Dr.Bhimrao Ambedkar (1891)-(1956) :- StudySpot02
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar (1891-1956)
Early Life
Dr. Ambedkar was born on 14th April 1891 at a place called Mhow in Central ptovince, in a poor hindu Mahar family. He dedicated his entire life for the upliftment of the Depressed Classes. He provided a concrete ideological framework to the Dalit Movement. He was the fourteenth and the last child of his parents Ramji Maloji Sakpal and Bhimabai Murbadkar Sakpal Ambavadekar. His original surname Ambavadekar comes from his native village Ambavade in Mandangad Taluka of Ratnagiri Distrrict. His father Ramji Maloji Sakpal was a Subedar in the military service of the British-Indian Government. He was posted at mhow Cantonment in M.P. After his retirement in 1894, the family moved to Satara. Bhimrao lost his mother when he was five years of age. Then the family shifted to Bombay, where he studied in the Elphinstone High School. Before Ambedkar passed the Matriculation examination in 1907, he was married to Ramabai, a nine year old girl from Dapoli, as was the custom in those days. Ambedkar lost his father in 1913. While Bhimrao was learning in school, his Brahmin teacher Mahadev Ambedkar, who was fond of him, changed his surname from 'Ambavadekar' to his own surname 'Ambedkar' in the school records.Higher Education
Bhimrao had done his bachelors degree in arts with political science and economics as his special subjects from the Elphinstone College in Bombay. For doing M.A., he went to America in 1913 on a scholarship given by the Maharaja of Baroda. Bhimrao studied in the Columbia University. He passed his M.A. Examination in June 1915. The topic of his dissertation was "Trade In Ancient India". With the help of the former Bombay Governor Lord Sydenham, Ambedkar obtained the job as a professor of political economy at the Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics in Bombay. In order to continue his further studies, in 1920 he went to England at his own expenses. He studied at the London School of Economics. He was provided economic assistance by Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur and Sayaji Rao III Gaikwad of Baroda. In England, he was awarded the honour of D.Sc by the London University, for his dissertation on The Problem of the Indian Rupee'. In 1923 he became a barrister, Ambedkar also spent few months at the University of Bonn, Germany, to study economics. On 8th June 1927; he was awarded a Doctorate by the University of Columbia.During his studies abroad, he imbibed the western liberal thoughts and the humantarian philosophy expounded by the great western thinkers.
Leader of the Depressed
After returning to India, the Maharaja of Baroda appointed him as his political secretary. But no one would accept orders from him, as he belonged to a lower caste .so he returned to Bombay. He practiced law at Bombay for few years, but emancipation of Depressed classes became the mission of his life . On 20th July 1924 he organized the " Bahishkrit hitakarni sabha " (TheAssociation for welfare of the outcaste ) at Bombay with the objective of raising the educational, political, moral and material status of the so-called untouchables and bring them to level of others. In 1926 , when a large rally of the untouchables was held in the Rahimatpur village of satara , Ambedkar appealed his brethrens to give up the right of Vatandari and Gavki . As result , many untouchables stopped working for the village community, and instead took up different jobs .
Ambedkar also struggled unrelently for the untouchables' right to temple entry and to draw water from public wells. His contention was that the Dalits were also human beings and they must get the dignity and rights, which other human beings were getting, His struggles had brought about a great social and political consciousness among the depressed people. On 20th March 1927, he carried a strong agitation at Mahad in the Colaba (now Raigadh) District in order to get the Chavdar Lake opened for the Depressed people. On 25th December 1927, he had a symbolic bonfire of Manu Srnriti, which according to him, recommended social inequalities based upon caste discrimination and untouchability. This bonfire ceremony was carried with the support of his Brahmin follower Gangadhar Sasrabuddhe. In 1929, he had another agitation to give access to depressed people to the Parvati temple at Puna and in 1936 he carried yet another agitation to get the Kalaram temple at Nasik opened for them.He did not beg for the rights but demanded them and fought for them. He wrote a number of books, brought out journals and set up institutions to promote the interests of the Depressed Classes. He took part in all the three Round Table Conferences as the sole leader of the Depressed Classes and pressed for legal provisions to safeguard the interests of the Depressed Classes. Both, the Congress and the British accepted him as the representative of the untouchables. He preached the depressed people to "educate, organize and agitate" Dr. Ambedkar made them fearless, created in them self-confidence and aroused their self-respect.
