Over 15,000 postcards bearing symbols of love and respect such as an eight-month-old’s fingerprints, a doctor’s letter of gratitude in Urdu, and a quote by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar on religion, reached Chaityabhoomi in Dadar on Sunday, the 64th death anniversary of the Father of the Constitution.
Every year, thousands of Ambedkarites flock to the memorial at Shivaji Park to pay their respects to Dr. Ambedkar on December 6, which is observed as Mahaparinirvan Divas. However, this year, the State and civic administration appealed to Ambedkarites from all over the country not to converge at the memorial to check the spread of COVID-19.
Pratik Kamble, president, Vishwashanti Samajik Sanstha, said, “We have been reading about what Babasaheb did for us and the nation. We know what his thoughts were. Since there were going to be restrictions on gatherings this year, we decided to appeal to Ambedkarites to pay their tributes through postcards and post them to Chaityabhoomi.”
Mr. Kamble said they have received over 15,000 postcards from men, women, boys, girls, professionals, senior citizens from within and outside Maharashtra. “It turned out to be an opportunity to express what an individual feels about the man who gave them their voice,” he said, adding that he expected the total number of postcards to cross one lakh.
A doctor wrote: “Your efforts ensured that I study. I did. I became a doctor. I dedicate all my efforts to cure corona patients in the past few months to you.” Another letter sent by the parents of eight-month-old Khyati Kamble bore her fingerprints. One postcard had a picture of Dr. Ambedkar with the caption: “The bread I eat today has your signature on it”. Dr. Ambedkar’s quote that religion “cannot be a matter of rules” was written on another postcard.
One of the letters written by three people living with HIV said: “We may be ostracised from society due to our disease, but you cured the caste disease which ostracised us from society”.
Mr. Kamble said the organisers told him that some youths had tried to write letters with their blood. “We had to specifically mention that such letters will not be accepted. Babasaheb taught us to be progressive,” he said, adding that the Department of Post was pleasantly surprised at the response the initiative received as no one sends postcards these days.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari paid floral tributes at Chaityabhoomi. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and State Energy Minister Nitin Raut also paid their respects at the memorial. Later, in a tweet, Mr. Sharad Pawar praised Ambedkar for giving the nation its constitutional values.
Mr. Thackeray expressed the need for advanced research on Dr. Ambedkar at a virtual event to unveil the plaque of the International Research Centre at the Mumbai University. The Chief Minister said Dr. Ambedkar’s thoughts and work should be researched at the international level and the research centre will work on this. “Ambedkar led a social and ideological revolution so that a human being can live with dignity. Apart from fighting the British, he also fought his own people for social justice,” he said.
(With PTI inputs)
