Join us on April 22nd for a screening of the documentary “Chaityabhumi”, followed by a discussion with the director, Somnath Waghmare.
April 22, 3:30PM
DMC 5.102
Free and open to the public
Co-hosted by UT Communication Studies, the South Asia Institute, and Indie Meme.
Chaityabhumi Film Description
67 min | Marathi, Hindi, Pali with English subtitles | 2023
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 what the relevance of this public event is 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.
Filmmaker Bio
Somnath Waghmare is a Mumbai-based Dalit-Buddhist film researcher and documentary filmmaker. He is the co-founder of the Ambedkarite song documentation project ‘The Ambedkar Age Digital Bookmobile,’ and founder of the film company ‘Begumpura productions.’ At present, he is pursuing his Ph.D. in Social Sciences from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai.
He completed his M. Phil from TISS and Masters in Media and communication form Pune University. He has previously worked at the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII) and was an apprentice with Amnesty International, India. His recent documentary film Chaityabhumi was screened at London School of Economics and Oxford University in the UK, Columbia University and Stanford University in the US, and University of Gottingen, Germany. In India, the film was screened at National Film Archive of India, FTII Pune, TISS & Dr. Ambedkar Bhavan Mumbai and India International Centre, JNU, St.Stephen’s College, Delhi.