"It's because he was, that's why we are"
As we celebrate #AmbedkarJayanti it's crucial to remember that amidst the caste bias, neglect & apathy
The moth-eaten books, forgotten lectures & glossed-over legacy tucked into 20 words in textbooks
Dalits kept his spirit alive
Scorned by savarnas for crowding roads, derided by academics for 'hero worship', for many Dalits born into a religion that deemed them filthy& untouchable, Ambedkar is closest to a mythical figure
A singular leader who fought for rights that changed the course for generations.
If his life story, his ambition, his drive to study for 20 hours a day are folklore for some of us, that's because that's the only myth where instead of humiliated outcastes or crafty thieves, we were represented as equals, and as the centre of our own stories.
As more non-Dalit academics 'discover' him, while the proto-fascists turn Ambedkar into 'Prakhar Rashtra Purush' for a meatier Dalit vote, it's urgent that we return to the source -- his analysis, his anger, his writing (still blazingly relevant) -- to challenge the status quo.
And while debating if 'Ambedkar is for everybody' (well, he only drafted the CONSTITUTION) to stop 'de-sanitizing' his Dalitness, and erasing Dalit contribution to his history.
Ambedkar's Dalit perspective is central to his work, & no appropriation can change that. #JaiBhim
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