by Walter Jayawardhana
The packed audience at the Ravindra Bharathi National Theatre in Hyderabad, the capital of the state of Andra Pradesh, pledged to strive for everything that would make the dream of a casteless society a reality on the occasion of the release of a compact disk entitled ‘Buddham Saranam’.
The people who gathered in the national hall maintained a firm focus as they repeated the words of the oath that was administered, promising to strive for everything to create a casteless society, in the true Buddhist spirit.
Among those present were Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha, MP G. Vivekanand, MLC Jupudi Prabhakar Rao and revolutionary filmmaker R. Narayanamurthy.
‘Buddham Saranam’, the launch of which brought about this manifestation, contains seven songs showcasing the importance of Buddhism. The CD boasts songtexts by poets Jayaraj and Shakti, music scored by Ravi Kalyan and singers such as Suresh and Sunita. The event also marked a pledge to re-dedicate themselves to propagating the ideals of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar – the ‘architect’ of the Indian Constitution -, as part of paving the way for a caste-less society.
