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<div class="itg-mosimage"><amp-img src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Fmedia2%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fstories%2F1981November%2Fdalit%2520(1)_102813112041.jpg" alt="" height="425" width="650" class="" layout="responsive"></amp-img>Milling crowds at 'dikshabhumi' ground<p>For days, they had been pouring into the city of Nagpur, Maharashtra. They came in their hundreds of thousands, by bus, truck, bullock-cart, on the roofs of trains, or simply on foot.</p><p>What drew the dalits - untouchables who are also known as neo-Buddhists - to the city were not the famous oranges, but a vast sprawling field called the 'dikshabhumi' where their revered mentor Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar had embraced Buddhism a quarter century ago, just two months before his death.</p><p>This year the dalits congregated in Nagpur to celebrate the silver jubilee of Ambedkar's historic conversion - the 'Dhammachakra Pravartan Din'.</p><p>The dalits thrive on controversy and this year there was an argument over the exact date of the great day. One section led by Ramchandra Gavai, chairman of both the Maharashtra Legislative Council and the celebration committee, opted for Dussehra, while another section dominated by the youth thought October 14 was the correct date.</p><p>Said Yashawant Kavade, a militant dalit: "We have nothing to do with Dussehra, a Hindu festival." Adds Hansaraj Gabhiye: "Ambedkar was born on October 14 and even embraced Buddhism on that day - October 14, 1956, was Dussehra day. Ambedkar is also the 'Bodhisatva'; Buddha said that 2,500 years after his passing the Bodhisatva' would appear and Buddha passed away on the night of October 13, exactly 2,500 years before Ambedkar embraced Buddhism in Nagpur."</p><div class="itemcenter"><amp-iframe height="62" title="" width="320" sandbox="allow-forms allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-top-navigation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation" allowfullscreen src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Findiatoday%2Fbanner%2Fpreferred-source-new.html%3Fv%3D1.014%5Cu0026native%3D1" class="mrBt15 preferred-source-banner"> </amp-iframe></div></p><p><b>Militant Mood:</b> In the end, the celebration was fixed for Dussehra, and while the crowds deposited garland after garland at the statues of Ambedkar and Buddha, the leaders of the dalits' political arm. the much-fragmented Republican Party, addressed the gathering along with Chief Minister A.R. Antulay.</p><p>Gavai opposed the recent conversions to Islam and felt there was a qualitative difference between converting to Buddhism and converting to Islam. Gavai also felt that foreign money had a hand in the conversions.</p><p>The other Republican Party leader, Rajabhau Khobragade, was seething with anger: "Even today untouchables in Tamil Nadu cannot wear slippers and drink out of separate cups in hotels," he thundered, "dalits must quit the Hindu fold, and fast. It does not matter whether they become Muslim or anything else."</p><p>If the divergence of the views expounded by Gavai and Khobragade highlighted the continuing split in the Republican Party, the fiery tenor of the speeches was clear indication that the dalits were in no mood to take discrimination lying down.</p><p>Antulay, in his inimitable populist style, announced a Rs 75-lakh grant for art Ambedkar memorial. but was disconcerted when a very vocal section of the audience clamoured for a definite announcement on the renaming of Marathwada University after Ambedkar. Three years ago, there had been widespread riots over the prestige issue.</p><div class="itg-mosimage"><amp-img src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Fmedia2%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fstories%2F1981November%2Fdalit%2520(2)_102813112041.jpg" alt="" height="425" width="650" class="" layout="responsive"></amp-img>Massive turnout: Roof-top travel in the absence of special trains</div></p><p>It was also evident from the thronging crowds that more and more dalits were following Ambedkar's example. Said Bhadant Anand Kaushalyan, senior bhiku: "When Ambedkar had converted 25 years ago there were not so many present."</p><p>Since then the neo-Buddhists have grown impressively: in Maharashtra alone their number has shot up from a mere 2,487 in 1951 to 3.2 million in 1971. The state accounts for over 85 per cent of the country's Buddhist population.</p><p><b>Burden Discarded: </b>The exodus from the ranks of Hindu untouchables has brought the dalits significant rewards. A sizeable number have made it to the top ranks of society by becoming Indian Administrative Service officers, engineers and doctors.</p><p>The newly-minted Buddhists have also relieved themselves of the great psychological burden of being the lowest of the low. The men in the villages refuse to perform traditional chores such as carting dead animals. The women have shed the traditional marks of the lower castes - no more nine-metre sarees, no more earthen vessels in the kitchen, no more silver jewellery. Says Prakash Ambedkar,  grandson of the great old man: "More than all this we have learnt to fight for our rights."</p><p>This self-assertion has frequently brought the dalits into direct conflict with caste Hindus. The Marathwada University flare-up is the most pointed example, but smaller explosions take place in the villages where the Dalit Panthers, militant dalit youth, seek out opportunities of fighting caste Hindus. The dalits also try to put a large distance between Hindu rituals and their own. One of the vows set down by Ambedkar reads: "I will not believe in Vishnu and Mahesh as my gods."</p><p><b>Tall Claim:</b> Dalit leaders, however, go overboard sometimes when making claims of conversions. At the 'Dikshabhumi', Gavai announced that five lakh converts had been made recently. Challenged L. R. Bailey, Republican Party leader from Punjab: "The figure is a white lie." He also alleged that Gavai and three other Buddhist leaders owned a chain of bars and wine shops in Nagpur and that because of his business dealings Gavai had ceased to be a Buddhist.</p><p>Bailey also questioned the Rs 75-lakh donation announced by Antulay, charging that certain Republican Party leaders had an interest in a concern called Vidharba Wines which had allegedly made a donation of Rs 12 lakh to Antulay's now famous Indira Gandhi Pratibha Pratishthan. </p><p>Prakash Ambedkar supported Bailey in part saying: "The conversion ceremony was a big hoax and the figure of five lakh a bigger one." He added that Gavai did not follow the proper procedure for conversion laid down by Ambedkar.</p><p>Despite all the bickering, the prospects of Republican Party unity are brighter than ever. Says Ganar: "The dalit masses have seen their leaders on one platform this time, and they will not allow them to remain in their narrow shells. Unity could give new impetus to a movement that is in danger of getting bogged down. Asserts Prakash Ambedkar: "We feel quite frustrated when we think about the conditions of our people. If they do not change, we will not opt for Islam or any other religion, we well become communist. We are the right fodder for communism." The devout festival at Nagpur could steer the dalits away from such an atheistic path. </p><div id="tab-link-wrapper-plugin"><div class="authors__container"><div class="authors__by"><div class="authlable">Published By: </div><div class="authdetaisl">AtMigration </div></div><div class="published__on"><div class="authlable">Published On: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Oct 28, 2013</div></div></div><div class="sendros">--- ENDS ---</div></div></div>

