19th aur 20th century ke Bharat mein janm se pehle hi kisi insaan ki aukaat tay ho jaati thi — jaati ke aadhar par. Jo sabse neeche maana jaata tha, unhe kehte the – “Achhoot”. Unka chhuna bhi paap maana jaata tha. Na unke saath baithna chalta tha, na unke haathon ka khana, na unka paani, na unki pooja, na unka jeevan.
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar bhi isi samaj ke ek hissa the — Mahar jaati se. Mahar log British army mein kaam karte the, sadak saaf karte the, gaon ke kaam karte the, lekin fir bhi unhe izzat nahi milti thi. Gaon mein ek alag basti mein rehte, mandir ke andar nahi ja sakte, school mein peeche baithna padta.
School mein Bhimrao ko bench nahi milti thi. Unhe zameen par baithna padta tha, aksar verandah mein. Baarish mein bheegte, dhoop mein jalte. Jab paani peene ka samay aata, to wo khud matka chhoo nahi sakte the. Kisi teacher ya peon ko paani unke liye upar se giraana padta. Agar peon nahi hota, to unhe pyaase hi wapas jaana padta. Dr. Ambedkar ne apne jeevan ke is anubhav ka ullekh ‘Waiting for a Visa’ mein kiya hai, jahan unhone likha: “No peon, no water.”
Gaon mein unke parivaar ke saath bhi bhedbhaav hota tha. Unke ghar ke paas se agar koi uchch jaati ka vyakti guzarta, to wapas jaake pair dhota. Doctor ya postman unki basti mein aane se katrate. Dukaan se cheez lene jaate to saman door se diya jaata, paise door se liye jaate.
Unke school ke register mein unka surname “Ambadawekar” likha gaya tha, unke mool gaon Ambavade ke aadhar par. Lekin unke ek Brahmin shikshak, Krishnaji Keshav Ambedkar ne unka naam “Ambedkar” likhwaya. Bhimrao ne use apnaya — aur aage chal kar wahi naam itihas ban gaya.
Bhimrao ke mann mein ek prashn gahra hota gaya: “Kya main insaan nahi hoon?”
Unhone socha, “Jab tak samaj ki soch nahi badlegi, meri jaati ki takdeer nahi badlegi.”
Unka jeevan ek vyakti ka sangharsh nahi, ek samudaay ka takleef tha.
Unhone taye kiya — “Main sirf apne liye nahi padhunga. Main un sabke liye ladunga jinke paas awaaz nahi hai”