Q. Consider the following statements regarding Gopal Baba Walangkar, a pioneer of the Dalit movement in Maharashtra:
1.He was the author of Vital Vidhvansak (Destruction of Ceremonial Pollution), the first book to argue against the practice of untouchability from a rational and historical perspective.
2.He established the ‘Anarya Dosh-Parihar Mandali’ to organize the depressed classes and demand their recruitment into the British Indian Army.
3.He was a contemporary of Jyotiba Phule and was deeply influenced by the Satyashodhak philosophy.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Answer: D
Notes:
Explanation:
- Statement 1: Correct. Vital Vidhvansak (1888) was a seminal text that questioned the purity-pollution binary.
- Statement 2: Correct. As a retired soldier himself, he petitioned the British government when they stopped recruiting Mahars into the army following the 1857 revolt.
- Statement 3: Correct. He is considered the first modern leader of the Untouchables in Maharashtra, predating the work of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
