Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar

1. Born April 14, 1891 Died December 6, 1956Achievements Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was elected as the chairman of the drafting committee that was constituted by the Constituent Assembly to draft a constitution for the independent India; he was the first Law Minister of India; conferred Bharat Ratna in 1990.Dr. B.R. Ambedkar is viewed as messiah of dalits and downtrodden in India. He was the chairman of the drafting committee that was constituted by the Cons .....

His Life

2. Bhimrao Ambedkar was born to Bhimabai Sakpal and Ramji on 14 April 1891 in Madhya Pradesh. He was the fourteenth child of his parents. Ambedkar;s father was a Subedar in the Indian Army and posted at Mhow cantonment, MP. After the retirement of his father in 1894, the family moved to satara. Shortly after, his mother passed away. Four years later, his father remarried and the family shifted to Bombay, where he cleared his matriculation in 1908. H .....

Dalit Movement

3. After returning to India, Bhimrao Ambedkar decided to fight against the caste discrimination that almost fragmented the nation. Ambedkar opined that there should be separate electoral system for the Untouchables and lower caste people. He also favored the concept of providing reservations for Dalits and other religious communities.Ambedkar began to find ways to reach to the people and make them understand the drawbacks of the prevailing social ev .....

Political career

4. In 1936, Ambedkar founded the Independent Labor Party. In the 1937 elections to the Central Legislative Assembly his party won 15 seats. Ambedkar oversaw the transformation of his political party into the All India Scheduled Castes Federation, although it performed poorly in the elections held in 1946 for the Constituent Assembly of India.Ambedkar objected to the decision of Congress and Mahatma Gandhi to call the untouchable community as Harijan .....

Framer of Constitution

5. Bhimrao Ambedkar was appointed as the chairman of the constitution drafting committee. He was also a noted scholar and eminent jurist. Ambedkar emphasized on the construction of a virtual bridge between the classes of the society. According to him, it would be difficult to maintain the unity of the country if the difference among the classes were not met. .....

Conversion to Buddhism

6. In 1950, Ambedkar traveled to Sri Lanka to attend a convention of Buddhist scholars and monks. After his return he decided to write a book on Buddhism and soon, converted himself to Buddhism. In his speeches, Ambedkar lambasted the Hindu rituals and caste division. Ambedkar founded the Bharatiya Bauddha Mahasabha In 1955. His book The Buddha and His Dhamma was published posthumously.On October 14, 1956 Ambedkar organized a public ceremony to conv .....

Early life

7. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was born in the British founded town and military cantonment of Mhow in the Central Provinces (now in Madhya Pradesh).He was the 14th and last child of Ramji Maloji Sakpal and Bhimabai Murbadkar. His family was of Marathi background from the town of Ambavade in the Ratnagiri district of modern day Maharashtra. They belonged to the Hindu Mahar caste, who were treated as untouchables and subjected to intense socio economic di .....

Pursuit of education

8. A few months later, Ambedkar was selected by the Gayakwad ruler to travel to the United States and enroll at Columbia University, with a scholarship of $11.5 per month. Arriving in New York City, Ambedkar was admitted to the graduate studies programme at the political science department. After a brief stay at the dormitory, he moved to a housing club run by Indian students and took up rooms with a Parsi friend, Naval Bhathena. In 1916, he was awa .....

Fight against untouchability

9. As a leading Indian scholar, Ambedkar had been invited to testify before the Southborough Committee, which was preparing the Government of India Act 1919. At this hearing, Ambedkar argued for creating separate electorates and reservations for Dalits and other religious communities. In 1920, he began the publication of the weekly Mooknayak (Leader of the Silent) in Bombay. Attaining popularity, Ambedkar used this journal to criticize orthodox Hind .....

Poona Pact

10. By now Ambedkar had become one of the most prominent untouchable political figures of the time. He had grown increasingly critical of mainstream Indian political parties for their perceived lack of emphasis for the elimination of the caste system. Ambedkar criticized the Indian National Congress and its leader Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi, whom he accused of reducing the untouchable community to a figure of pathos. Ambedkar was also dissatisfied wit .....