indiascope

Indiascope

<div class="itg-mosimage"><div class="itgimage"><img  title=""  class="" alt="" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Fmedia2%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fstories%2F1981November%2Fdalit%2520(1)_102813112041.jpg" loading="lazy" /></div>Milling crowds at 'dikshabhumi' ground<p>For days, they had been pouring into the city of Nagpur, Maharashtra. They came in their hundreds of thousands, by bus, truck, bullock-cart, on the roofs of trains, or simply on foot.</p><p>What drew the dalits - untouchables who are also known as neo-Buddhists - to the city were not the famous oranges, but a vast sprawling field called the 'dikshabhumi' where their revered mentor Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar had embraced Buddhism a quarter century ago, just two months before his death.</p><p>This year the dalits congregated in Nagpur to celebrate the silver jubilee of Ambedkar's historic conversion - the 'Dhammachakra Pravartan Din'.</p><p>The dalits thrive on controversy and this year there was an argument over the exact date of the great day. One section led by Ramchandra Gavai, chairman of both the Maharashtra Legislative Council and the celebration committee, opted for Dussehra, while another section dominated by the youth thought October 14 was the correct date.</p><p>Said Yashawant Kavade, a militant dalit: "We have nothing to do with Dussehra, a Hindu festival." Adds Hansaraj Gabhiye: "Ambedkar was born on October 14 and even embraced Buddhism on that day - October 14, 1956, was Dussehra day. Ambedkar is also the 'Bodhisatva'; Buddha said that 2,500 years after his passing the Bodhisatva' would appear and Buddha passed away on the night of October 13, exactly 2,500 years before Ambedkar embraced Buddhism in Nagpur."</p><div class="itemcenter"><iframe scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="62" awidth="320" aheight="62" amplayout="fixed" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Findiatoday%2Fbanner%2Fpreferred-source-new.html%3Fv%3D1.014" class="preferred-source-banner" loading="lazy"></iframe></div><style>.preferred-source-banner{  margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}</style></p><p><b>Militant Mood:</b> In the end, the celebration was fixed for Dussehra, and while the crowds deposited garland after garland at the statues of Ambedkar and Buddha, the leaders of the dalits' political arm. the much-fragmented Republican Party, addressed the gathering along with Chief Minister A.R. Antulay.</p><p>Gavai opposed the recent conversions to Islam and felt there was a qualitative difference between converting to Buddhism and converting to Islam. Gavai also felt that foreign money had a hand in the conversions.</p><p>The other Republican Party leader, Rajabhau Khobragade, was seething with anger: "Even today untouchables in Tamil Nadu cannot wear slippers and drink out of separate cups in hotels," he thundered, "dalits must quit the Hindu fold, and fast. It does not matter whether they become Muslim or anything else."</p><p>If the divergence of the views expounded by Gavai and Khobragade highlighted the continuing split in the Republican Party, the fiery tenor of the speeches was clear indication that the dalits were in no mood to take discrimination lying down.</p><p>Antulay, in his inimitable populist style, announced a Rs 75-lakh grant for art Ambedkar memorial. but was disconcerted when a very vocal section of the audience clamoured for a definite announcement on the renaming of Marathwada University after Ambedkar. Three years ago, there had been widespread riots over the prestige issue.</p><div class="itg-mosimage"><div class="itgimage"><img  title=""  class="" alt="" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Fmedia2%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fstories%2F1981November%2Fdalit%2520(2)_102813112041.jpg" loading="lazy" /></div>Massive turnout: Roof-top travel in the absence of special trains</div></p><p>It was also evident from the thronging crowds that more and more dalits were following Ambedkar's example. Said Bhadant Anand Kaushalyan, senior bhiku: "When Ambedkar had converted 25 years ago there were not so many present."