The British ruled India before India got independence. Though
many leaders were helpless before the British, some people bravely stood up to
fight the British and laid down their lives for India's independence. The names
of such martyrs have been inscribed with golden letters in the history of
India. Many people have been instrumental in securing India's independence and
one of the biggest names is Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was
the first law minister of independent India and the architect of the Indian Constitution.
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was born on 14th April 1891. The day
is celebrated as Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanti all over India. Babasaheb Ambedkar
Jayanti is known as Bhim Jayanti. Babasaheb
Ambedkar was a great social reformer and leader, economist and fine lawmaker. The
legacy of his service is still a model, guide and guidance for the countrymen.
The social inequality at that time made them feel bad since
childhood. Later, in 1913, when he went to America on the basis of a
scholarship given by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaikwad of Baroda. He did not suffer
from untouchability but in view of these conflicting experiences, he decided to
pull his country and social workers out of social inequality. While abroad, he
had a PhD at Columbia University. He studied sociology, political science and
economics at Columbia University.
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was a great leader with strong oratory
skills. He had immense knowledge in various fields such as social, political,
economic, educational, religious, journalism and law. Baba Saheb Ambedkar gave
a message of wisdom to the blind lives of humble Dalits who were displaced and
oppressed.
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was not just a book-pundit, but he
combined his morality and ideas in his life and put his philosophy to action.
He dedicated his knowledge and strength to eradicate suffering, poverty and the
misery of man's life.
Educational Ideas:
According to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, education is an
effective means of social change. Education gives a sense of duty and rights to
man. He highlighted the importance of education in society so as to make the
untouchable community aware of their own rights. He believed that Primary
education is the foundation of all education. He stated, "The goal of
primary education should be that once a boy or a girl enters school, they
should be fully educated, informed and well-educated”. He said that education
should be at all levels of society. Education strengthens the person
intellectually. One seems to understand the difference between good and bad. He
has advocated the need for education to bring the qualities of wisdom,
tolerance and compassion to all. Children should be educated for the benefit of
the community so that their social commitment can be fulfilled properly and
efficiently. Schools are factories that make good and skilled citizens. He
founded the People's Education Society in 1946 and started Siddhartha College
in Mumbai and Milind College in Aurangabad. He believed that true education was
the conscience of the nation and society.
The Battle of the Social Revolution :
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was the true guide of truth. He strongly
opposed corruption, immorality,
oppression, injustice. He was against caste discrimination. Caste
discrimination was a social pest. He believed that unless it is destroyed, the
society will not be united. Dr. Ambedkar was the guide of the people below,
freeing them from intellectual and social slavery and from witchcraft.
Farmers of women, farm labourers and Dalits:
He also made several agitations to ensure equal rights to
women. From 1927 to 1956, Babasaheb made continuous efforts to enhance the
social, legal and political status of Indian women. At the 1942 conference in
Nagpur, he called upon women to maintain cleanliness, to stay away from all
evils and superstitions, educate themselves and be ambitious and remove their
inferiority complex. He fought for their right to Dalits. He stood firm for the
labourers. He struggled to ensure that Dalits could live a life of dignity. He
fought hard not only for Dalits but also for farmers and labourers.
In order to address social inequality in India, he ran
newspapers like Silent Hero (1920), Version India (1927), Janata (1930) and
Enlightened India (1956) to highlight the social inequality of a society which
was considered untouchable. The newspapers in Maharashtra during this period
did not raise the question of untouchables. So (then) the untouchables needed
independent newspapers. He wrote about social, cultural and political
developments as well as the creation of a new society. He never used newspapers
to pursue his party's political goals. The characteristic of his writings was
to motivate people of so-called untouchable societies to think. He not only
wrote newspapers but also wrote books like 'The Unchambers', 'Who was Shudra
before?', 'Buddha and his dhamm'. He never used literature as a means of
entertainment. Apart from being a great social critic.
