Baba Saheb Dr. B.R. Ambedkar bust installation’s 10th anniversary ceremony

OCTOBER 14 will mark the tenth anniversary of the installation of the bronze bust of Baba Saheb Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on the Burnaby campus of Simon Fraser University and plans are now underway to celebrate this significant milestone and the legacy of Dr. Ambedkar – the champion of social justice, and a great thinker.

The Bust was donated by the Dr. Ambedkar Mission Society, Bedford (UK), during the International Dalit Conference hosted in Vancouver in 2003 and arrangements for the installation were facilitated by Chetna Association of Canada, a Vancouver-based community organization established to promote equality, liberty, and fraternity- principles of Buddhism brought forward by Dr. Ambedkar in 1956.

Chetna Association acknowledges its continued partnership with Simon Fraser University’s Institute for Humanities and the library and appreciates the support it receives for profiling the vision of Dr. Ambedkar who is now being recognized as not only a champion for the Dalits, but a visionary whose contributions are relevant globally.

Since the installation of the bust, the spot has become a place of pilgrimage for social activists, patrons of Dr. Ambedkar and artists who frequently visit the Simon Fraser University library to pay homage and be re-inspired by the ideals of the father of the Indian Constitution.

To celebrate this partnership that not only celebrates the legacy of Dr. Ambedkar, but is also aligned aligned with Simon Fraser University’s vision of ‘engaged communities,’ a special ceremony and reception will be hosted on October 14 at 12:30 p.m. at the Simon Fraser University library, Burnaby Campus.  All are encouraged to attend and participate in the celebrations.

The ceremony will include garlanding of the bust and presenting the Dr. Ambedkar Social Justice Award and other recognitions.  Past recipients of the Dr. Ambedkar Social Justice Award include Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan and Surrey Councillor Judy Villevenue.

For information, contact Surjit Bains at 778-388-9046 or e-mail Jai Birdi at jpbirdi@gmail.com.