IBYO Delegation Meeting with Assemblyman Mr. Godham Nagesh,
a Member of The Legislative Assembly.

गोदाम नागेश आमदार

After concluding his one-week Zen retreat on the Buddha Bhumi Mountain at Kolhari Village, Zen Bhikkhu, Shaku Bodhidhamma met with a local political leader and Legislative Assemblyman on April 10, 2010. Member of the Legislative Assembly Mr. G. Nagesh of the Boath constituency graciously hosted the Venerable and a small delegation of Buddhists and listened to their news and entreaties. The Venerable submitted a detailed memorandum to Mr. Nagesh to transmit to the Legislative Assembly regarding the plans and grievances of local Buddhist people. Bhante informed the Assemblyman of his intention to start a Buddhist Academy for a unprivileged boys and girls of Buddhist Communities, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes of the region.  Mr. Nagesh, MLA listened to the Zen monk with great affection and enthusiasm.

Through the Herculean efforts of the emancipator of Dalits, the great constitutionalist and father of Indian constitution, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, the Dalit people, the “untouchables,” gained the right to representation in the mainstream of Indian National politics.  Mr. Godam Nagesh was elected from the reserved constituency of Boath, as provided by provision in The Constitution of India. Prior to being elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Nagesh served selflessly as a tribal welfare minister in the Chandrababu Naidu Government. He was reelected three times and enjoyed enthusiastic support from his constituency. Mr. Nagesh has served tirelessly to support and actualize many development works for his constituency.  We have confidence, that being an Ādivāsi himself, Mr. Nagesh will examine our hopes and cares with great interest and deep consideration.

Free and compulsory education to all children up to the age fourteen is now a constitutional mandate in India. The Parliament of India recently passed the “Right to Education Act” establishing education as a universal fundamental right of all Indian children. Education is the key to eradicating the brutal caste system, correcting social injustices, relieving the grinding poverty in our communities and shedding light on placing blind faith in superstitious religious dogmas and meaningless ritual.

Dr. Ambedkar spent his entire life forcefully emphasizing the need for education. Education allows the individual to develop him/her self and realize their full potential as contributing citizens of the Nation. Time after time, throughout his life, Dr. Ambedkar stressed education and it is through his efforts that a paradigm shift in attitude toward education has taken place in India.  Still, in spite of these changes, segments of the society are unable to benefit if there are no schools, no teachers and no classrooms.

There are instances of Government education officers harassing teachers who are voluntarily devoting there life to the cause of providing education for women, for poor people, and for students of scheduled caste designated people, scheduled tribe designated people and Ādivāsi people in the village. These corrupt low-level officials attempted extortion by asking for bribes of from 200,000 to 500,000 Rs ($4,500 to $11,000 USD) to enable the operation of a village kindergarten. This extortion was undertaken without showing any compassion toward the village people and deliberately withholding the proper guidance under law to implement the “Right to Education Act.”

Government servants are paid good salaries to serve the people and contribute toward solving social inequities, instead many choose to exercise greed and use their position of authority to line their own pockets with funds extorted from poor people.

For the greater good of the Indian Nation, such corruption must be ruthlessly stamped out.  Corruption of paid Government servants rends the fabric of democracy and tramples on the founding principles of government - Of the people, for the people and by the people. Corruption is anathema to an enlightened society and we-the-people must insure that this blight is thoroughly eliminated if our children are to live as educated free men and women in an enlightened society.