by Vikash Kumar
(Asian independent) With the Government of India now celebrating Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s birthday as “Equality Day” it is evident that remembrance of Ambedkar has become an essential element in Indian politics. This year on April 14, both within the borders of India and across the world, from Delhi to London and from Bhopal to Toronto diverse cities resonated with songs, lectures, processions, and tributes in honour of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar – the principal architect of the Indian Constitution and a valiant fighter against caste discrimination. Nowadays, the government, central and state and even fascist ideological apparatus that did not like Ambedkar have indulged in celebrating Ambedkar’s birthdays as an iconic figure. However, state proclamations and grandiose celebrations are not the basis of the day, but a grassroots initiative led by Dalits almost a century ago serves as the motive. It was his Dalit communities and principles that kept his memory, legacy and works alive long before the official recognition, and this is evidenced by the simple but powerful celebration held in 1928.
Coming of Dr Ambedkar
By the 1920s, Dr Ambedkar had been deeply involved in the struggle for the rights of Dalits and the downtrodden of Indian society after completing his education. In 1920, he started the publication of the weekly Mook Nayak (the Leader of the Silent) and also indulged in practicing as a lawyer in the Bombay High Court. When the British government started experiments for the Indians’ participation in the government, he became a part of the Simon Commission and linked social liberation with the political liberation (freedom) of the country. He forwarded his demands to the Simon Commission and, after that, went to the Round Table Conference. Dr Ambedkar also served as a Member of the Bombay Legislative Council and made pivotal efforts through legislation by providing maternity leave, reforming factory workers, and abolishing the infamous ‘Khoti’ system.
By this decade (1920 to 1930), the Indian masses, particularly the Dalits and low castes, had started recognising Dr Ambedkar as a foremost voice against the social evils in the nation. But there was no formal observance of his birthday.
The First Ambedkar Jayanti
Khadki is a cantonment city in Pune where Dalits began celebrating Babasaheb’s birthday, commemorated as Ambedkar Jayanti, annually from 1928. Gradually, these scattered attempts came together and created a more structural framework by forming a formal ‘Dalit Mandal’ to celebrate these events on a larger scale. Janardan Bhausahab Sadashiv Ranpise is widely recognised as the person who, for the first time, started celebrating April 14 as Dr Ambedkar Jayanti in Pune’s Khadki.
Ranpise was the president of ‘Khadki Patra Vibhag Dalit Mandal,’ and in Pune’s Khadki city he took the first step to celebrate Babasaheb’s life in a manner that was simultaneously devotional and iconic. Along with his other members, he placed the image of Dr. Ambedkar within an elephant’s cage and a procession of Dr Ambedkar’s followers gathered. After gathering the procession led by him passed through crucial areas of the city, like in front of the Prabhat Film Company.
Community Memory
For many years, Dalit communities have proudly celebrated Ambedkar Jayanti. They sustained the legacy of Ambedkar Jayanti year after year. Organisations like the People’s Education and Buddhist Welfare Society have been celebrating 14 April, when less heed was given to Dr. Ambedkar. Dalit localities that did not have electricity celebrated Dr Ambedkar Jayanti for illuminating sparks into their life. They held processions, sang bhajans, organised speeches, and passed down the teachings of Babasaheb to the younger generations. This celebration was more than just a celebration for them; it was an act of defiance, cultural pride, and resistance in a society that tried to silence them.
A Living Legacy
Now that state bodies and the world commend the celebration of Ambedkar Jayanti, it is fitting to reflect on the origins of the memorialisation. The marches which used to occur in the small backstreets of Harijan colonies, Budh Vihars and Dalit Wada which were considered “dirty” have now overrun the world’s stages. However, their essence still resides on the streets of Khadki, Pune, in 1928. It was the remembrance of a leader by a downtrodden community that chose not to erase their history.
Thus, Nobody handed out Ambedkar Jayanti to the masses, Ambedkar Jayanti was constructed from a grassroots effort.
Vikash Kumar is a Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Centre for Historical Studies doctoral student. His studies centre on the representation of caste, the geography of visual culture, and the construction of Dalit identity.
Coutresy: countercurrents.org
