AMBEDKAR COULD ADVANCE IN 1800-1900 IF SO WHY RESERVATIOONS NOW/
Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (1891-1956) was born on 14 April 1891 in Mhow
Cantonment, Madhya Pradesh. He completed his primary schooling in Satara,
Maharashtra and completed his secondary education from Elphinstone High
School in Bombay. His education was achieved in the face of significant
discrimination, for he belonged to the Scheduled Caste (then considered as
‘untouchables’). In his autobiographical note ‘Waiting for a Visa’, he
recalled how he was not allowed to drink water from the common water tap at
his school, writing, “no peon, no water”.
Dr Ambedkar graduated from Bombay University in 1912 with a B.A. in
Economics and Political Science. On account of his excellent performance at
college, in 1913 he was awarded a scholarship by Sayajirao Gaikwad, then
Maharaja (King) of Baroda state to pursue his M.A. and Ph.D. at Columbia
University in New York, USA. His Master’s thesis in 1916 was titled “The
Administration and Finance of the East India Company”. He submitted his
Ph.D. thesis on “The Evolution of Provincial Finance in India: A Study in
the Provincial Decentralization of Imperial Finance”.
After Columbia, Dr. Ambedkar moved to London, where he registered at the
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) to study economics,
and enrolled in Grey’s Inn to study law. However, due to lack of funds, he
had to return to India in 1917. In 1918, he became a Professor of Political
Economy at Sydenham College, Mumbai (erstwhile Bombay). During this time,
he submitted a statement to the Southborough Committee demanding universal
adult franchise.
In 1920, with the financial assistance from Chatrapati Shahuji Maharaj of
Kolhapur, a personal loan from a friend and his savings from his time in
India, Dr. Ambedkar returned to London to complete his education. In 1922,
he was called to the bar and became a barrister-at-law. He also completed
his M.S.c. and D.S.c. from the LSE. His doctoral thesis was later published
as “The Problem of the Rupee”.
After his return to India, Dr Ambedkar founded Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha
(Society for Welfare of the Ostracized) and led social movements such as
Mahad Satyagraha in 1927 to demand justice and equal access to public
resources for the historically oppressed castes of the Indian society. In
the same year, he entered the Bombay Legislative Council as a nominated
member.
Subsequently, Dr. Ambedkar made his submissions before the Indian Statutory
Commission also known as the ‘Simon Commission’ on constitutional reforms
in 1928. The reports of the Simon Commission resulted in the three
roundtable conferences between 1930-32, where Dr. Ambedkar was invited to
make his submissions.
In 1935, Dr. Ambedkar was appointed as the Principal of Government Law
College, Mumbai, where he was teaching as a Professor since 1928.
Thereafter, he was appointed as the Labour Member (1942-46) in the
Viceroy’s Executive Council.
In 1946, he was elected to the Constituent Assembly of India. On 15 August
1947, he took oath as the first Law Minister of independent India.
Subsequently, he was elected Chairperson of the Drafting Committee of the
Constituent Assembly, and steered the process of drafting of India’s
Constitution. Mahavir Tyagi, a member of the Constituent Assembly,
described Dr. Ambedkar as “the main artist” who “laid aside his brush and
unveiled the picture for the public to see and comment upon”. Dr. Rajendra
Prasad, who presided over the Constituent Assembly and later became the
first President of the Indian Republic, said: “Sitting in the Chair and
watching the proceedings from day to day, I have realised as nobody else
could have, with what zeal and devotion the members of the Drafting
Committee and especially its Chairman, Dr. Ambedkar in spite of his
indifferent health, have worked. We could never make a decision which was
or could be ever so right as when we put him on the Drafting Committee and
made him its Chairman. He has not only justified his selection but has
added luster to the work which he has done.”
After the first General Election in 1952, he became a member of the Rajya
Sabha. He was also awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Columbia
University in the same year. In 1953, he was also awarded another honorary
doctorate from Osmania University, Hyderabad.
Dr. Ambedkar’s health worsened in 1955 due to prolonged illness. He passed
away in his sleep on 6 December 1956 in Delhi.
II In the constitution assembly, a member of the drafting
committee, T. T. Krishnamachari said:
Mr. President, Sir, I am one of those in the House who have listened to Dr.
