On 26 October 2023 my friend Yogesh Maitreya (Nagpur/Maharashtra-India) launched his brilliant memoir "Water in a Broken Pot" (organized by the chairs for Fundamentaltheologie, Peter Hofmann, and for Social Ethics, Jochen Ostheimer, at Forum Augustana, Augsburg). Yogesh writes short stories and poems, runs a publishing house in Nagpur and is PhD scholar at Tata Institute of Social Sciences Mumbai/India, working on the history of anti-caste music in the state of Maharashtra.

In front of a fairly young audience, he told us about growing up "untouchable" and "invisible" in the darkness of the Hindu caste system. He told us about his role model Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, himself a Dalit and renowned graduate from Columbia University and University of London, first  Minister of Justice and father of the Constitution of India, the most famous Indian intellectual in the 20th century. Yogesh explained how Ambedkar teaches self-respect and democratic freedom according to his philosophical master John Dewey, also about his renewed Buddhism of Ambedkarites. His memoir is a touching and authentic book. So we can learn from Yogesh: this path (you may call it Buddhism, love or humanity - as you like it) is really possible, it's goal is achievable and not just a private or political kind of consolation. In Latin this  message is called “humanitas” (by Marcus Tullius Cicero), in Yogesh’s Marathi “manuski” (by Ambedkar). It's exactly the same issue in East and West because the people are the same everywhere. To quote from a poem by Yogesh: "It will take us our lifetimes to cultivate love; only than any justice can be imagined."

By the by: Ambedkar knew very well about Cicero and compared himself to this great messenger of humanitas. He wrote about the death of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi:  „There is one incident in Roman History which comes to my mind on this occasion. When Caesar was done to death and the matter was reported to Cicero, Cicero said to the messengers, ‘Tell the Romans your hour of liberty has com.’ While on regrets the assassination of Mr Gandhi, one can’t help finding in his heart the echo of the sentiments expressed by Cicero on the assassination of Caesar. Mr Gandhi had become a positive danger to this country. He had choked all free-thoughts. He was holding together the Congress, which is a combination of all the bad and self-seeking elements in society who agreed on no social or moral principle governing the life of society except the one of praising and flattering Mr Gandhi. Such a body is unfit to govern a country. As the Bible says „that sometimes good cometh out of evil,“ so also I think that good will come out the death of Mr Gandhi. It will release people from bondage to a superman [Nietzsche's so called „Übermensch“], it will make them think for themselves and it will compel them to stand on their own merits” (B. R. Ambedkar, Feb. 8, 1948, in: Surendra Ajnat [ed.]: Letters of Ambedkar [1993], Jalandhar 2018, p. 169-170).

Peter Hofmann (2023-10-31)