1912 mein Bhimrao Ambedkar ne Elphinstone College se Economics aur Political Science mein Bachelor’s Degree complete ki. Yeh safalta unke liye sirf ek padav nahi thi, balki ek aise raaste ki shuruaat thi jahan se unka sapna – uchch shiksha aur samaj sudhar – apne agle kadam ki taraf badh raha tha.
Graduation ke turant baad Bhimrao ko chinta thi apne aage ke safar ki. Unke mann mein ichha thi ki wo aur adhik gyaan prapt karein, lekin arthik sthiti aur samajik bandhan is sapne ko mushkil bana rahe the. Unhi dino Bombay mein ek aisi ghatna ghat rahi thi jo Bhimrao ke jeevan ko badal degi. Baroda ke Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III ne apne rajya ke pratibhashali aur samarpit students ke liye ek videshi chhatravritti yojna shuru ki thi. Maharaja samaj sudhar aur shiksha ke paksh mein the, aur wo chaahte the ki sabhi jaatiyon ke logon ko barabari ka avsar mile.
Elphinstone College ke kuch adhyapakon ne Bhimrao ka naam is chhatravritti ke liye sujhav mein diya. Bhimrao ne is yojna ke liye aavedan diya, aur unka interview Maharaja ke pratinidhiyon ke samne hua. Unhone apne sangharsh, padhai aur samaj ke prati drishtikon ko saaf taur par vyakt kiya. Unka vyavhaar, unka vichar aur unka dridh sankalp unke chehre par dikhta tha.
Kuch hi samay baad unhe pata chala ki unhe chhatravritti mil gayi hai. Baroda Rajya ne unhe teen saal ke liye scholarship di thi jisme unka videsh mein padhne ka poora kharch chhupa hua tha – fees, rehna, khana, sab kuch. Shart sirf itni thi ki padhai ke baad unhe kuch samay ke liye Baroda Rajya mein seva deni hogi.
Bhimrao ne bina kisi hichkichahat ke is shart ko sweekar kiya. Unke liye yeh ek mauka tha apne sapno ko aakaad dene ka.
Columbia University, New York – yeh tha unka agla padav. Unhone passport banwaya, visa ke liye aavedan diya aur safar ki taiyari shuru ki.
Ghar se nikalte waqt unhone Ramabai se kaha – “Main sirf apne liye nahi jaa raha. Main un sab ke liye jaa raha hoon jinke liye sapne dekhna mana tha.”
Unka safar shuru hone jaa raha tha. Yeh safar ek naye desh ka, naye samaj ka aur naye Bhimrao ka tha.