THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT, UK-
-Ramesh Chander
The Ambedkarites living in and around Bootan Mandi at Jalandhar commemorated the historic visit of Babasaheb Dr. B. R. Ambedkar on October 27 at Ambedkar Bhawan situated at Dr. Ambedkar Marg (Nakodar Road) where the iconic, Babasaheb addressed a mammoth public rally on October 27, 1951. It is a matter of great pride for us that we the BootanMandians hosted that visit led by our forefathers namely; Seth Kishan Dass, Seth Sunder Dass among others and the youth of that time which included K.C. Sulekh, Pritam Ramdasspuri, Kartara Ram Madhas, inter alia.
I happily joined the function at the Bhawan thoughtfully arranged by Ambedkar Bhawan Trust to commemorate the visit of our icon, Babasaheb. On the occasion, a Free Medical Camp for the benefit and advantage of the residents of the area was arranged with the help of professionally qualified doctors and Medicos led by Dr. Charanjit Singh. The Chief Guest of the solemn function was a staunch and scholarly Ambedkarite, Dr. Surinder Ajnat. Speaking on the occasion, Secretary of the Trust, Dr. Gian Kaul gave a brief resume of the visit of Babasaheb Ambedkar in 1951 
and a thought provoking address he delivered at the huge public meeting. Dr. Ajnat paid handsome tributes to Babasaheb and recalled his immense contribution to make India a land of democracy in spite of all odds in doing so. President of the Trust, Sohan Lal thanked the guests and the attentive audience and also the Medical Team for joining them in commemorating the historic visit of the Leader. The high-light of the function was the release of the ‘Citation of Honour – Maan Patra’ read by K.C. Sulekh the then General Secretary of the All India Scheduled Caste Federation from the podium of the function on October 27, 1951. It is a rare and historical document. It is a matter of gratification to know that this document was thoughtfully obtained and preserved by one of my close friends, Ram Lal Dass. At such occasions, Chief Editor of the Desh Doaba and the Ambedkar Times of the US, Prem Chumber always and as usual remain handy to help. Prem Chumber very kindly and thoughtfully got the Citation transcribed into Punjabi and translated into English and published it in his esteemed papers, the mouth-pieces of the legacy of Babasaheb Ambedkar and Babu Manguram Mugowalia of the Ad-dharam Mandal. Ambedkar Bhawan Trust with the help its fully involved and dedicated volunteer, Finance Secretary of the Trust, Baldev Bhardwaj got the Citation of Honour printed and framed and and presented to the Hon’ble Guests and the Doctors who conducted the Free Medical Camp. I take this opportunity to thank K.C. Sulekh Sahib, Ram Lal Dass, Prem Chumber and Ambedkar Bhawan Trust for doing their part in preserving and protecting the history. I am reminded of the poem of Gurdass Ram Alam which he recited at the Public Rally in the presence of Babasaheb on October 27, 1951:
ਬੜਾ ਸ਼ੋਰ ਪੈਂਦਾ ਗਰੀਬ ਦੇ ਡੇਰੇ; ਇਹ ਅਜ ਕੌਣ ਆਯਾ ਸਵੇਰੇ ਸਵੇਰੇ,
ਲੱਖਾਂ ਲੋਗ ਜੁੜ ਬੈਠੇ; ਜਿਸ ਦੇ ਚੁਫੇਰੇ; ਅਜ ਕੌਣ ਆਯਾ ਸਵੇਰੇ ਸਵੇਰੇ.
I close this brief narration with a bit of more information with regard to the visit of Babasaheb Ambedkar to Bootan Mandi in October, 1951. With the visit, the stretch of the Highway – Dr. Ambedkar Marg – Nakodar Road has become ‘Ambedkar Hub’ – Starting from Ambedkar Chowk to Kabir Chowk (Wadala Chowk), it entails important sites and institutions pertaining to Babasaheb namely; The Head-office of the Bheem Patrika (Office and Residence of its Chief Editor Lahori Ram Balley at Abadpura), Ambedkar Bhawan, Chobara of Seth Kishan Dass at Bootan Mandi where Babasaheb visited and had the Punjabi meal of Saag and Makki ki Roti, Ambedkar Municipal Park, Ambedkar Community Center at Sidharath Nagar, Babasaheb B.R. Ambedkar Degree College. It goes without saying that these sites occupy an important place on the map of the City of Jalandhar.
