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Who wrote the book Vital Viduvansan?

seo-qna
Last updated date: 16th Apr 2024
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MVSAT 2024
Answer
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Hint:
The author was a prominent revolutionary fighting to free the untouchable people of India from their historic socio-economic injustice and is widely considered to be the founder of that movement.
He also published Marathi-language newspaper articles such as Sudharak and Deenbandhu, as well as writing couplets intended to inspire people in Marathi.

Complete answer:
Gopal Baba Walangkar was born into a Mahar caste, often referred to as Gopal Krishna, published Vital Viduvansan (Annihilation of Ceremonial Pollution) in 1889, which protested the role of untouchables in society and raised awareness of what those individuals should expect.

He also published the monthly newspaper Vital-Vidhvansak (Destroyer of Brahmanical or Ceremonial Pollution).

During the Gupta age, the author’s cast ‘Mahar’ was considered as an "untouchable" caste cluster, living chiefly in Maharashtra and in adjoining states. They make up about 9% of Maharashtra's total population. The Mahars live on the outskirts of those villages.

People of this caste were inspired by him and decreased the influence of Brahmin priests by creating a party of Mahar astrologers to set the times for religious ceremonies, which was essentially the only service Brahmins were able to do for the caste.

In the early twentieth century, they rose against the upper-caste government, and the Mahar revolution took place had brought smaller and untouchable castes to a single platform and has also brought a degree of awareness and unity to create a separate political party; an education system including schools and colleges, hostels; and an effective Buddhist conversion movement.

Note:
In view of Harichand Thakur's work through his Matua association involving the Namasudra (Chandala) group in the Bengal Presidency, Walangkar is commonly considered the founder of the Dalit movement. B.R. Ambedkar himself felt that Walangkar was the progenitor.

To Maharashtrian society's elites. T. N. Valunjkar argues that Walangkar "can be considered the first intellectual rebel of the Dalit community to launch a scathing criticism of the caste system and the position of the Dalits in it."

GB. Walangkar was the first person to fight for the rights of the Mahars in Maharashtra. He retired from military service in 1886 and mobilized people and made them aware of their human rights. Anarya Doshpariharak Mandali was also established by him in Dapoli, in the district of Ratnagiri, where the untouchable castes, such as Chambhar and Mahar, lived as pensioners. In 1890, the recruitment of the Mahars, the Chambhars, etc. was halted.