There is no unity among castes: Ex-prof

Mysuru: India is a land of many castes and religions but there is no unity among them, said activist and retired professor BP Maheshchandra Guru on Wednesday. He was speaking at the ‘Buddha, Basava and Ambedkar Jayanti’ programme organised by the department of studies in mass communication and journalism, University of Mysore.
Taking an indirect dig at the BJP, Guru said a few forces in society were trying to twist facts in the name of textbook revision only to glorify their false propaganda. While Buddha built a society, there are a few who have been trying to destroy its foundation, he said.
“The very concept of gurukul was to encourage Brahmanism but in the modern education system, everyone has the right to education. It was Dalit icon Dr BR Ambedkar who realized the importance of education to bring about revolutionary changes in society,” he said and added the knowledge acquired through education enabled Ambedkar to author the Constitution.
Stating that Buddha, Basavanna and Ambedkar followed similar ideologies, he said Anubhava Mantapa established by Basavanna was a democratic platform where people discussed various issues without bias. The concept of ‘Anna Bhagya’ started by Basavanna in the 12th century is being continued by chief minister M Siddharamaiah, he added.
Urging students not to get distracted, he advised them to follow the path shown by Buddha, Basava and Ambedkar to acquire knowledge and move ahead on the right path. Registrar (evaluation) KM Mahadevan was present.