Pasang

by Daya Pawar

WHAT IS MEAN BY PASANG ? `PAASANG` IN MARATHI HAS A DEFINITE MEANING. IT IS ACTUALLY THE SMALL WEIGHT WHICH BALANCES BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES OF A WEIGHING SCALE. GENERALLY, IT IS USED TO SHOW THE MINUTENESS OF A THING. I WAS INVOLVED IN AMBEDKAR MOVEMENT SINCE MY YOUNG AGE. I HAVE COME ACROSS THIS WORD DURING THAT PERIOD SAYING THAT, THE MOVEMENT OF DALIT`S IS VERY WEAK AND THE PLACE THEY HAVE IN POLITICS IS JUST NEGLIGIBLE, IT IS JUST EQUIVALENT TO `PAASANG`. THIS CLEARLY REVEALS THAT DALITS` EXISTENCE IS JUST TO BALANCE THE TWO SIDES OF THE WEIGHING SCALE. DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR BELIEVED THAT POLITICALLY THE PRESENCE OF DALIT WILL BALANCE THE SOCIETY. THROUGH THIS BOOK I AM TRYING TO FIND OUT THE IGNORED INCIDENTS OR PERSONS OF THIS SOCIETY. SOME OF THEM HAVE SUPPORTED THE DALITS FOR SURE, BUT AT THE SAME TIME IT IS A FACT THAT SOME OF THEM HAVE PRESSURIZED THE MOVEMENTS OF DALIT, HAVE ATTACKED THEM VIGOROUSLY. पासंग म्हणजे काय? `पासंगालाही काही पुरात नाही` या अर्थाची म्हण मराठीत आहे. `क्षुल्लक` या अर्थाने ती वापरली जाते. तराजूच्या दांड्याला, दोन तागडी समतोल राहावीत, म्हणून छोटेसे जे वजन लावले जाते, ते `पासंग`. आंबेडकरी चळवळीत कळू लागल्यापासून एकात आलो आहे, की दलितांचे राजकारण हे पासंगाचे राजकारण आहे. याचा अर्थच असा, की समाज समतोल ठेवायचा असेल, तर दलितांनी पासंगासारखे राहावयास हवे. समाजाचे एकारलेपण दलितांमुळेच समतोल होऊ शकते, हा बाबासाहेब आंबेडकरांचा राजकीय विचार होता. अनेक `पासंगात` जातिधर्मनिरपेक्ष अशा अनेक घटना आणि व्यक्तिरेखा आलेल्या आहेत. केवळ दलितांचे, त्यांच्या चळवळीचे उदात्तीकरण केले नाही, तर त्यांच्यावर त्यांच्या चळवळीवर कठोर आघातही केले आहेत. समाजाच्या सर्व थरांत ज्या घटना किंवा व्यक्ती `फूटनोट` म्हणून आजवर दुर्लक्षित ठेवण्यात आल्या, त्यांचा शोध घेण्याचा हा अल्पसा प्रयत्न.

158 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 1995

About the author

Daya Pawar or Dagdu Maruti Pawar (1935[1]–20 December 1996[2]) was born to a Mahar Dalit family in Dhamangaon (Taluka: Akole, District: Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India), was a Marathi author and poet known for his contributions to Dalit literature that dealt with the atrocities experienced by the dalits or untouchables under the Hindu caste system.