Prose

The Grammar of Anarchy

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar

“The Grammar of Anarchy” is an extract from Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s closing

speech in the Constituent Assembly on November 25, 1949. Dr. Ambedkar urges the
need for making India a full-fledged nation and protect its independence.

He expresses his anxiousness about the retention of Indian Independence in

future. India once lost it independence by the infidelity and treachery of some of her
own people. He says that if it loses its independence again it would lose it forever.
He is anxious about the Indian Constitution that is going to be adopted on 26 th Jan,
1950. He also expresses his doubts about preservation of democratic system that India
once lost. He says that there is a danger of democracy giving place to dictator ship in
future if we don’t protect it properly.

He suggests three ways to protect our democracy not only in form but in fact.

The first thing that we should do is to hold fast to constitutional methods and
abandon the method of civil disobedience, non-cooperation and satyagraha. These
methods are nothing but Grammar of Anarchy.

The second thing is to shun hero-worship completely. We should not lay our
liberty at the feet of even a great man. Bhakti or hero-worship is sure road to
degradation and eventual dictatorship.

The third thing is to make political democracy a social democracy. Social

democracy means a way of life which recognizes liberty, equality and fraternity as the
principles of life.
He advises us to remove the life of contradictions or else our political
democracy would be in peril. He says that the castes in India are anti-national because
they bring about separation in social life. The democracy in India can be preserved
only by the establishment of liberty, equality and fraternity.

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