RAMSWAROOP VERMA - A GREAT SOCIAL REFORMER & HUMANIST PHILOSOPHER

Ramswaroop Verma (1923-1998) was the founder of Arjak Sangh, a Lucknow based humanist organisation, which stresses social equality and is strongly opposed to Brahminism. Verma did not believe in the existence of God or soul. Besides, he was a strong opponent of fatalism and the doctrine of karma. Verma campaigned vigorously against Brahminism and untouchability. 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 and fatalism.
 
Verma says that "Brahminism is like a tree. The doctrine of rebirth is its root, and fatalism is its stem. Varna-vyavastha is like its branches, on which caste-system grows like leaves. The distinction of high and low are flowers of this tree, whereas exploitation is its fruit. Instead of attacking rebirth, fatalism and varna--vyavastha, the reformist movements, according to Verma, concentrated on removing leaves, flowers and fruits only. Verma strongly asserts that Brahminism cannot be reformed; it has to be negated totally." 
 
Biography 
 
Ramswaroop Verma was born on 22 August 1923, in Gaurikaran village of Kanpur district in U.P. His father's name was Vanshgopal and his mother's name was Sukhia. Verma's father was an agriculturist.  Verma, who was an intelligent student, had his school education in village schools. Verma was married to Siyadulari as a student, but his wife died soon. Verma's married life lasted only two years. He did not marry a second time in spite of pressure from family members.
 
Verma did his M.A. (Hindi) from Allahabad University in 1949. He secured first position in the first class in the University. He did his Law Graduation from Agra University, again securing first position in the first class. He registered himself as an advocate but he did not start practicing. He also qualified in the written examination of the Indian Administrative Services, but did not appear in the interview. By now, he was convinced that an administrator has to work within limitations. He wanted to serve the society as a free citizen. He came in contact of Acharya Narendra Dev and Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia and, subsequently became a member of the Socialist Party. He was elected to the U.P. Assembly several times. In 1967, he became Finance Minister of U.P. in the coalition government headed by Charan Singh.
 
After being active in party-politics for a long time, Ramswaroop Verma concluded that it was not possible to achieve political and economic equality without a social and cultural revolution. Consequently, he founded Arjak Sangh on 1 June 1968 for achieving this aim.
 
In 1972, Verma, who had left the Socialist Party by now, founded a new political party named Samaj Dal. He also started publishing Arjak Saptahik, a Hindi weekly of which he was the chief editor. In a parallel development Jagdeo Prasad, a socialist leader of Bihar, established a political party named Soshit Dal and started publishing and editing a Hindi weekly titled Soshit Saptahik. These two parties had similar policies and in 1972 itself they merged to form Soshit Samaj Dal with Ramswaroop Verma as the chairperson and Jagdeo Prasad as a general secretary. Both these leaders were champions of the rights of backward classes.
 
 Verma was influenced and inspired by Ambedkar among others. In April 1978, Arjak Sangh took up a programme of publicly burning Ramcharit Manas (Ramayana) and Manusmriti at several places in U.P. and Bihar.
 
Though Verma was active in party politics, he is best known as a thinker, writer and the founder of Arjak Sangh. He kept working for Arjak Sangh through his articles, books and lectures. He died in Lucknow on 19 August 1998.  
 
Publications 
 
Ramswaroop Verma wrote and spoke almost exclusively in Hindi. Manavwadi Prashnotri (Humanist Question-Answers), Kranti Kyon aur Kaise? (Revolution: Why and How?), Brahmanwad banam Manavwad (Brahmanism versus Humanism), Manusmriti Rashtra ka Kalank (Manusmriti a National Shame), Niradar kaise mite? (How to remove Disrespect?) and Achuton ki Samasya aur Samadhan (The Problem of Untouchables and its Solution) are some of his main books. The basic principles, programmes and the bylaws of Arjak Sangh are contained in a Hindi document titled Arjak Sangh Siddhanta Vaktavya - Vidhan - Karyakram (Arjak Sangh: Statement of Principles – Statute – Programme). 
 
Arjak Sangh 
 
The aim of Arjak Sangh, as mentioned in its bylaws, is to organize all communities, which believe in the superiority of physical labour, and to work for their social, economic and cultural advancement. The membership of the organization is open only for those born in communities engaged in physical labour. A community or caste in which at least ninety five per cent of men and women earn their livelihood by physical labour is regarded as “a community engaged in physical labour” or "Arjak". This means that persons born in Brahmin and other upper castes are not entitled to become members of Arjak Sangh. Thus, Arjak Sangh is a backward class organization.
 
In his preface to the basic document of Arjak Sangh, Verma has greatly emphasized "conscious human equality". According to Verma, human equality is something that comes naturally to human beings. In a healthy society, everyone will respect one another. This is what Verma means by "conscious equality".
 
Verma comes down very heavily on Brahminism for sanctioning inequality. According to him, Brahminism, which is based on the doctrines of rebirth and fatalism, sanctions slavery and inequality. Therefore, it can never liberate the masses. The aim of Arjak Sangh, according to Verma, is to liberate the large majority of poor Indians, who are denied respect, from the stranglehold of Brahminism, and to work for their happiness and prosperity by promoting egalitarian humanism 
 
Basic Principles
 
The first basic principle of Arjak Sangh is to treat physical labour as superior to mental labour. According to the document, mental labour can be helpful in producing something but it cannot achieve anything without physical labour. On the other hand, physical labour can produce things in a natural way. The upper castes of India have looked down upon physical labour. Brahmins, for example, who live by begging, do not feel ashamed in doing so. On the other hand, they look down upon Bhangis (Sweepers) who do hard and socially useful physical labour. The sections of society, which shun physical labour, created the caste system to sustain themselves. The Arjak Sangh, says the document, wants to establish the dignity of physical labour and to destroy the caste system. The Arjak Sangh wants complete social equality including gender equality.
 
 The basic document of the Arjak Sangh also emphasizes the economic advancement of the arjaks and contains a detailed programme for it. It envisages a cultural revolution to liberate the arjaks from the doctrines of rebirth and fatalism, which, according to it, has blunted their revolutionary consciousness. Further, the document wants arjaks to ignore the religious distinctions among them. Arjak Sangh, it says, will use the feeling of human welfare inherent in the basic principles of all religions to foil all attempts by non-arjaks to divide arjaks along religions lines. According to the document, Arjak Sangh regards religion (dharma) as that which leads to the conservation and prosperity of human society. Thus, in the view of Arjak Sangh, all religions are same as long as they try for the prosperity of human society. In this sense, no religion can propagate inequality in human society, because it will cease to be a religion if it does so. Arjak Sangh, declares the document, will view religions in this broad
 
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