The parai drum is sounded and the rally begins.

A crowd of roughly 60 people shout out: “ Jai Jai Jai Jai Bhim, Jai Ambedkar Jai Bhim .” This is the Mahaparinirvan rally in Dharavi, Mumbai, held every year on December 6 for Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s death anniversary.

One by one, people light their candles and assemble in Dharavi’s Periyar chowk and suddenly this pocket of Asia’s largest slum in Mumbai city is alive with celebration. The Mahaparinirvan Diwas (anniversary of his passing) event has been organised by the Jai Bhim Foundation. The rally will go on for roughly two hours and will move from E.V. Ramaswamy (Periyar) Chowk to Ambedkar statue in the Ganeshan Kovil – a distance of roughly 1.5 kilometres.

“Today is more like a festival for us. The whole of Mumbai city celebrates April 14 (Ambedkar’s birthday) and December 6, to remember the great leader and his contributions for the people discriminated against by caste,” says Vennila Suresh Kumar, one of the key members of the foundation along with her husband, Suresh Kumar Raju. “We decorated the route with blue flags and went door-to-door to invite people to come and join us.”

She then goes to put a garland on the statue of Ambedkar – the only one in Dharavi, and later joins a group singing songs in Tamil, dedicated to the contributions of their leader.

Left: Candles are lit before the beginning of the rally and people gather and talk about the contributions of Ambedkar.
PHOTO • Ablaz Mohammed Schemnad
Right: Vennila (white kurta) plays a lead role in gathering women for the rally
PHOTO • Ablaz Mohammed Schemnad

Left: Candles are lit before the beginning of the rally and people gather and talk about the contributions of Ambedkar. Right: Vennila (white kurta) plays a lead role in gathering women for the rally

Tamil slogans are shouted during the rally as most participants are from Tamil-speaking homes. Aran (boy on the left) plays the parai instrument in the rally
PHOTO • Ablaz Mohammed Schemnad

Tamil slogans are shouted during the rally as most participants are from Tamil-speaking homes. Aran (boy on the left) plays the parai instrument in the rally

Suresh works as a driver for a firm in north Mumbai. The 45-year-old works 14-hour shifts and earns a monthly salary of around Rs. 25,000. Vennila, 41, is a domestic worker who cooks and cleans at an apartment near Dharavi for six hours every day. She earns Rs. 15,000 a month for this work.

The couple have two sons Karthik, 17, and Aran, 12, who study at private institutions in the city. “We too participate in the celebrations at other parts of the city like Chaityabhoomi in Dadar. It is mostly the Parayan (also known as Parayar) community who follow Ambedkar and participate in the celebrations in Dharavi,” says Vennila.

Vennila and Suresh are originally from Tamil Nadu and belong to the Parayan community, listed as a Scheduled Caste in their home state. “My father came to Dharavi from Tirunelveli in 1965 searching for a job,” she says. The family migrated as they were not able to earn enough from agriculture due to the lack of irrigation and other issues.

The couple play a key role in organising Ambedkarites in and around where they live in Dharavi. Suresh says that in 2012, he along with Raja Kutty Raju, Nithyanand Palani, Anil Santini and other members, “started organising collective celebrations in Dharavi on 14 April and 6 December to spread awareness and knowledge about Ambedkar and his contributions.”

Outside Vennila’s new house (left) is a photo of Buddha, Dr. Ambedkar, Periyar E.V. Ramaswamy, Savitribhai Phule and Karl Marx . Vennila and her husband (right), and their two sons converted to Buddhism last year
PHOTO • Ablaz Mohammed Schemnad
Outside Vennila’s new house (left) is a photo of Buddha, Dr. Ambedkar, Periyar E.V. Ramaswamy, Savitribhai Phule and Karl Marx . Vennila and her husband (right), and their two sons converted to Buddhism last year
PHOTO • Ablaz Mohammed Schemnad

Outside Vennila’s new house (left) is a photo of Buddha, Dr. Ambedkar, Periyar E.V. Ramaswamy, Savitribhai Phule and Karl Marx . Vennila and her husband (right), and their two sons converted to Buddhism last year

Vennila with women in her self-help group, Magizhchi Magalir Peravai
PHOTO • Ablaz Mohammed Schemnad
Vennila with women in her self-help group, Magizhchi Magalir Peravai
PHOTO • Ablaz Mohammed Schemnad

Vennila with women in her self-help group, Magizhchi Magalir Peravai

When he is not driving, Suresh volunteers for the Jai Bhim Foundation. He says there were 20 members in 2012 and now there are 150. “Majority of our members are also migrants. They work as drivers and in the railways but join us for the rallies,” he says.

