http://www.mumbaimirror.com/nmirror/mmpaper.asp?sectid=1§name=Lead%20Story&sess=601006617
PEN-ULTIMAT(UM)
Dr Ambedkar's historic pen with which he wrote the Indian Constitution could soon fall into British hands
K A Dodhiya
It's orange, thick-nibbed and given that it's at least 60 years old, in remarkably good shape. It was also used to write the most fundamental document that defines the state of India: our constitution.
Now, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's Wilson fountain pen with which, the present owner alleges, he wrote most of the constitution, is being used to script another story.
Dr Arun Kamble, the well-respected former head of Marathi department, Mumbai University, and the all-India founder president of Dalit Panther, who has custody of Dr Ambedkar's pen and two wooden nibs, says he is in talks with the British Museum to send over the historic memento.
He has been impelled to do so he says because of the lack of a proper Ambedkar museum. "The government has also not acceded to our demands for a university named after Babasaheb so why should I hand over this treasure to them," he demands.
Kamble got possession of the pen and other memorabilia including Ambedkar's autograph, leather folio, signed foot prints, love letters and other personal notes in 2001 when Dr Ambedkar's librarian and assistant SS Rege handed them over to him for safe-keeping. Rege himself passed away in December 2004. "It was at a function to felicitate Rege. After the function he handed them over to me saying that he did not know what to do with them since he was growing old,'' he discloses. Kamble who has kept most of these things in a bank vault is travelling to London next month for a meeting with the officials of the British museum.
To support his claims about the authenticity he shows us letters written by Rege and Ambedkar's wife Savita, verifying that the pen was indeed used to write the constitution.
"I got the idea of sending the pen and other memorabilia to Britain after the president of Dalit Panther in UK, Krishna Ghamre, told me to get it there. But even before that I had been contemplating contacting some big museums internationally so that Dr Ambedkar's belongings can get pride of place," he says. Kamble says that though he was approached by some officials of the Mumbai university to hand over Dr Ambedkar's belongings, since he was an alumni, he has refused to do so. "They don't even have a proper place to keep them," he complains.
"There are more than 20 lakh followers of Dr Ambedkar settled in Middlesex and other parts of UK and they are keen to get his belongings exhibited there," he says, but cannot hide his disillusionment with the state of affairs in India. "Since Dr Ambedkar was the alumni of Mumbai University I feel the university should be named after him or a new university be formed under his name and a museum of his personal belongings should be set-up in the campus.''
Until that happens, Kamble would rather see this piece of history in foreign hands.
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