Master of Languages: The Polyglot in Dr. Ambedkar
Dr. Spva Sairam
All biographers of Dr. Ambedkar agree that he was a polyglot. Naturally, one is inclined to ask, how many languages did Babasaheb know? While some accounts note he knew around six languages, other sources believe the number is more than six. But what is the correct answer? This article aims to deal with this interesting question that throws profound light on a fascinating aspect of Babasaheb’s intellectual life.
From a detailed examination of his life, writings, and speeches, I conclude that Dr. Ambedkar knew at least Ten languages [the number could be more]. They are Marathi, Urdu, Hindi, Gujarati, Pali, Sanskrit, Persian, French, German, and of course English.
Let us begin with the Pali language. It is well known that Dr. Ambedkar had a supreme command over Pali and that his reading of Pali literature is quite extensive [For instance, the Tripitakas are estimated to be about eleven times that of the Bible, and three times the size of the Mahabharat], but very few are cognizant of the fact that he compiled a whole dictionary and grammar of Pali language!
Not only that, he also translated a great part of the Pali dictionary into four different languages, namely Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, and English. Speaking about this mammoth task, Vasant Moon [Editor of BAWS] noted:
“Compilation of a dictionary of words and phrases of a language, no longer a spoken language, is an enterprise fraught with difficulties. Dr. Ambedkar was past 50 when he started the compilation of the Dictionary. It was an effort comparable to the effort of Dr. Samuel Johnson who attempted his dictionary of English language in 1755. Dr. Johnson had compiled the dictionary on the threshold of becoming the world language. Pali, though the lingua franca of the Buddhist world, is a dead language.
…In support of a living language, authority for correct sense and words, is always at our elbow, in the chat of our domestics or in the converse of the passengers at our street door, in colleges of learned and in stables of menials; in lanes of a city and in remote hamlets. Therefore phrases and idoms of people are easily available. That is not the case in respect of a dead language which has many pitfalls. Words and phrases of a dead language, are exercises in reconstruction of history, they are passages to times past and pathways to the sociology and culture of the ages gone by. The Dictionary of the Pali language taken up by Dr. Ambedkar for compilation when he was past 50, shows his indomitable spirit to look into the past, in order to know the present and to see the light for the future.” [1]
The very fact that he compiled a dictionary in Pali and translated it into 4 different languages bears ample testimony to the degree of authority he had over these five languages.
In this connection, I would like to quote a letter that Babasaheb wrote to Dr. Savita Ambedkar that offers a piece of fantastic information on his command of Marathi and English, it says:
“When you [Dr. Savita Ambedkar] wrote in Marathi you probably expected that I should reply in Marathi. At one time, I had a mastery over the Marathi language. No one even now [can] claim to have read so much classical Marathi literature as I have done. I was the editor of a weekly paper in Marathi for well nigh twenty years—and my writings, if they were collected together, would fill in at least three fat volumes. I have lost touch with the Marathi language and feel no confidence that I could write” [2]
Although Babasaheb said that he had lost touch with the Marathi language, we know that he did not, because, after a few days, he replied to her by writing a new letter in eloquent Marathi!
Interestingly, he used to switch to different dialects of Marathi with ease, based on the region where he was speaking. As noted by my friend Vinay: “Babasaheb was known for his flair for languages and dialects/accents. He would know to speak Vidarbha style Marathi when interacting with people from Vidarbha, Marathwada style Marathi when interacting with people from Marathwada and so on…He could also easily easily switch to a different style while speaking with Marathi Brahmins in Marathi.”
Regarding the mastery of the English language, nothing new must be said. The very presence of innumerable speeches and nearly 23 volumes of writings [and nearly 20 plus unpublished books] in the English language speaks a lot about his profound mastery over the language.
In the very same letter quoted above, he wrote to Dr. Savita Ambedkar: “I love the English language. Indeed, even Englishmen have admired my English prose”
Now that we realize the fact that Dr. Ambedkar was fluent in Pali, Marathi, Gujarati, Hindi, and English, let us now turn to Sanskrit.
Did Babasaheb learn Sanskrit? Some people tend to refer to a passage from “Who Were Shudras” to claim he did not know Sanskrit. Before examining the validity of the criticism, let us first look at the passage, it reads:
“While it may be admitted that a study of the origin of the Shudras is welcome, some may question my competence to handle the theme…If the warning is for the reason that I cannot claim mastery over the Sanskrit language, ‘I admit this deficiency. But I do not see why it should disqualify me altogether from operating in this field. There is very little of literature in the Sanskrit language which is not available in English. The want of knowledge of Sanskrit need not therefore be a bar to my handling a theme such as the present. For I venture to say that a study of the relevant literature, albeit in English translations, for 15 years ought to be enough to invest even a person endowed with such moderate intelligence like myself, with a sufficient degree of competence for the task. As to the exact measure of my competence to speak on the subject, this book will furnish the best testimony.” [3]
The important thing to observe in the above passage is the word “mastery.” Dr. Ambedkar did not say he did not know Sanskrit, rather he was stating he cannot claim mastery over it. Frankly speaking, Babasaheb was being modest in making this claim, because he had an in-depth knowledge of Sanskrit.
