BR Ambedkar Case Study

Starting
AUGUST 14, 1931, Gandhiji aur Ambekar ki mulaqat hoti hai. Aur Gandhiji se discussion karte
samay Ambedkar kehte hai- ki Gandhiji Meri koi maatra bhumi nahi… Baat ko samajhye. Ek
highly educated aadmi, jinhone tab tak London ke prakhyaat Gray’s Inn se Barrister at Law kar
chuke thay aur Columbia University aur  London School of Economics se economics mein
Doctorates haasil kar li thi.
Toh itne educated insaan ko ye line kyun kehna pada. Chaliye chalte thay thoda piche aur aaj
jaante hai ki kya khaas baat thi aisi Dr BR Ambedkar mein jo aaj har protest, har government
daftar par unki tasveer dekhne ko milta hai.
About
Bhim Rao was born on 14 April 1891 in an untouchable 'Mahar' family at Mhow, near Indore in
the present Madhya Pradesh. He was the fourteenth child of Ramji Sakpal and Bhimbai.
Bhimrao's family hailed originally from the Ambavade village located in the Ratnagiri District of
the present Maharashtra. His official name in the school register was Bhima Rao Ambavadekar.
There was a Brahamin teacher in his school with the surname Ambedkar, who somehow had a
soft corner for the boy. It was the kindness of this teacher which made him ultimately adopt
Ambedkar as his surname.
Ambedkar got married to Ramabai, a nine years old girl, at the age of 14.
He also known as Babasaheb Ambedkar, was an Indian jurist, economist, politician and social
reformer who inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement and campaigned against
social discrimination towards the untouchables (Dalits). He was independent India's first law and
justice minister, the major architect of the Constitution of India.
Alma Matter
 University of Mumbai (BA)
 Columbia University (MA, PhD)
 London School of Economics (MSc, DSc)
 Gray's Inn (Barrister-at-Law)

Amazing Facts

 Jabbar Patel directed the English-language film Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar in 2000.

 Ambedkar organised a formal public ceremony for himself and his supporters
in Nagpur on 14 October 1956. Ambedkar completed his own conversion, along with his
wife. He then proceeded to convert some 500,000 of his supporters who were gathered
around him.
 Ambedkar was voted "the Greatest Indian" in 2012 by a poll which didn't
included Mahatma Gandhi, citing it was not possible to beat him in the poll. The poll was
organised by History TV18 and CNN IBN. Nearly 20 million votes were cast.
What makes him the Greatest Indian?
 1. Thoughts on Education- At school, like every untouchable child, Ambedkar was a
victim of this castes segregation. He was asked to sit away from the upper caste boys and was forbidden
from mixing with them. His Sanskrit teacher refused to teach him at all. The other teachers did not touch
the note books of their 'untouchable' pupils; refused to entertain even an oral interaction for fear of getting
polluted.
College gaye toh Sanskrit teacher ne unko kaha kit u choti jaat ka hai, tu Sanskrit nahi pad sakta. To unko
Persian lena pada Sanskrit k bajaye.
He was first from his caste to get college education in India, as untouchables were not allowed to get
education.
Ambedkar's own life experiences informed him about the pain and suffering of the Dalit communities.
Dalits have been subjected to intense societal discrimination and deprivation of basic human rights.
Ambedkar is one of the first leaders and intellectuals who worked for the emancipation of Dalits from
their pain and suffering. Ambedkar understood that religion has played a critical role in giving sanction to
social inequalities and that education is the only way to free oneself from the shackles of inequality. He
incorporated into the Indian Constitution the right to education as a directive principle of state policy and
committed to providing free and compulsory education to all children up to the age of 14.
In 1923, he founded ‘Bahishkrit Hitkarni Sabha to spread education among marginalized and to improve
their economic conditions. He gave the slogan: “Educate-Agitate-Organize”.
He established a chain of schools colleges and hostels under the shield of the People's Education Society
which he had founded in 1945.
He severely criticized the examination system, which was closely linked with the standard of education. It
is one of the means to reach an end. But educationists in those days believed that the raising of the
standard of examinations is equivalent to the raising of the standard of education. Dr. Ambedkar opposed
the idea of severe examination system, as he believed that the "University cannot succeed in promoting
research or in promoting education, if it makes the examination system the be all and end all of its
existence".
2. Reserve Bank of India- Ambedkar was trained as an economist, and was a professional
economist until 1921, when he became a political leader. He wrote three scholarly books on economics:

 Administration and Finance of the East India Company

 The Evolution of Provincial Finance in British India
 The Problem of the Rupee: Its Origin and Its Solution
It was conceptualized as per the guidelines, working style and outlook presented by Dr. B. R.
Ambedkar in his book titled “The Problem of the Rupee – Its origin and its solution” and presented to the
Hilton Young Commission. The bank was set up based on the recommendations of the 1926 Royal
Commission on Indian Currency and Finance, also known as the Hilton–Young Commission.

3. Equality Above All- Ambedkar explained that he had been a ‘student of the
Negro problem’ and that ‘[t]here is so much similarity between the position of the Untouchables in India
and of the position of the Negroes in America that the study of the latter is not only natural but
necessary’.
He started Mahad Satyagraha (1927) with a view to protect the rights of untouchables to take water from
the public tank was a mile stone in Ambedkar movement. It was met by violence, and upper-caste Hindus
filed a court case arguing that the tank was private property.” The burning of Manusmriti on 25 December
1927 shook the world of the Hindu orthodoxy. The satyagraha organized at Ambadevi Temple at
Amaravati, Parvati Temple at Pune and Kalaram Temple at Nasik demanded untouchables' accession to
the temples. Thus during the early phase of his movement Ambedkar demanded equal rights particularly
social and religious, for the Dalits.
True to the basic principles he had publicly upheld for over two decades, Ambedkar proposed that the
Constituent Assembly proclaim a set of fundamental rights ensuring equal civic rights and the right to
vote of all citizens, freedom of religion, and the legal prohibition of discrimination and forced labour or
involuntary servitude. He also suggested that the new Supreme Court be given adequate powers to protect
these fundamental rights of citizens.
Article 330, 332, 334 provides political representation at the central and state legislation for the SCs and
STs.
He was not bounded with a religion. His philosophy was of the upliftment of the country as a whole. You
can read the article 14 to 18 of the Indian Constitution. Aur upar se humara preamble ka starting line kya
hai? Hum Bharat ke log- We the People of India.

