Chief architect of the Indian Constitution. Acclaimed leader of the downtrodden people. Scholar extraordinaire. But even a cursory look at the life and work of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar reveals many more facets, much beyond the common perception.
The circumstances of Ambedkar’s birth and early life experiences are significant. Born into the Mahar community, deemed “untouchable” in the prevailing highly stratified caste system of the 19th century, he had to face severe discrimination and many hardships in school and elsewhere. It is nothing short of a miracle that he could continue his education in spite of the poverty, with the support of the Maharaja of Baroda and later of Kolhapur, and do postgraduate and doctoral studies at Columbia University, U.S., and the London School of Economics. Even with such educational qualifications, he continued to face discrimination in India. The early experiences of injustice and the opportunity to witness a different way of life outside the country undoubtedly helped Ambedkar to identify his mission in life. It is remarkable that he chose not the comforts of an academic life abroad but to tread the hard path of a social reformer at home, fighting against many odds, both personal and professional.
Ambedkar carried out life-long quests on various fronts with social justice as the core unifying theme. One can see a two-pronged approach in his solutions. Efforts to sensitise the people to the issues at hand and to enable them to take steps for their welfare by themselves is the first part. Striving for the administrative and legal reforms necessary to effect change is the second. The twin approaches, carried out in parallel, aimed for comprehensive solutions that work both in letter and spirit.
The emancipation of the “Depressed Classes”, as Dalits were called during the first half of the 20th century, can be considered a case in point. This was a primary concern of Ambedkar. Regional and national conferences, bringing out publications and setting up organisations gave Ambedkar avenues to sensitise victims and others to the injustices. The fortnightly Mook Nayak (1920) and the organisation Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha in 1924 were supplemented with actions such as the Mahad movement in 1927 to protest against denial of water from a public tank and the Bhima-Koregaon address about barring military service.
Bringing the issues and the solutions to the attention of various government forums was the second part of the two-pronged approach. Starting with demanding special protections for Dalits and other disadvantaged communities before the Southborough Committee in 1919, and advancing the cause at the Bombay Provincial Legislative Council, before the Simon Commission, the Round Table Conferences and Cripps Mission show how avenues available from the government were put to maximum use. Setting up of political organisations such as the Independent Labour Party (1936), Scheduled Castes’ Federation (1942) and so on and taking part in elections to provincial Assemblies were also significant actions. Becoming a member of the Constituent Assembly and the Chairman of the drafting committee for the Constitution for Independent India enabled Ambedkar to play a pivotal role in ensuring that guarantees and protections for civil liberties were enshrined in the Constitution, including abolition of untouchability, outlawing of all forms of discrimination and affirmative actions with reservations and welfare schemes. Ambedkar’s firm belief about the Constitution that “It is workable, it is flexible, and it is strong enough to hold the country together both in peace and in wartime” has stood the test of time and the Constitution continues to be the primary facilitator for democracy and social justice in the country.
Span of issues
The breadth and depth of the issues that Ambedkar engaged with is fascinating. As a student of economics, he had written on commerce in ancient India, national dividend in India, evolution of imperial provincial finance in India, the problem of the rupee and so on. He did not shy away from criticising the British fiscal policy and was called in 1925 to give his views to the royal commission set up to look at Indian finances. Dr. Ambedkar’s interventions on the labour front includes opposition to the industrial disputes Bill of 1937 and advocacy for workers’ rights. He held the Labour portfolio with responsibility for irrigation and power in the Viceroy’s executive council in 1942, and his efforts included labour-friendly provisions in the Factories Act of 1946, pushing for joint labour management committees in industries, ground works for big irrigation projects, water management, central commissions and so on, to name a few.
A strong advocate for the cause of women, Ambedkar asked a gathering of about 3,000 Dalit women in 1927 to dress without heeding caste-specific restrictions, learn self-help and gain self-respect. During the All-India Depressed Classes Women’s Conference in 1942, he exhorted women to give education to their children, not to marry without becoming financially stable and to stand up to their husbands as a friend and equal. A pioneer who recommended birth-control and rest during post-natal period. Ambedkar was a barrister in Bombay in the 1920s and became the Principal of the Government Law College. As Independent India’s first Law Minister in Jawaharlal Nehru’s Cabinet, he had brought forth the Hindu Code Bill in 1948, with provisions for women to initiate divorce, right to inherit property, manage finances and so on.
Having known how education helps to open doors, it is no wonder that Ambedkar tried to work for the cause of improving the chances for getting education for all. The establishment of Siddhartha College of Arts in Bombay and Milind College in Aurangabad under the Peoples Educational Society in 1946 and providing for essential facilities to make it possible for scholars to use these institutions are examples. The aim was, in Dr. Ambedkar’s own words, not merely to give education “but to give education in such a manner as to promote intellectual, moral and social democracy”.
Theory and practice
A fundamental feature of Dr. Ambedkar’s work is the way it was carried out: careful deep study about the essential nature of a particular issue, leading to the formulation of ideas and identification of the solutions, which are then pursued using multiple avenues. The case of the hierarchical caste system, which Ambedkar identified as the primary cause for the social, political and economic stratification found in the Indian society can be taken as an example. Ambedkar’s 1916 essay on the genesis, mechanism and development of castes in India, presented at an anthropology seminar in the U.S., is still considered as a seminal study.
In Annihilation of Caste (1936), Dr. Ambedkar discusses in depth what the caste system embodies and puts forth possible ways to bring about its annihilation. He wrote about the Partition of India in the 1940 book Thoughts on Pakistan. When the State reorganisation move was going on in the country, Thoughts on Linguistic States was published in 1955. Though Ambedkar had announced leaving the Hindu fold in 1935, the fact that he actually took the plunge and embraced Buddhism only 21 years later in 1956, is a clear marker of the way he worked. Careful study of various religions, engaging with discussions, participating in world Buddhist conferences and even writing a 600-page compendium on the Buddha and his Dhamma.
The twin aspect of theory and practice reveal that for Ambedkar, nothing was sacred that it could not be examined. Only after a critical analysis could anything be accepted. The mind-boggling 17-volume writings and speeches of Ambedkar give ample proof about this. There is relevance across time and space for the concepts and values that Ambedkar articulated — social democracy as an essential pre-requisite for a political democracy, fraternity as social endosmosis and the very core of democracy, the need to hold fast to constitutional methods, the principles of equality, liberty and fraternity as the cornerstones of a just world.
One can also see applicability of the themes and methods in other disciplines, to address problems old and new. Thinking things through as a philosopher, formulating ideas as a pragmatist and then striving to bring them to fruition as a social activist. Not rigid, but open to change. After dwelling on ways to annihilate caste and suggesting his own remedies, Dr. Ambedkar says, “You must make your efforts to uproot caste, if not in my way, then in your way.”
The Millennium Declaration of the United Nations lists the challenges faced by the world today and shows how unequal and unjust the world continues to be. Some of the issues such as poverty and inequality are carrying on from time immemorial, while others, such as the digital divide, environmental hazards and climate change, are comparatively new. The battle for social justice is not just about one country, but about all the countries. We see the significance and relevance of Ambedkar’s thoughts and concepts across the world and across time. His notion about equality as the only possible governing principle among unequal entities is a directive that can show the world the way in which to advance.
An extraordinary life
The one word that describes the path that Dr. Ambedkar’s life took triumphing over his circumstances, the themes he engaged with, the kind of engagement he undertook and the contributions made, is “extraordinary”. A journey of focus, hard work, perseverance, uncompromising determination and sheer courage. The message of his life and work is sure to stand as a source of inspiration and beacon of hope and redemption, for generations to come. When Dr. Ambedkar says “reason and morality are the two most powerful weapons in the armoury of a reformer”, it is applicable to reformers anywhere, anytime. At the 75th year of the Indian Constitution and the 134th birth anniversary of Dr. Ambedkar, how shall we mark him? Not just as activist for the downtrodden, scholar-extraordinare or constitution-builder, but as a leader for all of us, all the world and for all times.
(Jaya G. Nair is a researcher and writer, who was engineer at Indian Space Research Organisation for nearly three decades. Views are personal)
Published – April 15, 2025 12:45 am IST