2. Early life
Birth Place Mhow Indore, MP
Born On April 14 1891
Parents
Ramji Sakpal
HM-Army School
Bhima Bai
Housewife
Schooling
Govt High School
Satara
Elphinstone High
School (Matriculation)
Marriage
In 5th standard at the
age of 14
To Rama Bai(9yrs old)
Advance Studies
Columbia University
Newyork (M.A, Ph.D)
Gray’s Inn for Law
(Degree of Bar)
London School Of Economics And Political
Science (M.Sc. Economics)
3. Political career
In July 1924 Ambedkar started his political career by establishing the
Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha (The Depressed Classes Welfare Association)
to raise the educational level and economic status of the depressed classes
as well as to ventilate the hardships of these classes.
Started his paper Bahishkrit Bharat and a weekly paper Mooknayak
(Leader of the Dumb) to champion the cause of depressed classes in
India.
1927- Nominated as a member of Bombay Legislative Council
1928- Appointed as professor of law in Govt Law College, Bombay
Represented untouchables in Second and Third Round Table Conference,
London
1932- Founded All India Untouchability League (Harijan Sewak Sangh)
June 1935- Became the Principal and Professor of Jurisprudence in
Bombay’s Government Law College
Nov 1946- Elected to Constituent Assembly of India from Bengal
Chairman of Constituent Assembly Of India- the Architect of the Indian
Constitution
4. 1947- Appointed as Minister of Law in Nehru Cabinet but resigned after
a year owing to differences with Nehru on Hindu Code Bill
1949- Started participating actively in World Buddhist Conferences held
in Kathmandu and Rangoon
1949- Established Bhartiya Buddhajan Sangh and published the
Buddhist prayer book Buddha Upasana Panth
1952- Elected To Rajya Sabha
June 1952- Columbia University honoured him with Degree of L.L.D in
recognition of his work in drafting Indian Constitution
1955- Founded Bhartiya Baudh Samaj
Oct 14,1956- Left Hinduism and became a Buddhist in Nagpur
December 6, 1956- unfortunate demise in early morning
April 11th 1990- Life size painting of Ambedkar installed in Central Hall
of the Parliament House
April 14th 1990- Nation’s highest decoration of Bharat Ratna was
conferred on Ambedkar by the then President Shri. R. Venkataraman.
5. Ambedkar’s Books And Writings
The Problem Of Rupee; Its Origin and Its Solution, 1923
The Evolution Of Provincial Finance in British India,1925
Annihilation Of Caste, 1936
Thoughts On Pakistan,1946
Ranade, Gandhi and Jinnah,1943
What Congress & Gandhi have done to Untouchables ,1945
Who were the Shudras, 1946
State and Minorities, 1947
The Untouchables, 1948
Maharashtra as a Linguistic State, 1948
Thoughts on Linguistic States, 1945
The Buddha and His Dhamma, 1957
The following works were published after his demise in 1956-
The Rise and Fall of Indian Women, 1965
Dr. Ambedkar On Buddhism, 1982
6. Ambedkar and Constitution making
Ambedkar was elected as the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the
Constitution of independent India on 29 August 1947. There were seven
members in the committee.
Ambedkar’s problems began even before the task of drafting the
constitution started. One of the members resigned, whose place was
empty all the time, another person died and that place was also empty,
one member lived in America, ultimately his place also remained empty,
one member was busy with his political duties and could not spare time
in the Assembly, one or two people were out of Delhi hence it was
impossible for them to adjust in Delhi’s cold weather. Consequently a
situation arose that the entire responsibility for drafting the constitution
came upon Ambedkar’s shoulders.
The text prepared by Ambedkar provided constitutional guarantees and
protections for a wide range of civil liberties for individual citizens,
including freedom of religion, the abolition of untouchability and
outlawing all forms of discrimination.
Ambedkar argued for extensive economic and social rights for women,
and also won the Constituent Assembly’s support for introducing a
system of reservations of jobs for members of the SC and ST.
7. Ambedkar kept the clauses of the Constitution flexible so that
amendments could be made as and when the situation demanded.
He provided an inspiring Preamble to the Constitution ensuring justice,
social, economic and political, liberty, equality and fraternity. The
Preamble of the Indian Constitution echoes the principles of
parliamentary democracy. It reads-
“We the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a
Sovereign Democratic Republic and to secure to all its citizens—Justice,
Social, Economic and Political; Liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith
and worship, Equality of status and of opportunity and to promote
among them all—Fraternity, assuring the dignity of Individual and the
Unity of the Nation, in our Constituent Assembly this 26th day of
November, 1949 do hereby adopt, enact and give to ourselves this
Constitution.”
Ambedkar was a champion of fundamental rights. Part III of the Indian
Constitution guarantees the fundamental rights to the citizens against the
state. Some of the fundamental rights contained in Articles 15(2), 17, 23,
and 24 are also enforceable against individuals as they are very
significant rights relating to the prohibition of discrimination on grounds
of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth etc.
