Ramswaroop Verma (22 August 1923 – 19 August 1998) was an Indian humanist. He was the founder of

Arjak Sangh Arjak Sangh was an organisation, which was actively working for the emancipation of Dalits in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in early 1970s. It was based on the idea of humanism and anti- Brahminism. Idol worship, fate, rebirth and soul are als ...

, a

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...

organisation. The organisation emphasises social equality and is strongly opposed to

Brahminism The historical Vedic religion (also known as Vedicism, Vedism or ancient Hinduism and subsequently Brahmanism (also spelled as Brahminism)), constituted the religious ideas and practices among some Indo-Aryan peoples of northwest Indian Subco ...

. Verma denied the existence of god and soul. He was strongly opposed to the doctrine of ''

Karma Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...

'' and ''

Fatalism Fatalism is a family of related philosophical doctrines that stress the subjugation of all events or actions to fate or destiny, and is commonly associated with the consequent attitude of resignation in the face of future events which are thou ...

''. Verma campaigned tirelessly against Brahminism and

Untouchability Untouchability is a form of social institution that legitimises and enforces practices that are discriminatory, humiliating, exclusionary and exploitative against people belonging to certain social groups. Although comparable forms of discrimin ...

. According to him, Brahminism is rooted in the doctrine of rebirth and it is not possible to eradicate it without attacking the doctrine of rebirth. Verma strongly asserts that Brahminism cannot be reformed, and it has to be negated totally.

Biography

Ramswaroop Verma was born on 22 August 1923 in Gaurikaran village of Kanpur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India in a

Kurmi Kurmi is traditionally a non-elite tiller caste in the lower Gangetic plain of India, especially southern regions of Awadh, eastern Uttar Pradesh and parts of Bihar. The Kurmis came to be known for their exceptional work ethic, superior tilla ...

peasant family. Verma was married to Siyadulari as a student, but his wife died soon. Ramswaroop Verma did his M.A. in

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

from

Allahabad Allahabad (), officially known as Prayagraj, also known as Ilahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi (Benares). It is the administrat ...

University in 1949 and Law Graduation from

Agra Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is ...

University. In both the examinations he secured first position in the first class in the University. He qualified in the written examination of the Indian Administrative Services, but did not appear for the interview. Verma was of the view that an administrator has to work within limitations. He wanted to work for social change as a free citizen. He came in contact of prominent Indian democratic socialist leaders of his time such as Acharya

Narendra Dev Acharya Narendra Deva (; also Dev; 30 October 1889 – 19 February 1956) was one of the leading theorists of the Congress Socialist Party in India. His democratic socialism renounced violent means as a matter of principle and embraced the ''saty ...

and Dr.

Ram Manohar Lohia Ram Manohar Lohia ; (23 March 1910 – 12 October 1967) was an activist in the Indian independence movement and a socialist political leader. During the last phase of British rule in India, he worked with the Congress Radio which was broadcast s ...

. Consequently, he became a member of the

Socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

Party. Several times he was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. In 1967, he was for some time the finance minister of Uttar Pradesh in the government headed by

Charan Singh Chaudhary Charan Singh (23 December 1902 – 29 May 1987) served as the 5th Prime Minister of India between 28 July 1979 to 14 January 1980. Historians and people alike frequently refer to him as the 'champion of India's peasants.' Charan S ...

, who later became the prime minister of India. After being active in party politics for a long time, Verma concluded that political and economic equality could not be achieved without a social and cultural revolution. Consequently, he founded Arjak Sangh on 1 June 1968 for achieving this aim. He also started ''Arjak Saptahik'', a Hindi weekly. He was the chief editor of the weekly. Verma was also influenced and inspired by

B. R. Ambedkar Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who headed the committee drafting the Constitution of India from the Constituent Assembly debates, served a ...

. Verma was active in party politics for a long time. However, he is best known and remembered as a thinker, writer and the founder of Arjak Sangh. He kept working for Arjak Sangh throughout his life. He kept writing articles and books and delivered many lectures for promoting

Humanism Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...

. Ramswaroop Verma wrote and spoke in Hindi only. He died in Lucknow on 19 August 1998.