Ambedkar very carefully. I am aware of the amount of work and enthusiasm
that he has brought to bear on the work of drafting this Constitution. At
the same time, I do realise that that amount of attention that was
necessary for the purpose of drafting a constitution so important to us at
this moment has not been given to it by the Drafting Committee. The House
is perhaps aware that of the seven members nominated by you, one had
resigned from the House and was replaced. One died and was not replaced.
One was away in America and his place was not filled up and another person
was engaged in State affairs, and there was a void to that extent. One or
two people were far away from Delhi and perhaps reasons of health did not
permit them to attend. So it happened ultimately that the burden of
drafting this constitution fell on Dr. Ambedkar and I have no doubt that we
are grateful to him for having achieved this task in a manner which is
undoubtedly commendable.
III B. R. Ambedkar in his concluding speech in constituent assembly on
25 November 1949 stated that:
*The credit that is given to me does not really belong to me. It belongs
partly to Sir B.N. Rau the Constitutional Advisor to the Constituent
Assembly who prepared a rough draft of the Constitution for the
consideration of Drafting Committee*. A part of the credit must go to the
members of the Drafting Committee who, as I have said, have sat for 141
days and without whose ingenuity to devise new formulae and capacity to
tolerate and to accommodate different points of view, the task of framing
the Constitution could not have come to so successful a conclusion. Much
greater share of the credit must go to Mr. S. N. Mukherjee , the Chief
Draftsman of the Constitution. His ability to put the most intricate
proposals in the simplest and clearest legal form can rarely be equalled,
nor his capacity for hard work. He has been an acquisition to the Assembly.
Without his help this Assembly would have taken many more years to finalise
the Constitution. I must not omit to mention the members of the staff
working under Mr. Mukherjee. For, I known how hard they worked and how long
they have toiled sometimes even beyond midnight. I want to thank them all
for their effort and their co-operation.
IV Timeline of formation of the Constitution of India
6 December 1946: Formation of the Constitution Assembly (in accordance with
French practice)
9 December 1946: The first meeting was held in the constitution hall (now
the Central Hall of Parliament House). The 1st person to address was J. B.
Kripalani, Sacchidananda Sinha became temporary president. (Demanding a
separate state, the Muslim League boycotted the meeting.)
11 December 1946: The Assembly appointed Rajendra Prasad as its president,
H. C. Mukherjee as its vice-president and, B. N. Rau as constitutional
legal adviser. (There were initially 389 members in total, which declined
to 299 after partition, out of the 389 members, 292 were from government
provinces, four from chief commissioner provinces and 93 from princely
states.)
13 December 1946: An "Objective Resolution" was presented by Jawaharlal
Nehru, laying down the underlying principles of the constitution. This
later became the Preamble of the Constitution.
22 January 1947: Objective resolution unanimously adopted.
22 July 1947: National flag adopted.
15 August 1947: Achieved independence. India split into the Dominion of
India and the Dominion of Pakistan.
29 August 1947: Drafting Committee appointed with B. R. Ambedkar as its
chairman. The other six members of committee were K.M. Munshi, Muhammed
Sadulla, Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer, N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar, Devi Prasad
Khaitan and BL Mitter
16 July 1948: Along with Harendra Coomar Mookerjee, V. T. Krishnamachari
was also elected as second vice-president of Constituent Assembly.
26 November 1949: The Constitution of India was passed and adopted by the
assembly
24 January 1950: Last meeting of Constituent Assembly. The Constitution was
signed and accepted (with 395 Articles, 8 Schedules, and 22 Parts)
26 January 1950: The Constitution came into force. (The process took 2
years, 11 months and 18 days—at a total expenditure of ₹6.4 million to
finish.)
G. V. Mavlankar was the first Speaker of the Lok Sabha (the lower house of
Parliament) after India turned into a republic.
V Membership
B. R. Ambedkar, Sanjay Phakey, Jawaharlal Nehru, C. Rajagopalachari,
Rajendra Prasad, Vallabhbhai Patel, Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi, Ganesh
Vasudev Mavalankar, Sandipkumar Patel, Abul Kalam Azad, Shyama Prasad
Mukherjee, Nalin Ranjan Ghosh, and Balwantrai Mehta were key figures in the
assembly, which had over 30 representatives of the scheduled classes. Frank
Anthony represented the Anglo-Indian community, and the Parsis were
represented by H. P. Modi. Harendra Coomar Mookerjee, a Christian assembly
vice-president, chaired the minorities committee and represented
non-Anglo-Indian Christians. Ari Bahadur Gurung represented the Gorkha
community. Judges, such as Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer, Benegal Narsing Rau,
K. M. Munshi and Ganesh Mavlankar were members of the assembly. Female
members included Sarojini Naidu, Hansa Mehta, Durgabai Deshmukh, Amrit Kaur
and Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit.
The first, two-day president of the assembly was Sacchidananda Sinha;
Rajendra Prasad was later elected president. It met for the first time on 9
December 1946.
Drafting
.Sir B. N. Rau, a civil servant who became the first Indian judge in the
International Court of Justice and was president of the United Nations
Security Council, was appointed as the assembly's constitutional adviser in
1946 . Responsible for the constitution's general structure, Rau prepared
its initial draft in February 1948 The draft of B.N. Rau consisted of 243
articles and 13 schedules which came to 395 articles and 8 schedules after
discussions, debates and amendments.
At 14 August 1947 meeting of the assembly, committees were proposed Rau's
draft was considered, debated and amended by the seven-member drafting
committee, which was appointed on 29 August 1947 with B. R. Ambedkar as
chair. A revised draft constitution was prepared by the committee and
submitted to the assembly on 4 November 1947.
Before adopting the constitution, the assembly held eleven sessions in 165
days On 26 November 1949, it adopted the constitution, which was signed by
284 members The day is celebrated as National Law Day, or Constitution Day
The day was chosen to spread the importance of the constitution and to
spread thoughts and ideas of Ambedkar.
A bespectacled Jawaharlal Nehru bending over a large book
Jawaharlal Nehru signing the constitution
The assembly's final session convened on 24 January 1950. Each member
signed two copies of the constitution, one in Hindi and the other in
English. The original constitution is hand-written, with each page
decorated by artists from Shantiniketan including Beohar Rammanohar Sinha
and Nandalal Bose Its calligrapher was Prem Behari Narain Raizada. The
constitution was published in Dehradun and photolithographed by the Survey
of India. Production of the original constitution took nearly five years.
Two days later, on 26 January 1950, it became the law of India The
estimated cost of the Constituent Assembly was ₹6.3 crore. The constitution
has had more than 100 amendments since it was enacted.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
VI What was the work done by Ambedkar for the nation:
He played a pivotal role (as chairman of the committee while work was done
by B N Rau ICS) in drafting the Indian Constitution, embedding principles
of equality, liberty, and fraternity (as provided by Nehru which became the
pre-amble). In 1956, he embraced Buddhism to reject the caste hierarchy,
inspiring millions to follow his path. Ambedkar's legacy endures as a
beacon of empowerment and social reform in India.
Babasaheb Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's Contribution to Nation Building Jhunubala Das
As a social reformer, Dr. Ambedkar believed in peaceful methods of social
change. He was supported to constitutional lines in the evolutionary
process of social transformation. He thought the factors like law and order
are indispensable for social life. It also strives to sustain institutions
that will make better ‘social order’. He was opposed to the violent methods
in social change for it hinders the tranquillity and creates chaos. He had
no faith in anarchy methods. A welfare state of all cannot be developed on
the grounds of terror, force and brutal methods. According to him violent
methods to a peaceful society is not only improper but also unscientific
and immoral inequalities in the society.
He urged them to build organizations to deal with urgent cases of
discrimination. The organizations should deal the powerful section of
society to give a chance to the oppressed and depressed classes to work in
different sectors. The Hindu society should give a space to depressed
sections by employing them in their various sectors suited to the
capacities of applicants. According to Dr. Ambedkar, social change and
social justice are indeed critical to the egalitarianism that any democracy
must aspire it.
As a social democrat Dr. Ambedkar stressed on a much broader notion of
stable reconstruction of country with inclusive growth and cultural
integration in the Nation without caste discrimination. As the major
architect of the Indian Constitution, Dr. Ambedkar constructed the
safeguards for establishing a more equitable society to millions of
oppressed and depressed classes. (If so why quota system were drafted
separately?)
