title of thesis b r ambedkar

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100 Years of the Problem of Rupee: Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's Historic Thesis Shapes India's Economic Future

Lucknow - What was the title of the thesis that Dr. B. R. Ambedkar submitted to the London School of Economics, for which he was awarded his doctorate in 1923? This might appear to be quite an easy question for most Ambedkarites, but Himani Bundela, a native of Jhansi, who breezed through the 15 questions of Kaun Banega Crorepati to win Rs 1 crore, couldn’t answer this question and deprived herself of the chance to win Rs 7 crore, the prize money for this question. The answer to this question – "The Problem of Rupee-its Origin and Solution" – is not an esoteric knowledge among Ambedkarites today. As the thesis completed 100 years in 2023, we take a look at the thesis that surpassed the boundaries of a research paper.

On this day, 15th December 1926, Dr. Ambedkar presented evidence before the Royal Commission on Indian Currency and Finance on his thesis - "The Problem of Rupee." It is said that each member of this commission held a copy of Dr. Ambedkar’s 257-page paper. It is noteworthy that the paper completed 100 years this year, as it was presented and published in 1923 as the thesis for his doctoral research at the prestigious London School of Economics (LSE).

The Doctoral Thesis that Laid the Foundation of the Indian Banking System

Dr. Ambedkar postulated the need, working style, and outlook of the Royal Commission, also known as the Hilton Young Commission. The Commission duly incorporated the guidelines presented by Ambedkar in 1926, and later the legislative assembly passed the recommendations in the name of the RBI Act 1934. Consequently, the Reserve Bank of India was established on 1st April 1935.

During British rule, the Indian currency was pegged to the British pound, and the exchange rate was fixed at a rate that favored British interests. The British Indian government had absolute control over the issuance of currency, and they used this power to manipulate the value of the rupee to their advantage.

In his thesis, he exposed the strategy of the British to keep the exchange rate inordinately high, which tipped the balance in favor of their factory products.

One of the major issues was the constant devaluation of the Indian rupee by the British government. The value of the rupee was artificially lowered to benefit British exporters and to finance the expenses of the colonial administration. This devaluation had severe economic consequences for the Indian population, leading to inflation and a decline in the standard of living.

Gold Exchange Standard

He argued that the gold exchange standard does not have stability, and developing countries like India cannot afford gold exchange standards as they are prone to inflationary pressures. He buttressed his claims with statistical figures. The thesis also advocated the regulation of government deficits and the circular flow of money. The book comprises seven chapters.

In the first three chapters of the book, he touches upon the deficiencies associated with silver currency. In the first chapter of the book known as “From a Double Standard to the Silver Standard,” he has touched upon the economic contours of the Mughal Empire and mentioned that the economic condition during the Mughal era was much better than that in the English Empire. Dr. Ambedkar explained how silver standards had been established through the waning of gold currency and how it had been supplemented by paper currency. He pointed out that Act XXIII of 1870 did nothing new - neither the number of the coins authorized by the mints nor its tender-powers. Rather, it helped make some improvements in monetary laws. Since the invention of coinage, people always thought that the actual value of the coin can be exact with the price of the coin legalized by the mint. So according to him, the exact value of the coin can’t, however, always be the same as the certified value.

In the second half of the chapters, Ambedkar draws a comparison between the rupee and coins. The second chapter is "The Silver Standard and the Dislocation of its Parity." In the introduction to the third chapter, “The Silver Standard and the Evils of its Instability,” Ambedkar was concerned about the economic results of the disruption of the ‘par’ of exchange, and he describes it as the most “far-reaching character.”

In the fourth chapter of the book, titled “Towards the Gold Standard,” Ambedkar focuses on how the establishment of a stable economic system was contingent upon the re-establishment of a common standard of value. In the seventh as well as the last chapter of the book titled “A Return to the Gold Standard,” Ambedkar examined the system of the economy that was moving towards the changes made in the exchange standards.

The Thesis that Left its Imprint on Economy and History

Only a few research papers and theses have left their imprint on the economic structure of an economy as "The Problem of Rupee-its Origin and its Solutions" has. The fact that the Reserve Bank of India, the central bank of the country, was formed based on the guidelines made in the research paper proves the acumen of Dr. Ambedkar as an economist.

The research paper was published in 1923 by P. S. King and Sons and had the foreword by Edward Kennan, who grossly disagreed with the assertion of Ambedkar in his thesis. The Thesis is also published by the Dr. Ambedkar Foundation as a part of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar's writings and speeches.

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Why publication of b.r. ambedkar's thesis a century later will be significant, a contemporary relevance of the thesis, written as part of ambedkar's msc degree at the london school of economics, is that it argues for massive expenditure on heads like defence to be diverted to the social sector.

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Now, over a century after it was written, Ambedkar’s hitherto unpublished thesis on the provincial decentralisation of imperial finance in colonial times will finally see the light of the day. The Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Source Material Publication Committee of the Maharashtra government plans to publish the thesis that was written by Ambedkar as part of his MSc degree from the London School of Economics (LSE). The thesis, ‘Provincial Decentralisation of Imperial Finance in British India’, will be part of the 23rd volume of Ambedkar’s works to be published by the committee and will give a glimpse into the works of Ambedkar, the economist. Notably, the dissertation argues for expenditure on heads like defence to be diverted for social goods like education and public health.

The source material committee, which was set up in 1978, has published 22 volumes on Ambedkar’s writings since April 1979. “This volume will have two parts. One will contain the MSc thesis and the other will have communication and documents related to his MA, MSc, PhD and bar-at-law degrees,” confirmed Pradeep Aglave, member secretary of the committee. He added that the MSc thesis had been submitted to the LSE in 1921. Veteran Ambedkarite and founder of the Dalit Panthers, J.V. Pawar, who is a member of the committee, said it was significant that the thesis was being published over a century after it was written. Pawar played a pivotal role in ensuring that the committee was set up.

“This work deals with taxation and expenditure. The contemporary relevance of this thesis is that it seeks a progressive taxation based on income levels. Ambedkar argued that expenditure on heads like defence was huge and this needed to be diverted to social needs like education, public health, and water supply,” said Sukhadeo Thorat, economist and former chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC). Thorat was among those instrumental in the source material committee getting a copy of the thesis from London.

“The sixth volume (1989), published by the source material committee, contains Ambedkar’s writings on economics. This includes his works like ‘Administration and Finance of the East India Company’ (1915) and the ‘Problem of the Rupee: Its Origin and Its Solution’ (1923). However, this MSc thesis on provincial finance could not be included in it because it was not available then,” said Thorat.

J. Krishnamurty, a Geneva-based labour economist located the MSc thesis in the Senate House Library in London and approached Thorat who, in turn, communicated with Gautam Chakravarti of the Ambedkar International Mission in London. Santosh Das, another Ambedkarite from London, paid the fees for permission to reproduce the work in copyright. The soft copy of the thesis was sent to the source material committee on November 18, 2021.