Aftermath

11. Frequent violent clashes between Buddhist groups and orthodox Hindus have occurred over the years. When in 1994 a garland of shoes was hung around a statue of Ambedkar in Mumbai, sectarian violence and strikes paralyzed the city for over a week. When the following year similar disturbances occurred, a statue of Ambedkar was destroyed. Upper caste groups in Tamil Nadu have also engaged in violence against Buddhists. In addition, some Buddhists who .....

Criticism and legacy

12. This section may contain original research or unverified claims.Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (September 2007)Ambedkars legacy as a socio political reformer, had a deep effect on modern India. In post Independence India his socio political thought has acquired respect across the political spectrum. His initiatives have influenced various spheres of life and transformed the way India today looks at .....

Ambedkar v Gandhi on village life

13. Ambedkar was a fierce critic of Mahatma Gandhi (and the Indian National Congress). He was criticized by his contemporaries and modern scholars for this opposition to Gandhi, who had been one of the first Indian leaders to call for the abolition of untouchability and discrimination.Gandhi had a more positive, arguably romanticised view of traditional village life in India and a sentimental approach to the untouchables, calling them Harijan (childr .....

Opposition to untouchability

14. As Ambedkar was educated by the Princely State of Baroda, he was bound to serve it. He was appointed as Military Secretary to the Gaikwad but had to quit within a short time. He described the incident in his autobiography, Waiting for a Visa. Thereafter he tried to find ways to make a living for his growing family. He worked as a private tutor, as an accountant, and established an investment consulting business, but it failed when his clients lea .....

Protests

15. While practicing law in the Bombay High Court, he tried to uplift the untouchables in order to educate them. His first organised attempt to achieve this was the Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha, which was intended to promote education and socio economic improvement, as well as the welfare of outcastes, at the time referred to as depressed classes. For the protection of Dalit rights he started many periodicals like Mook Nayak, Bahishkrit Bharat, and Eq .....

Drafting Indias Constitution

16. Upon Indias Transfer of Power by British Government to leaders of High Cast on 15 August 1947, the new Congress led government invited Ambedkar to serve as the nations first Law Minister, which he accepted. On 29 August, he was appointed Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee, charged by the Assembly to write Indias new Constitution.Granville Austin has described the Indian Constitution drafted by Ambedkar as first and foremost a social .....

Opposition to Article 370

17. Ambedkar opposed Article 370 in the Constitution, which gives a special status to the State of Jammu and Kashmir, and it was put against his wishes. Balraj Madhok reportedly said, Ambedkar had clearly told Sk. Abdullah You wish India should protect your borders, she should build roads in your area, she should supply you food grains, and Kashmir should get equal status as India. But Government of India should have only limited powers and Indian pe .....

Economic planning

18. Ambedkar was the first Indian to pursue Economics doctorate degree abroad. According to him the industrialization and agricultural industry growth could enhance the economy of the nation.He stressed on money investment in the agricultural industry as the primary industry of India.Accoding to Sharad Pawar, Ambedkars vision benefited the government in accomplishing the food security goal. He supported economic and social development of the society .....

Second marriage

19. Ambedkars first wife had died in 1935 following long illness. After the completion of the drafting of Indias constitution in late 1940s, Ambedkar went to Bombay for treatment. He was suffering from lack of sleep, had neurotic pain in his legs and was taking both insulin and homeopathic medicines. There he met Dr. Sharada Kabir, a Saraswat Brahmin, whom he married on 15 April 1948, at his home in New Delhi. Doctors recommended that he needed a com .....

Legacy

20. Ambedkars legacy as a socio political reformer, had a deep effect on modern India. In post Independence India his socio political thought has acquired respect across the political spectrum. His initiatives have influenced various spheres of life and transformed the way India today looks at socio economic policies, education and affirmative action through socio economic and legal incentives. His reputation as a scholar led to his appointment as fr .....

Death

21. Since 1954 55 Ambedkar was suffering from serious health problems including diabetes and weak eyesight. On 6 December, 1956 he died at his home in Delhi. Since, Ambedkar adopted the Buddhism as his religion, a Buddhist style cremation was organized for him. The ceremony was attended by hundreds of thousands of supporters, activists and admirers.Since 1948, Ambedkar had been suffering from diabetes. He was bed ridden from June to October in 1954 o .....