Renaissance of Buddhism in India- Contribution of Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar (The Light of the World-Gautam Buddha)

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Educational Qualifications

Dr. Busi obtained B.A. (Economics Main) degree from Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, through Andhra Christian College, Guntur, and obtained M.A. (Economics), LL.B., LL.M. (Constitutional Law) degrees from Marathwada University (since renamed as Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University) and stood second in the order of merit in all the above examinations. In 1989, he was awarded PhD degree by Andhra University for his thesis entitled "Indian Union Excise Taxation 1950-84 with Special Reference to Andhra Pradesh. "

Academic Achievements

Dr. Busi was Head of Department of Economics and taught Economics for over five years during 1963-68 to Undergraduate and B.A. (Honors) students of People's Education Society's Milind College of Arts, Aurangabad, Maharashtra. He was a Member of the Board of Studies in Economics of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University in two spells - 1963-68 and 1987-90.

Executive, Administrative and Vigilance Experience

Dr. Busi was selected to the Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise) in 1968. He secured the highest percentage of marks in Economics subject in IAS and Allied Services Examination (now called as Civil Services Examination) of 1967. He held important positions in Government of India and Public Sector Undertakings.

Some of the important positions held by him include: (i) Under Secretary to Government of India in the Ministry of Finance, New Delhi (1976-79); (ii) Trustee of Visakhapatnam Port Trust (1982-85); (iii) Executive Director (Vigilance) of Miss Hindustan Zinc Limited, Udaipur (1986-90); (iv) Collector of Customs and Central Excise, Pune (1992-93); (v) Additional Director-General of Central Excise (Anti-evasion), Southern Region, Chennai (1993-94); (vi) Commissioner of Custom and Central Excise, Hyderabad and Guntur Commission rates (1995-99).

Judicial Position

Dr. Busi was a Member of the Customs, Excise and Gold Control Appellate Tribunal of Kolkata Bench (now renamed as Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal) during 2000 and 2001.

Lok Sabha Election Assignment

In 1996, under the direction and superintendence of the Election Commission of India, Dr. Busi functioned as the Election Expenditure Observer of the Beatle Parliamentary Constituency in Andhra Pradesh.

It was Gautama Buddha who, for the first time, revolted against Brahmanism. His Doctrine, which was built on the foundation of morality and ahimsa (non-violence), restored human dignity and brought about social equality, peace and tranquility. The Buddhist revolution was widely welcomed, and it had also received royal patronage. Hence, it flourished for several centuries. Incidentally, Brahmins lost their secured sources of income. They, therefore, engineered a Counter Revolution through Pushyamitra Shunga, a Brahmin Commander-in-Chief of Mauryan Army. He killed the Mauryan King Brihadratha and ascended the throne. He vowed to destroy Buddhism. He vigorously implemented Manuscript to the detriment of lower classes of the society. He legitimized animal sacrifice and restored the highest Status to the Brahmins. The counter- revolution was carried forward by several Kings, Hindu saints and philosophers, who ruthlessly persecuted the Buddhists and converted the Buddhist Stupas into Hindu Temples. The subsequent foreign invasions, from time to time, accelerated the pace of the extinction of Buddhism from India.

The Manuscript, through Caste System, has brought about untold misery to the lower classes of people of the Hindu society.

These classes have been deprived of human dignity, denied education, kept away from the dignified sources of income, made to live in Ghettoes and even their touch was considered as pollution. The Mansumriti promoted slavery. It was in 1843, the British Government abolished slavery in India. In 20th Century, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar raised a banner of revolt against Hinduism. In the first instance, he publicly burnt Manusmriti at Mahad (Maharashtra) on December 25, 1927. He demanded annihilation of caste. He made several attempts to reform Hinduism. When his efforts failed, he renounced Hinduism and embraced Buddhism on October 14, 1956 (Vijayadasharni day).

Severallakhs of his brethren had followed him and became Buddhists on that day. The mass conversion has thus become an important landmark in the history of world religions as no religious leader had converted severallakhs of people to a religion on a single day. Thus, Dr. Ambedkar's contribution to the renaissance of Buddhism in India is indeed very significant and deserves to be written in golden letters on the pages of the History of Indian Religions. It is significant to note that he vowed to make India a Buddhist Bharat.

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar had great fascination for Buddhist worship. He wanted his followers to follow the Buddhist way of life as diligently as possible. For their benefit and guidance, he published Buddha Pooja Path - a Manual for Buddhist Worship, in Pali and Marathi. He wrote a book on Buddhism. But, he could not publish it during his lifetime. However, it was posthumously published by the People's Education Society, Mumbai, in 1957 under the title The Buddha and His Dhamma.

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar obtained five acres of land in Bangalore to build a Buddhist Monastery to train monks. About half of that land was encroached by others. Now, at last, the People's Education Society has built a monastery and a training school for monks at the campus of Nagasena High School at Bangalore in the vicinity of the two prestigious institutions, namely, Raman Institute and Indian Institute of Science.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages