11th August 2020

 Musings.......

Freedom Fighters- Part 11 

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar 

Babasaheb Ambedkar was Born 1891 in Mhow Military Cantonment in Central Provinces ( now Madhya Pradesh), into a family with Marathi background. He was born a low caste Mahar who were treated as untouchables and subjected to socio- economic discrimination. 

Ambedkar was the first untouchable to enrol in Elephinstone College in Bombay University. The irony of then times was that his Mahar community celebrated him passing English fourth standard examinations. According to them he had reached “ great heights”. Such was the condition of the lower castes in those times. 

By 1912 Ambedkar got his degree from Bombay University and moved to the United States in 1913 under a scholarship of Baroda State Scholarship Scheme of 11.5 Pounds Sterling per month for three years. He did his postgraduate studies at the Columbia University. 

In 1916 he presented a paper “ Castes in India - Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development. 

Ambedkar completed his doctoral thesis from the London School of Ecoomics in 1923 on “The problem of the rupee: its origin and its solution”. 

He opposed the Aryan Invasion Theory and called it absurd. In his book “ Who were the Shudras” he viewed Shudras as to be part of the ‘ Kshatriya Varna in the Indo- Aryan Society’ but became socially degraded by the Brahmins. 

Ambedkar had to shift multiple jobs as he was of lower caste.  His work for the Princely state of Baroda, Investment consultant business, and as Professor of Economy in Sydenham College of Economics in Bombay had to be abandoned as he faced discrimination from his colleagues.  

Ambedkar was invited to testify before the Scarborough Committee preparing the Government of India Act 1919. He argued for creating seperate electorates and reservations for untouchables and minorities. 

In 1920, he began his weekly publication “ Mookanayak”. 

He organised the “ Bahishkrit Hitkarni Sabha” to promote education and socio-economic betterment of the lower castes.Bahishkrit Bharat and Equality Janata were his other weeklies. 

He was appointed to Bombay Presidency Committee to work with Simon Commission in 1925. He wrote a seperate set of recommendations for the future Constitution of India. 

By 1927 Ambedkar decided to launch active movements against untouchability, use of public wells, Temple entry. He condemned the Manusmriti which justified the caste system and burnt copies of Manusmriti along with his supporters. 

In 1932 British declared seperate electorate for the ‘Depressed Classes’. Mahatma Gandhi protested this move saying it would divide the Hindu community and started his historic fast unto death in Yerwada Jail, Pune. 

The Poona Pact was signed in 1932 between Ambedkar ( on behalf of depressed classes) and Congress leader Madan Mohan Malviya ( representing rest of Hindu community ).  This agreement gave reserved seats for depressed classes in Provincial Legislatures. 

The term “ Depressed Classes” were used for the first time here and later changed to Schedule Caste and Tribes subsequently. 

In 1936 Ambedkar formed the ‘ Independent Labour Party’.  

His book criticising Hindu orthodoxy “ Annihilation of Caste” was published in 1936. 

Ambedkar was supportive of a Pakistan for Muslims and supported the partition in his 400 page note “ Thoughts on Pakistan”.  He proposed here that the boundaries of Punjab and Bengal be redrawn to seperate Muslim and non-Muslim areas. 

Ambedkar unsuccessfully contested from Bombay North in first General Elections of 1952 and later in a by election of 1954 but lost to Congress candidates. In the by election he came third. 

Post Independence Ambedkar was invited by Congress to be India’s first Law Minister which he accepted. 

Ambedkar was appointed the Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee. This remains one of Ambedkars biggest legacy. 

In 1955 Ambedkar founded the Bharathiya Bauddha Mahasabha and converted to Buddhism after attending the World Fellowship of Buddhists in Ceylon. 

His final work “ Buddha and his Dhamma” was published in 1955 which he completed three days before he passed away. 

Ambedkar believed in individual freedom and criticised the caste society. Of course Ambedkar has been criticised for his one sided views on issue of caste and his non cooperation in the Indian National movement. 

Whatever said and done Ambedkar is still considered by many as the leader who uplifted the Untouchables and gave them a voice and their rightful place in the Constitution of India. 

Food for Thought.......

RC