I was at Ambedkar's birthday bash in Noida, saw biryani, bikes edge out politics

Noida,UPDATED: Apr 14, 2026 17:59 IST

"Babasaheb, agar tum na hote..." The singer had barely begun when he paused. A young boy stood in front of the stage, arm stretched out, holding a Rs 500 note. The singer took it, nodded, and offered a quick thank you to "Unnao ke Mahesh Gautam ji", before completing the line, "...toh hum na hote". Then came another Bheem Geet, and then another. The songs sung from the makeshift stage, backed by passionate harmonium and dholak waadaks, filled the air at Noida's Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal (colloquially known as Mayawati Park). The occasion was the 136th birth anniversary of the architect of the Indian Constitution, Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, or as the people called him in the chants, "Babasaheb".

Tens of thousands, if not a lakh, gathered on Tuesday at Noida's Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal. Not just from Gautam Buddha Nagar, not just nearby districts, but from across all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh, according to a functionary of the Dalit Utthan Sewa Samiti. Families came together. Children, the elderly, entire households. Some came in buses, others arrived by train. Some even travelled overnight to reach Noida. Those with cars and SUVs drove in too. All of them came for one reason. To honour the man they revere, almost like a deity. To celebrate his birth anniversary. Even braving the scorching mid-April sun.

The park, usually lush and green, had turned a sea of blue on Tuesday. Blue flags in hand, blue gamcha around necks, blue bands tied across foreheads. They all had faces of "Babasaheb", and the slogan of "Jai Bhim" painted on them. People, most from the Jatav community of western Uttar Pradesh, celebrated a leader they connect with and revere, revealed the stickers on their vehicles and the banners they held high.

Those who hadn't come prepared with blue flags or stickers could get them on the spot. A full "Bheem" merch bazaar lined the footpath outside Noida's Mayawati Park. Flags, stickers, books, literature, statues, the bazaar even had an odd tattoo artist. And it wasn't just Ambedkar. The pantheon stretched to Sant Ravidas, Jyotiba Phule, Savitribai Phule, Mayawati, and Uttar Pradesh's latest Dalit face, Chandrashekhar Azad, the Nagina MP. Somewhere in between, a laughing Buddha and a head-shaking Labubu-like doll too. A paperback Constitution went for Rs 250. A hardcover for Rs 400.

Adjacent to the bazaar, from modified black Mahindra Thars to hundreds of stripped-down Hero Splendours, vehicles rolled in with the blue "Jai Bheem" flags fluttering, in an evident assertion of the Bahujan community. There was also a crowd of young people doing bike donut stunts, which the police tried to disperse. Inside the 84-acre park, the sea of people soaked in the moment. Every loudspeaker in every corner blared Bheem Geet.

So, a corner had to be dedicated to the bhandara or free refreshments. Because food, sherbat and water are essential for every birthday bash. The corner was more crowded than the others. Plates of chole kulche, soya veg biryani, chole chawal were dished out. The queues didn't get any shorter. Bottles of chilled water and fruits were on the menu too. One thing stood out. The elephant statues that once sparked massive controversy during Mayawati's tenure as Uttar Pradesh, under their shadow today, children sat savouring plates of veg biryanis.

Stomachs full, it is Reel time now. At a short distance were Babasaheb selfie point and 'I Love Ambedkar' photo-op spot. Click and share!

A few steps away from the stage, under a huge statue of Ambedkar, a portrait of him rested on a table. People queued up to offer floral tributes. Others waited for the right moment for a quick photo as their friends captured the right frame amid the rush.

There was a festivity. There were people. An entire community, which is treated as a monolithic voting block by political parties, was present. So politics followed too. Posters of the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party, and the Chandrashekhar Azad-led Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram), both marked their presence on the facade of the gigantic memorial for Dailt icons, Ambedkar, and Kansi Ram, Mayawati's mentor and the BSP's founder.

The stage, rather, the ramparts of the memorial, was set. Amid the festivities and blaring sound boxes, political debates had to begin. The BSP, out of power for more than 15 years in UP and with zero strength in the Lok Sabha and the UP Vidhan Sabha is looking for a resurgence. The Azad Samaj Party is eyeing new grounds, and pure UP-style baithakbaazi had to follow. The urgency is real, given Uttar Pradesh Assembly is set to go to the polls in less than a year in March 2027.

"In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, our votes got fragmented, and the INDIA bloc made inroads into them. If the Bahujan community wants to reach the seat of power, we must unite. The differences between Mayawati and Azad need to be resolved," an impassioned man at the park told India Today Digital, adding that he wanted Azad to reconcile with Mayawati.

But then his friend chipped in. "Let's do the political maths, the additions and the substractions, tomorrow, bhaisab. Today, we are all one. We are all Bahujan," said the man, who had travelled from Uttar Pradesh's Etawah district.

"Most importantly, we must talk," he added.

Politics and bickering had taken a backseat. They were for another day, not today. The Bahujan blue had swept one and all who had come to celebrate the birthday of their icon, Bhimrao Ambedkar.

- Ends