Mahaparinirvan Diwas: Know Namdeo Vhatkar, The Man Who Mortgaged His Printing Press to Buy a Camera for Capturing Baba Saheb's Last Journey

The footage of Ambedkar’s dead body mounted over a truck wending its way through a sea of the crowd is enough to assess the grief that rippled through the masses that day. The footage has been digitized and is freely available across the Internet and social media. As we observe the 67th death anniversary of the father of the constitution of India, it is pertinent to acknowledge the man who captured the last journey of the great person on 7th December 1956, particularly when he made a huge sacrifice to capture the moments, which would live forever and have been played millions of times on YouTube.

Namdeo Vhatkar was a theatre artist and a small-time publisher. When on December 6th, 1956, Baba Saheb passed away, the idea of capturing the last journey struck in his mind. However, the camera and the equipment required for making this possible were beyond the reach of a common man, and no one would have balked to rent or buy it to shoot an event that had no commercial value. But Vhatkar realized that the significance of the moment cannot be measured in money, and he mortgaged his printing press to get Rs 1500.

Personal Sacrifices that are being recognized today

"Mahaparinirvan" is an under-production film that sheds light on Namdeo Vhatkar, the personality behind the person who videographed one of the most crucial moments in modern history. Prasad Oak, a prominent Marathi actor and director, is playing Vhatkar in the film.

The Mooknayak spoke to Sunil Shelke, the producer of the film. He said, “The idea of shooting the last journey popped up in the mind of Vhatkar, but he needed money for that, so he mortgaged his printing press to a Marwari trader. Later, when he faced further financial hurdles to develop the reel, he sold his house. He thought that merely showing the footage won’t suffice, so he made a short Marathi documentary for value addition.

Dhananjay Keer describes the scene during the last journey of Ambedkar in his book "Dr B.R. Ambedkar." “The entire city was in deep mourning: on the funeral day, not a single government institution worked; all enterprises, schools, and colleges were closed, and spontaneous hartals (strikes) and meetings took place in other cities of Maharashtra as well. Babasaheb’s body was placed on a special platform fixed on top of a truck so that it could be seen from far. The platform was decorated with heaps of flowers and surrounded by candles and incense sticks; a small image of the Buddha was placed near Ambedkar’s head. Those who came to bid farewell to Ambedkar poured petals and placed garlands on the platform, and it was necessary to constantly remove flowers so they would not cover the body. Those who could not make their way through the crowd tried to get on the roofs or trees and tried to see at least some part of the procession from there. Transport in the northern part of Bombay was completely blocked for the day.

However, it is because of the selfless efforts of Namdeo Vhatkar that we can see the moment. The footage of Ambedkar’s dead body mounted over a truck wending its way through a sea of the crowd is enough to assess the grief that rippled through the masses that day. The footage has been digitized and is freely available across the Internet and social media.

Namdeo Vhatkar: An Unsung Hero and a Versatile Personality

Namdeo was born in 1921 in a Scheduled caste family. He got a job as a program assistant at All India Radio. He was a versatile personality and was deeply involved in theatre and literature. He wrote many plays like "Itoor" (1944), "Wat Chukli," "Saubhagavati Bhava" (1961), "Ai Shivaya Janmala" (1965), "Kaaljachi Haak" (1967), and novels like "Kalanada" (1943), "Jopala" (1954), "Sola Shingar" (1968); Plays: "Fitoor" (1944), "Wat Chukli," "Saubhagavati Bhava" (1961). He directed movies like "Mulga" (1955) and "Aher" (1957) short films "Sat Crore" (1954), "Patit-Pawan" (1955), "Padayatra" (1958), "Har Mosnam Me Pani" (1959), "Kude Se Five Wheeler Gadi" (1963). Besides having contributed literature and drama, Namdeo also held public office in various capacities. He was a member of the Social Equity council and Social Welfare Advisory Committee of the Maharashtra Government. He was also the Chairman of Maharashtra State Leather Industries Corporation. The Maharashtra government honored him with the Dalit Mitra Award in 1971. He breathed his last on 4th October 1982. It is hoped that the biopic being made on Vhatkar will pull him out of oblivion that he slipped into. On the 67th Death Anniversary of Baba Saheb Ambedkar, as we watch the digitized moving images of his funeral, let us also remember the man behind these images which have survived the depredation of time.

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