In addition to the MSc thesis, the communication and letters related to his academics, such as the MA, PhD, MSc and DSc and bar-at-law including LLD (an honorary degree that was awarded to Ambedkar by the Columbia University in 1952after he finished drafting the Constitution of India, which remains one of his most significant contributions to modern India), were also arranged and compiled by Krishnamurty, Thorat and Aglave. This also includes the courses done by Ambedkar for his MA and pre-PHD at the Columbia University. These details are being published for the first time.

Ambedkar’s biographer Changdev Bhavanrao Khairmode, writes how Ambedkar worked untiringly in London for his MSc. Ambedkar secured admission for his MSc in the LSE on September 30, 1920 by paying a fee of 11 pounds and 11 shillings. He was given a student pass with the number 11038.

Ambedkar had prepared for his MSc in Mumbai, yet he began studying books and reports from four libraries in London, namely the London University’s general library, Goldsmiths' Library of Economic Literature and the libraries in the British Museum and India Office. In London, Ambedkar would wake up at 6 am, have the breakfast served by his landlady and rush to the library for his studies. Around 1 pm, he would take a short break for a meagre lunch or have just a cup of tea and then return to the library to study till it closed for the day.

“He would sleep for a few hours. He would stand at the doors of the library before it opened and before others came there,” says Khairmode in the first volume of his magisterial work on Ambedkar (Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, Volume I) that was first published in 1952. The library staff in the British Museum would tell Ambedkar that they had not seen a student like him who was immersed in his books and they also doubted if they would get to see one like him in the future!

The volume also contains a letter written by Ambedkar in German on February 25, 1921 to the University of Bonn seeking admission. Ambedkar wanted to study Sanskrit language and German philosophy in the varsity’s department of Indology. In school, Ambedkar was discriminated against on grounds of caste and not allowed to learn Sanskrit. He had to learn Persian instead. Ambedkar secured admission to Bonn University but had to return to London three months later to revise and complete his DSc thesis.

Ambedkar completed his DSc in 1923 under the guidance of Professor Edwin Cannan of the LSE on the problem of the rupee, which is described as a “remarkable piece of research on Indian currency, and probably the first detailed empirical account of the currency and monetary policy during the period”.

Ambedkar was among the first from India to pursue doctoral studies in economics abroad. He specialised in finance and currency. His ‘The Evolution of Provincial Finance in British India: A Study in the Provincial Decentralisation of Imperial Finance (1925)’, carried a foreword by Edwin R.A. Seligman, Professor of Economics, Columbia University, New York. Ambedkar also played a pivotal role in the conceptualisation and establishment of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in 1935.

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Ambedkar Research Scholars

The sac encourages research scholars to engage with dr b r ambedkar's history, from his time at the lse and beyound..

Dr B R Ambedkar is one of the most important alumnus of LSE, from where he was awarded his MA and PhD. His doctoral thesis on ‘The Indian Rupee’, written in 1922-23, was later published as The Problem of the Rupee: Its Origin and Its Solution (London: P S King & Son, Ltd, 1923). Ambedkar was a Social Reformer, Economist, Parliamentarian, Jurist, and the Principal Architect of the Constitution of India.

A short biography can be found on the LSE History blog, along with a description of his time at the LSE.

2015 Scholars Visits

As part of the 125th Birth Anniversary Celebrations of Dr B R Ambedkar, the SAC hosted two delegations of research scholars and government officials for week-long visits on 24-31 October 2015 and 21-28 November 2015, in collaboration with the High Commission of India in London and the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India.

With two tours of 25 students & three officers each, the objectives of these trips were i) to show how HE institutions function in the UK, ii) the academic and educational facilities available that are relevant to theirresearch interests at LSE, iii) the rare archival collections relevant to India in museums and collections in London, iv) the multiculturallie in London and v) to introduce students to issues of social inequality, injustice and empowerment affecting contemporary Britain.

Whilst here, two students were interviewed by Rozelle Laha from the Hindustan Times , culminating in an article published in the Delhi edition (in page 19) on Wednesday, 2 December 2015.

Columbia University Libraries

Dr. ambedkar and columbia university: a legacy to celebrate.

For those of you who may not know, Dr. Ambedkar is a Dalit, an Indian jurist, economist, politician, activist and social reformer, who systematically campaigned against social discrimination towards women, workers, but most notably, towards the Dalits, and forcefully argued against the caste system in Hindu society. Dr. Ambedkar was the main architect of the Constitution of India, and served as the first law and justice minister of the Republic of India, and is considered by many one of the foremost global critical thinkers of the 20 th c., and a founder of the Dalit Buddhist movement. Ambedkar’s fight for social justice for Dalits, as well as women, and workers consumed his life’s activities: in 1950 he resigned from his position as the country’s first minister of law when Nehru’s cabinet refused to pass the Women’s Rights Bill. His feud with Mahatma Gandhi over Dalit political representation and suffrage in the newly independent State of India is by now famous, or I should say notorious, and it is Dr. Ambedkar who comes out on the right side of history.

The bronze bust, sculpted by Vinay Brahmesh Wagh of Bombay, was presented by the Federation of Ambedkarite and Buddhist Organizations, UK to the Southern Asian Institute of Columbia University on October 24, 1991, and then the wooden pedestal on which the statue now rests was donated by the Society of the Ambedkarites of New York and New Jersey, and placed in Lehman Library in 1995. The bust is the only site in the city where Dr. Ambedkar is honored, and is one of the most popular sites in enclosed spaces on campus that I have seen (you have to walk past the library entrance to get to it).

Every year, on April 14 th, Ambedkar’s birthday, Ambedkar Jayanti or Bhim Jayanti, is celebrated in India (as an official holiday since 2015), at the UN (since 2016), and around the world. On this day, many visitors flock to Lehman Library, to pay tribute to Baba Saheb and place garlands on the bust. The sight of the visitors– many of whom come to Columbia just to see the bust and pay homage to the man who changed Indian society, brings home the significance of recognizing our critical thinkers, across cultures, eras, languages, divisions and types of social injustice, in the public fora of libraries. It is a powerful reminder that it is through scholarship and indeed through libraries and learning that human differences and injustices can be better understood, addressed and perhaps overcome.

Years later, Dr. Ambedkar writes: ‘The best friends I have had in life were some of my classmates at Columbia and my great professors, John Dewey , James Shotwell, Edwin Seligman , and James Harvey Robinson.'” (Source: “‘Untouchables’ Represented by Ambedkar, ’15AM, ’28PhD,” Columbia Alumni News, Dec. 19, 1930, page 12.)

Ambedkar majored in Economics, and took many courses in sociology, history, philosophy, as well as anthropology.