Ideology and works

Ramswaroop Verma has been described as a committed

Ambedkar Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who headed the committee drafting the Constitution of India from the Constituent Assembly of India, Constit ...

ite. Like all other

Bahujan ''Bahujan'' is a Pali term frequently found in Buddhist texts, with a literal meaning of "the many", or "the majority". In a modern context, it refers to the combined population of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, M ...

intellectuals, he also nurtured a different perspective on the Brahmanical literatures and characters like ''

Ramcharitmanas ''Ramcharitmanas'' ( deva, श्रीरामचरितमानस, Rāmacaritamānasa), is an epic poem in the Awadhi language, based on the ''Ramayana'', and composed by the 16th-century Indian bhakti poet Tulsidas (c. 1532–1623). This ...

'' of

Tulsidas Tulsidas (; born Rambola Dubey; also known as Goswami Tulsidas; c.1511pp. 23–34.–1623) was a Ramanandi Vaishnava Hindu saint and poet, renowned for his devotion to the deity Rama. He wrote several popular works in Sanskrit and Awadhi, but ...

and its lead character, Lord

Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...

. There necessarily exists two streams of thoughts on the characters like

and

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

in the political circle. While one group of intellectual, the traditional elite, belonging to ''

Dvija Dvija (Sanskrit: द्विज) means "twice-born" in ancient Indian Sanskrit. The concept is premised on the belief that a person is first born physically and at a later date is born for a second time spiritually, usually when he undergoes the r ...

'' castes classify them as the ideal human beings, the

intellectuals consider them as purely mythical characters, crafted in order to keep the lower castes subjugated under the banner of religion. Several ideologues have composed their own version of texts on the literatures like ''

'' which identifies lord Rama as a negative character and the protector of hated '' Varna System''. In his book ''Brahmin Mahima Kyo aur Kaise ?'', Verma has described the ''Ramcharitmanas'' as a pro-upper caste text written by Brahmins in order to justify their superiority over the other caste groups. Verma had compiled this book from his letters written on various occasions to some of the notable politicians like then

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...

and the contemporary

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

, who according to him were acting against the

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...

feature of

Indian constitution The Constitution of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme law of India. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental r ...

by organising commemoration ceremony of the day of compilation of various

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

texts. Verma in his book, has described various verses of the text ''

'', which justifies the superiority of the

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...

s vis a vis the other caste groups. The book also contains verses in which the castes like

Kewat The Kewat, also spelled Kevat, is a Hindu caste, found in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in India. They are the traditional boatmen of northern India.People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume ...

Ahir Ahir or Aheer are a community of traditionally non-elite pastoralists in India, most members of which identify as being of the Indian Yadav community because they consider the two terms to be synonymous. The Ahirs are variously described as a ...

and Kalwar are classified as "impure". The Arjak Sangh, an organisation founded by Verma was also active in the obliteration of

and the emancipation of downtrodden

Chamar Chamar is a Dalit community classified as a Scheduled Caste under modern India's system of affirmative action. Historically subject to untouchability, they were traditionally outside the Hindu ritual ranking system of castes known as varna. ...

s in the several belts of

. It was supported by other organisations working in this field and Verma himself visited several places where the discrimination against the Dalits were recorded.

Books by Ramswaroop Verma

*''Manavwadi Prashnotri'' (Humanist Question-Answers), Lucknow: Arjak Sangh, 1984. *''Kranti Kyon aur Kaise'' (Revolution: Why and How?), Lucknow: Arjak Sangh, 1989. *''Manusmriti Rashtra ka Kalank'' (Manusmriti a National Shame), Lucknow: Arjak Sangh, 1990. *''Niradar kaise mite?'' (How to Remove Disrespect?) Lucknow: Arjak Sangh, 1993. *''Achuton ki Samasya aur Samadhan'' (The Question of Untouchables and its Solution) Lucknow: Arjak Sangh, 1984.

References

1923 births 1998 deaths Uttar Pradesh politicians Indian sceptics Indian atheism activists Samyukta Socialist Party politicians

Biography

Ideology and works

Books by Ramswaroop Verma

See also

References

Further reading