906 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
An Hon. Member : He is his own electorate !
Shri Syamnandan Sahaya : But if he chooses not to do so as it appears, then I will submit to him to make the law a permissive legislation. If he makes the law an obligatory legislation—I do not know for what he will take my warning worth—but let me tell him that he will fail in his attempt as did the Slave Kings of yore—the Lodis, the Tughlaks, the Khiljis, the Sayyids and the Moguls—who attempted in vain to eradicate the old religion and the old religious laws, which he called archaic yesterday. I have no doubt that his attempt at ending what he called archaic laws will fail in the same manner as did the attempts of others similarly placed in authority for thousands of years. There is something more than mere laws in the Hindu system of Social Codes. Its foundations have been much more deeply laid and could not be shaken by legislations passed in such haste without consulting the people affected.
When listening to the speech of the Hon. Law Minister I was reminded of a story which for a long time was published by the Amrita Bazar Patrika year after year on a particular day. The story was about an old Pandit and Pandits are proverbially poor. His wife pestered him from time to time about finance for running the household. The Pandit was able to fork out a rupee or two now and then to enable the household to be carried on. One fine morning he struck upon something very novel and told his wife, “You need not worry about funds any more. I have found out a device by which I can get a lakh of rupees.” The wife asked him what was the device. He said “I have composed a few couplets last night and I shall go to the Raja tomorrow morning and place before him the couplets. I will tell him that if he could find any Pandit in his Durbar who will be able to interpret the couplets then I would pay him a lakh of rupees. If, on the other hand, no one can interpret my couplets the Raja would have to pay me a lakh of rupees.” The wife laughed and said “You must be a fool. Supposing some one interpreted the couplets, where are you going to get the one lakh from to pay to the Raja ?” The Pandit in his turn laughed and said “You ladies have no imagination. You people never had any since creation……….”
An Hon. Member : Is it your opinion ?
Shri Syamnandan Sahaya : Not mine, it is the Pandit’s opinion. I cannot speak so disparagingly of women. Continuing, the Pandit said” It is very simple.” She asked what was it and the Pandit said