Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Biography
Dr. B.R.
Ambedkar Biography: Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar or B.R Ambedkar was born on April 14, 1891,
in Mhow, India. Every year, on April 14 Ambedkar Jayanti is observed. Take a
look at his early life, education, political career, the Poona Pact, books
written by him, and more.
B.R. Ambedkar,
popularly known as Babasaheb was an Indian jurist, economist, politician, and
social reformer. He chaired the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly
and was also the first Minister for Law and Justice in India
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar: Key Facts
|
Full Name |
Bhimrao Ramji
Ambedkar |
|
Born |
14 April 1891 |
|
Place of Birth |
Mhow, India |
|
Died |
6 December 1956 |
|
Place of Death |
New Delhi, India |
|
Resting place |
Chaitya Bhoomi,
Mumbai, India |
|
Parents |
Father: Ramji Maloji
Sakpal Mother: Bhimabai
Sakpal |
|
Spouse(s) |
Ramabai Ambedkar (m.
1906; died 1935) |
|
Political party |
Independent Labour
Party |
|
Other political |
Republican Party of
India |
|
Alma mater |
University of Mumbai
(B.A., M.A.) |
|
Profession |
Jurist, economist,
academic, politician, social reformer, and writer |
|
Awards |
Bharat
Ratna |
|
Known for or Famous
for |
Dalit rights movement |
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Biography: Early Life, Education, Marriage, Children
He was born
on April 14, 1891, into a Dalit Mahar family in Mhow, western India. He was
humiliated by his high-caste schoolfellows. His father's name was Ramji Maloji
Sakpal. He was an army officer of subedar rank. His mother's name was Bhimabai
Sakpal. His family was of Marathi background. In around 1894, his father
retired, and the family moved to Satara two years later. After a short period
of time, his mother died. His family further moved to Mumbai in 1897, where he
was enrolled at Elphinstone High School and was the only untouchable who took
admission. At the age of around 15, he married Ramabai, a nine-year-old girl,
as per reports.
He passed
his matriculation examination in around 1907 and, the following year, he
entered Elphinstone College. It was affiliated with the University of Bombay.
According to him, he was the first to do so from the Mahar caste. He gained his
degree in economics and political science from Bombay University in 1912.
He was awarded a scholarship by the Gaekwar (ruler) of Baroda (now
Vadodara). He received his education at universities in the United States,
Britain, and Germany. At the request of Gaekwar, he entered the Baroda Public
Service but was again ill-treated by his high-caste colleagues. He then turned
to legal practice and teaching. He
also established leadership among Dalits and founded various journals on their
behalf. He also succeeded in gaining special representation for them in the
legislative councils of the government. He also wrote What Congress and Gandhi
Have Done to the Untouchables (1945).
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's Opposition to Untouchability
He campaigned against social discrimination, focusing on Dalits,
who are also known as untouchables. He also inspired the Dalit Buddhist
movement through his approach and founded the Buddhist society. Ever since his
school days, Babasaheb himself suffered from untouchability. He was not allowed
to take water from the pot. Most of the time, the peon pours water from a distance if he wants to
drink water. In some reports, it was also mentioned that he was made to sit on
the sack which he had to take with him every day. When he was teaching as a
professor at Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics in Mumbai, his
colleagues did not share a drinking-water jug with him. He also established an
investment consulting business, but it failed because his clients came to know
that he was untouchable.
Babasaheb was invited to testify before the Southborough
Committee. The committee was preparing for the Government of India Act against
untouchability in 1919. Ambedkar Ji argued for creating a separate electorate
and reservations for untouchables and other religious communities. He began the
publication of a weekly named Mooknayak (Leader of the Silent) in Mumbai in
1920.
He also successfully defended three non-Brahmin leaders in 1926
during his career as a lawyer. These Brahmin leaders accused the Brahmin
community of ruining India and were subsequently sued for libel. This victory
was great for Babasaheb against caste classification and gave rise to the
movement against untouchability.
In addition, while practicing law in the Bombay High Court, he
attempted to promote education and uplift untouchables.
He established a central institution, the Bahishkrit Hitakarini
Sabha, with the intention of promoting education, welfare, and socio-economic
improvement of the Dalits.
He decided to launch an active movement against untouchability by
1927. He started public movements and marches to open up public drinking water
resources and also allowed untouchables to draw water from the main water tank
of the town. He also struggled for the right to enter Hindu temples. In late
1927, at a conference, he condemned Manusmriti for ideologically justifying
caste discrimination and untouchability. He emphasised that in India,
employment is fixed by birth and, as a result, reduces the mobility of labour
in other sectors, which further impacts the economic development of India.
Dr. B. R
Ambedkar and Poona Pact
It was an agreement signed on September 24, 1932, between M.K.
Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in the Yerwada Central Jail, Poona, on behalf of
the depressed class for the reservation of the electoral seats in the
Legislature of the British Government.
It resulted from the Communal Award of August 4, 1932, which was a
proposal by the British government to allot seats in the several legislatures
of India to the different communities in an effort to resolve various tensions
between communal interests. Leaders of Dalits, mainly Dr. B. R. Ambedkar,
supported the proposal with the belief that Dalits would be allowed to advance
their interests. On the other hand, Mahatma Gandhi objected to it because, as
per him, it would weaken India in its bid for independence. Gandhi Ji announced
a fast unto death in prison and it started on September 18.
As a result, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar refused to abandon his support for
a separate electorate until Gandhi was near death. Finally, he and the Hindu
leaders agreed to the pact in which a separate electorate was declined but gave
increased representation to the Dalits within the Hindu electorate for a
10-year period. It is said that Ambedkar complained of blackmail, but on the
other hand, the pact marked the beginning of the movement against
"untouchability" within the Indian nationalist movement.
Dr. B. R
Ambedkar Biography: Political Career
Dr. B.R
Ambedkar was appointed principal of the Government Law College, Bombay in 1935.
It was a position that was held for two years.
He served as the chairman of the governing body of Ramjas College,
University of Delhi, after the death of its founder, Shri Rai Kedarnath. On
October 13, at the Yeola Conversion Conference, Ambedkar in Nasik, announced
his intention to convert to a different religion and encouraged his followers
to leave Hinduism. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar founded the Independent Labour Party in 1936, which contested the
Bombay election in 1937 to the Central Legislative Assembly for the 13 reserved
and 4 general seats. It secured 11 and 3 seats, respectively.
On May 15,
1936, he published his book, The Annihilation of Caste. During this time, he
also fought against the Khoti system that was prevalent in Konkan. Here,
"khots" means government revenue collectors who regularly exploit
farmers and tenants. In the Bombay Legislative Assembly, Ambedkar tabled a bill
in 1937 with the purpose of abolishing the khoti system by generating a direct
relationship between the government and farmers.
As a minister of labour, he served on the Defence Advisory
Committee and the Viceroy's Executive Council. In 1940, after the Lahore
Resolution of the Muslim League demanding Pakistan, he wrote a 400-page tract
titled "Thoughts on Pakistan," which analysed the concept of
"Pakistan" in all its aspects. His work, Who Were the Shudras?
Babasaheb tried to explain the formation of the untouchables. His political
party was transformed into the Scheduled Castes Federation. It performed poorly
in the 1946 elections for the Constituent Assembly of India. Later, Babasaheb
was elected to the constituent assembly of Bengal, where the Muslim League was
in power.
In 1952, he contested in Bombay North's first Indian General
Election but lost. He became a member of the Rajya Sabha, basically an
appointed member. In the 1954 by-election from Bhandara, he attempted to
re-enter the Lok Sabha, but he placed third. And by the time of the second
general election in 1957, Babasaheb died.
DR. B.R. Ambedkar's Birth Anniversary
April 14 is observed as Ambedkar
Jayanti. He was born on April 14, 1891, at Mhow, India. He played an
instrumental role in defining the constitution of India. He fought for the
rights of the Dalits. He was the law minister of India after independence. He
had done masters in around 64 subjects and was the first Indian to pursue a
doctorate.
Bharat Ratna
Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar is known as a world-class lawyer, Dalit political leader,
and chief architect of the Indian Constitution. He is the most sought-after
writer of the present era. In this article, we have listed some famous books
written by Dr. Ambedkar.
Dr. Ambedkar had knowledge of around 9 languages like Hindi, Pali, Sanskrit,
English, French, German, Marathi, Persian, and Gujarati. Dr. Ambedkar's books
are currently counted among the most selling books in India.
Here is the list of some famous books written by Dr. Ambedkar
|
S.N. |
Books |
Publication date |
|
1. |
Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and
Development |
1916 |
|
2. |
Mook Nayak (weekly) |
1920 |
|
3. |
The Problem of the Rupee: its origin and its
solution |
1923 |
|
4. |
Bahishkrut Bharat (India Ostracized) |
1927 |
|
5. |
Janta (weekly) |
1930 |
|
6. |
The Annihilation of Caste |
1936 |
|
7. |
Federation Versus Freedom |
1939 |
|
8. |
Thoughts on Pakistan |
1940 |
|
9. |
Ranade, Gandhi and Jinnah |
1943 |
|
10. |
Mr. Gandhi and Emancipation of Untouchables |
1943 |
|
11. |
What Congress and Gandhi have done to the
Untouchables |
1945 |
|
12. |
Pakistan Or Partition Of India |
1945 |
|
13. |
State and Minorities |
1947 |
|
14. |
Who were the Shudras |
1948 |
|
15. |
Maharashtra as a Linguistic Province |
1948 |
|
16. |
The Untouchables |
1948 |
|
17. |
Buddha Or Karl Marx |
1956 |
|
18. |
The Buddha and his Dhamma |
1957 |
|
19. |
Riddles in Hinduism |
2008 |
|
20. |
Manu and the Shudras |
-- |
The Education Department, Government of Maharashtra (Mumbai) published the
collection of Ambedkar's writings and speeches in different volumes. Apart from
the Government of Maharashtra; the Ministry of Social justice also publishes
books written by Dr. Ambedkar.
