Chaityabhumi is a holy site that holds immense importance for the Dalit movement in India, as it is where Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s last rites were performed after his passing on December 6, 1956. Dr Ambedkar, often called the father of the Indian Constitution, dedicated his life to fighting the chains of caste oppression and bringing revolutionary change. He was a guiding light for the oppressed who dismantled discriminatory barriers and empowered them to reclaim their dignity and their rightful place in society.

This musical film will bring to light the history and cultural politics of how people commemorate December 6 at Chaityabhumi, Mumbai, and the relevance of this public event in contemporary India. It explores how the Dalit community comes together to honor this day and the political implications it holds for their identity and empowerment.

Somnath Waghmare is a Mumbai-based, Dalit-Buddhist film researcher and documentary filmmaker. He is the co-founder of the Ambedkarite Dalit song documentation project, ‘The Ambedkar Age Digital Bookmobile,’ for which he was awarded the Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art Public Art Grant in 2020. He is also the founder of Begumpura Productions. His recent documentary, Chaityabhumi, has been screened globally, including at the London School of Economics and Columbia University. His past films include I am not a Witch (2016), The Battle of Bhima Koregaon: An Unending Journey (2017), Memories of Mangaon (2022), and There is No Caste Discrimination in IITs? (2023). He is currently working on a documentary biopic on American born Indian sociologist Gail Omvedt.

Presented by the Center for South Asian Studies (CSAS) and co-sponsored by The Humanities Institute.