Ambedkar in Queens: Honoring a Radical Vision at the Shri Guru Ravidas Sabha
This week in Queens, New York, Executive Director Sunita Viswanath and our NYC Organizer Vrinda Jagota represented Hindus for Human Rights at the Shri Guru Ravidas Sabha joining the community for the unveiling of a new statue of Baba Saheb Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Sunita had the honor of performing the actual unveiling of the statue, a simple gesture that carried a great deal of meaning for us as Hindus committed to the annihilation of caste.
The ceremony was a powerful affirmation of Ambedkar’s lifelong struggle for equality, dignity, and freedom from caste oppression. To see his likeness installed in a space shaped by the devotional and anti-caste tradition of Guru Ravidas is itself a reminder that the work he began continues to evolve in living communities—on the subcontinent and across the diaspora. The statue stands as a clear statement: caste has no place in a world where every person’s dignity is non-negotiable.
For Hindus for Human Rights, being invited into this moment by the Guru Ravidas community was both an honor and a responsibility. We are deeply grateful to the temple leadership and congregation for creating and sustaining a space where Ambedkar’s legacy is not just remembered but actively carried forward with pride and commitment. Their public affirmation of his vision strengthens the broader struggle against caste and casteism in all its forms.
As Hindus, we know that caste has often been justified or normalized in the name of religion. Our presence at Guru Ravidas Temple is one way we insist that faith can also be a force for dismantling these hierarchies. Standing before Ambedkar’s statue in a Ravidassia space in Queens, we were reminded that caste struggle is not confined to one region or one language; it stretches across continents, class positions, and migration stories.
This statue is, in that sense, more than a monument. It is an anchor for a shared commitment among Dalit, Bahujan, and allied communities who refuse to accept caste as inevitable. It is a reminder that our work must reach beyond symbolic gestures toward concrete solidarity—challenging caste discrimination in workplaces, temples, homes, activist spaces, and diaspora institutions alike.
As Hindus for Human Rights, we stand firmly with all who continue the struggle for justice across the diaspora and South Asia. We see this new Ambedkar statue at Guru Ravidas Temple as part of a much larger tapestry of resistance and hope: a visible sign that communities are organizing, remembering, and insisting on a different future.
We once again offer our heartfelt thanks to the Guru Ravidas community in Queens for welcoming us into this milestone. May this statue continue to inspire all who pass through the temple’s doors to carry forward Ambedkar’s radical, unfinished vision of a world beyond caste.