For the Dalit movement in India, one of the significant and important places is Chaityabhumi in Mumbai. The Dalit movement in Maharashtra has had a continuous and unbroken presence for 100 years now. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s anti-caste and Dalit human rights movement began in this land. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar himself stayed in Mumbai for most of his life, and when he died on December 6, 1956, his last rites were done near the sea at Dadar. His followers later built Chaityabhumi at that spot.
Every year 1 to 6 December, millions of Dalit-Bahujan across the nation visit this place and pay tribute to their revolutionary leader. But the city’s media and elite Mumbaikars only show disdain for this peaceful event. This documentary film will bring to light the history and cultural politics of how people commemorate December 6 at Chaityabhumi and its relevance in contemporary India. The film also explores the tensions of caste and public space in Mumbai, India. Filmmekar Pa.Ranjith’s Neelam Production is the presenter of the film. Source- https://somnathwaghmare.com/documentary-films/
“Chaityabhumi, which premiered on 24 October at the London School of Economics, where Ambedkar worked on his doctoral thesis in 1916, is a reference to the campaigner’s shrine in Mumbai. Hundreds of thousands of people, mostly Dalits, flock to Chaityabhumi on 6 December to commemorate Ambedkar’s death,” says theguardian.com
