1282 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
Shri T. N. Singh : The question put by Shri Shukla is very simple. It is not you or I who reform the traditions. It is done by the whole society, the whole community, according to the dictates of the time and it can never be said that all traditions have remained unchanged. All of them have undergone changes. But I say that when we apply our individual judgment as against our collective wisdom, it becomes our duty to study them fully. That is all I have to say. I do not say that no customs should be changed, but we should change them with our collective wisdom. We have the right to do so in this manner, but we should not do it through legislation. This is what I want to say.
Shri A. C. Shukla: How ?
Shri T. N. Singh : Many of the traditions which you regard as bad get changed by the pressure of public opinion. Many others change according to the dictates of time. It is said that at one time when a child was bom in sparta, it was thrown away. If it could survive one day and one night, it was brought back and given a lease of life. This is correct. There was a special necessity for that tradition at that time. These traditions change with the times as the needs of society change.
Dr. Ambedkar: You are arguing a bad case.
Shri T. N. Singh: I do not understand this. When I believe that you are making a vain effort, you might think that I am supporting a bad case. The thing is that you do not have full knowledge of our traditions. Only after studying them completely you might change them and those traditions which are very good, whether they are sustained by this Code or not should …………
Shri A. C. Shukla: Are they recorded ?
Shri T. N. Singh : We live in this country and know them. It is, therefore, improper to axe these good traditions and I would like that either this clause should be removed altogether or it should be adjusted in the next clause. It should be considered after that, that would be proper. To pass it just now in this form is not proper.
*Ch. Ranbir Singh (Punjab) : ( English translation of the Hindi speech ) I have risen to support amendments No. 420 proposed by Pandit Thakur Das Bhargava and No. 288 of Shri Bhatt. Shri Bhatt by his amendement means that if some customs or usages clash with
*P.D., Vol. XV, Part II, 22nd September 1951, pp. 3142-50.