In this process, Dr. Ambedkar emerges not only as a valiant upholder of
the Indian democratic republic, but also captures the uniquely distinctive
place in the Indian Pantheon as a rare intellectual mass leader who
awakened the social conscience of Modern India.
Odisha Review
Dr. Ambedkar always showed his followers, through the way he lived his
own life, that education and hard work alone held the key to their
liberation. The untouchables had been a demoralized, helpless group of
people, but Ambedkar taught them to stop waiting for help to come from the
outside and to rely upon themselves instead. The idea was a revolutionary
one for a people who had always been told that their lot in life was
preordained and that they had no control over it. He strongly believed that
political institutions were responsible for reforming the existing social
institutions by using legislative force to yield the results. Political
institutions will survive only when they actively work for social
reformation. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was a freedom fighter of the truest kind, *not
merely dreaming of setting India force from British rule, but of
transforming India into a country where freedom holds meaning for everyone.*
While Mahatma Gandhi led fellow Indians in a struggle against
discrimination in South Africa, Dr. Ambedkar led a battle, too, against
prejudice within his own country. By securing equality for his community,
he was creating a more equal world for us all. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar as an
emancipator of the Dalits Dr. Ambedkar dedicated his life for the uplifting
of Dalits. He was opposed to the theory of caste-based superiority and
social discrimination. He made a path for legal rights to enact the laws in
connection with progress of dalits which could positively change their
lives.
Dr. Ambedkar said, “You can change your lot, but do not flock to
temples hoping for justice to come to you in heaven. There is justice to
be found on earth if you can fight for it. This idea gave them a new
courage and a sense of self respect that they had never known before. The
Ambedkar statue was an icon for depressed and oppressed classes civil
rights. His posture, Constitution in his hand and showing a new path for
millions of downtrodden people to modern society were symbols in the new
era. To conclude, Dr. Ambedkar has always resembled in lives of 160 million
strong Dalit communities throughout the country.
Dr. Ambedkar views were consistently been inspiring the oppressed,
depressed and the downtrodden classes to challenge the dominant strands of
political articulations in the country. According to Raja Sekhar Vundru who
calls Dr. Ambedkar as the other father said: “Dr. Ambedkar gave millions of
untouchables an identity of their own … (He) is now regarded as a great
Indian, a person relevant for all times to come. This is not because his
followers are unwavering in their devotion, or that they happen to be
numerically higher than supporters of any other person (dead or living) in
India, and certainly not because he probably has been represented in the
highest number of statues erected for any man in history. It is because his
following has transcended generations. His relevance political, social,
ideological, religious, economic will persist as long as the clamour and
struggle for justice and equal rights exists”. very early on that he had a
lot to achieve and that time would always be running out for him. He was an
intellectual giant and perhaps if the plight of the untouchables had not
pushed him into politics, he could have been a scholar. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
in “Annihilation of Caste” has remarked; an ideal society should be mobile,
should be full of channels for conveying a change taking place in one part
to other parts. In an ideal society there should be many interests
consciously communicated and shared. There should be varied and free points
of contact with other modes of association. In other words, there should be
social endosmosis. This is fraternity, which is only another name for
democracy. Democracy is not merely a form of Government. It is primarily a
mode of associated living, of conjoint communicated experience. It is
essentially an attitude of respect and reverence towards fellowmen. As a
Scholar, he starved through university life, saving every penny for his
family back home and to buy books. It was no easy at any point to fight his
way forward without a family fortune behind him and yet he did. He turned
his hardships into an opportunity to become stronger and to fight harder.
He was unafraid of opposition, of thinking differently from the crowd and
of speaking his mind. Dr. Ambedkar, in his brief life time, managed to
acquire several University degrees at the finest schools in the world, to
edit newspapers, to write books, to become the principal of a law college,
to lead mass movements, to address public conferences and to work on
committees involved with the making of the Indian nation. It was as though
he sensed Books were not only his weakness. He had a penchant for fountain
pens of all kinds.
