Dr. Ambedkar now bigger than Mahatma Gandhi...

JAI BHIM...! New Delhi: In a little park in South Delhi, the statue of Dr Ambedkar looks benevolently over the tired. Ambedkar Nagar is where most of Delhi's Dalits live. For those who live in this area named after India's most famous untouchable, there is no doubt that he stands on a pedestal. In fact, for many, Dr BR Amedkar has acquired a status that rivals the father of the nation, or perhaps even bigger. He is just like Gandhiji, said an Amedkar Nagar resident. The Father of Dalits is currently topping the popularity charts across India. While he may not be as chic as the Mahatma to be worn on a mug or a key chain, he's still definitely in, as role model for the common man who is, today, fighting for assertion and an identity. It is, perhaps, because of this that every time a statue of Ambedkar is vandalized, emotions run high, why lakhs of people turn up for his death anniversary, why more and more statues of him are being erected and more are commissioned to dot roads and highways. There is huge demand for statues of Amedkar, says idol-maker Rajkaran Viskarma. No one asks me to make statues of Gandhiji. Today Dr Ambedkar gets as many hits on Google as Gandhi. The spread of English education among the backward may has made him an even bigger icon. Kanshiram and Mayawati have also contributed to his deification. YouTube has hundreds of videos dedicated to Ambedkar, as does Gandhi. He shares screen space with the Mahatma for India's tourism campaigns and has an ...

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