In 1915, he submitted an M. A. thesis entitled: The Administration and Finance of the East India Company . (He is believed to have begun an M. A. thesis entitled Ancient Indian Commerce earlier. That thesis is unavailable at the RBML but it is reprinted in volume 12 of Ambedkar’s collected writings). By the time he left Columbia in 1916 Ambedkar had begun research for his doctoral thesis entitled: “National Dividend of India–A Historic and Analytical Study. About this thesis, Ambedkar writes to his mentor Prof. Seligman, with whom he forged a long and friendly correspondence, even after he left Columbia: “My dear Prof. Seligman, Having lost my manuscript of the original thesis when the steamer was torpedoed on my way back to India in 1917 I have written out a new thesis… [ …from the letter of Feb. 16, 1922, Seligman papers, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University ” cited in Dr. Frances Pritchard’s excellent online website about Ambedkar ]. In 1920, Ambedkar writes: “My dear Prof. Seligman, You will probably be surprised to see me back in London. I am on my way to New York but I am halting in London for about two years to finish a piece or two of research work which I have undertaken. Of course I long to be with you again for it was when I was thrown into academic life by reason of my being a professor at the Sydenham College of Commerce & Economics in Bombay, that I realized the huge debt of gratitude I owe to the Political Science Faculty of the Columbia University in general and to you in particular.” B. R. Ambedkar, London, 3/8/20” , (Source: letter of August 3, 1920, Seligman papers, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University, cited in Pritchard’s website ). Ambedkar would join the London School of Economics for a few years and submit a thesis there, but then, he would eventually come back to Columbia, to submit a Ph.D. thesis in Economics , in 1925 under the mentorship of his dear friend Prof. Seligman, entitled: The Evolution of Provincial Finance in British India: A Study in the Provincial Decentralization of Imperial Finance . (It should be noted here that the thesis was first published in 1923 and again in 1925, this time with a Foreword by Edwin Seligman, by the publishers P. S. King and Son).

If it is Seligman he stayed in touch with and corresponded throughout, the person who most influenced his thought and shaped his political, philosophical and ethical outlook, was Dewey. For many thinkers, the links between Dewey and Ambedkar’s ethical and philosophical thinking are obvious. Ambedkar deeply admired Dewey and repeatedly acknowledged his debt to Dewey, calling him “his teacher”. Ambedkar’s thought was deeply etched by John Dewey’s ideas of education as linked to experience, as practical and contextual, and the ideas of freedom and equality as essentially tied with the ideals of justice and of fraternity, a concept he would go on to apply to the Indian context, and to his pointed criticism of the caste system. Echoing many ideas propagated by Dewey, Ambedkar writes in the Annhilation of Caste : “Reason and morality are the two most powerful weapons in the armoury of a reformer. To deprive him of the use of these weapons is to disable him for action. How are you going to break up Caste, if people are not free to consider whether it accords with reason? How are you going to break up Caste, if people are not free to consider whether it accords with morality?”

Having sat in several classes given by Dewey, and as early as 1916, Ambedkar would go on to address, at a Columbia University Seminar taught by the anthropologist Prof. Alexander Goldenweiser (1880-1940), his colleagues and friends with many of the ideas he later developed in his famous book: the Annihilation of Caste. The paper “ Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis, and Development ” contains many similarities to the Annihilation of Caste, and some of the books’ essential tenets., as acknowledged by Ambedkar himself ( Preface to the 3rd edition, Annihilation of Caste ).

The Columbia University Archives and the Columbia University Libraries hold many resources related to Dr. Ambedkar and to the Dalit movement and Dalit literature. For any inquiries regarding relevant resources, please do not hesitate to contact us: Gary Hausman : South and Southeast Asian Librarian , Global Studies; Rare Book and Manuscript Library: RBML Archivists

Happy Baba Saheb Ambedkar Juyanti!

Kaoukab Chebaro , Global Studies, Head

Today, for the first time studying for Civil Services I got to know about this great man. I think that in the galaxy of freedom fighters which India have produced he was the one we can truly say as the ‘Pole Star’. A true leader who walked the talk, he fought not only for country but also for the rights of the minority who were being annihilated for centuries. We should take cue from this man and try to go for equality, and that equality should be of thoughts, feelings and desires. It’s not at all wrong to aspire for greatness in life but to stifle a man’s path with the chains of societal norms is a sin in my sense. I hope to imbibe some of his qualities in my life. Let long live his legacy.

Thus my goodDr.BR. Ambedkar

Indeed Great emancipator of millions marginalised people, architect of Indian constitution, philosopher, economist, social reformer, jurist, astute politician no lastly father of modern India !! Jaibhim !!

What a great man. Wonderful article.

If it wasn’t for Dr.Ambedkar I wouldn’t be here in this country and have a life that I do now. I will forever be indebted to this Great Man’s courage in the face of adversity. Words cannot describe the gratitude I have for this man Thank you

Excellent effort to make this blog more wonderful and attractive.

Dr. Ambedkar was a great man.

Wonderful Article and an excellent blog. Greetings. Llorenç

Baba Saheb Dr. B R Ambedkar is alive in his works for humanity. Study Social Science or Law, or Education, or about farmers, or Dams and irrigation, or planning commission and budget or journalism, or human rights ……. on most of the subjects and disciplines, his live seen in his works and writtings. By reading him; his life, and his works, he inspires others by his works for the betterment of the society and a world, as a whole.

Pingback: Ambedkar and the Study of Religion at Columbia University

Every breathe I take today is because of your struggle to give us an equal and fair society. It could not be possible to imagine even a single day without understanding your life and struggles. Each and every aspect of my existence is because of you Babasaheb. However, the current state of Dalit society pains me.

Such a great personality, tried hard to improvise the system in the country but had to face too much opposition and hatred. Salute to his strength and beliefs that he continued his fight for social justice despite such circumstances.

He was a great man, I considered India’s progress because of his work for the emancipation of millions of marginalized people in India

Is Columbia University conducting a Post Graduate course or PHD on Dr. Ambedkar thought?

Baba sahab Was great human Baba sahab is great human Baba sahab will great human .

Baba sahab god gifted and human for students, politicians, poor humans and all leaders ❤❤

I am thankful to Babasaheb Ambedkar for the beautiful living given to me by his at most efforts to eradicate the caste system through out India and to uplift the standard of living of the downtrodden of this country. He was a great man who fought for the rights and upliftment of the downtrodden and the dignity of women of this nation. A true Indian and a great patriot of the nation. I salute him for his work and knowledge.

