*since then*
 

BECOMING A BODHISATTVA

Dr. Ambedkar remains a symbolic presence and rallying point for Dalits, both those who have converted to Buddhism and those who have not. Statues of him are built in towns and cities all over India, and become sites of political struggle. His birthday is celebrated with huge processions, and his tomb in Bombay is a place of pilgrimage.

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==1901== In Maharashtra, the Symbiosis Museum is constructed in honor of Dr Ambedkar. His widow, Dr. Savita Ambedkar, donates his ashes to it.
==1991== At Columbia University's Ambedkar Centenary Celebration, Prof. David Lelyveld gives a talk about his achievements: *"Burning up the Dharmasastras: Group Identity and Social Justice in the Thought of B. R. Ambedkar"*. And Prof. Eleanor Zelliot gives a talk called *"Dr. Ambedkar in America"*.
==1995== *Mrs. Savita Ambedkar visits Columbia*, on the occasion of the installation of a bust of Dr. Ambedkar. Her own account of their life together: Babasaheb: My Life With Dr Ambedkar, trans. Nadeem Khan (2022)
==2000== A serious and inspiring *documentary film is made about Dr Ambedkar's life*, culminating in his conversion to Buddhism at Nagpur.
==2004== Columbia University honors Dr. Ambedkar in the course of its *250th birthday celebration*.
==2009== Columbia University honors Dr. Ambedkar with a conference on *"Caste, Ambedkar, and Contemporary India"*. Associated with the conference is an online *area studies exhibit* by the Columbia University Libraries.

== MUCH MORE TO COME ! ==

SOME FURTHER REFLECTIONS:

"Ambedkar.org," news reports of Dalit activism and atrocities: *site*

Ambedkar Mission of Canada, One Hundred Years For Freedom, a centennial celebration, 1991: *site*

CNN documentary on untouchability with Christianne Amanpour, March 21, 1999, 15 minutes long, *available for downloading*

Deliege, Robert, and Simon Charsley, panel convenors: "Low-caste, 'Untouchable', and Anti-caste Movements." 16th European Conference on Modern South Asian Studies, Edinburgh, Sept. 6-9th, 2000: *abstracts and papers*.

Hancock, Virginia, "New Buddhism for New Aspirations: Navayana Buddhism of Ambedkar and His Followers," Manushi 145 (Nov.-Dec. 2004): *site*

Hart, George, "Early Evidence for Caste in South India" (in PDF form): *site*

"How the Other Half Lives," an interesting group blog site about caste: *site*

Immerwahr, Daniel, "Caste or Colony? Indianizing Race in the United States," Modern Intellectual History 4,2 (2007): *on this site* (with the generous permission of the author)

Immerwahr, Daniel, "An informal memo on B. R. Ambedkar and U.S. Blacks, May 2008": *on this site*

Joseph, Manu, "What If Ambedkar Had Converted Earlier?" [interview with Jabbar Patel], Outlook India, Aug. 23, 2004: *site*

Kapoor, S. D. "B. R. Ambedkar, W. E. B. Dubois, and the Process of Liberation," Economic and Political Weekly, Dec. 27, 2003: *on this site*

Kishwar, Madhu, "From Manusmriti to Madhusmriti: Flagellating a Mythical Enemy," Manushi 117 (March-April 2000): *site*

Kunda, Pramilani, "Liberating Womanhood," Countercurrents, Dec. 30, 2003: *site*

Muir, Hugh, "Caste Divide is Blighting UK Communities, Claims Report," The Guardian, July 4, 2006: *site*

Omvedt, Gail, "Ambedkar's New Buddhism," The Hindu, Feb. 25, 1999: *site*

Omvedt, Gail, "Still no tryst with destiny," Hindustan Times, Dec. 5, 2006: *site*

O'Neill, Tom, "Untouchable," National Geographic, June 2003: *site*

Oommen, George, "The Emerging Dalit Theology: A Historical Appraisal": *site*

Pawar, Urmila, "Chauthi Bhint," with an introduction by Eleanor Zelliot, Manushi 122: *site*

Racine, Jean-Luc, ed., "Untouchability and Beyond," a special issue of Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, 18,1 (1998): *site*

Rasool, G. Javed, "Violence Against Dalits: the Case of Tajopur" [Lucknow, 2002]: *site*

Sreedhar, M. V., "Reaching the Unreached: Enabling Dalit Girls to Get Schooling," Manushi 111 (March-April 1999): *site*

Vij, Shivam, "Why Gandhi Lost and Ambedkar Won," Countercurrents, Dec. 6, 2004: *site*
 
I thank Dr. Eleanor Zelliot for her very substantial help in preparing this timeline.

 

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