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| Babu Milkhi Ram Advocate and Jammu Kashmir State Depressed Classes Movement | | | T.R Azad | 6/13/2018 10:18:12 PM |
| Babu Milkhi Ram Ji was an uncompromising crusader for social justice. Bravely facing heavy odds in his personal and social life, he dedicatedly carried on his campaign throughout his life for mass awakening and building up pressure on the Government for granting the depressed classes their Human rights viz: - right to reservation in services, reservation in promotion, allotment of land with ownership rights to the landless poor etc.
He declined the tempting offer for the berth of a Finance Minister in the State Cabinet of the J&K State under then Prime Minister Bhakshi Ghulam Mohammad so preferring a life of joyful struggle for others upliftment and for sharing the joys and sorrows of the society in which he was born. He also fought a relentless fight, both within and outside the J&K Legislative Assembly as a M.L.A from 1957-62 against the discrimination meted out to the Depressed classes especially in the affairs of the State administration and he constantly stressed upon imparting them free quality education and implementation of Land to Tillers in a letter and in a spirit.
Other leaders like Bhagat Chhajju Ram, Mahasha Nahar Singh, Bhagat Amar Nath, Babu Parma Nand etc.also pursued more or less the same agenda ranging from 1935 when Megh Mandal was established in R.S Pura till their last breath.
As Dr. Babasahib B.R. Ambedkar so Babu Milkhi Ram did too enjoy very big personnel success in the literary sense of the term for serving the society and the mark made by him on the people's psyche is indelible, indeed. People, old, young, and socio-political leaders, irrespective of their political leanings remember him with a sense of great reverence.
Born on 14 June, 1926 in a family of a cobbler or shoe maker Shri Rohlu Ram of Jammu, young Milkhi Ram was physically strong and mentally alert. He played football and Kabaddi and was also very fond of wrestling and kiting. He was a great lover of sweets and pakoras. A sense of purpose and firm conviction were reflected in his thought speech and action.
He passed his Matriculation Examination with good marks in 1944. He married to a Middle Standard pass lady, Smt. Ishri Devi in 1947 at the age of21 years. Shri Rohlu Ram was ditched by one business partner at Jammu so he migrated to Kashmir leaving young Milkhi Ram and other family members under his care back at home. Shri Rohlu Ram never returned back and breathed his last in Kashmir. He brought his body from Kashmir and performed his last rites at Jammu.
Milkhi Ram bravely shouldered the entire responsibility to run the family as an undergraduate by carrying on tuitions and working in shoe making shop. To eke out a living and meet his educational expenses, Milkhi Ram Ji worked as a shoeshine boy and made rubber chapels from torn out Tyres which were then popular among the poor hilly people of J&K.
Next to it, impressed by the social work of Swami Jai Gopal Gir Maharaj of Palouta Sahib Ramgarh, Samba Jammu, a Depressed Class Saint and a follower of Sant Guru Ravi Dass, Shri Milkhi Ram more determinedly chose the path of service to the poor, to the downtrodden and to get rid them of the curse of social discrimination meted out to them in different walks of life. Daringly mitigating the heavy odds throughout his life, he did not budge even an inch from his set goal of "Service to the humanity". It is also said that the life and mission of Baba Sahib Dr. B.R. Ambedker also influenced Babu Ji when he listened his speech in a Big Depressed Class Conference in Punjab which he attended sometimes in 1951-52. This meeting brought about a sea change in his attitude regarding the issues then being confronted by the country at time.
In later years, Babu Milkhi Ram also came into contact with Babu Jagjivan Ram and both used to have intimate interactions on all matters pertaining to welfare of the depressed class people.
On the advice of Mr. William, then Principal of a private school, Babu Ji served as a teacher for few months as Babu Milkhi Ram was a B.A; B.T teacher. After a considerable gap of time, he felt the necessity of providing legal assistance to the helpless of the villages so he perused his Law studies at Delhi and earned LL. B Degree in 1964. He practiced as lawyer at Jammu, which helped the poor people to get justice. But he charged very very nominal fee. Many cases he fought even free of costs.
In 1952, he founded at Jammu Harijan Mandal (Central) in contradiction with the already existing organization of the similar name, viz. Harijan Mandal headquartered at R.S Pura founded in 1940 by the Harijan elite after dissolving a single caste organization called Megh Mandal whose protagonists said were pro-establishment.
After completion of his graduation, he contested the first Assembly election in 1952 which he lost. He, however, won the 1957 Assembly poll but found him alone as a Depressed Class leader in the opposition.
