Mon, 20 May, 2019
The Untold Journey of Dr. B R Ambedkar: A Trailblazer for Social Justice
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Dr B.R. Ambedkar
Dr Ambedkar was born on 14th April 1891 in Mhow, which is now officially known as Dr Ambedkar Nagar, a town and military cantonment area in present-day Madhya Pradesh. Bhimrao was the 14th child of Ramji Maloji Sakpal, a Subedar in the army, and Bhimabai Sakpal, the daughter of Laxman Murbadkar. Born in the Mahar (Dalit) caste, classified as untouchable, Ambedkar was discriminated against socially and economically. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was an Indian jurist, economist, and Dalit leader who led the committee that drafted the Constitution of independent India. Dr Ambedkar served as India’s first Law and Justice Minister under the leadership of the then prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
EDUCATION
He was one of the first Dalit students to study, stand on his legs and get plenty of achievements with good results in colonial India amid caste discrimination. In 1897, Ambedkar's family relocated to Bombay (now Mumbai), where he joined Elphinstone High School as the only untouchable student.
He married Ramabai, a nine-year-old girl, when he was about 15 years old. The couple's parents arranged the match according to the conventions of the time. He completed his matriculation examination in 1907 and joined Elphinstone College, which was affiliated with the University of Bombay, the following year, claiming to be the first person of his Mahar caste to do so.
Ambedkar was awarded a Baroda State Scholarship of £11.50 (Sterling) per month for three years in 1913; Sayajirao Gaekwad III (Gaekwad of Baroda) established a system to provide opportunities for postgraduate education at Columbia University in New York City when he was 22 years old. He enrolled in Gray's Inn's Bar course in October 1916 while also enrolling at the London School of Economics, where he began working on a PhD thesis.
Bhimrao Ambedkar was one of only a few Indian scholars to accomplish so in the 1920s amidst caste discrimination.
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CAREER
Dr Ambedkar was a professor, an economist, and a lawyer in his earlier years. His later life was defined by his political efforts, which included fighting and negotiating for India's independence, publishing journals, and lobbying for political and social freedom for Dalits. Further, making significant contributions to the establishment of the Indian state. He later adopted Buddhism in 1956, sparking a wave of Dalit conversions.
FAMILY
His father served in the British Indian Army in the Mhow cantonment, and his forefathers had long worked for the British East India Company's army. Even though the children were allowed to attend school, Ambedkar was separated from other untouchable children and was ignored and poorly treated.
The children belonging to the upper caste would pour it for them. They were not allowed to touch any vessel to drink the water. They wouldn't even be allowed to sit on chairs with the other students. Instead, Bhimrao was forced to sit on a gunny sack which he had to bring from his home.
LEGACY
His legacy has a strong and very impactful effect on modern India. His social and political thought is respected all across the political spectrum. He established the principle of equal pay for equal work irrespective of caste, gender, or creed.
LAST DAYS
B.R Ambedkar suffered from diabetes in 1948. He was suffering from poor eyesight; he was bedridden from June to October 1954. Ambedkar died in 1956 in sleep in his home in Delhi.
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