Mumbai: Long streams of people, mostly dressed in white and blue with an occasional splash of other colours, walked to Chaityabhoomi, Dadar, the memorial to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, on Friday, to pay respects on Mahaparinirvan Diwas, his death anniversary.
They came from across India, from villages and towns hundreds of kilometres away, hitching rides on crowded trains, buses, and vans, and sometimes trudging on foot. Many had been traveling for days, like the eight men, women, and children from Ambetakli village in Buldhana district. They had started their journey on Wednesday.
Thousands Pay Homage to Dr. Ambedkar at Chaityabhoomi on Mahaparinirvan Diwas | File Photo
For many in the group, the trip to Chaityabhoomi is an annual pilgrimage. This is the eighth visit to Chaityabhoomi for 58-year-old Kesharbai Dable, a member of Samata Sainik Dal, a group of social workers.
"We have come to pay our homage to Babasaheb Ambedkar. We have great respect for him," said Dable who has toured many of the sites associated with the father of the Indian Constitution and a champion of the rights of Dalit groups. Dable has traveled to Dikshabhoomi in Nagpur, where Ambedkar embraced Buddhism, and to Bhima-Koregaon, the site of a battle between the Peshwa troops and the Mahars of the British army, a fight that the Mahars, the Dalit community to which Ambedkar belonged, won. "It is like a pilgrimage for us," said Dable.
Thousands Pay Homage to Dr. Ambedkar at Chaityabhoomi on Mahaparinirvan Diwas | File Photo
Prasanjit Ambore, an eighth-standard student and a group member from Ambetakli, was on his first visit to Mumbai. "This is the place where he died. We have been taught about him at school and I wanted to visit his Samadhi," said Ambhore.
Abhishek Wadve and his friends from Navi Mumbai have come to Chaityabhoomi every year. "He gave us the diksha and made us Buddhists. We come here for shradhanjali. Remember, he passed away just a few months after he took diksha along with his followers. That was a great milestone in his life, apart from his authorship of the country's Constitution," said Wadve.
Thousands Pay Homage to Dr. Ambedkar at Chaityabhoomi on Mahaparinirvan Diwas | File Photo
Thousands of visitors camped overnight at the tents erected at Shivaji Park. Volunteers provided free food for the visitors. The International Buddhist Mission said they served over 70,000 meals on Thursday and Friday.
"Nearly 70% of the visitors are not from Mumbai. They come in large groups and stay at Shivaji Park. We have been feeding them for the last 19 years," said Manik Rajappa, a volunteer with the group. Other organisations had set up feeding centres in other areas. The groups estimate that between 10 and 15 lakh visitors come to Chaityabhoomi during the two days.
Vendors filled the streets, selling busts of Ambedkar and Buddha, photo prints of the leader, and dupattas and shawls in blue and white. Amidst the throng of visitors and vendors, a large group of volunteers from Amhi Ambedkarwadi tried to ensure that the ground and the surrounding streets remained clear of litter.
Rajeshwari Nikale, a group member, said, "Mumbaikars have this mindset that these visitors are from the villages and they leave garbage on the streets. We want to change that. We ask vendors to collect the garbage so that the municipal staff can pick it up the next day," said Nikale.
Groups were promoting other missions. A group of scholars in the Pali language and Buddhist studies from Savitribai Phule Pune University were at Chaityabhoomi to encourage young people to study the language used in Buddhist scriptures. "I believe that studies in Pali and Buddhism will create an idealistic group of young people who can fight corruption," said Uday Dhende, a Pali student.