Amazing article for some history info please read https://knowledgekart.in/blog/the-complete-history-of-modern-india-for-upsc-ias/

A Bengali Chandal, who, according to Manu Code, later redesignated as Namasudra, I am grateful, over head and ears, to the teachings and thoughts of Dr. Babasaheb B. R. Ambedkar who inspired with dreams and shaped my life and achievement. Lost my parents by two and half years, I was brought up by my two elder elder brothers, both illiterate under care of my father’s childless sister, who took full charge of me. A family of poor agriculturist, my eldest brother was just literate but the second elder brother was totally illiterate. They were, nonetheless, all supportive of my education. Not only my family was illiterate but the whole village as well as the locality comprising hundreds and thousands of people, men and women, were illiterate. I had none to help me in my village for studies. My village boasted of a primary school, established 10 years before my joining the same . ****The village school was upgraded class by class till 10th standard by 1962. But before that I had to migrate elsewhere for Matriculation Examinations which I cleared with FIRST DIVISION—none did this before me around. I went for studies up to B. A. (Hons. in Economics). Then I sat for IAS Exams and was declared I qualified against a reserved candidate by the UPSC. One of my assignments IN 33 YEARS career was as Vice-Chancellor, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University, Muzaffarpur, Bihar. The original name of the University was Bihar University, which, as a homage to the great son in the year of his centenary was rechristened as Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University. It was my pleasant duty to change the name of the university in accordance with the mandate of the law as passed by Bihar State Legislature. Maharashtra fought for 20 years to implement the legislative mandate. There was widespread violence and mayhem in Marathwada over the change of name of Marathwada University. I changed the name the day I joined the university as Vice-Chancellor without anybody even knowing how did I do it. No force was used or no violence occurred. This is my most adorable, nay proud, moment in my career. **** I am an author and have published innumerable articles carried by many leading English journals and dailies over last three decades. ****I prosecuted studies as a private candidate and passed MA. I also did my dissertation for Ph. D. All these I did when government assigned light duty to me. ****In three decades, one highly reputed Delhi English Weekly alone carried about four hundred thousand (400,000) words having great bearing social significance. I am a researcher. Babasaheb is my ideal and my beacon light. I am grateful to him.**** I prosecuted my studies with Welfare Scholarships of Government of India without which I could not have done what I have did. *****I have suffered hatred, discrimination, bias and injustice in various spheres. By the way, I have also been topper in my class irrespective of students belonging to different castes. English is my forte. I write in Bengali too.

Because of Dr. BR Ambedkar i am alive today, he is my past, present and my future, my heart, my soul. Thank you for saving my life and many generations.

Amazing Article. No words to explain how I felt touched being a follower of Dr. Ambedkar

He is my inspiration❤️ Babasaheb

BR Ambedkar in London: A thesis completed, a treaty concluded, a ‘bible’ of India promised

An excerpt from ‘indians in london: from the birth of the east indian company to independent india’, by arup k chatterjee..

About two decades ago, when [Subhash Chandra] Bose was still at Cambridge, a letter dated September 23, 1920 arrived at Professor Herbert Foxwell’s office at the London School of Economics. It was written by Edwin R Seligman, an economist from Columbia University, introducing an exceedingly talented scholar – Mr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar. Two months later, Foxwell wrote to the secretary of the School that there was no more intellect that the Columbia graduate could conquer in London.

The first Dalit to study at Bombay’s Elphinstone College, Ambedkar, was awarded a Baroda State Scholarship that took him to Columbia University in 1913. Three years later, he found his way to London, desirous of becoming a barrister as well as finishing a doctoral dissertation on the history of the rupee. Ambedkar enrolled at Gray’s Inn, and attended courses on geography, political ideas, social evolution and social theory at London School of Economics, at a course fee of £10.10s.

In 1917, Ambedkar was invited to join as Military Secretary in Baroda, earning at the same time a leave of absence of up to four years from the London School of Economics. Back in India, he taught for a while as a professor in Sydenham College in Bombay, while also being one of the key intelligencers on the condition of “untouchables” in India for the government, during the drafting of the Government of India Act of 1919.

In late 1920, Ambedkar was to return to London, determined more than ever before, not to spare a farthing beyond his breathing means on the city’s allurements. Each day, the aspiring barrister woke up at the stroke of six. After a morning’s morsel, he moseyed into the crowd of London to find his way into the British Museum.

At dusk, he would leave his seat reluctantly – after being made to scurry out by the librarian and the guards – his pockets sagging under the notes that would finally become his thesis, The Problem of the Rupee , some of whose guineas would eventually find their home in the Constitution of India that he was going to author about three decades later. Back at his lodging at King Henry’s Road in Primrose Hill, mostly on foot, Ambedkar would live on sparsely whitened tea and poppadum late into the night.

It was here that the daughter of Ambedkar’s landlady, Fanny Fitzgerald, a war widow, found her affections strangely swayed by the Indian scholar. Fitzgerald was a typist at the House of Commons. She lent him money in difficult circumstances and volunteered to introduce him to people in governance, with whom he could discuss the Dalit question that was raging in India.

An apocryphal story goes that Miss Fitzgerald once gave Ambedkar a copy of the Bible. On receiving it, the future Father of the Indian Constitution promised to dedicate a bible to her of his own authoring. True to his commitment, he would fondly dedicate his book What Congress and Gandhi Have Done to the Untouchables (1945) to “F”. The incident, when that promise was exchanged, occurred after Ambedkar was called to the Bar in 1923.

In March that year, his doctoral thesis ran into trouble possibly because of its radical approach to the history of Indian economy under the British administration. He might have taken the subtle hint that passages in his work needed tempering – a notion that a man of his vision was likely to have quietly pocketed more as a compliment than an insult.

Ambedkar would have been happy to chisel the nose from his David for the show, like Michelangelo had four centuries ago in order to appease the connoisseur-like pretense of Piero Soderini, who had quipped, “Isn’t the nose a little too thick?” That done, Ambedkar resubmitted his thesis in August. It was approved two months later and published almost immediately thereafter. He expressed gratitude to his professor, Edwin Cannan, who, in turn, wrote the preface to his thesis, before Ambedkar travelled to Bonn for further studies.

Babasaheb, as he was now beginning to be called, was to return to London for each of the three Round Table Conferences held between 1930 and 1932. Two months before the Third Round Table Conference – in which both Labour and the Congress were absentees – Ambedkar and Gandhi reached a historic settlement in the Poona Pact. In September 1932, from the Yerwada prison near Bombay, Gandhi began a fast unto death protesting against the Ramsay MacDonald administration that was determined to divide India into provincial electorates on the basis of caste and social stratification.

In the pact signed with Madan Mohan Malviya, Ambedkar settled for 147 seats for the depressed classes. But the pact to which he was forsworn – tacitly made in London with Fanny Fitzgerald – that of writing the bible of modern India, was brewing like a storm that would take the form of an open battle between him and Gandhi, in the years of the Second World War.

Despite the strong network of Indians at the London School of Economics, Ambedkar chose not to hobnob with India League members. What might have been a sort of marriage-made-in-heaven between him and [VK Krishna] Menon was forestalled. If Menon was Nehru’s alter ego, he would also be instrumental in shaping the early career of the man to become an alter ego – principal secretary –to Indira Gandhi.

In the winter of 1935, a twenty-something Parmeshwar Narain Haksar arrived in London, enrolled as a student at the University College. The following year, he made an unsuccessful attempt for the civil services. In 1937, Haksar became a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute, a distinction conferred on him with support from noted anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski.

Although Haksar also studied at the London School of Economics, it probably never became public knowledge if he had acquired formal degrees from either university. Whether or not he did, as a scholar he commanded great attention from British intellectuals, especially in his arguments on the crisis of education in India, which he reckoned had been tailored to perpetuate British imperial interests and low levels of literacy in the colony.

