Source: TW
Thread on the myth of Ambedkar Mahar and Matki :
Whatever sources I provide are true to my knowledge and from contemporary sources. Story revolves around the year 1936. Ambedkar was to give a speech at Lahore session organized by Jaatpat Todak Mandal, but due to differences on his speech to be given the session was cancelled by the mandal so Ambedkar went on to publish his speech independently where he stated that during the rule of the Peshwas Mahars & other lower jaatis were forced to wear Matka (pot) in their neck & broom (jhadu) on the back of their waist. Wear a black band on their wrist. Broom was tied at the back so the path on which lower jaatis walk should get wiped. The pot was used as spittoon so others won’t get polluted by he spitting on the side of the road. To which YN Kelkar son of Sahityasamrat Narsinha Kelkar who was writer asked him for clarification stating that recently more than 50 diaries of peshwa time are out like वाडकृत peshwa diary, peshwa daftar diaries and many other documents gathered by the British none of them mention even one of incidents. He further says:
in a bid to show how lower hierarchy was Dr. Sahib is trying to malign the jaati of brahmins & other jaatis on a fake story that has no basis. There was even a stage play directed by Yashwant Tipnis named ‘Dakkhancha Diva’ where he portrayed a character named Shidnak Mahar with pot in his neck & broom behind waist. I even ask him what is the basis of this portrayal ? Hundreds & thousand of papers in the daftar yet none talk about it.
-5th June 1936.
To which Ambedkar replied
I read your article in Kesari where you asked me about the sources of these incidents, though I do not entertain on whats written in the newspaper about me so I would have not entertained this and wrote an answer but I was forced to do so by my friends. https://t.co/1zKOCHiT0M
He further says:
these stories have been revolving around the lower jaatis & I’ve even heard it from their older people. Most of the writers were Brahmins so they might have erased these papers. Historians these days are dishonest and I don’t think they write real history.
He further says:
i’ve heard certain people have set fire to important papers of the daftar which would have revealed these things. Some people do not want to submit these papers to the British and are concealing it so it’s difficult to provide direct evidence still I will quote https://t.co/Rb2YxRishb
From the book ‘मराठ्यांच्या संबंधाचे 4 उदगार’ written by Rajaram Ramkrishna Bhagwat (Page 180). If you read this you will know the statements I made has basis & are not out of thin air.
- 6th July 1936
- B R Ambedkar
To which Kelkar replied
I read the answer to my question which I had asked Ambedkar. I am happy that he replied but sadly he has not provided any contemporary sources to strengthen his point. He has just tried to fit a fake story into the historical account without any basis.
Further Kelkar says this is same as यत्र धूमः तत्र वह्निः which means wherever there is smoke there is fire. Using this analogy and believing on these fake stories is dangerous. This is how atrocity literature is created.
He further says at the end Ambedkar gave one reference of another brahmin named Rajaram Bhagwat. Here he is trying to remove a thorn by thorn smart move indeed. I read that too where it goes like this ‘Brahmins started jaatibhed so much that Peshwa’s had ordered that lower social classes like mahars should follow Matki-Jhadu rule’. Kelkar added that Bhagwat does not provide an iota of evidence for his claim & suprisingly this book is written in 1887 and we are in 1936 almost 50 years have gone by and people have read this crap which has no source evidence at all. 50 years have gone hundreds of documents have come forth yet there is no evidence for this fake story that is being propagated.
He further adds a baseless & proofless statement made by Dr Ambedkar or Brahmin like Bhagwat both do not hold any ground and have no value. Ambedkar has made all kinds of allegations against historians saying they burn documents, they write history by erasing some parts, etc.
I would further add that approx 5 cr documents in total are with the British office. Including the documents that were confiscated from the houses of the people that worked for the Peshwas. In the last 5-6 years a committee has been setup under Riyasatkar Sardesai to study these documents and around 45 khand have been published. This committee has 1 karhada, 2 deshasht, 2 kokanast, 1 Prabhu and 2 maratha all different jaatis even from this 45 khand of the Peshwa time Ambedkar ji could not find a single incident to corroborate with his fake story.
Source : भूतावर भ्रमण by YN Kelkar & his articles in the marathi newspaper ‘Kesari’
In another thread I will write about the history & position of Mahars in the society of Maharashtra. Who consist more than 50% of the SC population and who were the base of Ambedkar’s politics in Maharashtra.
This whole atrocity literature blowing things out of proportion starts with Phule in Pune in early 1840’s when he comes in contact with the missionaries in Pune. But I shall talk on it some other day.