London se wapas lautkar Bhimrao Ambedkar ne Bombay mein kadam rakha, lekin unka mann kisi aur disha mein tha. Videsh se lauti shiksha aur soch ke saath wo ek alag Bharat dekh rahe the — ek aisa Bharat jahan jaati aur asamaanata ki deewaren ab bhi utni hi mazboot thi. Columbia ne unhe samta ka arth samjhaya tha, London ne nyay ka, aur ab unhe yeh dono apne samaj ke beech le jaakar kuch naya rachna tha.
Bombay mein unhone vakil ke roop mein kaam shuru kiya, lekin court ki deewaren unke sapno ko simit kar rahi thi. Unka dhyan un logon par tha jo sada se chup rahe hain, jinke liye kanoon sirf ek dar ka naam tha. Unhone mehsoos kiya ki shabdon mein taakat hai, aur usi taakat ko le kar unhone ek patrika ki shuruaat ki.
1920 mein “Mooknayak” naam se ek nayi awaaz uthi. Yeh patrika un logon ke liye thi jo bol nahi paate the, jinki peeda kabhi kisi ne suni nahi thi. Ambedkar ne is patrika ke madhyam se jaati pratha, samajik asamaanata aur dharmik dikhave par prashna uthaye. Unke lekh spasht, tarkik aur prabhavshali the. Unhone likhne ke liye likha nahi, badlav ke liye likha. Patrika mein shabdon ka chunav ek kranti ke sanket ke roop mein hota tha.
Unhone yahi sangharsh patra tak simit nahi rakha. 1924 mein unhone Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha ki sthaapna ki. Yeh ek sangathan tha jo pichhde samudaayon ke liye kaam karta, unke liye shiksha aur kanooni sahayata ka prabandh karta, aur unka mannobal badhata. Ambedkar is sangathan ke maadhyam se samaj ke sabse kamzor varg ke beech pahunch banane lage.
Vakil ke roop mein unka darja badhta ja raha tha. High Court mein unki upasthiti ek misaal ban chuki thi. Par unke liye vakalat ek madhyam tha, antim lakshya nahi. Unke paas log ab sirf cases ke liye nahi, samasyaon aur samadhan ke liye aane lage. Unka ghar, unka office, unka man, sab ek hi disha mein kaam kar rahe the — samajik sudhar.
Bombay ki sadken, unki sabhaayein, unke bhashan — sab milkar ek aane wale bade andolan ki jameen bana rahe the. Mahad, Nashik aur Nagpur — ye jagah ab Ambedkar ke kadmon ki aahat sunne lagi thi. Ek chhoti si patrika se shuru hua safar, ab ek bade jan-aandolan ka roop lene ja raha tha.
Agla kadam tha Mahad. Ek chhoti si basti jahan ek talaab tha, aur us talaab tak ek samudaay ko peene ka adhikar tak nahi tha. Lekin ab vo samay aa gaya tha, jab paani sirf ek zarurat nahi, ek adhikar banne wala tha.