Haksar was to be called to Bar at the Lincoln’s Inn, but, at the beckoning of Nehru, he would join the Indian Foreign Service in 1948. His red days in London were to yield him lifelong companions. In the 1930s, the Comintern came up with the policy of hatching popular fronts all across Europe with which to counter the growing threat of Nazism and Fascism. It was a phase in European ideologies that strongly affected British politics, and popular movements led by Labour leaders and student communists in London – a cosmopolitan and unswervingly left-leaning outlook that shaped much of the administration and policies of independent India until the years of the Emergency.

A socialist himself, Haksar held an influential position in the Federation of Indian Societies in UK and Ireland besides becoming the editor of its magazine, The Indian Student . His links with the Communist Party of Great Britain, Rajani Palme Dutt and the Soviet undercover agent at Cambridge, James Klugman – indeed with almost anyone of some consequence who supported the cause of Indian liberation – was more than enough for Scotland Yard to keep him closely watched in London.

In September 1941, when the India League organised a commemoration at the Conway Hall in Red Lion Square for the late Rabindranath Tagore a few months after his demise, Scotland Yard obliged by adding a leaf to their surveillance files. Inaugurated by M Maisky, a Russian ambassador, it was just one in a sea of events concerning India that the Yard and other intelligencers of His Majesty’s Government would tolerate during the interwar years. Almost all such gatherings featured subversive pamphlets and books published by the League and similar organisations that were openly lauded by Soviets and Soviet sympathisers.

It was just as well that Nehru also had to tolerate that under the shield of Haksar’s own watch a new romantic plot thickened around Primrose Hill, that of his daughter Indira and future son-in-law, Feroze. Feroze had his flat at Abbey Road and Haksar lived half a mile away, at Abercorn Place. Haksar was befriended by the Gandhis – Indira and Feroze – who introduced him to Sasadhar Sinha of the Bibliophile Bookshop. That, besides the India League and Allahabad connection, not to mention Haksar’s enviable culinary skills, ensured that he was soldered to the future of the Gandhis.

The future of the man who had leant the family his coveted surname would also take a blow on the burning issue of caste. Gandhi was not to be remembered as the sole nemesis of the British Empire. In an interview given to the BBC in 1955, Babasaheb indicated that one of the biggest reasons behind Clement Attlee handing over the reins of the Indian administration so suddenly was the persistent fear of a massive armed uprising in the colony.

He implied that the road to independence had already been paved by the Azad Hind Fauj brigadiered by Netaji. Bose had departed from London during Ambedkar’s days in the London School of Economics. But, he would return in Haksar’s time.

1920 - 1930

How to organize the downtrodden.

Dr. Ambedkar completed his academic work, and began in earnest his lifelong struggle for political rights and social justice for the downtrodden, and especially for the untouchables; his activities started to bring him into conflict with the views and plans of the Congress Party.

1920: Dr. Ambedkar started a weekly paper, "Mooknayak" ("Leader of the Voiceless"), in Marathi, with the help of the reform-minded Shahu I (1884-1922) [ site ], Maharaja of Kolhapur [ Imperial Gazetteer ] [ Imperial Gazetteer map ]. In the first issue he called India a "home of inequality," and described Hindu society as "a tower which had several storeys without a ladder or an entrance. One was to die in the storey in which one was born." The Depressed Classes must be saved "from perpetual slavery, poverty, and ignorance"; herculean efforts must be made "to awaken them to their disabilities." (--Dhananjay Keer, Dr. Ambedkar: Life and Mission , Bombay: Popular Prakashan, 1971 [1954], p.41; Dr. Ambedkar contributed extensively to this biography.)

1920: In March, he spoke at a Depressed Classes conference in Mangaon in Kolhapur State; it was attended by the Maharaja of Kolhapur, who publicly praised him as a future national leader. At the end of the conference the Maharaja and his courtiers shock the tradition-minded by actually dining with Ambedkar and his caste members. (Dhananjay Keer, Dr. Ambedkar: Life and Mission , Bombay: Popular Prakashan, 1971 [1954], p. 42; Dr. Ambedkar contributed extensively to this biography.)

1920: In May, the Maharajah of Kolhapur convened another such conference, in Nagpur [ Imperial Gazetteer ] [ Imperial Gazetteer map ], a town later to acquire a major symbolic significance in Dr. Ambedkar's life.

"At the conclusion of the conference, Ambedkar made an attempt in the direction of consolidating the forces of the Depressed Classes. In the Central Provinces the Mahar community had eighteen sub-castes. He called the leaders of the community together and gave a dinner in which they all participated. It should be noted that with great persuasion Ambedkar could get all the sub-castes of the Mahar community, and not all the Untouchable communities, to dine together. It was not possible yet to make all the communities belonging to the Untouchables participate in an intercaste dinner!" (--slightly edited from the translation in Dhananjay Keer, Dr. Ambedkar: Life and Mission , Bombay: Popular Prakashan, 1971 [1954], p.43; Dr. Ambedkar contributed extensively to this biography.)

1920: Having resigned from his teaching position, in July he returned to London, relying on his own savings, supplemented by loans from the Maharaja of Kolhapur and his friend Naval Bhathena. He returned to the London School of Economics, and to Gray's Inn to read for the Bar. He lived in poverty, and studied constantly in the British Museum [ site ]. (Dhananjay Keer, Dr. Ambedkar: Life and Mission , Bombay: Popular Prakashan, 1971 [1954], pp. 44-46; Dr. Ambedkar contributed extensively to this biography.)

1922: Through unremitting hard work, Ambedkar once again overfulfilled all expectations: he completed a thesis for a M.Sc. (Econonics) degree at London School of Economics, and was called to the bar, and submitted a Ph.D. thesis in economics to the University of London. (Dhananjay Keer, Dr. Ambedkar: Life and Mission , Bombay: Popular Prakashan, 1971 [1954], pp. 48-49; Dr. Ambedkar contributed extensively to this biography.)

1922: He planned to do further research in economics at the University of Bonn (and also toyed with the idea of studying Sanskrit there). He sent to the university a handwritten letter and CV in German , but the whole project didn't work out [ source ]. He soon had to return to London to deal with challenges to his thesis.

1923: His Ph.D. thesis at the University of London, " The Problem of the Rupee ," was challenged on political grounds (for its allegedly subversive, anti-British implications), but was resubmitted and finally accepted; it was at once published in London (by P.S. King and Son, Ltd.), and is "dedicated to the memory of my father and mother, as a token of my abiding gratitude for the sacrifices they made and the enlightenment they showed in the matter of my education." (Dhananjay Keer, Dr. Ambedkar: Life and Mission , Bombay: Popular Prakashan, 1971 [1954], pp. 49-50; Dr. Ambedkar contributed extensively to this biography.)

1924: Back in India, Dr. Ambedkar began to practice as a barrister in Bombay, and also began to lecture part-time at Batliboi's Accountancy Training Institute. He founded the "Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha" (Group for the Wellbeing of the Excluded), to help the Depressed Classes mobilize. Its motto was "Educate, Agitate, Organise." (K.N. Kadam, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and the Significance of his Movement: A Chronology , Bombay: Popular Prakashan, 1991, pp. 80-81.)

