An award Wilson, Krishna deserve

The conferment of this year’s Ramon Magsaysay award on two persons – a rights activist from Karnataka, Bezwada Wilson, and a musician from Chennai, T M Krishna, has a common theme.

Both of them have tried to make people on the extreme margins of society aware of their rights and claim equality with others in life. The Magsaysay award is annually given to persons who have done selfless public service and made contributions to improving the quality of life of people in Asian countries. Both Wilson and Krishna have made it their mission to fight caste and class biases and oppression in Indian society which make only those in the lowest rungs undertake the lowliest professions or deny the best things in life to them. They work in different fields and in different ways, but both have created an impact on thinking and practices in a society where there is blatant discrimination between people and communities on the basis of entrenched prejudices.

Bezwada Wilson has led the Safai Karamchari Andolan, a movement against the inhuman and degrading practice of manual scavenging which certain communities are forced to undertake. The practice is widespread, and many decades of social campaigns and legislative efforts have not been successful in eradicating it. The law banning manual scavenging and dry latrines has had only limited impact and the practice is still prevalent in many parts of the country. Even government bodies and organisations have been found to employ manual scavengers. The Safai Karamchari Andolan has used campaigns, agitations, community mobilisation and legal methods to fight the practice. Social exclusion, caste-based violence and poverty are all mixed up in the attitudes that have perpetuated this pernicious practice. Though it has not yet been eradicated, it is less prevalent now and a good part of the credit for that should go to Wilson and the Andolan.

T M Krishna has made efforts to take Carnatic music, which is considered to be the preserve of a high-caste and elitist society, to the people in the low rungs of society. He is a performer, social activist and teacher who has questioned many assumptions about music appreciation, and tried to make classical music socially inclusive. In doing that he has sought to break class and caste barriers. Krishna has organised charity concerts and programmes to teach music to slum children, and performed in open spaces for audiences like communities of fishermen. He has challenged the notions of high and low culture and tried to democratise music. The sense of music is the same for everyone. Krishna has tried to widen its reach.