He enjoyed well-tailored clothes and loved dogs. As an adult, he
took up both painting and playing the violin because he believed that every
man should love music and art. His hobbies, be it reading or music, spoke
of his softer side. But in his political career, not many people saw this
side of Ambedkar. He was often described as British bulldog and Sarojini
Naidu once called him Mussolini. There is perhaps no one who had escaped
his sharp tongue and unforgiving sarcasm, especially if those rebukes were
deserved. He was truthful to the point of being harsh. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
was the first Indian to pursue a doctorate in economics abroad. He argued
that industrialisation and agricultural growth could enhance the Indian
economy. He stressed investment in agriculture as the primary industry of
India. According to Sharad Pawar, Ambedkar’s vision helped the government
to achieve its food security goal. Ambedkar advocated national economic and
social development, stressing education, public hygiene, community health,
residential facilities as the basic amenities. His D.Sc thesis “The problem
of the Rupee: Its origin and solution” (1923) examines the causes for the
Rupee’s fall in value. He proved the importance of price stability over
exchange stability. He analysed the silver and gold exchange rates and
their effect on the economy, and found the reasons for the failure of
British India’s public treasury. He calculated the loss of development
caused by British rule. In 1951, Ambedkar established the Finance
Commission of India. He opposed income tax for low-income groups. He
contributed in Land Revenue Tax and excise duty policies to stabilise the
economy. He played an important role in land reform and the state economic
development. According to him, the caste system divided labourers and
impeded economic progress. He emphasised a free economy with a stable Rupee
which India has adopted recently. He advocated birth control to develop the
Indian economy, and this has been adopted by Indian government as national
policy for family planning. He emphasised equal rights for women for
economic development. He laid the foundation of industrial relations after
Indian independence. Reserve Bank of India Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was trained as
an economist, and was a professional economist until 1921, when he became a
political leader. He wrote three scholarly books on economics: *he
cautioned his fellow legislators against the use of non-constitutional
methods of protest, such as civil disobedience and Satyagraha, because they
were essentially anarchic in nature*. {So Gandhian method was not like by
him and in independence as achieved by Gandhi?) He rallied against the
Indian tendency to engage in hero worship. {AND MADE ALL DRAVIDA WHO
MENTIONED HIS NAME TO FGALL AT FEET AND HERO-WORSHIP? AND YET THEIR BACK UP
ON AMBEDKAR IS NOT JUST POLITICAL HARPING ONLY/ AND AMIT SHA MADE ANY
ERROR?}
He was afraid that the people of India would lay their liberation at
the feet of someone they worshipped or entrust them with extraordinary
limitless powers. {IS THAT NOT TRUE TODAY IN EVERY STATE POLITICS AND YET
AMBEDKAR IS DEFENDED AND CHERISHED BY SUCH PEOPLE WHO FORCED WORSHIPPING
HUMAN WORSHIPPING?} He also underlined the importance of creating not just
a political democracy, but also a social and economic one. His Ph.D thesis
was inspired to set up for the Finance Commission of India and his works
helped a lot in framing guidelines for the RBI Act, 1934. He was one of the
founders of Employment Exchanges in our country. He played a vital role in
establishment of the National Power Grid System, Central Water Irrigation,
Navigation Commission, Damodar Valley Project, Hirakud Dam Project and Sone
River Project. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar as a major contributor to Indian
Constitution--Administration and Finance of the East India Company The
Evolution of Provincial Finance in British India The Problem of the Rupee:
Its Origin and Its Solution. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), was based on
the ideas that Dr. B.R. Ambedkar presented to the Hilton Young Commission.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar as a Nation builder He was outspoken about his ideas of
nation building. He possessed great foresight and his warnings about the
future of India ring so true today. In a speech before the constituent
assembly
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar had imprinted his mark of talent and vision in
drafting Indian Constitution. His statesman qualities can be easily visible
in each and every article of Indian Constitution. Ambedkar preferred the
parliamentary system in England than the Presidential System in America.
Dr. Ambedkar described the role of President as “He is the head of the
state but not the executive. He represents to nation but does not rule the
nation. He is the symbol of the nation. His place in the administration is
that of a ceremonial device on a seal by which the nation’s decisions are
made known … The President of the Indian Union will be generally bound by
the advice of the Ministry. He can do nothing contrary to their advice nor
can he do anything without their advice”. {THE CONSTITUTIONAL DRAFTED
ENABLED A PUPPET PRESIDENT WANTONLY AS A CHAIRMAN?} He strongly supported
for federal system.