1925: He published his London School of Economics M.A. thesis as " The Evolution of Provincial Finance in British India "; it was dedicated to the Gaikwar of Baroda ("for his help in the matter of my education"), and had an introduction by Prof. Seligman. He also gave testimony before the Royal Commission on Indian Currency and Finance . (K.N. Kadam, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and the Significance of his Movement: A Chronology , Bombay: Popular Prakashan, 1991, p. 81.)

1926: The Governor of Bombay nominated him as a member of the Bombay Legislative Council; he took his duties seriously, and often delivered speeches on economic matters. Here are some of his important speeches, 1927-28 .

1926: He led the satyagraha at Mahad to exercise the right of Untouchables to draw water from the Chavdar Tank. He ceremonially took a drink of water from the tank, after which local caste Hindus rioted, and Brahmins took elaborate measure for the ritual purification of the tank. (K. N. Kadam, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and the Significance of his Movement: A Chronology , Bombay: Popular Prakashan, 1991, p. 83.)

1927: On January 1st, he held a meeting at the Koregaon Victory Memorial, 17 miles from Poona, which commemorates the defeat of the Peshwa's forces and the inauguration of British rule. The names of Mahar soldiers who fought with the British are inscribed there on a marble tablet. Such meetings still take place annually there on that day. (K.N. Kadam, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and the Significance of his Movement: A Chronology , Bombay: Popular Prakashan, 1991, pp. 82-83; Eleanor Zelliot, personal communication, Feb. 2005)

1927: On June 8, he was formally awarded the Ph.D. degree from Columbia University. His Ph.D. thesis was " The Evolution of Provincial Finance in British India ." (Note: different dates are given in different sources for this event, but this is the one given on his own official transcript, preserved in the Registrar's Office, Columbia University.)

1927: On December 24th, he addressed a second Depressed Classes Conference in Mahad; he attacked the Laws of Manu [ site ] [ site ], and then a copy of this ancient text was publicly burned, to the shock and horror of many caste Hindus. (K. N. Kadam, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and the Significance of his Movement: A Chronology , Bombay: Popular Prakashan, 1991, p.87.)

1928: Dr. Ambedkar was appointed Professor at the Government Law College, Bombay; his term of appointment ended in 1929. (K.N. Kadam, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and the Significance of his Movement: A Chronology , Bombay: Popular Prakashan, 1991, p.89.)

1928: Dr. Ambedkar was selected as a member of the Bombay Presidency Committee to work with the Simon Commission, drafting guidelines for political change in India. Congress decided to boycott the Simon Commission because it has no Indians on it. Discussion: Syed Amjad Ali ; Banglapedia . Dissenting from the views of many of his colleagues, Dr. Ambedkar prepared a detailed report setting out his own recommendations.

1929: Dr. Ambedkar closed his second journal, "Bahiskrit Bharat" ("Excluded India"), which he had started in 1927, and replaced it with the "Janata" ("The People"), which was published until 1956, when it took on the name "Prabuddha Bharata" (after his conversion). (K. N. Kadam, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and the Significance of his Movement: A Chronology , Bombay: Popular Prakashan, 1991, p. 93; Eleanor Zelliot, private communication, Jan. 2005)

1929: On Oct. 23, during a visit to Chalisgaon, he had a bad accident, and was confined to bed until the last week of December.

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Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: A Veritable Phenomenon

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, a veritable phenomenon, intellectual giant, multifaceted erudite scholar, first Indian to pursue doctorate in economics abroad, had acquired qualifications that surpassed the multiple M.A., multiple Ph.D., M.Sc. (Econ), D.Sc. (Econ), Barrister-at-law from world’s top and renowned universities in his early 30s. At such a young age, he had been through a real life educational experience that has not even managed by any contemporary renowned scholar in any part of the world; almost impossible for any common man to acquire in their lifetime.

Many great man of the world suffered from numerous disabilities and hardships but Dr. Ambedkar suffered from the most inhuman disability namely stigma of “untouchability”due to his birth in the most oppressed and exploited people of the world.Untouchable’s condition were hellish; completely tyrannized, insulted, disregarded from thousands of years. It’s hard to elaborate on the agonies, indignities, humiliation and overall sufferings of the untouchables. Millions of untouchables were suffering through such inhuman, discriminatory behavior being practiced in Indian society. Words would fall short to describe Dr. Ambedkar’s journey of coming from such a lowest rung of the exploited society to becoming greatest incomparable scholar in the world. He was rightly called the symbol of revolt as he revolted against untouchability alone and emancipated millions of untouchables without shedding the single drop of blood. Some calls him a luminous star in the galaxy of great man; whereas majority calls him as a Sun who is almost incomparable with anyone.

In his early 20s Dr. Ambedkar took the mantle of revolting against the social discrimination and inhuman stigma of untouchability practiced in India.A leader without a paper is like a bird without a wing. Being an eminent writer, vociferous orator and fearless journalist along with his encyclopedic knowledge and wisdom, with time he continued to change the course of actions for eradicating untouchability by starting his own newspaper media Mooknayak (The Leader of the Dumb,1920), Brahishkrut Bharat (India Ostracized,1927), Janata(The People,1930) and Prabudhha Bharat (EnlightenIndia,1956) to spread his revolutionary ideas, thoughts and voice to the Indian society.

Dr.Ambedkar not only fought for untouchables rights and raised them to humanity but also worked for betterment of all backward and oppressed communities.The vintage position as a member of Bombay Legislative Council (1926-34)enabled him to sponsor several bills for the welfare of the Indian communities overall despite of having British rulers. This has helped him to get official nomination to attend three round table conferences (1930-33) and seek justice to all oppressed communities of India by demanding “Communal Awards”.

To abolish the graded inequalities and protecting the human rights of labor classes, he founded Independent labor party in 1936. He put forward legislation to implement “State Sponsored Industrialization” and provided strong labor laws to protect factory workers, remunerative wages, to fix maximum hours of work, leave with pay and a sanitary dwelling at reasonable amount.He also advocated for abolition of the feudal land holding system, extensive program for the improvement of educational facility in technical institute, and equal opportunity to all Indians in industries.He then initiated the movement for Population control and family planning as part of ILP’s manifesto. He was in the opinion that controlling nation’s economy is impossible if the population is not controlled.

India’s central banking institution –Reserve Bank of India (RBI) which controls the monetary policy of the Indian rupee and plays an important part in the development strategy of the government of India has been conceptualized as per the guidelines, working style and outlook presented by none other than great economist Dr.Ambedkar in front of the Hilton Young Commission in 1935. This commission came to India under the name of “Royal Commission on Indian Currency & Finance” and every member of this commission were holding Dr.Ambedkar’s book “The Problem of the Rupee –Its origin and its solution.”His economic policies which have saved India even in the times of great Economic Depressions.He suggested free economy, globalization, liberalization and privation to stabilize the Rupee and control the economic growth back in 1923.The original source of reference for all the 13 Finance Commission reports, are based on Dr. Ambedkar’s Ph.D. thesis, “The Evolution of Provincial Finance in British India”.