There are two most selling books of
Ambedkar namely the “Problem of the rupee” and “The Annihilation of caste”. These
two books are based on the economy of India and the social structure of India
respectively.
Extract of the Problem of Rupee
The book
analyses the problems faced by Indian currency during a period when local
businesses and the British administration were at loggerheads, it had a
tremendous effect on the Indian currency’s value.
Dr. Ambedkar
argued that the British government kept the exchange rate too much(overvalued)
so that they could sell their goods in India. Worth mentioning here that
overvalued makes the import cheaper and export costlier.
The book
argues for the stabilization of monetary affairs and exchange rates. It
eventually led to the formation of the Reserve Bank of India in 1935.
Ambedkar Jayanti 2022
The birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
is observed on April 14 and is also known as Ambedkar Jayanti or Bhim Jayanti.
He is considered the leading national builder in our country. The 131st birth
anniversary of Dr. Ambedkar is observed today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi
paid tribute to Dr. B. R. Ambedkar and said that he has
made indelible contributions to the country's progress. He was born on April
14, 1891, in Mhow, India, into a Dalit Mahar family.
Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar is popularly known as Babasaheb
Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar. His birth anniversary is observed on April 14. He
was a world-class lawyer, social reformer, and number one world-class scholar
as per the Ministry of Social Justice, Government of India. He was credited to
be the force behind the Dalit Buddhist movement in India.
He was born
on 14th April 1891 in an untouchable family of Mhow (now in Madhya Pradesh) and
he died on 6th December 1956 in Delhi.
Key facts about Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
Ambedkar's Date of Birth: 14 April 1891
Ambedkar's Birthplace: Mhow, Madhya Pradesh (now Dr Ambedkar
Nagar)
Ambedkar's Death: 6 December 1956 (age 65)
Other Names: Babasaheb Ambedkar
Nationality: Indian
Ambedkar's Father: Ramji Maloji Sakpal
Ambedkar's Mother: Bhimabai
Wife: Ramabai Ambedkar (married 1906 - died 1935), Dr. Savita Ambedkar
(married 1948 - died 2003)
Ambedkar's Son: Yashwant Bhimrao Ambedkar
Grandson: Prakash Ambedkar
Ambedkar's Educational degrees: University of Mumbai (BA),
Columbia University (MA, PhD, LL.D.), London
School of Economics (MSc, DSC), Gray's Inn (Barrister-at-Law)
Awards / Honors: Bodhisattva (1956), Bharat Ratna (1990), First Colombian
Ahead of Their Time (2004), The Greatest Indian (2012)
Ambedkar's Political Party: Scheduled Caste Federation, Independent Labor Party,
Republican Party of India
Social Organization: Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha, Samata Sainik Dal
25 facts about Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
1. Dr.
Babasaheb Ambedkar was the 14th and last child of his parents.
2. Dr.
Babasaheb Ambedkar's real surname was Ambawadekar. But his teacher, Mahadev
Ambedkar, gave him Ambedkar's surname in the school records.
3. Dr.
Babasaheb Ambedkar was the first Indian to get a Doctorate (Ph.D.) degree in
Economics from abroad.
4. Dr.
Ambedkar is the only Indian whose statue is attached to Karl Marx in the London
Museum.
5. The credit of giving place to "Ashok
Chakra" in the Indian Tricolour also goes to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.
Although the National flag was designed by Pingali Venkayya.
6. Nobel Prize winner Prof. Amartya Sen considered Dr.
B. R. Ambedkar as his father in economics.
7. For
the better development of Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, Babasaheb had proposed the division
of these states in the 50s, but only after 2000 Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand were
formed by splitting Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.
8. Babasaheb's personal library "Rajgirh"
consisted of more than 50,000 books and it was the world's largest private
library.
9. The
book "Waiting for a visa" written by Dr. Babasaheb is a textbook at
Columbia University. Columbia University made a list of the world's top 100 scholars in
2004 and the first name on that list was Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar.
10. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was a master in 64 subjects. He had knowledge of 9 languages like Hindi, Pali, Sanskrit,
English, French, German, Marathi, Persian, and Gujarati. Apart from this, he
studied all the religions of the world in a comparative way for almost 21
years.
11. In the London School of Economics, Babasaheb
completed 8 years of studies in just 2 years 3 months. For this, he studied 21
hours a day.
12. Dr.
Babasaheb Ambedkar's initiation into Buddhism with his 8,50,000 supporters
historically in the world, because it was the largest conversion in the world.
13. "Mahant
Veer Chandramani", a great Buddhist monk who initiated Babasaheb to Buddhism,
called him "the modern Buddha of this age".
14. Babasaheb
is the first and only person in the world to receive a valuable doctorate
degree named "Doctor All Science" from the London School of
Economics. Many intelligent students have tried for it, but they have not been
successful until now.
15. Worldwide,
the highest number of songs and books written in the name of the leader is Dr.
Babasaheb Ambedkar.
16. Governor
Lord Linlithgow and Mahatma Gandhi believed that Babasaheb is more intelligent
than 500 graduates and thousands of scholars.
17. Babasaheb
was the world's first and only Satyagrahi, who did Satyagraha for drinking
water.
18. In
1954, in the "World Buddhist Council" held in Kathmandu, Nepal,
Buddhist monks had given Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar the highest title of Buddhism
"Bodhisattva". His famous book "The Buddha and his Dhamma"
is the "scripture" of Indian Buddhists.
19. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar had considered three great men, Lord
Buddha, Saint Kabir, and Mahatma Phule as their "instructor".
20. Babasaheb's statue is one of the tallest statues in the world. His
birth anniversary is also celebrated all over the world.
21. Babasaheb was the first lawyer from the backward
class.
22. Based on a global survey called "The Makers of the
Universe" a list of the top 100 humanist people of the last 10 thousand
years was made by Oxford University, with which the fourth name was Dr.
Babasaheb Ambedkar.
23. Babasaheb
Ambedkar has given many suggestions in the book "The Problem of Rupee-Its
Origin & its solution" about the demonetization that is being
discussed all around in the present time.
24. Everywhere in the world, Buddha's closed-eyed statues and
paintings are visible, but Babasaheb, who was also a good painter, made the
first painting of Buddha in which Buddha's eyes were opened.
25. The first Statue of Babasaheb was built in the year 1950 when he
was alive and this statue is established in Kolhapur city.
So, these
were 25 unknown facts about this great Indian scholar who paved the way for the
upliftment of crores of Scheduled tribes and Scheduled people of India. He is
treated as God by crores of his followers.
Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar,
popularly known as Babasaheb Ambedkar, is a celebrated leader, who flagged the
‘Constitution of India’. He was a well-known statesman who fought for the
rights of the Dalits and other socially backward classes.
2015 was the 125th birth
anniversary year of Ambedkar (14 April 1891), who is known as the father of the
Indian constitution, the government decided to celebrate the year in a big way.
Thus the Centre in 2015
declared November 26 as the Constitution Day. The Ministry of Social Justice
and Empowerment on 19 November 2015, notified the decision of the Government of
India to celebrate 26 November as 'Constitution Day'.
The day is celebrated to
promote Constitution values among citizens. In order to mark this day let us
remember him for his own words. Here are 16 inspiring quotes by Babasaheb
Ambedkar.
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Quotes
1. “They
cannot make history who forget history”.
2. “Be
Educated, Be Organised and Be Agitated”
3. “I like
the religion that teaches liberty, equality and fraternity”
4. “Life
should be great rather than long”.
5. “If I
find the constitution being misused, I shall be the first to burn it.”
6.
“Cultivation of mind should be the ultimate aim of human existence”.
7. “If you
believe in living a respectable life, you believe in self-help which is the
best help”.
.8. “We
must stand on our own feet and fight as best as we can for our rights. So carry
on your agitation and organize your forces. Power and prestige will come to you
through struggle”
9. “The
history of India is nothing but a history of a mortal conflict between Buddhism
and Brahminism”.
10. “I
measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have
achieved.”
11. “Men
are mortal. So are ideas. An idea needs propagation as much as a plant needs
watering. Otherwise both will wither and die.”
12. “Every
man who repeats the dogma of Mill that one country is no fit to rule another
country must admit that one class is not fit to rule another class.”
13. “The
relationship between husband and wife should be one of closest friends.”
14.
“Political tyranny is nothing compared to the social tyranny and a reformer who
defies society is a more courageous man than a politician who defies
Government.”
15. “A
great man is different from an eminent one in that he is ready to be the
servant of the society.”
16. “Law
and order are the medicine of the body politic and when the body politic gets
sick, medicine must be administered.”
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