Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the man behind the drafting and formation of the Indian Constitution, was not only a learned scholar and an eminent jurist but also a revolutionary against social evils like untouchability and caste system.
Childhood and Early Life of B.R. Ambedkar
Born on 14 April 1891 in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was the fourteenth child of his parents, Bhimabai Sakpal and Ramji. He was the victim of religious untouchability by birth. He was born in a family, which was a part of the Hindu Mahar caste. This caste was considered to be untouchables in the society and have to face immense discriminations, both in the social as well as in the economic fields. The male members of Dr. Ambedkar's family were engaged in the Army. His father was also in army and was promoted to the rank of Subedar in the Mhow Cantonment, Indian Army.
At birth, "Sakpal" was the surname of Bhimrao and "Ambavade" was the name of his native village. To avoid the socio-economic discrimination and the ill-treatment of the higher classes of the society, Bhimrao changed his surname from "Sakpal" to "Ambedkar" by the help of a Brahmin teacher, who had great faith in him. Since then, Bhimrao and his family used the title, Ambavedkar or Ambedkar.
Education of B.R. Ambedkar
Though B.R. Ambedkar was born in a family that was deprived socially as well as economically, he had great interest in education. There were special schools run by the Government for educating children of Army personnel and Ambedkar was lucky to get admission in one of those schools. The standard of education was good and Ambedkar developed a good grasp over Marathi and English. After his father retired from the Army, the entire family shifted to Satara, Maharashtra. Ambedkar was admitted to a local school there and had to face discriminations from all sectors. He was made to sit on the floor, away from other students. The teachers also discriminated him. He was a man of patience from his early childhood and underwent all this agony without a fuss. In 1908, he passed his Matriculation exam with flying colors from Bombay University. His higher education continued in Elphinstone College. Political Science and Economics were the subjects in which he graduated from the Bombay University in 1912.
Social Reforms and Political Life of B.R. Ambedkar
After his return to India, Bhimrao Ambedkar was made the political secretary of the Maharaja of Baroda. He became victim of caste discrimination again and was humiliated greatly by his peers. It was during this time that Ambedkar began his movement to eradicate caste system and untouchability from society. Ambedkar again went back to London, completed his law education and became a barrister.
Untouchability and caste system were the two social evils that had haunted Dr. B.R. Ambedkar since his childhood days. However, he thought of tackling the problem himself and began his fight against untouchability. There were several ways by which he was trying to do this. He started publishing a weekly journal called 'Mooknayak', where he criticized the orthodox system that prevailed in the society. He spoke openly about the discriminations that were made to the lower castes in the society and the humiliations that they had to undergo and endure. He had also voted for creating separate electorates for the backward classes in society. Reservations for "dalits" and other religious communities were also demanded by Bhimrao Ambedkar.
B.R. Ambedkar also formed the "Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha" so that the deprived and backward classes could get some opportunities to upgrade themselves. He arranged for spreading education to these classes and tried to improve their socio-economic conditions. He also became a member of the Legislative Council in the year 1926. After this, he began an active movement by bringing out marches and processions for the lower backward classes. In 1928, he was appointed to the Bombay Presidency Committee so that he could work with the all-European Simon Commission. With this, B.R. Ambedkar made a mark in the political arena of India.
He had criticized the Indian National Congress as well as the British Raj for not being able to curb the problem of caste discrimination and untouchability. His staunch stance against the orthodox authorities in India made him quite unpopular with the politicians of those times. There were no considerable changes that were evident in the social system of India. Gandhiji had rather started a fast unto death campaign when Ambedkar demanded separate electorates for the backward classes in society. After many upheavals it was decided that reservations would be provided but there would be no separate electorates.