8. According to Ambedkar, the most significant feature of the fundamental
rights is that these rights are made justicable.
He took a very prominent part in the deliberations of the Assembly. He
was known for his logical, forceful and persuasive arguments on the
floor of the Assembly. He is thus recognised as the Father of the
Constitution of India and is also known as a Modern Manu.
Dr. Ambedkar tried an adequate inclusion of women’s rights in the
political vocabulary and constitution of India. He insisted on Hindu Code
bill suggesting the basic improvements and amendments in assembly. He
also insisted and evoked all the parliamentary members to help to pass
the bill in parliament.
9. Ambedkar’s Social Reforms
1. Reconstructing Hindu Social Order and Religion
• There should be only one standard book for Hindu religion, acceptable
and recognized by all Hindus. Vedas, Puranas, Shastras should not be
treated as sacred.
• Priesthood must cease to be hereditary and be on exam basis.
• Priest should be the servant of the state and should be paid by the state
and subjected to disciplinary action.
• The number of priests should be limited by the law. Brahmanism is the
poison which has spoiled Hinduism.
10. 2. Elimination of the Varna System
According to Ambedkar, along with each Varna there are castes, sub-
castes; and the cases notions are far from pernicious than the four
varnas.
Varna System offends against both the canons of social adjustment –
fluidity and equity, and thus it doesn’t provide the modern Indian
society a new warmth of social relationships.
It was impracticable to reduce the thousands of castes into four varnas
in accordance with the merits and demerits of each individual.
The names of Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra, have become
associated with certain sentiments of ‘high’ and ‘low’ and were now
based on birth rather than worth.
Unless this social ideal is destroyed root and branch, there cannot be
liberty and equality, love and social brotherhood, unity and humanity,
in the social relations of the Hindus.
This Chaturvarnya system should be discontinued and new things
must be accompanied by new names.
11. 3. Elimination of the Caste System
Dignity behind caste & Shastras which sanctioned it should be destroyed.
The system of scaling castes in graded order should be abolished.
Inter-caste marriages should be encouraged.
Education should be made universal by abolishing monopoly of
Brahmans on it.
Recruitment of army should be open, fair and equal and not just limited
to Kshatriyas.
They should be given the right to vote and contest elections and should
have equal opportunity to participate in their governance.
12. 4. An Ideal Social Organization
An ideal society should be based on liberty (social, political, religious),
equality and fraternity.
Equality of opportunity based on social justice for every individual.
(Equality of consideration)
The function and structure of society should be such as to enable each
human to attain an equitable share in the fruits of social cooperation.
Avoid all class-hatred, class warfare, jingoism chauvinism,
revengefulness and the like. Every individual should identify with the
good of others. It insists upon spirit of social service and brotherly love.
13. 5. Constitutional Provisions for Backward Sections of Society
and Upliftment of Women
He got special article improvised in the constitution for the depressed
classes such as Articles 17, 15(1), 16(4), 46, 164, 330(1), 332(1) and
338(1).
Untouchability was constitutionally abolished and its practise made a
penal offence.
Reservation for scheduled castes was provided in legislature and in
government services.
He propounded that women should be given absolute rights over
property and daughters should have equal share over father’s property.
14. Ambedkar’s Conversion to Buddhism
Ambedkar on the whole was nit an atheist but he never spared time for
going deep into mysteries of religion. His attitude towards religion was
natural, social and utilitarian.
Within Hinduism, he had to suffer immensely as an untouchable Mahar.
He launched a huge satyagraha on 20th March 1927 to touch water at
Chowdar tank at Mahad and for temple entry at Kala Ram temple in
Nasik on 2nd March 1930 but in vain.
On 13th October in 1935, he declared to renounce Hinduism. He
suggested a scheme for reforming Hinduism but it was not accepted by
Hindus.
15. In 1936 he convened a conference of Dalits, near Nasik to discuss the
issue of conversion. Nearly 10,000 Dalits attended the conference.
After discussing the pros and cons of conversion to different faiths,
Ambedkar finally opted for conversion to Buddhism which he found
preferable to Islam or Christianity since it was derived from Indian
tradition, culture and history.
Also Buddhism was a progressive religion. It was against the institution
of private property. It advocated persuasion, moral teaching and love.
In the book published in 1957, “The Buddha and his Dhamma”,
Ambedkar gave some idea of new faith he wanted the Dalits to embrace.
The cardinal principle of Dhamma would be Prajna which meant
understanding as opposed to superstitions and super naturalism. The
other two principles were Karuna meaning love and compassion, and
Samta meaning equality.
There would be no castes, no claims to infallibility. The main objective
was to emancipate suffering humanity.
Ambedkar advocated Buddhism not only for India but for the whole
strife-ridden world.
16. His acceptance of Buddhism was not merely a negative gesture of leaving
Hinduism , but was a positive act of commitment to a superior religious
way of life. That is the reason why he was called a ‘Nav Buddha’.