Dr. Ambedkar had a great influence of ideas and actions of great personalities Sant
Kabir, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj.
Dr. Ambedkar was a reformer. He believed that all men were
equal. He taught equality through his every act. On returning to India from
London, acquaintances asserted that Babasaheb would go home by car. But Babasaheb
refused. The people then asserted that Babasaheb will travel from the first
class of the local railway. But he also refused to accept the request and
travelled through the third class of his train. When they got home, their
brother arrived to bring him a table chair to sit down. But here also Babasaheb
decided to sit on the floor. Through this action, he showed the principle of
equality. He said that he was educated but did not forget the sufferings of his
people.
Dr. Ambedkar had done Satyagraha in 1927 to provide water to
the untouchables. Though Dr. Ambedkar himself did not believe in Hindu deities,
he started the Satyagraha of the Kalaram temple in Nashik in 1930. Because if
the untouchables were to enter the temple, they believed that it would help
solve the problem of untouchability. The Satyagraha was not confined to the temple,
but to the right to live with dignity. The struggle was to increase confidence
in the then untouchables and for human rights. That is why he also burnt the
Manu Smriti book, which was the support of the caste system. From 1917 to 1935,
he tried tirelessly to destroy untouchability and improve religion. But he
realised that these efforts were failing. He also felt that so-called high
castes did not change their behaviour and mindset. In 1935, he declared that he would not die as
a Hindu even if he was born as a Hindu. In 1956, Dr. Ambedkar announced the conversion.
(Dated October 14, 1956.)
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was not only fighting against the
caste system, but he was also thinking about the development of the society.
On the one hand, he fights for the justice and rights of the
untouchables at the round table conferences held between 1930 and 32, on the
other hand, he presents the Hindu Code Bill in Parliament to ensure freedom to
women in Hindu society on social status, property rights, divorce, etc. At the
Round Table conference of 1930, he advised the British to leave India. When
Mahatma Gandhi started his fast on the question of divided constituencies, Dr.
Ambedkar was asked whether the life of Mahatma Gandhi was important or the
interest of his caste brothers. Finally, he accepted the agreement and forced
Mahatma Gandhi to withdraw his fast and also saw the welfare of his caste
brothers by creating a separate reserved constituency for the untouchables.
When he decided to convert, he studied in-depth and chose Non-violence, Truth, Buddhism as a priority for humanity. This act of conversion
also reflects their patriotism.
Dr. Ambedkar knew the importance of education very well. He
established the People's Education Society and the depressed class Education
Society. Apart from education, he also established a " boycott of
interests" in the political field in 1924. In 1927, he established a
disciplined ' Samata Sainik Dal ' to protect Dalits from injustice and
oppression of castes. He founded the Independent Labour Party in 1936 and in
1942 the All India shady artists of Badavan were established. He later decided
to form a Republican party at the all-India level, but unfortunately he died
before that.
Dr. Ambedkar also knew the Indian agricultural system very
well. He was a proponent of collective agriculture. He believed that if water
and electricity were supplied in a country like India, India would not take
much time to become a prosperous country. In the past, the Khoti system
existed. Because of this false method of doing so, the rich farmers did a lot
of injustice. It was a kind of financial exploitation system. Dr. Ambedkar
enacted a law which destroyed this false system. He argued that the central
government should own waterways, just as the railways are fully owned by the
central government.
In 1947, Dr. Ambedkar came to the Cabinet as law Minister of
Independent India and was elected chairman of the Drafting Committee of the
Constitution of India and a member of the Constitution Committee. Dr. Ambedkar
gave freedom to the administrative officers to act fearlessly by making
provisions in the Constitution on the terms and conditions of service and appointment.
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar left the world on 6th December 1956. Dr.
Babasaheb Ambedkar's thoughts and work are exceptions. His views on equality,
brotherhood, democracy, freedom, world economic and politics are still relevant
today. His work is equally effective and inspiring.
