper castes, independence meant self-rule. For the Dalits, Adivasis, and other marginalized communities, it often meant new masters wearing Indian clothes but practicing the same tyranny.

Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, architect of India’s Constitution, saw through this illusion. With a Ph.D. from Columbia University and a D.Sc. from the London School of Economics, Ambedkar was not just a scholar but a revolutionary force against a system that denied him basic humanity. Born a Dalit, he had risen by the very standards of ancient scriptures like the Manu Smriti to the rank of a Brahmin by intellect. And yet, despite his brilliance and the Constitution he drafted, India did not listen.

Ambedkar warned us that political freedom without social and economic justice would fail. That warning has now become prophecy.

What kind of freedom is it when a Dalit child in Rajasthan is killed for touching a water pot meant for so-called “upper castes”? When a Dalit man is lynched for calling an upper-caste boy “beta”? Or when a young Dalit groom in Gujarat, a government officer, no less, is denied the right to ride a horse at his wedding because dominant castes considered it an insult to their “traditions”? What freedom are we celebrating when Dalit students like Payal Tadvi and Rohith Vemula are pushed to suicide inside premier educational institutions, bullied and humiliated for daring to dream?

These are not isolated crimes. They are everyday reminders that the caste system is not a relic of the past it is the daily machinery of modern Hindu society, silently endorsed and violently enforced. A system that dehumanizes, ostracizes, and punishes those born outside its sacred circle. A system that many still defend, or worse, pretend doesn’t exist.

This systemic cruelty has found a safe haven under Narendra Modi’s leadership. The rise in atrocities against Dalits, Muslims, and other marginalized communities has not occurred in a vacuum. From the chilling case of Bilkis Bano who was gang-raped and whose family was butchered during the Gujarat riots to the early release and public celebration of her rapists under this very regime, the message is clear: there is no accountability when the victim is from a marginalized community.

Universities are being starved while temples are granted state sponsorship. The pursuit of science is being replaced with superstition. Questions are seen as rebellion, and loyalty is measured not by adherence to the Constitution but by allegiance to mythology. India is building more statues than scholarships, more shrines than schools.

This is not development. This is theocratic regression in nationalist disguise.

And yet, there was a flicker of hope.

In Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party began implementing policies that reflected Ambedkar’s ideals free education, quality healthcare, dignity for the poor. Government schools outperformed private ones. Mohalla clinics provided care to those long forgotten. Slum dwellers were treated as citizens, not subjects. And what happened? The people manipulated by caste pride, communal fear, and media propaganda walked back into the political barn, choosing bondage over the burden of thinking.

Ambedkar once said, “Caste is not just a division of labor. It is a division of laborers.” It is also a division of empathy, a blockade to national unity, and the greatest betrayal of the Constitution we pretend to cherish.

This is not a moment to reflect. It is a moment to rise.

The time for symbolic reverence of Ambedkar is over. India must fight for the implementation of its Constitution, not merely its citation on ceremonial days. India must demand that caste-based crimes be treated as crimes against the nation, not private matters brushed under the rug. India must denounce any leader, including Narendra Modi, who allows impunity for such atrocities and diverts public focus from justice to temple construction, from policy to performance.

India does not need more gods.
It needs more justice.
It needs more schools.
It needs more courage.

The call to action is clear:

  • Demand full implementation of constitutional protections for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
  • Establish fast-track courts for caste-based violence.
  • Refuse to vote for leaders or parties that ignore or minimize caste atrocities.
  • Defend public education and secular governance against communal and casteist encroachment.
  • Uplift and amplify Dalit voices in politics, media, and policy-making.
  • End the silent complicity of the so-called “liberal” Hindu majority who remain passive in the face of injustice.

Until a Dalit groom can ride a horse without fear...
Until a child can drink water without risking death...
Until no mother buries her son because he dared to think and dream...

India is not free.

True freedom lies not in flags or anthems, but in equality, justice, and relentless questioning.

It’s time to stop celebrating independence. It’s time to start fighting for it. 



Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 27, 2025 at 10:59 AM

    Who is to do the “call to action” things ? Why not celebrate independence, just because of social problems? US should not celebrate 4th July because of “black lives matter” .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rakesh SharmaMay 27, 2025 at 11:16 AM

      The call to action is not directed to some mythical savior. It is directed at you, at me, and at every Indian who claims to love this country. It is a call to your conscience, if it still speaks above the noise of WhatsApp forwards and caste pride.
      Why not celebrate independence, you ask? Of course, celebrate, but don't do it by whitewashing the truth of how brutally our society has treated its people for thousands of years under the name of Manu Smriti, often without understanding its content, context, or consequences. If this article offends you, it’s likely because it reflects a mirror you don’t want to look into. A mirror that shows a history not of foreign invasion, but of homegrown oppression, Dalits barred from education, denied water, assaulted for riding horses, killed for dreaming.
      Comparing this to America’s July 4th is a false equivalence. The United States does have racial injustice, and Black Americans do continue to fight for full equality. But when a Black woman becomes the Vice President, she isn’t told she’s ineligible because of her "past karma." When Black athletes or artists rise, they aren’t told to sit back down because their skin makes them less holy. America's failures are real, but they are not wrapped in God’s name or sanctified by scripture.
      In India, caste injustice is ritualized, normalized, and now politically enabled. We don’t just tolerate oppression, we justify it.
      So, no one is saying not to celebrate independence. Just don’t celebrate it as a lie. Celebrate it as a promise one that remains unfulfilled until every child, every woman, every Dalit, every tribal, and every Muslim in this country feels the same freedom you take for granted.
      That is the real call to action. If you’re still asking, “Who is it for?” then perhaps you’re the one who needs it the most.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousMay 28, 2025 at 9:37 AM

    Very very valuable information sir thanks so much.

    ReplyDelete

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