SR Sankaran a true role-model for all

Khairatabad: A conspiracy of silence was maintained when it came to BR Ambedkar’s thoughts on Indian defense policy, said Dr Vijay Khare, Professor in the Department of Defense and Strategic Studies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. He participated in a programme organised by the Centre for Dalit Studies (CDS) to pay tributes to late SR Sankaran, a social worker and former Indian civil servant, on the occasion of his 8th death anniversary, held at Ravindra Bharathi on Monday.

Speaking on the topic, “Ambedkar’s Defense Policy of India,” Khare said that Ambedkar was not just a messiah of dalits and oppressed sections, but also an intellect that had opinions on broader issues. He observed that fight between India and Pakistan was not about a piece of land, but a problem between majorities and minorities, and Ambedkar’s foreign policy was focused on the problem. However, policy-makers avoided his thoughts, he flayed. On the internal issues within India, he said that Ambedkar was against the formation of states based on languages. ‘One language, many states’ was his slogan, he added.

Another speaker YV Satyanarayana, chairman at CDS, shared his memories with SR Sankaran. He recounted his meetings at Sankaran’s residence at Panjagutta. Sankaran was famously known for his contributions to the enforcement of Abolition of Bonded Labour Act of 1976, which abolished bonded labour in India. He also worked as the Chief Secretary of the state of Tripura. He died in 2010. A cash prize of Rs 10,000 was awarded to a girl who belonged to scheduled caste on the occasion of SR Sankaran memorial lecture. Chukka Ramaiah, KR Venugopal, Rama Melkote, Kaki Madhava Rao and MallepalliLakshmaiah were also present on the occasion.