Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was not only the principal architect of the Indian Constitution, but also one of India’s most eminent jurists and social reformers, who fought tirelessly against caste-based discrimination in India. Born into the socially downtrodden Mahar caste, which would later be given the derogatory name untouchables by higher-caste Hindus, Dr.
Early Life in India
Born in 1891, Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar came from a low-caste family in India and suffered prejudice throughout his life. His father died when he was young, so his mother encouraged him to get an education. At 13 years old, he enrolled at Elphinstone High School and excelled academically and socially.
He entered Elphinstone College at age 16—the same year that he converted to Buddhism—and graduated as valedictorian in 1912. Two years later, he obtained a law degree from Bombay University, then enrolled at Britain's Lincoln's Inn for further study on a scholarship from Barrow & Co., Mumbai's largest firm of solicitors at that time and one of its oldest British firms today.
He returned to India in 1916 and started practicing law. In 1920, he became a member of Mahad Vidayalaya (The Great Society), which worked for social equality between castes. In 1927, he founded an organization called Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha (The Society for Eradication of Untouchability) with fellow members Anandraj Gopal Joshi and Jyotirao Phule. This organization would eventually become known as Babasaheb Ambedkar Mission after its founder's death.
Education in America
While studying law at Columbia University, he learned firsthand about racial prejudice in New York City and became a militant critic of inequality, casteism, colonialism and racial discrimination in India. Upon returning to India in 1916, he began a career as an educator while continuing his legal work.
He joined Mahatma Gandhi's struggle for independence from Britain, becoming a key leader in Gandhi's movement for social justice and equality for untouchables. He was appointed minister of labor and deputy prime minister by independent India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. In 1950, he converted to Buddhism along with hundreds of thousands of followers; he is believed to have been one of modern India's most important leaders because he successfully campaigned against social discrimination against untouchables (now known as Dalits).
He was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, in 1990. His legacy includes numerous memorials and depictions in popular culture. In 2002, TIME magazine named him one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century.
Master of Laws at Columbia University
In 1921, Ambedkar attended Columbia University in New York on a government scholarship for students from what were then British colonies. He earned his Master of Laws degree from Columbia in 1923 and stayed on in New York to study economics at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs, as well as Sanskrit at nearby Columbia University’s graduate school (he never did finish that course). He also spent some time studying at LSE before returning to India in 1927. In 1935, he completed his Ph.D., writing his dissertation on The Evolution of Provincial Finance in British India (which was subsequently published by Oxford University Press), after which he studied various social sciences, economics and philosophy texts available within India at that time.
Joining Civil Rights Movement
In 1928, while studying at Columbia University in New York City, he became involved with labor and civil rights activists in Harlem and read works by Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin and Adam Smith. He also met many political radicals—though he never joined any formal organization. In 1931 he was appointed as a lecturer in Political Economy at Bombay University but resigned within a year because of his political activities. His brief marriage to a nine-year-old girl caused an uproar that reached London's House of Commons—and brought him back into Hindu society from which he had been ostracized for almost two decades. He then returned to academia, enrolling at Gray's Inn in London to study law. There he came under the influence of Gandhi and Ram Manohar Lohia, who inspired him to take part in India's struggle for independence. He completed his studies and was called to bar in England on February 18, 1935.
Founding Father of Independent India
Social reforms leader who campaigned for equality and is regarded as one of India’s most influential philosophers. He was born into a poor Dalit family, and became one of India’s first graduates in law from Columbia University in 1919. Ambedkar led mass protests against discrimination and traveled widely overseas with Mahatma Gandhi, under whom he served as education minister in independent India’s first cabinet.
Despite his achievements, he faced considerable discrimination due to his caste, forcing him to renounce Hinduism in favor of Buddhism before his death in 1956 at age 63. His legacy includes numerous writings on politics, economics and social issues. His name means the great man or wise man.
He is known as Babasaheb, Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar. As a teenager he went to London and entered Eltham College in 1912 and later joined King's College London and completed Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics with honors (1916). In 1917, Dr. Ambedkar went to United States along with other Indian students seeking higher studies where he obtained MA degree from Columbia University (1917) which was followed by Doctorate Degree (PhD) in Economics (1918).
Amendments made by Ambedkar during 1947-1950 Constitution Drafting Committee debates are very important because they gave freedom to citizens that they had never enjoyed during their long history since ancient times.
Key Accomplishments as Law Minister and Constitutional Expert
While serving as law minister under India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr. Ambedkar played a major role in crafting and championing India’s constitution in 1947. He is widely credited with ensuring that hundreds of millions of low-caste Hindus—members of what was once known as India’s untouchable class—were able to enjoy fundamental civil rights equal to those held by their countrymen during a time when discrimination based on race and religion was rampant around the world. In addition to helping draft India’s constitution, he also served as chairman of its drafting committee.
Death and Legacy
In 1956, he died from a heart attack in his sleep in Delhi at age 64. His last words were, I told you I was ill. His tomb is located in Mumbai and has become a pilgrimage site for millions, including Dalits; a growing number of Mahars have visited his final resting place as well. In 1992, commemorating 50 years since his death, a massive memorial known as Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Pratishthan was constructed over an area large enough to hold 250,000 people; it also includes an auditorium with seating for 12,000 spectators and an airport for small planes on its grounds. Almost every major town and city in India has been re-named after him. He is still today remembered by many names: Babasaheb, Baba Saheb, Ambedkar or simply Dr. Ambedkar. There are numerous statues of him all across India—in fact, there are more statues of him than any other leader in India. Many colleges and universities throughout India bear his name. He wrote extensively, especially about political issues affecting untouchables and other oppressed classes in Indian society; much of his writing remains unpublished even today. He had written three books which together totaled 2 million words (the size of 70 Encyclopædias Britannicas). Much more remains unpublished even today!
