SAMAJ WEEKLY UK
Leicester, United Kingdom | 18 April 2026 – The Buddhist Ambedkarite Maitri Sangh, United Kingdom (BAMS UK) celebrated Jayanti 2026 with great enthusiasm and cultural vibrancy in Leicester, marking the birth anniversaries of Bharat Ratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and Krantisurya Mahatma Jyotiba Phule. The event, titled ‘Jayanti Utsav 2026′, was held at the De Montfort University Students’ Union Hall and brought together the Ambedkarite and Buddhist community from across the UK.
This annual celebration forms part of BAMS UK’s continuing initiative to host the Jayanti in a different UK city each year, enabling community members from distant regions to come together in unity. Around 250 families and individuals travelled from across England, Scotland, and Wales to attend the Leicester programme.
The celebration coincided with the 135th birth anniversary of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and the 199th birth anniversary of Mahatma Phule, also marking the commencement of Phule’s 200th birth anniversary year. The programme began in a serene and devotional atmosphere, with children reciting the Trisharan, Panchasheel, Buddhavandana, and Dhammapalan Gathas in both Pali and English, followed by elders offering Buddha–Dhamma–Sangha Vandana and the Bhim Sankalp.
A highlight of the event was the powerful Bhim Garjana, featuring Dhol Tasha, Lezim, and group dance performances by women and men, symbolising youth energy, social pride, and reverence to great social reformers. The hall resounded with spirited chants of ‘Jai Bhim.’
The cultural segment included high-impact dances, melodious Bhim Jalsa performances comprising solo, group, and women’s medley songs, as well as thematic skits and dance dramas based on the lives of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Mata Ramai, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Savitribai Phule, and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. These performances conveyed messages of social justice, harmony, compassion (metta bhavana), and intergenerational responsibility.
The 2026 celebration received strong support from community entrepreneurs. Nirvana Events, Tripzen, Pasco Foods, AAI Financials, and Inspired served as main sponsors, while Empathy Solutions, The Heaven Cake, and MM Tutors joined as associate sponsors, reflecting growing community participation and ownership.
BAMS UK continues to focus on nurturing Ambedkarite values and Buddhist Dhamma traditions among younger generations while building a strong social and cultural platform for the diaspora in the United Kingdom. The Jayanti celebration provided an inclusive stage for participants of all ages, with notable enthusiasm and leadership shown by children and youth.
Despite being based in the UK, families associated with BAMS UK actively pass on the ideological legacy of Buddha Dhamma, Dr. Ambedkar, Mahatma Phule, Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Sant Kabir, and other reformers to their children. The organisation functions as a family-oriented, non-political community group, dedicated to cultural preservation, education, and social harmony.
Reflecting on Ambedkar’s transformative legacy, the event highlighted how communities long denied opportunity have been empowered through education, constitutional rights, and social reform — enabling many professionals, including doctors, engineers, researchers, and students, to establish themselves globally while continuing to uphold the values of equality, dignity, and responsibility towards society, and contributing to the noble cause of giving back to the community.
