Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Launches 'Bahishkrit Bharat' to Fight Caste Discrimination
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Launches ‘Bahishkrit Bharat’ to Fight Caste Discrimination
Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar published the first issue of ‘Bahishkrit Bharat’ (’Ostracized India’), a Marathi-language fortnightly newspaper dedicated to advocating for the rights of India’s Dalit communities.
The publication arrived just weeks after the historic Mahad Satyagraha in March 1927, where Ambedkar led thousands of Dalits to drink from the Chavadar Tank — a public water source that upper-caste Hindus had barred them from using. ‘Bahishkrit Bharat’ would become a vital organ of the anti-caste movement, giving voice to communities systematically excluded from public life.
Why It Mattered
Ambedkar would go on to draft India’s Constitution in 1950, embedding protections against caste discrimination into the foundation of the world’s largest democracy. This newspaper was an early tool in that lifelong fight.
Then vs Now
In 1927, millions of Indians were denied access to public water, roads, and temples. Today, caste discrimination is constitutionally banned, though activists say the struggle for true equality continues.
Source: Bahishkrit Bharat, April 3, 1927