</p><p>Since then the neo-Buddhists have grown impressively: in Maharashtra alone their number has shot up from a mere 2,487 in 1951 to 3.2 million in 1971. The state accounts for over 85 per cent of the country's Buddhist population.</p><p><b>Burden Discarded: </b>The exodus from the ranks of Hindu untouchables has brought the dalits significant rewards. A sizeable number have made it to the top ranks of society by becoming Indian Administrative Service officers, engineers and doctors.</p><p>The newly-minted Buddhists have also relieved themselves of the great psychological burden of being the lowest of the low. The men in the villages refuse to perform traditional chores such as carting dead animals. The women have shed the traditional marks of the lower castes - no more nine-metre sarees, no more earthen vessels in the kitchen, no more silver jewellery. Says Prakash Ambedkar,  grandson of the great old man: "More than all this we have learnt to fight for our rights."</p><p>This self-assertion has frequently brought the dalits into direct conflict with caste Hindus. The Marathwada University flare-up is the most pointed example, but smaller explosions take place in the villages where the Dalit Panthers, militant dalit youth, seek out opportunities of fighting caste Hindus. The dalits also try to put a large distance between Hindu rituals and their own. One of the vows set down by Ambedkar reads: "I will not believe in Vishnu and Mahesh as my gods."</p><p><b>Tall Claim:</b> Dalit leaders, however, go overboard sometimes when making claims of conversions. At the 'Dikshabhumi', Gavai announced that five lakh converts had been made recently. Challenged L. R. Bailey, Republican Party leader from Punjab: "The figure is a white lie." He also alleged that Gavai and three other Buddhist leaders owned a chain of bars and wine shops in Nagpur and that because of his business dealings Gavai had ceased to be a Buddhist.</p><p>Bailey also questioned the Rs 75-lakh donation announced by Antulay, charging that certain Republican Party leaders had an interest in a concern called Vidharba Wines which had allegedly made a donation of Rs 12 lakh to Antulay's now famous Indira Gandhi Pratibha Pratishthan. </p><p>Prakash Ambedkar supported Bailey in part saying: "The conversion ceremony was a big hoax and the figure of five lakh a bigger one." He added that Gavai did not follow the proper procedure for conversion laid down by Ambedkar.</p><p>Despite all the bickering, the prospects of Republican Party unity are brighter than ever. Says Ganar: "The dalit masses have seen their leaders on one platform this time, and they will not allow them to remain in their narrow shells. Unity could give new impetus to a movement that is in danger of getting bogged down. Asserts Prakash Ambedkar: "We feel quite frustrated when we think about the conditions of our people. If they do not change, we will not opt for Islam or any other religion, we well become communist. We are the right fodder for communism." The devout festival at Nagpur could steer the dalits away from such an atheistic path. </p><div id="tab-link-wrapper-plugin"><div class="authors__container"><div class="authors__by"><div class="authlable">Published By: </div><div class="authdetaisl">AtMigration </div></div><div class="published__on"><div class="authlable">Published On: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Oct 28, 2013</div></div></div><div class="sendros">--- ENDS ---</div></div></div>

For days, they had been pouring into the city of Nagpur, Maharashtra. They came in their hundreds of thousands, by bus, truck, bullock-cart, on the roofs of trains, or simply on foot.

