Digambar Surlata Bagul, social activist

A PhD student at TISS researching social justice policies in higher education and post-matric scholarships in Maharashtra, Digambar Surlata has some major victories under his belt already. In 2018, following representations led by him, the Maharashtra state government widened its budget for the Swadhaar scheme, which provides financial assistance for accommodation and food for scheduled caste students in towns or cities away from their hometowns. From an unutilised annual allocation of Rs 5 crore, the budget was widened manifold, with Digambar continuing to liaise with the government on its implementation. 

Earlier, he was among those leading the fight to extend eligibility for state-sponsored scholarships for SC students from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh. 

 Under his leadership, the Ambedkarite Students Association at TISS and its allies won all seven executive posts in the student body elections in 2022, a first for any university in the country. That the president’s post is held by a transgender student from the north-east is evidence that Maharashtra’s Ambedkarites are preparing more youngsters to take forward Ambedkarite ideology, Digambar says. 

 Belonging to Nashik, Digambar was earlier the programme officer at TISS’s SC/ST cell overseeing student scholarships. His MA research subject was ‘Learning To Die’, based on narratives of Dalit students who died by suicide across Indian higher education institutions.