The Birth Anniversary of Mata Savitri Bai Phule was Celebrated at the Historical Place Ambedkar Bhawan
Contribution of Women in Ambedkari Movement is Very Important – Dr. Sawarkar
Jalandhar (THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK): Ambedkar Mission Society Punjab (Reg.) in cooperation with Ambedkar Bhawan Trust and All India Samata Sainik Dal, Punjab Unit organized a seminar on ‘Women’s Contribution in Ambedkari Movement’ at Rama Bai Ambedkar Yadgar Hall of Ambedkar Bhawan to celebrate the birthday of India’s first woman teacher Mata Savitri Bai Phule.
In this seminar Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Marathwada University Aurangabad (Maharashtra) Assistant Professor of History Department, Dr. Sunita Sawarkar joined as the keynote speaker and delivered an erudite, informative talk on ‘Women’s Contribution to the Ambedkari Movement’. She said, Mata Savitri Bai Phule and Fatima Shaikh in the 19th century played an important role in organizing Dalit women. In the 20th century, through Babasaheb Dr. Ambedkar’s tireless efforts, women started coming to conferences organized to break social taboos and gain rights. Dr. Sawarkar said that in 1920, for the first time in an event, a welcome song was presented by two girls in honor of Dr. Ambedkar, in which Babasaheb’s struggle for Dalit rights was praised. In 1928, women’s circles were established to celebrate Babasaheb’s birthday in the first mass conference of all women, and after that thousands of women continued to struggle in the Ambedkari movement in Maharashtra. Dalit women writers began to write works based on the ideology of the Tathagata Buddha to create social consciousness, equality, independence and community unity, which have continued to the present day after the independence of India. She also mentioned the efforts being made by her to document the efforts made by women for this social consciousness. Remember that Dr. Sawarkar has published three informative books in Marathi language in this context. She urged the writers involved in the seminar that special efforts should also be made to pen the historiography of women’s contribution in the social movements of Punjab.
Ambedkar Bhawan Trust General Secretary Dr. G. C. Kaul welcomed the audience and the chief guest Dr. Sunita Sawarkar, introducing her Dr. Kaul said that a large number of women from across Punjab contributed to the Ambedkari movement in the ‘All India Front of the Republican Party of India (RPI)’ in 1964. Especially among them the names of Bibi Malavi Devi, Bibi Banti, (of Tajpur), Bibi Rao wife of Seth Mela Ram ‘Rikhi’, Bibi Prakash Kaur, Bibi Darsho, Bibi Jai Kaur, Bibi Ajit Balley, Bibi Bholi, Bibi Sawarni and Bibi Prakasho wife of Shaheed Ram Prakash are worth mentioning. Charan Das Sandhu, president of Ambedkar Mission Society, thanked everyone on behalf of Ambedkar Mission Society Punjab (Reg.), Ambedkar Bhawan Trust and All India Samata Sainik Dal and said that despite many obstacles, Ambedkar Bhawan Trust has been spreading the Nirol Ambedkar Mission for the last more than 50 years and will continue to do so in the future too.
Baldev Raj Bharadwaj, General Secretary of Society, managed the Stage very nicely. On this occasion Sarvshri Parminder Singh Khuttan, Jaswinder Wariana, Tilak Raj, Prof. Balbir, Sohanlal former DPI. (Colleges), Dr. Mahendra Sandhu, Advocate Harbhajan Sampla, Advocate Kuldeep Bhatti, Sunny Thapar, Jyoti Prakash, Nirmal Binji, Dr. RL Jassi former ADGP. (Jammu and Kashmir), Madan Lal, Tarsem Jalandhari, Prof. Ashwani Jassal, Om Prakash, Principal Paramjit Jassal, Baldev Jassal, Hari Singh Thind, Malkit Singh, Master Jeet Ram, Barjesh Kumar, Rajesh Virdi, Gurdev Khokhar, Hari Ram OSD, Sham Lal Jassal, Gautam Boudh, Kavita Dhande, Gurdayal Jassal and Harbhajan Nimta etc. were present. This information was given by Baldev Raj Bhardwaj, General Secretary of Ambedkar Mission Society Punjab (Reg.) through a press release.
Baldev Raj Bhardwaj
General Secretary
Ambedkar Mission Society Punjab (Reg.) 
Some glimpses of Mata Savitri Bai Phule’s birthday celebration at Ambedkar Bhawan.