Newspapers and Books
To ventilate the problems and rights of the depressed classes, Ambedkar started four different newspapers one after the other. Namely 'Mukanayaka' (Leader of the Dumb) (from Bombay in 1920), 'Bahishkrit Bharat' (1927), 'Samata'(1928) and 'Janata' (1931). In 1956, the 'Janata' was transformed into 'Prabuddha Bharat'. He wrote the book Who were the Shudras?' in which he argued that the Shudra were actually Kshatryas but the Brahmins refused to perform their religious sacraments and there by reduced them to the position of Shudras.Ambedkar also wrote several other thought provoking books such as, 'annihilation of Caste', The Untouchables', The Buddha and His Dhamma' and Thoughts on Pakistan'.Independence of thought and fearless presentation of facts were the characteristics of all his writings. The Government of Maharashtra appointed a committee under the chairmanship of Vasant Moon to compile and publish the speeches and writings of Ambedkar. The Government has so far published 22 volumes of writings and speeches,.which are being translated into other Indian languages.
Mahatma Gandhi and Ambedkar
The first personal meeting between Mahatma Gandhi and Babasaheb Ambedkar took place at Mani Bhavan, in Mumbai. On 14 August 1931. The meeting went badly, and set the two men on a course of conflict which lasted the remainder of both their lives. Their foundational and permanent disagreement to be on two questions: "What is the answer to Untouchability?• and: -Who the rightful spokesperson of India's Untouchables, Gandhi or Ambedkar?" The Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald gave the Communal Award on 16th August 1932, which granted separate electorates for the Dalits. Gandhiji regard this as a British move to separate the Untouchables from the Hindu society, which was fatal for the national unity. Therefore, on 20th September 1932, Gandhiji, who was in the Yeravada Jail, declared a fast unto death. Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya mediated and to save the life of Gandhiji, Ambedkar agreed to compromise. An agreement was signed between Gandhiji and Dr. Ambedkar on 26th September 1932, by which Ambedkar consented to give up separate communal electorates for the Dalits. Instead, the Pact provided 151 reserved seats for the Scheduled Castes in the joint electorate. This agreement came Dr. Ambedkar had serious differences with Gandhiji and he even accused Gandhiji of not doing enough for the untouchables in his book 'What the Congress and Gandhiji have done for the untouchables?'
Dr. Ambedkar served as the Principal of the Government Law College Mumbai for two years. In May 1935, his first wife Ramabai died after a prolonged illness. But from 1948, as Ambedkar's health was declining, he required someone to take his care. Therefore, he married Dr. Sharada Kabir (Savita Ambedkar) on 15th April 1948.
Educational Work
Ambedkar believed that denial of education was the main reason of the backwardness of the depressed classes. Education is power, and with it the empowerment of the depressed classes can be possible. Therefore, he insisted upon the education of the depressed classes. In 1925, he established a hostel for the students of the depressed classes, and gradually he established many more such hostels in different parts of Maharashtra.He insisted upon having co-education, and rejected the claim that co-education can harm morality. In 1928, he appeared before the Simon Commission and demanded the introduction of free and compulsory primary education for all. When he announced his intention to leave Hinduism, the leaders of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) approached him and invited him to Sikhism. He requested the SGPC to establish college wherin the students of the Sikh Community and depressed classes would get education. Accordingly, due to Ambedkar's initiative, the Khalsa College was established at Matunga in 1935. Dr. Ambedkar established the People & Education Society in 1946, which founded the Siddhartha College of Arts and Science at Bombay on 20th June 1946, and the Milind College at Aurangabad on 20th June 1952.
Political Career
In August 1936, Dr. Ambedkar founded the Inde ndent Labour Party.In the 1937 elections to central legislative assembly, his party won 15 out of 17 seats for which they contested. Later on in 1942, he transformed this political party into the All India Scheduled Castes Federation (AISCF). But it performed poorly in the 1946 elections for the Constituent Assembly. It remained mainly as a pressure group to secure better conditions and legislation for Dalits in the soon-to-be-independent India. From 1942 to 1946, Dr. Ambedkar was appointed on the Defence Advisory Committee and' the Viceroy's Executive Council as Minister for Labour. His reputation as a scholar led to his appointment as free Indias first Law Minister in Nehru's cabinet. On 29th August 1947, he appointed the chairman of the committee responsible to draft a constitution of independent India. The new Constitution drafted by Dr. Ambedkar was based on four main principles — Liberty, Equality, Fraternity and Social Justice. He had a lion's share in preparing the 'Hindu Code Bill'. But this bill was opposed by many orthodox sections, including some top Congress leaders. Nehru feared that the Hindu Code Bill might adversely affect the Congress in the forthcoming elections. Therefore, on 26th November 1951, Nehru declared that for the time being, the Bill would not be discussed in the Parliament. But B.R. Ambedkar, who considered the urgency of passing this Bill was disappointed and did not like that Nehru should succumb to the pressure of the conservative people. Therefore, Dr. Ambedkar resigned from the Union Cabinet as the Law Minister. In the first General Elections to the Lok Sabha held in 1951, Dr. Ambedkar contested from North Bombay, but was defeated by the Congress candidate Narayan Sadoba Kajrolkar, who had been once his assistant.