4. Majdooro ka Hero- He sworn as the Labour Member of the Viceroy’s Executive Council in
July 20th, 1942.
 Reduction in Factory Working Hours (8 hours duty): Today the working hours in India per
day is about 8 hours. Really I do not know how many Indians know, Dr.Babasaheb was the
Saviour of Labours in India. He brought 8 hours duty in India and change the working time
from 12 hours to 8 hours became a light for workers in India. He brought it on the 7th session of
Indian Labour Conference in New Delhi, November 27, 1942. 

 If you are happy with your company providing you a health insurance, the credit should go to
Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. Employees State Insurance (ESI) helps the workers with medical care,
medical leave, physical disability caused due to injuries sustained during work, workmen's
compensation and for the provision of various facilities. He enacted and brought it for the benefit
of workers. India was the first nation among East Asian countries to bring Insurance Act for the
well-being of employees.
 Every increase in 'Dearness Allowance' (DA) which brings a smile on your face and 'Leave
Benefit', bow your head to Ambedkar.

 His contribution towards ‘Coal and Mica Mines Provident Fund’ was vital also. At the time, Coal
industry played an important role in our country’s economy. Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar enacted the
Coal Mines Safety (Stowing) Amendment Bill for the benefit of the workers on January 31st,
1944.

 Dr Ambedkar emphasised on the significance and need for the 'Grid System', in the power sector
which is still working successfully even today. If today power engineers are going abroad for
training, the credit goes to Dr Ambedkar again, who as a leader of Labour Department formulated
policy to train the best engineers overseas. It is a matter of shame that nobody credits Dr
Ambedkar for the role he played in India's water policy and electric power planning also.
5. Mahilawo ka Rakshak- He believed in the strength of women and their role
in the process of social reform. He said, “I measure the progress of community by the degree of
progress which women had achieved. Let every girl who marries stand by her husband, claim to be
her husband’s friend and equal, and refuse to be his slave. I am sure if you follow this advice, you
will bring honour and glory to yourselves.” He started a strong movement against the Hindu social
order and launched a journal Mook Nayak in 1920 and Bahiskrit Bharat in 1927 for this purpose.
 Through its issues he put due stress on the gender equality and the need for education and exposed the
problems of the depressed as well as women.
In 1928, as a member of the Legislative Council of Bombay, Ambedkar supported a bill granting paid
maternity leave to women working in factories. He held the view that since the employer was reaping
profits through women’s toil, he must financially support them, at least partly while they are on maternity
leave.
In 1938, as a member of Bombay Legislative Assembly, Ambedkar recommended birth control facilities
be made available to women.
On 9 April 1948, as the first law minister of independent India, Ambedkar submitted the draft of the
Hindu Code Bill to the Constituent Assembly. The Bill treated the widow, the daughter and the son of the
deceased equally in matters of inheritance. The Bill was aimed at removing the legal obstruction in the
social advancement of women. Nehru was in support of the bill but since there were many orthodox
Hindu members in the Parliament, Nehru had to give ‘no’ to it. But later on, as the time passed the Indian
Judiciary slowly started adopting the bill in different forms like-
• The Hindu Marriage Act of 1955:  This Act provided equal rights to women to obtain divorce
and also maintenance in certain cases.
• The Hindu Women Right to Property Act of 1973:  This Act has given more facilities to
women. According to this Act, the daughter, the widow, and the mother can inherit property of
the deceased simultaneously. Now women will hold her property absolutely with full right to sell,
mortgage, and dispose of as she desires. But according to the Hindu Succession Act, 1956,
woman has only to enjoy her husband’s share in coparcenaries property for her life time without
any right to alienate property.
• The Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961:  According to this Act, taking or demanding dowry is an
offence punishable by imprisonment and or fines.
• The Equal Remuneration Act of 1976:  This Act does not permit wage discrimination between
male and female workers

6. Samvidhaan Param Dharm-

“Positively, my social philosophy may be said to be enshrined in three words: liberty, equality, and
fraternity. Let no one, however, say that I have borrowed my philosophy from the French Revolution. I
have not. My philosophy has roots in religion and not in political science. I have derived them from the
teachings of my master, the Buddha. In his philosophy, liberty and equality had a place; but he added that
unlimited liberty destroyed equality, and absolute equality left no room for liberty. In his philosophy, the
law had a place only as a safeguard against the breaches of liberty and equality; but he did not believe that
law can be a guarantee for breaches of liberty or equality. He gave the highest place to fraternity as the
only real safeguard against the denial of liberty or equality or fraternity, which was another name for
brotherhood or humanity, which was again another name for religion.”

Ambedkar resigned from the cabinet in 1951, when parliament stalled his draft of the Hindu Code Bill,
which sought to enshrine gender equality in the laws of inheritance and marriage. Ambedkar
independently contested an election in 1952 to the lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha, but was
defeated in the Bombay (North Central) constituency by a little-known Narayan Sadoba Kajrolkar, who
polled 138,137 votes compared to Ambedkar's 123,576. He was appointed to the upper house, of
parliament, the Rajya Sabha in March 1952 and would remain as member till death.