The Government Law College of Mumbai had Dr. Ambedkar as its Principal for two years from 1935. He even contemplated of building a new political party that would work against staunch and orthodox Hinduism. He named this new political party as "Independent Labour Party (India)", which can only managed around 15 seats in the Central Legislative Assembly Elections in 1937. He also occupied important positions in the government of the country. He had been appointed to the Viceroy's Executive Council as the Minister of Labor. Ambedkar had also served in the Defence Advisory Committee.
B.R. Ambedkar and Drafting of the Indian Constitution
The most important thing for which Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is known all throughout India is that he was designer and formulator of the Indian Constitution. Though he was unpopular with many leaders of the Indian National Congress and other political parties in post-independence India, Ambedkar was summoned by the Congress-led Government to take the post of the first Law Minister of independent India. He was also made the Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee on 29 August 1947. As he was a learned scholar and an eminent lawyer, he was given this grave task and after the completion of the work, he was praised by all. He used all his experience and knowledge in drafting the Constitution. There are many guarantees and provisions that are provided in the Constitution of India that ensure the general welfare of the common people of the country. He framed the Fundamental Rights and Duties along with the Directive Principles of State Policy that are followed and granted to the people of the country. He also formulated laws and systems for women and backward classes in the society. Ambedkar also tried to eradicate the socio-economic inequalities that prevailed in the Indian society from a long time. He had kept the clauses of the Constitution flexible so that amendments could be made as and when situations demanded. On 26 November 1949, the Constitution of India was finally adopted by the Constituent Assembly.
His stint in Indian politics too did not last for a long time. His resignation from the Cabinet came in the year 1951. He contested for the Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate in 1952 but was unfortunately defeated. However, he became a member of the Rajya Sabha the same year.
With passage of time, Ambedkar's interest from politics started to shift and he aligned himself to Buddhism. For that he even went to Sri Lanka, where he spent much time with Buddhist monks and scholars. He was so impressed with Buddhism and its principles that he decided to convert himself to Buddhism. Ambedkar also went to Burma twice for enriching himself in the Buddhist religion and culture. He also established the Buddhist Society of India and wrote books on Buddhism and its principles and beliefs. B.R. Ambedkar also attended Buddhist conferences that were held all round the world.
Works of B.R. Ambedkar
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was a scholarly person and had written several books that dealt with myriad topics ranging from politics to Buddhism, from castes in India to important political figures in India. Some of his major writings are as follows:
- Essay on Untouchables and Untouchability: Social
- Small Holdings in India and their Remedies
- Buddha or Karl Marx
- Manu and the Shudras
- Untouchables or the Children of India's Ghetto
- Who were the Shudras?
- Ranade, Gandhi and Jinnah
- Statement of Evidence to the Royal Commission on Indian Currency
- Buddha and his Dhamma
- Revolution and Counter-Revolution
- Paramountacy and the Claim of the Indian States to be Independent
- Decentralisation of Imperial Finance
- The Evolution of Provincial Finance in British India: A Study in the Provincial
- The Untouchables: Who Were They and Why They Became Untouchables?
- History of Indian Currency and Banking
- Communal Deadlock and A Way to Solve it
- Federation Versus Freedom
- Notes on Acts and Laws
- Philosophy of Hinduism
- Ancient Indian Commerce
- Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development
- Annihilation of Caste
- India on the Eve of the Crown Government
- Preservation of Social Order
- Which is Worse? Slavery or Untouchability
- The Constitution of British India
- Pakistan or the Partition of India
- Need for Checks and Balances3/4Article on Linguistic State
- Maharashtra as a Linguistic Province
- Riddles in Hinduism
- Lectures on English Constitution
Last Days of B.R. Ambedkar
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar became diabetic since 1948. He also suffered from depression and eyesight failure. Ambedkar was so humiliated in every step of his life that if affected his health directly. He started suffering gravely and was almost bed-ridden in the last years of his life. He breathed his last on 6 December 1956 in his home in Delhi. The entire cremation process of Ambedkar was carried out in Buddhist style, where innumerable supporters and admirers gathered to pay him the last homage.
Last Updated on : 21 January 2013
