(A paper presented in the seminar on the Post-Ambedkar Dalit Movement organised by the Department of Political Science, University of Pune on 27-29 March, 1997) Anand Teltumbde Sugawa Prakashan, Pune

To the memory of Shaheed Comrade Lok- Shahir Vilas Ghogre Who refused to see the difference between Laal Salam and Jai Bhim, who longed to hear the Inquilab Zindabad resonating from the Buddha Viharas in Dalit Bastis, and from me who always expected something like this!

1. INTRODUCTION

Babasaheb Ambedkar has undoubtedly been the central figure in the epistemology of the dalit universe. It is difficult to imagine anything serious or important in their collective life that is totally untouched by Ambedkar. For the dalit masses he is everything together; a scholar par excellence in the realm of scholarship, a Moses or messiah who led his people out of bondage and ignominy on to the path of pride, and a Bodhisatva in the pantheon of Buddhism. He is always bedecked with superlatives, quite like God, whatever may be the context in dalit circles.

2. POST- AMBEDKAR DALIT MOVEMENT

A review of the significant events and episodes in the dalit movement after the demise of Babasaheb Ambedkar is attempted here in order to identify the icons behind them and assess their characteristics.