Namantar Shahid Smarak

The Namantar Shahid Smarak (English: Name Change Martyrdom Memorial) is a large memorial sculpture dedicated to those who died in the Namantar Andolan. The Namantar Andolan was a 1978 to 1994 movement in India by Dalits (formerly known as Untouchables) who wanted to rename a university in honour of a leading Dalit, B. R. Ambedkar. The movement was vigorously opposed by members of the Hindu community. During 16 years of struggle, there were murders, torture, rapes, burning of colonies, poisoning of wells, property damage, boycotts and lockouts. In 2013, 19 years after the movement's success, the city government of Nagpur erected this monument in memory of the valour and the sacrifice of Dalit martyrs.

Background

The Dalits of India were on the bottom of the Indian caste system for millennia. In Hinduism, there are four ''varnas'' (classes) and in that system, the Dalits are below the lowest of them. Dalits were considered polluted and this pollution was considered contagious. They worked in jobs which were considered ritually impure, they were not allowed to enter Hindu temples, they had to draw their water from separate wells and they had to live outside of villages. Untouchability was outlawed in 1950, but despite the laws, discrimination continues today.

In the early 20th century, one of the first Dalits to earn a college education was B. R. Ambedkar. Fighting discrimination, he attended Elphinstone College in Bombay, earned a master's degree from Columbia University in the United States and then earned a doctoral degree from the London School of Economics. The British Raj made education more available to Untouchables but discrimination continued. Ambedkar established hostels, schools and colleges which were open to Dalits. As part of the movement surrounding the independence of India from Britain, major social changes took place and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was appointed to lead the committee to draft a new constitution for India. He proposed, and the new country passed into law, a wide range of civil liberties, including the legal abolition of untouchability.

Many Indian universities were renamed after people like Ambedkar and those changes were welcomed with few arguments. The Dalit community in the state of Maharashtra proposed to rename Marathwada University in honour of Ambedkar. The chief minister, the legislature, and university leaders approved the change, but a storm of opposition arose among Hindus. On 27 July 1978 riots began and the name change was stopped. The riots affected 25,000 Dalits and at least 27 were killed, five by the police. The Namantar Andolan (Name Change Movement) continued for 16 years before the university was renamed Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University.

Development

Many organisations and political parties proposed the idea for a memorial late in the 1990s and worked for 12 years to see a memorial realized. In 2010, the government of Nagpur announced the decision to build the memorial. An initial proposed design unveiled in April 2011 was not considered acceptable because it did not represent the history of the Namantar Andolan. Many suggestions were given for the memorial's design. The final design was completed by sculptor Uday Gajbhiye.

The monument

The ''Namantar Shahid Smarak'' (English: Name Change Martyrdom Memorial) is located at Indora Bridge 10 on Kamptee Road, Nagpur. That location was selected because that is where Avinash Dongre, a child protesting in support of the Namantar Andolan, was shot in the head by police on 4 August 1978. Four others - Dilip Ramteke, Abdul Sattar, Roshan Borkar and Ratan Mendhe - also lost their lives nearby. The memorial has a total of 27 sculptures of ''Bhim Sainiks'' (Soldiers of Bhim) who died during the pogroms. They are shown in the act of their struggle. In addition to the sculptures, there are 27 plaques with the name of each person; the memorial also has a monolith to pay homage to the martyrs. Along with the monument, there is a mini-theater for plays and discussions and a nearby library with materials related to the history of the Namantar Andolan. The memorial was built by contractor Sunil Sharma on 2,225 m² of land at a cost of 1.58 crore (approximately US$259,000).

Because many Dalits had converted to Buddhism with B.R. Ambedkar, the choice of ''Buddha Jayanti'' (Buddha's Birthday) to inaugurate the monument was auspicious. Jogendra Kawade, the leader of the Namantar Long March, was present that day and he said:

This memorial stands for a fight for the pride of the nation.

File:Plaque at Namantar Shahid Smarak.png, Plaque at the entrance gate
File:Namantar Shahid Smarak Sclpture 1.png, Bhim Sainiks with B. R. Ambedkar in the background
File:Namantar Shahid Smarak Sclpture 2.png, Giving aid to a fallen comrade
File:Namantar Shahid Smarak Sclpture 3.png, Victim of a lathi charge

The martyrs of Namantar Andolan:

* Suhasini Bansod (सुहासिनी बनसोड)
* Govind Bhurewar (गोविंद भुरेवार)
* Bhalchandra Borkar (भालचंद्र बोरकर)
* Roshan Borkar (रोशन बोरकर)
* Avinash Dongre (अविनाश डोंगरे)
* Narayan Gaikwad (नारायण गायकवाड)
* Shabbir Ali Kajal Hussain (शब्बीर अली काजल हुसैन)
* Chandar Kamble (चंदर कांबळे)
* Pochiram Kamble (पोचिराम कांबळे)
* Domaji Kuttarmare (डोमाजी कुत्तरमारे)
* Janardan Mawale (जनार्दन मवाळे)
* Janardan Mhaske (जनार्दन मस्के)
* Ratan Mendhe (रतन मेंढे)
* Kailas Pandit (कैलास पंडित)
* Ratan Pardeshi (रतन परदेशी)
* Dilip Ramteke (दिलीप रामटेके)
* Dyneshwar Sakhare (ज्ञानेश्‍वर साखरे)
* Abdul Sattar (अब्दुल सत्तार)
* Pratibha Tayade (प्रतिभा तायडे)
* Diwakar Thorat (दिवाकर थोरात)
* Gautam Waghmare (गौतम वाघमारे)
* Manoj Waghmare (मनोज वाघमारे)
* Shila Waghmare (शीला वाघमारे)

See also

*Battle of Koregaon

References

{{Nagpur

History of Maharashtra (1947–present)
Monuments and memorials in Maharashtra
Tourist attractions in Nagpur
Buildings and structures in Nagpur
Martyrs' monuments and memorials
Dalit monuments
Outdoor sculptures in India
Statues in India
Buddhist martyrs