250 Dalit converted to Buddhism

KOLKATA: About 250 persons, mostly from the Dalit Hindu communities Namasudra and Poundra, embraced Buddhism on Sunday during an event held here to commemorate the day B R Ambedkar adopted Buddhism 62 years ago, said the organisers.

“This was the first event in Bengal held to commemorate Ambedkar’s ‘reconversion’ to Buddhism. Over the past couple of years, the Ambedkarite movement has got an impetus in Bengal as a reaction to the Brahminical terror that had resurgence in India since 2014. ‘

When people were informed about the event, many expressed their interest in embracing Buddhism,” said retired colonel Siddharth Bavre, an advisor of Bauddha Mahamilan Math, the chief organiser of Sunday’s event that took place at the Moulali Yuva Kendra, a state government-owned auditorium.

“We are expecting reconversion on a larger scale the next year,” added Bavre. In 2017, around 100 in Purulia and early this year, 130 Hindus in South 24 Parganas district converted to Buddhism, said Arun Kumar Barua, secretary of Bauddha Mahamilan Math. The organisers claimed never in the past since Independence, have so many Hindus embraced Buddhism in the state. The Dalits are feeling threatened by and tired of “cow terrorism” and “caste violence”... People tired of facing hatred, discrimination, insult and oppression are looking for a new way. The past three years have been especially exhausting,” Barua added. Organisers called the event ‘reconversion’ because they believe India was a Buddhist country before Hinduism was “forced upon” its people.

“The Dalit people’s knowledge about their real roots – the nonHindu roots of India’s original inhabitants – grew over the past few years and there had been increased interest in Buddhism. The recent spate of upper-caste violence has affected a section of these people who thought a formal rejection of Hinduism was necessary,” said Pijush Gayen, a state government employee who embraced Buddhism on Sunday. HTC