ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief run-up to the advent of Ambedkar on the Dalit horizon. Shinde had considerable following among the Mahars including Ambedkar in the initial days. After the rise of Ambedkar to prominence by the mid-1930s, barring a few, most of these leaders followed him in facilitating the emergence of a unified Dalit movement. When Ambedkar appeared on the horizon in 1920, Kamble welcomed him as a leader. Although later he dissociated from him because of difference of opinion on some issues, he never undermined his work. The unity of Mahars of the Vidarbha region towards their civil rights could be considered the distinguishing factor in Vidarbha shouldering the future Ambedkarite Dalit movement. When Ambedkar declared that he would renounce Hinduism in 1935, Bansode parted ways with him. In the crucial days of the Round Table Conference, Babu Mangu Ram also worked enthusiastically to marshal support for Ambedkar, who was representing the Dalits at the conference.