He said “The Draft constitution is, Federal Constitution (BASIS
FOR STALIN LIKE TO INSULT CENTER AND SO DID HE SAY REALLY UINSULT?} as it
establishes what may be called Dual polity. This Dual polity under the
proposed Constitution will consist of the union at the centre and the
states at the periphery each endowed with sovereign powers to be exercised
in the field assigned to them respectively by the Constitution……. The draft
constitution can be both unitary as well as federal according to the
requirements of time and circumstances. In normal times, it is framed to
work as a federal system. But in times of war it is so designed as to make
it work as though it was a unitary system”. {HENCE FEDERALITY IS UNLIKE USA
AND ONLY ACCORDING TO CONSTITUTION AND CIRCUMDSTANCES ASSIGNED AND ONLY IN
WAR-TIME; IF SO HIS VIEW IS WRONGLY CONFIGURED BY PEOPLE HOODWINKING ALL?}
article in this as the most important an article without which the
Constitution would be a nullity I would not refer to any other article
except this one. It is the very soul of the Constitution and heart of it”.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar said about independent Election Commission that “the
greatest safeguard for purity of elections, for fairness in elections, was
to take away the matter from the hands of the executive authority and to
hand it over to some independent authority”. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar supported
the minorities’ rights that “It is wrong for the majority to deny the
existence of minorities. It is equally wrong for the minorities to
perpetuate themselves. A solution must be found which will serve a double
purpose. It must recognize the existence of the minorities to start with.
It must also be such that it will enable majorities and minorities to merge
somebody into one. The solution proposed by the constituent assembly is to
be welcomed because it is a solution which serves this two-fold purpose”.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar clarified about the criticisms of The Directive
Principles of state policy as “whoever captures power will not be free to
do what he likes with it. In the exercise of it, he will have to respect
these instruments of instructions which are called Directive Principles. He
cannot ignore them. He may not have to answer for their breach in a court
of Law. But he will certainly have to answer for them before the electorate
at election time”.{IS THIS REALLY HAPPENNING? AND WHY STATES MISBEHAVE?
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar stated about Article 32 that “If I was asked to name any
particular
He remarked about the Constitution as “It is workable, it is flexible and
it is strong enough to hold the country together both in peace time and in
war time. Indeed, if I may so, if things go wrong under the new
Constitution, the reason will not be that we had a bad Constitution what we
will have to say is that man is vile”. {*****Imp)
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was of the opinion that traditional religious values
should be given up and new ideas adopted. He laid special emphasis on
dignity, unity, freedom and rights for all citizens as enshrined in the
Constitution. Ambedkar advocated democracy in every field: social, economic
and political. For him social justice meant maximum happiness to the
maximum number of people. {hence brahmins made minority?} Babasaheb Dr.
B.R. Ambedkar, the Chief Architect of Indian Constitution was a scholar par
excellence, a philosopher, a visionary, an emancipator and a true
nationalist. He led a number of social movements to secure human rights to
the oppressed and depressed sections of the society. He stands as a symbol
of struggle for social justice. Thus Ambedkar wanted a nation to be built
on the democratic method, upholding the trinity of freedom, equality and
fraternity in a parliamentary democracy. Wherein majority should rule but
not at the cost of minority, thus the proper protection to the marginalized
is the essence of an egalitarian nation.
24th May, 1956, on the occasion of Buddha Jayanti, he declared in
Bombay, that he would adopt Buddhism in October. On October 14, 1956 he
embraced Buddhism along with many of his followers. The same year he
completed his last writing ‘Buddha and His Dharma’. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s
patriotism started with the upliftment of the downtrodden and the poor. He
fought for their equality and rights. His ideas about patriotism were not
only confined to the abolition of colonialism, but he also wanted freedom
for every individual. For him freedom without equality, democracy and
equality without freedom could lead to absolute dictatorship. A number of
unfinished typescripts and handwritten drafts were found among Ambedkar’s
notes and papers and gradually made available. Among these were Waiting for
a Visa, which probably dates from 1935–36 and is an autobiographical work,
and the Untouchables, or the Children of India’s Ghetto, which refers to
the census of 1951
A memorial for Ambedkar was established in his Delhi house at 26
Alipur Road. His birth date is celebrated as a public holiday known as
Ambedkar Jayanti or Bhim Jayanti. He was posthumously awarded India’s
highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1990. Since 1948, Dr. B. R.
