Rohith Vemula's brother sees full freedom
Mr Raja Vemula said that they had converted to Buddhism to live a life of dignity.
Hyderabad: Rohith Vemula’s brother Raja Vemula, who converted to Buddhism along with his mother Radhika Vemula in Mumbai on Thursday, said on Friday that if Rohith had been alive he would have been proud of the step he and their mother had taken.
Mr Raja Vemula said that they had converted to Buddhism to live a life of dignity and self respect outside the Hindu caste system and a life without blind belief, one based on faith in humanity, compassion, and without faith in an unknown god as propounded by Dr B.R. Ambedkar.
He said, “From today, my mother and I will be truly free. Free from shame; free from daily humiliation; free from the guilt of praying to the same God in whose name our people have been tortured for centuries. From today, we will remember the birthday of Babasaheb as the day we got our azaadi from the chains of the caste system.”
He said that in November last yaer, when Rohith had visited Guntur, his hometown, he had told his mother that he had been deeply impressed by the teachings of the Buddha. “At that time we were unable to see the value of what my brother was trying to say but his death has opened our eyes to the reality of the world around us,” he added.