Conversion to Buddhism
On 13th October 1934 speaking at the Yeola Convension in Nasik District, he declared his intention to embrace another religion. He said, "Although I am born as a Hindu, I will- not die as a Hindu." He told his followers, "you have nothing to lose except your religion". In 1950, Dr. Ambedkar traveled to Sri Lanka to attend a convention of Buddhist scholars and monks. He also twice visited Burma in 1954. Dr. Ambedkar founded the Bharatiya Bauddha Mahasabha in 1955. On May 24th may 1956, the day of Buddha Jayanti, he declared in Bombay, that he would embrace Buddhism in October. On 14th October 1956, the day of Vijaya Dashami, he embraced Buddhism at Nagpur along with five lakh followers as the ultimate sign of protest. This is called the second Dharma Chakra Pravartan. Therefor, this place came to be called as 'Deeksha Bhumi'. This mass conversion was a tribute to humanistic philosophy of the Buddha. In Buddhism, Ambedkar found a rational, equalitarian philosophy, which he found in agreement with his political principles. He administered an oath to his followers, according to which they were not to worship Hindu Gods, and eat the meat of dead animals. He travelled to Kathmandu to attend the Fourth World Buddhist Conference. He also completed his final manuscript, "The Buddha or Karl Marx" on 2nd December 1956. Dr. Ambedkar passed away on 6th December 1956 at the age of 65.
A number of organizations of the people of the Depressed Classes were formed. They played an important role in organizing the people of the Depressed Classes to fight for their rights. K. Rangarao started schools in 1897 to impart free education to the children of depressed classes. The 'Depressed class Mission' was founded at Bombay by the Prarthana Samaj in 1898. The Mangalore branch Of the Prarthana Samaj ran a school for the untouchables, whereas, the Brahmo Samaj implemented educational programme for the untouchables in dhacca. The 'Depressed classes Mission Society' was founded at Madras in 1900. "Dinbandhu' and "Dinmitra" were the two newspapers dedicated to the cause of Non-Brahmin Movement in Maharashtra. S.J. Kamble, himself an untouchable, started a monthly magazine called 'Samavamshiya Mitra' from Puna in 1904. In 1906 Vitthhal Ramji Shinde founded the 'Depressed classes Society of India' at Bombay. Sayajirao Gaykavad of Baroda started schools for them and even gave them scholarships to go abroad for higher education. Chatrapati Shahu of Kolhapur did similar work for them. Narayan Ganesh Chandawarkar, Keshav Jedhe and Karmavir Bhaurao Patil made tireless efforts for the upliftment of the depressed classes. Muladas Vaishya of Gujarat and Narayan Guru from Kerla made efforts for the upliftment of the depressed classes. Narayan Guru founded the Shri Narayana Dharma Pratipalana Yogam to inculcate self-esteem among the untouchables. He led a lifelong struggle against upper caste domination. He coined the slogan "one religion, one caste, one God for mankind", which his disciple Sahadarn Ayyapnn changed into "no religion, no caste, no God(mankind" In September 1920, Swami Shraddhanand founded the 'Dalitoddhar Sabha at Delhi. Seth Damodardas Sukhadvala, from his own expenses started a school at Bombay for the children of the Untouchables.
S.M. Mate visited the settlements of the untouchables and developed habits of cleanliness among them. During the days of the Diwali festival, he visited the settlements Of the untouchables and engaged in creative activities like sweeping and giving baths to their children. He ran eighteen schools for them in the untouchable settlements. V.D. Savarkar (1883-1966) was not only a great revolutionary, but was also a great social reformer. To bring about change in public opinion, he wrote a book •Jatyuch chhedaka Nibandha" and a play 'Ushap. He established the 'Patitapavan' Association and the 'patitapavan' Temple at Ratnagiri, where the depressed class people would have equal access. He promoted inter dining and inter-prayer among the people of the high castes and the depressed classes. Pandurang Sadashiv Sane, alias Sane Guruji declared a fast unto death and got the Pandharpur Temple of Pandurang opened for the depressed classes. The 'All India anti-untouchability League' was founded in 1932.The nationalist movement as a whole and the organizations of the Depressed classes continued to work for the emancipation of these oppressed sections of Indian society. The national leaders and organizations opposed caste privileges, fought for equal civic rights and free development of the individual. The caste divisions were diluted, although in a limited manner, because of mass participation in demonstrations, meetings and satyagrah struggles. The Congress governments in various provinces after 1937 did same useful work for the upliftment of the depressed classes; for instance, free education for Harijans (untouchables) was introduced in some provinces. The rulers of states like Travancore, Indore and Devas themselves took the initiative in opening all state temples by proclamation.
