Dr. Ambedkar, equality and respect

Today celebrates the 50th anniversary of the death of Dr. Ambedkar. An Indian friend compared Dr. Ambedkar and his fight for the rights of the dalit caste ( formerly known as the untouchables) to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement in the U.S.A. Millions of people from all over the state will come today to Shivaji Park for three days of speeches, celebrations and remembrance.

As an outsider here, I can't discern caste differences, I have only come to learn certain surnames indicate "better" families, brahmin castes etc. In my building, the predominant feeling is seeminlgy that all are middle class and maharashtan hindu families; the only hint of this division found when an neighboor asked me about my maid, if she was from a certain family or not. I wonder how much goes over my head, how much I don't notice because I don't know.