Dr. Ambedkar; a visionary backed up with multi-dimensional enormous knowledge and wisdom laid down the foundation to build great nation well in advance.

Labor Department under the guidance of Dr.Ambedkar in 1942, who decided to establish “Central Technical Power Board” (CTPB) for power system development, hydro power station sites, hydro-electric surveys, analyzing problems of electricity generation and thermal power station investigation along with usage of Atomic energy for controlling river flood.He outline the infrastructural design and led the establishment of the Damodar Valley project, Hirakud project and Sone river project.Dr.Ambedkar emphasized on the significance and need for the “Grid System”, which is still working successfully even today based on his thoughts and ideas.
Dr. Ambedkar enacted many labor laws; Indian Trade Union Act, Industrial Disputes Act, Compensation, Working Hours, Equal pay for equal work irrespective of the gender and Maternity Benefit, women and child labor protection are the main. He banned working of women in deep mines ignoring opposition from the British.
Dr. Ambedkar was of the firm opinion that unemployment, poverty and shortage of consumer goods cannot be removed without industrialization of India. According to him creating large scale employment produces essential goods for mass consumption. It utilizes raw materials, reduces foreign dependence and increasing security to labor, and ultimately leads to the overall economic development of the country.
Dr. Ambedkar demanded the nationalization of the natural resources like water, gas, land and insurance, transportation etc. This is the utmost important part for developing the nation without locking the nation’s future in few individual’s hands. Due to privatization if the natural resources goes into private locker of industrialist then labor, poor class of India will suffer. He has foreseen this demand almost 100 years ago.
To abolish tyranny for social status of Hindu women and uplift them for the equality Dr. Ambedkar drafted various new law acts (property inheritance, divorce rules, minority and guardianship, adoption and maintenance) under “Hindu Code Bill” and presented as the first law minister of independent India. This shows his love for the building nation as a whole by providing equal opportunity to everyone.
After the end of 2ndworld war there were many challenges for India, such as re-establishment of economy, improvement in agriculture, development of industries, rehabilitation and re-deployment of defense services etc.; those had been handled and led by Dr. Ambedkar through Reconstruction Committee of Council (RCC).
Dr. Ambedkar was instrumental in establishment of National Employment Exchange in provincial government of British India after the end of 2nd world war and also the tripartite mechanism of settling labor issues through trade unions,skill development initiative in the government sector. He bought “Insurance Act” in India as the first nation among the East Asian countries.
Even today Dr. Ambedkar’s “Thoughts on Linguistic States”, written in December 1955 is much more relevant. This book gives what geographic knowledge a man could possess along with outlining populations, language consideration etc. and acts as a blue-print to form out smaller states for better governance and betterment of India as a Nation. Dr. Ambedkar envision to build the common harmonious culture across the nation through a single national language. He clearly explained the importance of having a single language and appeal all to put an efforts to adopt and develop Hindi as a common language. Dr. Ambedkar loved to be a student till he breathed his last; during his entire lifetime one can see his deep passion about books. His personal library had more than 100,000 books gives rich testimony to his wide, varied and profound reading and knowledge he accumulated. There was no book in his library without notes supplied by him with pencil. He had distinguish authority on the subjects ranging from Sociology, Law, Economics, Politics, Theology, and Anthropology to History. His 100s of volumes of writing and speeches exhibits what a great towering personality India had which is not even possible in computer’s era for any scholar to achieve that feet. Dr. Ambedkar was fully convinced that the education is for liberation and for national development.He laid utmost stress on the expansion and promotion of education;founded “The People’s Education Society” and established renowned colleges to promote the education among untouchables and other sections of the Indian society.

Before the independence of India; Dr. Ambedkar was honored and assigned the most responsible task of drafting the Constitution of free India which demanded enormous knowledge of law, geography, economics, politics, sociology and history of India.He wanted to establish the social democracy based on the principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity and for that he wanted to put state government mechanism to bring such radical change in Indian society than creating a social war and shedding bloods.As part of architecting India’s constitution he imbibes these principles. Last but not the least,he has embraced Buddhism a greatest scientific humanitarian religion exists in the world on 14 October 1956which is based on the principles he inherited for the Indian’s democracy. With all his character described above; he reached to the stature of Bodhisattva and became Bodhisattva Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.

Dr.Ambedkar’s name and fame is spreading more and more day by day crossing all geographical barriers and racial impediments. In short dead Ambedkar is proving even more disturbing and dangerous than the living Ambedkar was to the orthodox, forces of reaction and the exploiters. India is only now beginning to discover him. The influence and the power he exercised on the minds of the people cannot be correctly assessed.

Compiled by: Ambedkar International Center Team, USA. https://ambedkarinternationalcenter.org

Dalits: Dr. B. R. Ambedkar

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About Dr. Ambedkar

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar , a Dalit himself, strongly advocated for abolishing the caste system and supported Dalit struggles. He is known as the Father of the Constitution. He is still revered as a hero for Dalits today. This section provides some biographical information as well as books authored by Dr. Ambedkar , also known as Babasaheb Ambedkar.

Image from Flickr , shared under Creative Commons License

Brief Biography

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar belonged to the Mahar caste, one of the untouchable/Dalit castes in India. After completing his B.A. in Mumbai, Ambedkar earned his Ph.D. at Columbia University in New York (1913–1916). He subsequently obtained master's and doctoral degrees in economics from the London School of Economics (1916–1922).

Ambedkar saw the caste system as an unequal mode of organization of social relations, with the pure and the impure at either extreme. He argued that this system was sanctified through religious codes that forbade intermixture of castes and confined social interaction to a regulated structure. Amedkar became a staunch anti-oppression advocate for Dalits through his politics and writing. One of his critical works is The Annihilation of Caste , which was an undelivered speech he wrote in 1936.

Father of the Constitution

Elected to chair the drafting committee of the Constituent Assembly in 1947, Ambedkar abandoned many of his radical convictions as he steered the Assembly through the process of drafting India's constitution. His contributions can be seen in some of the special constitutional provisions for social equality for the Scheduled Castes (the term for untouchables first used by the British). The practice of untouchability was “abolished” in the constitution of independent India (articles 15 and 17), and the Untouchability (Offenses) Act of 1955 makes such discriminatory practices punishable by law. Article 46 provides the Indian version of affirmative action, specifically the promotion of educational and economic benefits for the “weaker sections” of the society.

Ambedkar and Gandhi

Ambedkar became quite critical of the lack of commitment to untouchables’ rights on the part of the Indian National Congress and the outcome of the so-called Poona Pact of 1932 made him an implacable critic. Dalits continue to feel that Gandhi betrayed them with his denial of the right of separate electorates, which for them meant genuine political power.

