On 14 October 1956, Dr BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, took a life-altering decision. The Dalit icon decided to quit Hinduism and convert to Buddhism, along with close to 3,65,000 of his followers in Nagpur.

Six decades later, we look at the reasons behind Ambedkar’s decision to alter not just his own path but also the lives of a largely marginalised Dalit community.