Two rebels in two hemispheres

Underlying the ideational visions of two rebels B. R. Ambedkar and Malcolm X lay their politico-ideological means for humanizing humanity. Born in circumstances when efforts were undertaken to challenge the artificially developed exploitative mechanisms, they reconceptualized human existence completely differently. Vehemently opposed by those who so far enjoyed undue benefits at the cost of the hapless majority, they, nonetheless, did not restrain themselves from the mission which was to radically alter the socio-economic and political context of humanism. Inspired by their desire to safeguard those who remained socio-economically and politically peripheral, Ambedkar and Malcolm evolved a new vocabulary, which did not receive adequate attention from their predecessors. Their endeavour was, at one level, a continuity of efforts leading to humanizing humanity, which was scuttled as they lacked the strength to counter the attack. At another level, despite their failure, they raised a voice which gained momentum in course of time as history demonstrated. For instance, the struggle against caste segregation began long before Ambedkar associated himself in the campaign. Jotiro Phule of Maharashtra was one of powerful activists who reconceptualized interpersonal relationships in response to the French ideational values of liberty, equality and fraternity. None of them was realistic in the Indian context as caste hierarchy was an antidote to the realization of these ideating priorities. Nonetheless, his steadfast commitment to the cause created a milieu in which a voice was raised to question the view that caste system was invincible. The idea that it was deliberately constructed to serve one class of society at the cost of another was no longer alien to the Indians; it was more or less established that the system of segregation was designed to protect those at the top of caste hierarchy which implied that those at the lower ring remained forever neglected due to the development of complementary mores and values.