• Anand Madhab

Babu Jagjivan Ram was short on looks but he possessed an extraordinary talent and personality. A man with a calm yet strong heart, who had to face discrimination at every step from school to Jagannath Puri temple, he became the pioneer of an egalitarian society. The credit for the present atmosphere, created against untouchability in India, goes to Babu Jagjivan Ram who never lost courage even when he was humiliated, who never spread hatred or violence against anyone. He never talked like contemporary leaders about a planned revolution to remove social anomalies, instead, he used to talk of taking every religion, every class, every caste along. That’s why people used to fondly call Babu Jagjivan Ram as “Babuji”. We celebrate his birth anniversary as ‘Samaras Divas’ (Equality Day).

Indira ji had said in her address towards Jagjivan Babu, “Crores of Harijans, tribals, backward and minorities of the country consider him as their liberator. Babuji faced discrimination on the basis of birth, yet he never faltered and maintained his self-confidence.” Late Ram Vilas Paswan believed, “Jagjivan Ram always fought for social justice and against untouchability. But he never turned into a separatist. He wanted to unite all castes and religions. In his fight against untouchability, he never spoke ill of the upper castes.”

Babuji was also a revolutionary and a ‘Sanatani’. He never insulted any religion, but kept himself away from religious ostentation and flaws present in religion.

During his lifetime, Babu Jagjivan Ram fulfilled every responsibility with utmost grace and efficiency. Chakravarti Rajagopalachari had said that the mental genius of Shri Jagjivan Ram was extraordinary. He was unfailingly astute and this is the reason why he emerged to be such a successful leader.

The creator of an egalitarian society, a revolutionary politician, a strong parliamentarian, an administrator, a people’s representative, he proved himself a superhero on every front. Whether we talk about the Green Revolution in the country, or the Indo-Bangladesh war, or the laying of the railway network, or a progressive labour policy, the people of India are eternally grateful to Jagjivan Babu - a leader and administrator - whose efficiency could not be understood by figures that are ever-juggling. Any department that he touched (worked in), got rejuvenated. This was the reason for him to have handled ministries like Railways, Agriculture, Food, Communications and Defense most adroitly in the Congress government. The irony is that despite remembering all his sayings, we do not put them into practice. Jagjivan Babu was not only the messiah of the Dalits, but also the hero of the common people.

A person makes history and becomes a history himself. Jagjivan Babu fulfilled his responsibility towards history with complete devotion and considered the country’s interest paramount. He never yearned for any post, rather glorified the offices that he held by mere acceptance of them. Only such historical men attain immortality and establish themselves as an institution. Mahatma Gandhi had said, “Jagjivan Ram is like ‘Kanchan’ (Gold). My heart is filled with reverent admiration for him.”

(The author is Spokesperson and Chairman of the research department of the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee)