NEW DELHI: When Bhimrao Ambedkar ’s bust was inaugurated in University of Massachusetts Amherst on May 5, it marked another step in the growing global footprint of the iconic emancipator.Statues and university chairs in Ambedkar’s name as also studies on his thought are growing at a rapid pace across continents. The unveiling of the bust was part of an international conference on ‘Unfinished Legacy of Ambedkar.’ The programme was facilitated by the Indian/Dalit diaspora of Boston.In November 2017, three universities in Canada instituted annual Ambedkar memorial lectures. British Columbia University, Simon Fraser University and York University are no strangers to Ambedkar. Fraser had installed an Ambedkar bust in 2004 and York in 2015.It has been slow in coming but Ambedkar’s name is spreading. Vivek Kumar, professor of sociology in Jawaharlal Nehru University , said, “Universities in major countries work with local communities. And there is a vibrant Dalit diaspora in the US and Canada. They have been arguing with campuses that when you teach Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Mandela, you cannot ignore Ambedkar who was a torchbearer of human rights.”Now, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations is set to establish a chair for a semester on ‘Ideology of Dr Ambedkar’ at Simon Fraser University.If there is an awakening of sorts about the author of the Indian Constitution, experts say it stems from a curious mix of circumstances. Just when Dalit diaspora is asserting its identity across countries, from North America to Europe to Australia, there is also a growing interest in the Dalit dimension of emancipation, part of the ‘race and caste’ debate. Hyper communication across borders is only intensifying the process.Prof A Ramaiah of Tata Institute of Social Sciences believes the true vehicle for spread of Ambedkar is his philosophy based on Buddhism which talks about world peace, women’s rights and harmonious living. “He is not just about caste. In sociology and anthropology, he is becoming popular across countries,” he said.Helping the Ambedkar cult is Ambedkar himself, with an international profile comprising doctorates from Columbia University and London School of Economics. Observers say Ambedkar’s memory saw a revival with his centenary in 1991. While a bust was installed in his alma mater LSE in 1994, Columbia University followed suit in 2000.The trend may only spread further through Indian diaspora in developed countries.Brahm Dutt, an engineer turned businessman, played a key role through Ambedkar International Mission in installing the bust at York University. “We now want that Ambedkar should be part of school curriculum in Canada, there should be essays written about him in universities,” he said.