India Today

Dalits: Militant stand - India Today

Dalits congregate in Nagpur to celebrate silver jubilee of Ambedkar's historic conversion

Dalits: Militant stand

WPL 2026, UPW vs GGW: Ash Gardner’s Gujarat Giants went to second in the table after beating Meg Lanning’s UP Warriorz by 45 runs on Thursday in Vadodara. Rajeshwari Gayakwad won the Player of the Match award for her three-wicket haul. 

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In Beijing, they call him Chuan Jianguo: China's nation builder. It's a joke, but one with uncomfortable truth. As Trump alienates allies with tariffs and threats, they're quietly hedging towards Beijing.

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The trailer of Tu Yaa Main shows Adarsh Gourav and Shanaya Kapoor trapped in a pool with a bloodthirsty crocodile. The film is set for a theatrical release on February 13, 2026.

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India is strategically positioned to engage with the United States under a potential second Trump presidency, maintaining strength without compromising global institutions. Political risk expert Ian Bremmer highlights India's unique partnership with Washington and its capacity to navigate complex international dynamics confidently.

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Ian Bremmer said India remains a “partner and friend” of the United States.Ian Bremmer said India remains a “partner and friend” of the United States.

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Twenty people, including women and children, were left stranded 75 feet above the ground after an amusement ride malfunctioned at an exhibition held at Codissia Grounds in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore. The incident occurred on Tuesday night when around 20 visitors, including three children, were stuck on the ride, prompting police and the Fire and Rescue Department to respond. Using a sky lift vehicle, the rescue team worked for roughly 45 minutes to safely bring everyone down. The incident has raised safety concerns, following a similar case in Chennai last year where visitors were left stranded on an amusement ride, highlighting the need for periodic inspections and strict safety checks of such attractions.

The incident occurred on Tuesday night when around 20 visitors, including three children, were stuck on the ride, prompting police and the Fire and Rescue Department to respond.

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This report examines the tragic death of Yuvraj Mehta, a Noida-based techie who drowned after his car sank into a flooded basement. The bulletin features harrowing footage showing the victim using his mobile phone light to signal rescuers for over two hours. The transcript highlights a 'completely botched up rescue operation' where workers were heard asking the victim to 'hang on' and 'try harder' despite lacking essential equipment like boats or steamers. The discussion points out that the basement was allegedly dug illegally, leading to a fresh FIR against the builder by the Noida Police. Criticism is directed at the delayed response, noting that the District Magistrate, Medha Rupam, visited the site four days later and the vehicle was recovered only after three days. The segment questions the professional standards of the fire department and police during the crisis, emphasizing the plight of a man aware of his impending drowning while rescuers remained ill-equipped on the sidelines.

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On this Special Report, India Today’s Ashraf Wani provides details on a tragic road accident in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district. An army vehicle carrying approximately 20 soldiers skidded off a treacherous mountain road and plunged into a 200-foot deep gorge near the Bhaderwah-Chamba link road. The reporter confirms the heavy toll, stating, '10 army jawans have lost their lives' in the mishap. The soldiers were reportedly en route to join an ongoing anti-terror operation in the nearby Kishtwar district when the accident occurred. While 10 personnel were declared dead at the Doda hospital, seven others sustained serious injuries and are being airlifted to the Army Hospital in Udhampur for advanced treatment. Local authorities and the army have launched a probe to determine if a mechanical failure, such as a brake issue, caused the driver to lose control on the curvy, hilly terrain. Top army and police officials have reached the spot to oversee the evacuation and rescue efforts.

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Dalits congregate in Nagpur to celebrate silver jubilee of Ambedkar's historic conversion

For days, they had been pouring into the city of Nagpur, Maharashtra. They came in their hundreds of thousands, by bus, truck, bullock-cart, on the roofs of trains, or simply on foot.

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