Ambedkar suffered from diabetes. He was bed-ridden from June to October in
1954 due to medication side-effects and poor eyesight. He had been
increasingly embittered by political issues, which took a toll on his
health. His health worsened during 1955. Three days after completing his
final manuscript The 'Buddha and His Dhamma', Ambedkar died in his sleep on
6 December 1956 at his home in Delhi. A Buddhist cremation was organised at
Dadar Chowpatty beach on 7 December, attended by half a million grieving
people. A conversion programme was organised on 16 December 1956, so that
cremation attendees were also converted to Buddhism at the same place
.Ambedkar was survived by his second wife, who died in 2003, and his son
Yashwant (known as BhaiyasahebAmbedkar). Ambedkar’s grandson, Ambedkar
Prakash Yashwant, is the chief-adviser of the Buddhist Society of India,
leads the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh and has served in both houses of the
Indian Parliament. On the anniversary of his birth and death, and on
Dhamma Chakra Pravartan Din (14 October) at Nagpur, at least half a million
people gathered to pay homage to him at his memorial in Mumbai. Thousands
of bookshops are set up, and books are sold.
VII His message to his followers was “educate, agitate, organise !”.
Famous quotes by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar:
. “They cannot make history who forget history”.
“Be Educated, Be Organised and Be Agitated”
“I like the religion that teaches liberty, equality and fraternity” “Life
should be great rather than long”.
“If I find the Constitution being misused, I shall be the first to burn
it.”
“Cultivation of mind should be the ultimate aim of human existence”
. “If you believe in living a respectable life, you believe in self-help
which is the best help”.
“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.”
publications and workers’ unions that remain active across India,
especially in Maharashtra. His promotion of Buddhism has rejuvenated
interest in Buddhist philosophy among sections of population in India. Mass
conversion ceremonies have been organised by human rights activists in
modern times, emulating Ambedkar’s Nagpur ceremony of 1956. Some Indian
Buddhists regard him as a Bodhisattva, although he never claimed it
himself. Outside India, during the late 1990s, some Hungarian Romani people
drew parallels between their own situation and that of the downtrodden
people in India. Inspired by Ambedkar, they started to convert to Buddhism.
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 medicines of the body politic and when the body
politic gets sick, medicine must be administered.”
17. “Freedom of mind is the real freedom. A person, whose mind is not free
though he may not be in chains, is a slave, not a free man. One, whose mind
is not free, though he may not be in prison, is a prisoner and not a free
man. One whose mind is not free though alive, is no better than dead.
Freedom of mind is the proof of one’s existence.”
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
KR In that era where oppressions were on peak, as alleged by so
many, Ambedkar could raise in standards without losing even a year and went
abroad for higher education also. And he also advocated only to move on own
strength. THAT WOULD MAKE IT CLEAR, THAT ONLY HE SHALL PUSH HIMSELF
PUTREACH AND NOT BY QUOTA AND LAW. 2 MERIT IS RECOGNISED IF ONE HAS A
STUFF. 3 DISCRIMINATIONS WOULD EXIST AND ONE HAS TO COME OUT OF IT BY
EDUCATING ONESELF. 4 RELIGION IS AMUST AND SO AMBEDKAR-POITICAL-LEADERS’
MESSAGES ARE BOGUS. 5 UNTIL BRITISHERS WERE THERE, HE WAS IN SUIT AND
SILENT THOUGH WELL LEARNED. 6 HE SAID THE CONSTITUION AROSE ONLY BECAUSE OF
B N RAU ICS 7 THE CREDITS WERE ASSIGNED TO SO MANY BY AMBEDKAR THOUGH THE
POLITICO-SUBEDARS, SHOWERED ALL ONLY TO HIM. 8 DALIY LIFT UP CAME ABOUT
ONLY AFTER THE INDEPENDENCE AND IN JUIST A DECADE WHAT HE COULD HAVE
EXERTED. MNOW LET RAHUL DOWN LET US KNOW WHAT WAS IMMINENT WORDS THAT
BROUGHT DOWN AMBEDKAAR K RAJARAM IRS 201224
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