31st January in Dalit History – Baba Saheb Ambedkar started Mooknayak newspaper

31 January 1920: Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar started ‘Mooknayak’ newspaper.

Chatrapati Shahuji Maharaj had donated Rs 2500 as seed money to start Mooknayak (Leader of the Dumb). This Marathi weekly paper championed the causes of the depressed classes. Shri Nandra Bhatkar was the editor, later Shri Dyander Gholap was the editor. Dr. Ambedkar wrote in the first issue of this paper dated 31 January 1920 the following:

“The hindu society is like a tower of many stories. It has neither a ladder nor a door to go out. And therefore there is no way to interchange stories. Those who are born on a particular storey die in that storey. Even if the lowest storey person is worthy deserving to be promoted to upper storey he cannot move to that level. And if the person in the upper storey is most unworthy and undeserving still he cannot be pushed down…….. …. A Society which believes that God exists even in inanimate things, also says that people who are a part of that very society should not be touched!”