Condolences on the Death of Dr. R. M Pal
Tags: Death, PUCL General Secretary, Radical Humanist, Ambedkar, Human Rights
Related Issue: PUCL, RM Pal, PUCL Delhi
Dear Pancholi Ji
Please convey my deep condolences on the death of Dr. R M Pal in the meeting tomorrow. I am greatly saddened at the demise of Dr. Pal who was a colleague, dear friend and an able guide to me. I met Dr. Pal in Delhi PUCL’s meeting sometimes in 1996-97. He always carried a bunch of papers under his left arm that included PUCL bulletin and Radical Humanist of which he was the editor. He was always immaculately dressed and ever eager to share an insight on contemporary events with youngsters like me. I am grateful to him that he inspired me to study the caste related literature, including the writings of Ambedkar. He helped and supported young activists and scholars many of them are playing an important role in the human rights movement presently.
Dr. Pal spoke with a passion in the PUCL meetings. His words carried a force of righteous anger of a person who deeply felt for the atrocities on the vulnerable people and human rights violations that they suffered. Dr. Pal believed that the human rights violation was structurally embedded in the Indian society. He rightly maintained that the caste is one of the major diseases afflicting the Indian society and human rights violations are its
effects. He stressed that we must attack the disease and attack it from all the fronts. As he was an academic and activist, he did his best to lead and participate in that attack in his own way. I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Pal as the General Secretary of Delhi PUCL when he was the President. Unfortunately in a few months after becoming the President he was taken ill. However, his passion for the PUCL and human rights was such that he insisted that the PUCL meetings be held at his house. We all were glad to do so. Despite his not so good health he continued to lead us during the rest of his tenure. Later he shifted to Mumbai. When I went to Mumbai in 2006, I remember having met him in his house there. I remember talking to him in his wide and spacious house balcony as the winter afternoon sun overlooked and warmed us. Those two hours are still sweetly frozen in my memory. He was full of passion and talked about ways and means to strengthen the PUCL in Mumbai. In the death of Dr. Pal, human rights movement of the country has lost a strong advocate and PUCL has lost one of its important leaders. May nature bestow him with peace and eternal bliss for the good that he did for the humanity.
With regards
Pushkar Raj, Melbourne (Australia), Former General Secretary, PUCL National.