DR.

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

(Father of Indian Constitution)

There is always a limit of a words, while praising an unlimited contribution of a great

leaders.

-Kanwar Navtej Singh

We all know the father of our constitution is Dr. B.R. Ambedkar (14 April 1891 6
December 1956). He was the 14th and last child of Ramji Maloji Sakpal, an army officer
who held the rank of Subedar, and Bhimabai Murbadkar Sakpal. He did his Under-
graduation from University of Bombay and Post-graduation from London at Columbia
University. Beside this he also Post-graduated in Economic at London school of
Economics.

All over India 14th April is celebrated as Ambedkar Jayanti and 26th Nov as
Constitutional Day. We hear songs of Ambedkar at every nook and corner and we keep
wondering, why are some people so crazy about him. We all recognize Dr. B. R.
Ambedkar (Baba sahib) as the architect of the Indian constitution and a crusader for
the rights of the untouchables.

Ambedkar's original name was Ambavadekar, but his teacher (who was very fond of this
brilliant child) changed his surname from 'Ambavadekar' to 'Ambedkar' in school
records. 'Ambedkar' was the teacher's own surname.

All that we know about Dr. Ambedkar is that he was the messiah of untouchables and
someone who drafted our constitution. The contribution of Ambedkar to the formation
of our modern day Indian society is immense. He was an erudite leader whose
thoughts were prophetic.

Some of these facts will change your perception about Ambedkar completely.

1. Way back in the year 1955 Ambedkar had suggested the division of
both Madhya Pradesh and Bihar for better governance. The states
were bifurcated 45 years later and in the year 2000 states of
Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand were formed.

2. Ambedkar played a key role in establishment of Reserve Bank of India in

1935. It was formed based on the guidelines provided by Dr. Ambedkar.
His book The Problem of the Rupee-Its Origin and Its Solution was
widely referred during the formation of RBI.
3. At the 7th Session of Indian Labour conference, Ambedkar changed the
working hours in India from 14 hours to 8 hours.

4. Ambedkars autobiography named Waiting for a Visa which he

wrote during 1935-36 is used as a text book in the Columbia University.

5. Ambedkar was instrumental in forming the National Employment

Exchange Agency in India.

6. Ambdekars self-published book Annihilation of Caste is actually a text

of his undelivered speech at the Annual Hindu conference of the Jat-Pat-
Todak Mandal.

7. Ambedkar played a crucial role in establishment of large dam technology

in India. He contributed in setting up of Damodar, Hirakud and Sone
river dam projects.

8. In 1952, Ambedkar contested first Lok Sabha election from Bombay North
and lost to Congress candidate Naryan Kajrolkar.

9. Ambedkar had opposed Article 370 of the Indian constitution which gives
special status to the state of Jammu & Kashmir.

10. Apart from being the saviour of the untouchables, Ambedkar also
fought for the emancipation of women. He resigned from the cabinet in
1952 because his Hindu Code Bill was not passed. He had argued in it for
the equal rights for women in inheritance and marriage. Later on
these laws were enacted under the Hindu Marriage Act.

On 25 November 1949, He was addressing the parliamentarians after the completion of

constitution writing. He thanked other members of drafting committee for their
patience, help and contribution.

He ended his speech with three warnings about the future.

The first concerned the place of popular protest in a democracy. There was no place for
bloody revolution, of course, but in his view there was no room for Gandhian methods
either. We must abandon the method of civil
disobedience, non-cooperation and satyagraha [popular protest]. Under an autocratic
regime, there might be some justification for them, but not now, when constitutional
methods of redress were available. Satyagraha and the like, said Ambedkar, were
nothing but the grammar of anarchy and the sooner they are abandoned, the better for
us.

The second warning concerned the unthinking submission to charismatic authority.

Ambedkar quoted John Stuart Mill, who cautioned citizens not to lay their liberties at
the feet of even a great man, or to trust him with powers which enable him to subvert
their institutions. This warning was even more pertinent here than in England, for in
India, Bhakti or what may be called the path of devotion or hero-worship, plays apart in
its politics unequalled in magnitude by the part it plays in the politics of any other
country in the world. Bhakti in religion may be the road to the salvation of a soul. But in
politics, Bhakti or hero-worship is a sure road to degradation and to eventual
dictatorship.

Ambedkars final warning was to urge Indians not to be content with what he called
mere political democracy. India had got rid of alien rule, but it was still riven by
inequality and hierarchy. Thus, once the country formally became a republic on 26
January 1950, it was going to enter a life of contradictions. In politics we will have
equality and in social and economic life we will have inequality. In politics we will be
recognizing the principle of one man one vote and one vote one value. In our social and
economic life, we shall, by reason of our social and economic structure, continue to deny
the principle of one man one value. How long shall we continue to live this life of
contradictions? How long shall we continue to deny equality in our social and economic
life? If we continue to deny it for long, we will do so only by putting our political
democracy in peril.

Now visualize the current scenario after 69 years and imagine how true he was.

At last, these nice words said by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar which makes us think and realize
about this great mind which made the future of India.

Cultivation of mind should be the ultimate aim of human existence.

We are Indians, firstly and lastly.

By

Kanwar Navtej Singh

MD-2

Texila American University

 Refrences
https://www.quora.com/What-facts-will-completely-change-your-
perception-about-Dr-B-R-Ambedkar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._R._Ambedkar

https://yourstory.com/2015/04/quotes-b_r-ambedkar/