In a thought-provoking hybrid lecture held on 28th February 2024 at Dr Ambedkar Chair, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Museum and Memorial, Symbiosis International Deemed University, Pune. The renowned scholar Prof Umesh Bagade delved into the profound insights of Dr B.R. Ambedkar regarding education and caste attracted a diverse audience eager to gain a deeper understanding of these critical issues.

The programme was attended by common people, students, academicians from SPPU, Fergusson College, ILS Law College, and SNDT, apart from the students of Symbiosis International University. The offline audience were around 100. This lecture was also joined by audiences from the entire country through Zoom meeting medium.

The online audience were around 91. The session was chaired by Prof Surendra Jondhale, retired from the Department of Civics and Politics, and Professor & Coordinator, Dr Ambedkar Centre for Social Justice, University of Mumbai. The other guests were Prof. Jyoti Chandiramani, the dean of the faculty of HSS, and Madam Sanjeevani Majumdar.

The programme started with garlanding Dr Ambedkar’s portrait and guests paying their tributes, after which Sanjeevani Majumdar emphasised the idea of how Dr Ambedkar used education as a tool for social transformation through the establishment of the People’s Education Society and the power of education to bring social progress

Prof. Jyoti Chandiramani shared her views on the importance of equity and education in contemporary times and discussed inclusive education. Dr Ajay Choudhary talked about education and its relationship to other institutions, such as Caste, that influence the different spheres of Indian society.

He furthers how educational institutions act in accordance with social norms, extending social inequalities. Prof. Bagade started his talk by building connections from Immanuel Kant’s philosophy and finding its evidence in the writings of Dr Ambedkar. He showcased how radical structuralists like Mahatma Phule and Dr Ambedkar were the product of the Indian Enlightenment Movement and curled out the ideas of education as proposed by Dr Ambedkar from his review of Bertrand Russel’s Book.

He emphasised the idea of Dr Ambedkar, according to which reason alone cannot do away with the caste and how caste has a structure of forced labour. Prof Bagade then talked about Chokamela and Buddha, according to whom no knowledge is final and Knowledge is an ever-evolving process. He connects to the concept of Buddha’s eradication of Avidya, which became the mission of eradication by Mahatma Phule and Dr Ambedkar. The audience posed some inquisitive questions and their reflections on the programme.

To end the programme, the Chair of the session, Prof. Surendra Jondhale, addressed the audience by sharing his concerns on the persistence of Caste today and the condition of education in contemporary times. Prof Jondhale showed why Dr Ambedkar’s ideas are still relevant today. He highlighted the importance of Indian thinkers like Mahatma Phule and Dr Ambedkar and their critical writings when philosophers like Foucault, Derrida, etc, were being discussed. He raised critical, self-reflexive, and thought-provoking questions, such as whether untouchability is an exploitative practice, whether the spaces of modernity will abolish the caste system and other questions. The programme culminated with a poster exhibition that the students made.