Thereafter, he contested almost all Assembly elections till 1987 but lost all with a lower vote percentage. . But, paradoxically, his popularity, both among the masses and in the political and Government circles, rose day by day. That was, perhaps, due to the extraordinary qualities of his heart and head he possessed and his clean political image. Undeterred by his election failures, Babu Milkhi Ram ji continued to hold high the flag of the Depressed classes Movement in the Jammu region of J&K state. He offered resistance, led demonstrations and organized rallies and strikes in protest against the discriminatory behavior of the establishment towards the depressed classes.
He provided leadership in Kathua Distt in 1956 to Chhann Rorian Depressed classes on Hunger strike based Agitation when unfortunately, a meeting of depressed classes at Chhan Rorian was stone pelted by the group of goons hired by a Depressed class Patwari who, obviously, was misled by certain unscrupulous elements from amongst the non-Depressed class which could not like the idea of Depressed class Unity and restoration to them their human Rights.
Following this stone pelting, on the same day I.e. On 26 July 1956 a team of eleven volunteers went on a hunger strike as per the approval of Babuji which continued for some days when then Prime Minister Bakshi Ghulam Mohd. himself came there on the place of hunger strike and assured of justice to the depressed classes in J&K. It means, he agreed all the demands in principle. But next, there was a question of their implementation. For it, struggle continued.
Bakshi Sahib commended Babu Milkhi Ram as a true leader and offered him a berth of Finance Minister in his Cabinet provided he merged his Harijan Mandal[c] with National Conference. Babuji turned down this conditional offer then and there. He was in favour of keeping his separate identity intact.
Later, on 15 November, 1956 a big rally was organized at Karan Park Jammu, where the same conditional offer was repeated by the Prime Minister. But he again declined the offer both in favour of strengthening the movement he had started in 1952 under the aegis of Harijan Mandal [Central] although many analysts of his life and mission said that he could have served the depressed class in more effective manner, had he joined the J&K Govt. as Finance Minister after dissolving his newly born organization. Others say quite opposite to it.
Consequent upon bowing down by the Government to the demands of the strikers, many of the miscreants who had stone pelted the meeting were put behind bars. A couple of them went underground and became Sadhus to avoid detection. 165 pounds of the strikers' blood lost thus bore fruit in the form of Babu Ji's entry into the J&K legislative Assembly in 1957 and many others became officers and ministers in the later years. He continued raising the reservation and farmers' tenancy rights issues-with the result the Government of J&K issued an order for reservation for SCs in public services in 1971.
Before it, Bhagat Amar Nath had also laid down his life by resorting to fast unto death for the cause of depressed class Society, particularly for reservation in Govt.Services.
As a precursor to his joining National Conference under the leadership of Sheikh Mohd. Abdullah, in 1975, he also participated in the meeting of Democratic Socialist Forum organized by the latter on 2 December, 1974. In 1979 he joined Mirza Afzal Beigh's Revolutionary National Conference and was nominated its provincial president (Jammu).
Irrespective of his political affiliations, Babu Ji pursued the Programme of forging and strength the SC- BC unity [Bahujans] rather relentlessly. As a step in that direction, he started a news-paper SUBH-E-Jammu in 1980 and presented a charter of 25 demands to the Government. In 1982 he was nominated as Vice Chairman of the J&K State Scheduled Castes Advisory Board with the status of Minister of state. But, on the fall of Dr.Farooq Abdullah Government in 1984, he resigned it and preferred to return home on foot instead of using the official car. Before it, he took the Government pen out of his pocket and kept it on his office table. Thereafter, he founded the SC-BC Federation [Bahujans] and became its President.
Once a confidant of Babu Ji told him that the people considered him a mad leader as he even worked for those who were against him. His reply was, "if you are not satisfied with my style of working, you may also go but I will tirelessly continue struggling for all irrespective of their being my friends or foes". Such was the pious thinking of that liberal figure of the depressed Classes Movement in J&K.
Babu Ji breathed his last in the bee hours within few minutes due to cardiac arrest on 7 May, 1989 at the age of 61 years, 10th months and 23 days. Although, he is no more with us physically but Depressed Classes still cherish his memory of his remarkable community service deeds. He will also be remembered for his straight forwardness, righteousness and his real concern for the poor and the meek. He will continue to serve as a beacon for us for centuries to come.
In the untimely death of Babu Milkhi Ram, Jammu and Kashmir lost a socio- political personality of a distinct breed. He always found himself swimming against the current but even after his death, there is no erosion in the respect he commanded as a humble and incorruptible individual.
During 2005-06, posthumously he was given the Dogra Rattan Award also. |
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