Birth Anniversary Of B R Ambedkar:
The nation celebrated the 131st birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar on 14th April 2022.
- Dr. Ambedkar was a social reformer, jurist, economist, author, polyglot (knowing or using several languages) orator, a scholar, and thinker of comparative religions.
- Babasaheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar was born in 1891 in Mhow, Central Province (now Madhya Pradesh).
- He is known as the Father of the Indian Constitution and was India’s first Law Minister.
- He was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee for the new Constitution.
- He was a well-known statesman who fought for the rights of the Dalits and other socially backward classes.
- He led the Mahad Satyagraha in March 1927 against Hindus who were opposing the decision of the Municipal Board.
- In 1926, the Municipal Board of Mahad (Maharashtra) passed an order to throw open the tank to all communities. Earlier, the untouchables were not allowed to use water from the Mahad tank.
- He participated in all three Round Table Conferences.
- In 1932, Dr. Ambedkar signed the Poona pact with Mahatma Gandhi, which abandoned the idea of separate electorates for the depressed classes (Communal Award).
- However, the seats reserved for the depressed classes were increased from 71 to 147 in provincial legislatures and to 18% of the total in the Central Legislature.
- His ideas before the Hilton Young Commission served as the foundation of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
- In 1936, he was elected to the Bombay Legislative Assembly as a legislator (MLA).
- He was appointed to the Executive Council of Viceroy as a Labour member in 1942.
- In 1947, Dr. Ambedkar accepted PM Nehru’s invitation to become Minister of Law in the first Cabinet of independent India.
- He resigned from the cabinet in 1951, over differences on the Hindu Code Bill.
- He converted to Buddhism. He died on 6th December 1956 (Mahaparinirvan Diwas).
- Chaitya Bhoomi is a memorial to B R Ambedkar, located in Mumbai.
- He was awarded India’s highest civilian honour the Bharat Ratna in 1990.
Important Works:
Journals:
- Mooknayak (1920)
- Bahishkrit Bharat (1927)
- Samatha (1929)
- Janata (1930)
Books:
- Annihilation of Caste
- Buddha or Karl Marx
- The Untouchable: Who are They and Why They Have Become Untouchables
- Buddha and His Dhamma
- The Rise and Fall of Hindu Women
Organisations:
- Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha (1923)
- Independent Labor Party (1936)
- Scheduled Castes Federation (1942)
