Dhammakranti at 70: What did Ambedkar’s conversion to Buddhism really achieve?

Babasaheb Ambedkar’s conversion to Buddhism is eulogized as Dhammakranti by the untouchables who followed him at Dikshabhumi, Nagpur, on 14 October 1956. Seventy years is long enough to look back and assess its impact. Yet in India such an exercise is rendered almost impossible by the passions it evokes. We still lack serious, objective assessments not only of this momentous episode but also of many foundational events such as Independence, the Constitution, and similar historical milestones. Public memory prefers reverence or denunciation; critical evaluation remains rare.