Historiography Of The Dobama Movement In Burma Essay

Historiography Of The Dobama Movement In Burma - Essay Example The Dobama Asiayone Movement was initially formed by a group of several similar-minded young individuals who were essentially consumed with the idea of attempting to try and deliver their country from the rule of the aliens. Although the different members that formed the group were seen to be drawn from quite diverse economic and social backgrounds, they were tightly bound together by an overwhelming desire to secure their country’s national independence1. The group opted to adopt the suffix of â€Å"Thakin† in their name as opposed to adopting other common suffixes such as Maung, Ko or even U. The Term â€Å"Thakin† was seen to commonly be used in reference to Master or Lord2. The first individual to attempt to promote the use of the suffix of Thakin among the country’s population was the Abbot U Sandima who had been instrumental in instructing the villagers to adopt the practice of hanging on their houses various name plates that used the Thakin titles s o as to be able to adequately develop a conscious sense of the overall superiority that the Burmans as a race had over other races. It is thought that Thankin Ba Thoung who was the founder of the Dobama Asiayone was so impressed by the adoption of these practices while visiting the village of Wetkathay that upon his eventual return to Rangoon he immediately made a suggestion to his close friends that they should try and adopt the use of the the Thakin appellation. Although his friends agreed to adopt the use of the appellation, it was noted that they adopted it in a somewhat reluctant manner3. Thakin Ba Thoung and the Founding of the Dobama Asiayone The early life of Thakin Ba Thoung the Dobama Asiayone group is found to be relatively obscure. Thoung was initially a protege of U Tun Shein who was one of the three key delegates of the Young Men’s Buddhist Association who was sent to represent the Association in London on July 7th, 1919. The association sent the three delegates to London to go and protest on matters pertaining to the Craddock Scheme. The Craddock scheme was initially proposed by Sir Reginald Craddock in 1918-1920. Although the Burmese were seen to be actively trying to gain more political rights, the scheme that was drafted by Sir Reginald Craddock was seen to widely draw massive criticism from nearly all Burmese leaders in the country. The scheme failed to placate the Burmese leaders and only served to increase their dissatisfaction. The nationalist leaders in Burma argued that it was vital for Burma to be granted a set of suitable reforms. The leaders also demanded that the government should delay any actions on their part to attempt to approve the University act until after such reforms were actually instituted4. Ba Thoung was seen to first come to public notice upon winning a translation prize in 1930 that saw him receive Rs. 1,000. Ba Thoung regularly met and discussed the country’s political and social conditions of the time with several of his young friends and in 1928, Ba Thoung and his young friends attempted to try and attract public attention to the fact that the current existing political parties were having a rather disastrous effect on the country. However, this play was soon to flop but the relatively obscure group was seen to quickly be brought to the forefront and play a critical role in the country’s political arena after the bloody event of the May 26th, 1930 Indo-Burmese riots5. The events of the Indo-Burmese riots were seen to unfold when some 2,000 Telegu dock workers organized and went on strike protesting against the Scindia Steam Navigation co. Ltd. Although the company was seen to