Vennila studied till Class 9 when she dropped out to start earning. She says she learnt to speak English while working as a cook and in an office. In 2016, Venilla and some other women in the locality established a self-help group (SHG) called Magizhchi Magalir Peravai. “We women do not have many leisure activities to engage in here, so through this exclusive women’s collective, we conduct programs and go out to watch movies together.” During the lockdown, the SHG gave food, groceries, and small-scale financial support to people in Dharavi, supported by Vennila’s contacts.

Magizhchi ’ is happiness in Tamil, she says smiling. “Women are always oppressed and feel depressed inside their houses. This is a space where we all feel happy talking to each other.”

Vennila (white kurta), her husband Suresh (in white shirt behind her), and Suresh’s younger brother Raja Kutty along with many others are responsible for organising the rally
PHOTO • Ablaz Mohammed Schemnad

Vennila (white kurta), her husband Suresh (in white shirt behind her), and Suresh’s younger brother Raja Kutty along with many others are responsible for organising the rally

Aran (white tee-shirt) plays the parai (percussion) instrument for the rally
PHOTO • Ablaz Mohammed Schemnad

Aran (white tee-shirt) plays the parai (percussion) instrument for the rally

The rally starts from Periyar Chowk and ends at the Ambedkar statue inside the compound of Ganeshan Kvil. The one and a half kilometre distance is covered within two hours
PHOTO • Ablaz Mohammed Schemnad

The rally starts from Periyar Chowk and ends at the Ambedkar statue inside the compound of Ganeshan Kvil. The one and a half kilometre distance is covered within two hours

Blue flags with 'Jai Bhim' written on them are seen everywhere during the rally
PHOTO • Ablaz Mohammed Schemnad

Blue flags with 'Jai Bhim' written on them are seen everywhere during the rally

Vennila (white kurta) raises slogans as they march. Suresh’s younger brother, Raja Kutti, (white shirt and beard) marches next to her. The beating of the parai and slogans add spirit to the rally
PHOTO • Ablaz Mohammed Schemnad

Vennila (white kurta) raises slogans as they march. Suresh’s younger brother, Raja Kutti, (white shirt and beard) marches next to her. The beating of the parai and slogans add spirit to the rally

Raja Kutty Raja (white shirt and beard) and Nithyanand Palani (black shirt) are key organisers of the rally
PHOTO • Ablaz Mohammed Schemnad

Raja Kutty Raja (white shirt and beard) and Nithyanand Palani (black shirt) are key organisers of the rally

Tamil rapper Arivarasu Kalainesan, popularly known as Arivu, was present throughout the rally. He sang songs and rapped at the end of the rally
PHOTO • Ablaz Mohammed Schemnad

Tamil rapper Arivarasu Kalainesan, popularly known as Arivu, was present throughout the rally. He sang songs and rapped at the end of the rally


Towards the end of the rally, some of the participants go to the top of the Ambedkar statue and put a garland as a mark of respect
PHOTO • Ablaz Mohammed Schemnad

Towards the end of the rally, some of the participants go to the top of the Ambedkar statue and put a garland as a mark of respect

Student Reporter : Ablaz Mohammed Schemnad

Ablaz Mohammed Schemnad is a postgraduate student in Development Studies at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Hyderabad. He did this story during his internship in 2022 with People's Archive of Rural India.

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Editor : Riya Behl

Riya Behl is Senior Assistant Editor at People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI). As a multimedia journalist, she writes on gender and education. Riya also works closely with students who report for PARI, and with educators to bring PARI stories into the classroom.

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Photo Editor : Binaifer Bharucha

Binaifer Bharucha is a freelance photographer based in Mumbai, and Photo Editor at the People's Archive of Rural India.

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