In this context, the words of Padmashree Dr. M. L. Shahare [former chairman of the UPSC] are worth quoting. He wrote:
“Even the Elphinstone High School was not free from the ever-present shadow of untouchability. Although Bhim was deeply interested in learning Sanskrit, he was not allowed to do so as he was an untouchable. It was because of this reason that he was forced, much against his will, to choose Persian. But later, Bhim’s unconquerable will enable him to become a scholar of high calibre in Sanskrit, the very language, he was forbidden to learn in his school days. [4]
The quote hits the nail squarely on the fact that Dr. Ambedkar was an extraordinary scholar of Sanskrit. There is something that is even more remarkable, Ramchandra Banaudha, who was one of the earliest biographers of Dr. Ambedkar offers a new insight on this topic. In his “The Life Struggle of Babasaheb Ambedkar,” Ramchandra noted that Babasaheb knew not only Sanskrit but also taught it to students for a brief period at Bonn University in the German language! [5]
This proves beyond doubt that Dr. Ambedkar mastered not only Sanskrit but also the German language. This brings us to our next inquiry. Where did Babasaheb learn the German language? The evidence clearly shows that he had learned both French and German at Columbia University.
Babasaheb enrolled both in French and German courses in 1915 [Summer term] and learnt the languages under the able guidance of Prof. Albert Cohn, Mc Master, P. de Bacourt, Harry. V. E. Palmblad, F. W. Scholz and J. M. Gray.
A careful examination of his writings tells us that he quoted books from both French and German languages to substantiate his potent arguments. For instance, he used references from “L’Introduction a L’Historie on Buddhisme Indien” [French] by Eugène Burnouf and “Buddha, Sein Leben, seine Lehre, seine Gemeinde” [German] by Herman Oldenberg to unearth multiple facets of Indian Buddhism.
We are now left with Urdu and Persian. It seems Babasaheb knew Urdu right from his childhood days. It becomes clear when we study a chapter in his autobiographical tract called “Waiting for a Visa.” Narrating about one of the horrifying incidents of his childhood, Babasaheb noted:
“We were extremely hungry and wanted very much to eat. But again, there was the question of water. So, we asked our driver whether it was possible to get water. He warned us that the toll collector was a Hindu and that there was no possibility of our getting water if we spoke the truth and said that we were Mahars. He said, “Say you are Mohammedans and try your luck.” On his advice, I went to the toll collector’s hut and asked him if he would give us some water. “Who are you?” he inquired. I replied that we were Musalmans. I conversed with him in Urdu which I knew very well so as to leave no doubt that I was a real Musalman. But the trick did not work and his reply was very curt. “Who has kept water for you? There is water on the hill, if you want to go and get it, I have none.” With this he dismissed me. I returned to the cart and conveyed to my brother his reply. I don’t know what my brother felt. All that he did was to tell us to lie down.” [7]
I know this may be out of context, but I am tempted to share a few words about the terrific songs-poems composed in Urdu on Babasaheb by his followers. As Vasant Moon writes:
“Just as in this rough-spoken Hindi, songs were also composed in Urdu. This composition showing unending faith in Babasaheb was done by Ganvir of Indora: ‘May the world change, may the land change, May even blood from my body change, but my Bhim will not change.’
…See how Manohar Nagarale has described Babasaheb: ‘He is the beloved of our hearts, the crown on our heads, He lives and will live tomorrow, our Ambedkar. There will be words of gold and his name will remain Whenever our history is written.’
…In these poetry parties Mahars, Ropemakers, Sweepers, Muslims, and people of all castes were included. In everyone’s mind an unbroken faith in Ambedkar was created, One Muslim poet wrote a very memorable verse on Babasaheb: ‘Whenever we faced difficulties in the time of darkness, we remembered the wisdom of your eyes.’
…Manohar Nagarale in Bhankhed won people’s attention with his qawwalis and
singing from 1942 onwards. Since his primary and middle school education was in Urdu, he gave speeches in pure Urdu and easily composed songs in it. While he was a volunteer of the Samata Sainik Dal ,he got the chance to sing a song before Babasaheb. The two-line poem he sang became a proverb that spread from house to house: “The boy who died for freedom was victorious, / Hold high the standard of the Independent Labour Party…
…In Pahadganj, the oil market of Delhi, Hakim Kishan Shay’s daughter Kumari Devi Nandkumar published around 1940 or 1941 a book in Urdu. The name of the book was ‘Pistol with a Hundred Rounds’” [8]
To resume the thread, regarding the Persian language, as we saw in the above passages, Babasaheb was compelled to learn Persian instead of Sanskrit. But he was very quick in turning this disappointment into a success by excelling in Persian. In the words of Dr. M.L. Shahare:
“Bhim, despite all the hardships imposed upon him for being an untouchable, passed the matriculation examination in 1907 from the Elphinstone High School. He scored the highest marks in Persian.”
Besides these ten languages, I also believe that Babasaheb knew a great deal of Roman and Latin languages, I have no concrete evidence to prove this, but when I examine how Babasaheb dealt with [or rather played games with] Roman law and Latin phrases throughout his works, I am inclined to wonder if he had learned these languages as well. There is a probability that he might have gained some expertise in these languages at Gray’s Inn as a part of his education as a Barrister, but we need more evidence to prove this.
The author Dr. Spva Sairam is a Dentist by profession.
[Curious may check his talk on the “Overview of the books written by Dr. Ambedkar” by clicking this YouTube link