“Ever since I became a book seller, my dream has been to build a centre where non-privileged children can come, study and further the legacy of Babasaheb, Shahu Maharaj and our leaders through their writings,” says Mangala Waman Kadam, who single-handedly manages the Dr Ambedkar Book Centre in Dadar. “What I have learnt and understood after coming here, I want it to reach to more people. This is why I don’t worry about profits or earnings through this book centre.”

Welcomed by the preamble of the Constitution of India at the entry gate – not a usual sight at Mumbai’s famous public spaces – one can sense the weight of the history that Dr Ambedkar Bhavan carries. The compound also houses Buddha Bhushan, a printing press started by Dr BR Ambedkar, which publishes the newspaper ‘Prabuddha Bharat’ till date. Once known for the gatherings of leaders from the Dalit Panthers movement and members of the Republican Party, it is now mainly a marriage hall and wears the look of a neglected under-construction site. The premises used to be home to a fully built book shop, popular for providing a diverse range of literary titles to sellers across the city – especially the private sellers at Dadar’s Chaithyabhoomi, where Bahujan literature flourishes at a string of stalls facing the sea.