Gandhi was a caste Hindu, a Vaishya. Ambedkar was a Mahar Dalit and knew discrimination firsthand. Gandhi never repudiated the varna theory of four major groups, although he fought against the idea of a group below the varnas and he held all varnas to be equal. Ambedkar repudiated the entire caste hierarchy, dismissing what was a current effort among untouchables to “sanskritize,” that is, adopt upper-class customs in order to raise their status. Gandhi did not believe in political battles for untouchables’ rights or approve their attempts to enter temples unless the temple authorities agreed. Ambedkar felt political power was part of the solution to untouchability. Basically, Gandhi’s faith was in change of heart; Ambedkar’s trust was in law, political power, and education.

Dr. Ambedkar's Books

Dr. Ambedkar wrote some critical works about the inequality of the caste system, advocating for Dalits. The University Library has a total of 17 titles authored by Ambedkar. Some of these are the same title but different editions in terms of content and/or language. Currently, the library has two titles in Marathi, the official language of the Indian state Maharashtra. Here are some of his critical works:

Who Were the Shudras? How They Came to be the Fourth Varna in the Indo-Aryan Society by B. R. Ambedkar Call Number: 915.4 AM1W - Oak Street Publication Date: 1946 This book was among the earliest works by Ambedkar to debunk the colonial absurdity of Aryan/Non-Aryan theory. Some extracts from the book are illuminating as to where Ambedkar stood on the question of caste and provide the much-needed course correction in terms of public discourse in India.
The Untouchables; Who Were They? And Why They Became Untouchables (Sequel to "Who Were the Shudras?") by B. R. Ambedkar Call Number: 915.4 AM1U - Main Stacks Publication Date: 1948 Sequel to "Who Were the Shudras?" (above). This book details how the Untouchable/Dalit caste was created. Available through the Digital Library of India: http://www.dli.ernet.in/handle/2015/56797
Against the Madness of Manu: B.R Ambedkar's Writings on Brahmanical Patriarchy by B. R. Ambedkar Call Number: HQ1173 .A43 2013 - SSHEL ISBN: 818905953X Publication Date: 2013 A Brahman mega convention in contemporary Pune reasserts faith in endogamy for national interest, and imposes new codes on Brahman women. In his 1916 paper Castes in India, the 25-year-old Ambedkar offered the insight that the caste system thrives by its control of women, and that caste is a product of sustained endogamy. Since then, till the time he piloted the Hindu Code Bill, seeking to radicalize women's rights in the 1950s, Ambedkar deployed a range of arguments to make his case against Brahmanism and its twin, patriarchy.

Graphic Novel about Ambedkar

Bhimayana: Incidents in the life of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is a graphic novel about the life of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar with art by Durgabai Vyam & Subhash Vyam and story by Srividya Natarajan & S. Anand. We have this title in English and Tamil. This is a visually captivating resource that is great for adults and children to learn about the life of Ambedkar.

English: Q. PN6720.B485 B485 2011 - Undergrad

Tamil: PN6720.B485 B4851836 2012 - Undergrad

Ambedkar, B. R.. (2000). In A. Motyl (Ed.), Encyclopedia of nationalism: Leaders, movements, and concepts . Oxford, United Kingdom: Elsevier Science & Technology. Retrieved from http://proxy2.library.illinois.edu/login?url=http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/estnational/ambedkar_b_r/0

Dalits. (2008). In J. H. Moore (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Race and Racism (Vol. 1, pp. 385-389). Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE|CX2831200123&v=2.1&u=uiuc_uc&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=cc17a86f3b033d564d2fd5673fc681dc

Rodrigues, V. (2013). Ambedkar, B. R. 1891--1956. In Encyclopedia of Race and Racism . Farmington, MI: Gale. Retrieved from http://proxy2.library.illinois.edu/login?url=http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/galerace/ambedkar_b_r_1891_1956/0

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DR. B.R AMBEDKAR

It takes courage to break free from the shackles of social inequality. It takes enormous amounts of courage to believe that things can change. It takes a leader to fight these inequalities and establish a new social order.Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was a scholar, a social reformer and a leader who dedicated his life to eradicating social inequality in India.

He established an India of equals, a country which provided greater opportunities for people who were historically disadvantaged.Babasaheb’s family was from the Mahar community and came from the Ambavade town of Mandangad taluka in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. However, he was born in the military cantonment town of Mhow, now in Madhya Pradesh on 14 April 1891 as his father was then a Subedar Major with the Mahar Regiment of the Indian Army.

He went to a government school where children from lower castes, regarded as untouchables, were segregated and given little attention or assistance by the teachers and not allowed to sit inside the classroom. Students from the community had to go without water if the peon did not report for duty. In 1894, Babasaheb's family moved to Satara in Maharashtra, and his mother passed away shortly after their family moved to Satara.His teacher Mahadev Ambedkar, a Brahmin, was fond of him and changed his surname from 'Ambavadekar' to his own surname 'Ambedkar' in school records. In 1897, Babasaheb’s family moved to Bombay.

He married Ramabai in 1906 when he was 15 and Ramabai nine years old. This however, did not deter him in his academic pursuits as he passed the matriculation examination in 1907 and entered the Elphinstone College the following year, becoming the first person from an untouchable community to do so.By 1912, he obtained his degree in Economics and Political Science from Bombay University and took up employment with the government of the princely state of Baroda. This opened up new avenues for Babasaheb as he got an opportunity to pursue his post-graduation at the Columbia University in the United States in 1913 through a Baroda State Scholarship instituted by the Gaekwads of Baroda awarding £11.50 (Sterling) per month for three years.He passed his MA exam in June 1915 majoring in Economics, with Sociology, History, Philosophy and Anthropology as other subjects of study; he presented a thesis ‘Ancient Indian Commerce’.

In 1916 he offered another MA thesis, ‘National Dividend of India - A Historic and Analytical Study’.On 9 May, he read his paper ‘Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development’ before a seminar conducted by the anthropologist Alexander Goldenweiser. In October 1916 he studied for the Bar examination at Gray's Inn, and enrolled at the London School of Economics where he started work on a doctoral thesis.In June 1917 he was obliged to go back to India as the term of his scholarship from Baroda ended, however he was given permission to return and submit his thesis within four years. He was appointed as Military Secretary to the Gaekwads of Baroda but had to quit within a short time, pushing him into financial hardship.

In 1918 he became Professor of Political Economy in the Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics in Bombay and though he was very popular with his students, he had to face discrimination from his colleagues.It was during this period that Babasaheb started taking greater interest in politics as he was invited to testify before the Southborough Committee, which was preparing the Government of India Act 1919. During this hearing he argued for creating separate electorates and reservations for untouchables and other religious communities.In 1920, he began publication of the weekly Mooknayak in Mumbai with the help of Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, Maharaja of Kolhapur.

A social reformer, the Maharaja played a pioneering role in opening up education and employment to people of all castes. Babasaheb continued to fight for justice for the untouchables in the years that followed, as a practicing lawyer and as a social reformer.By 1927, he decided to launch active movements against untouchability and espousing access to public drinking water resources and the right to enter Hindu temples. He led a satyagraha in Mahad to fight for the right of the untouchable community to draw water from the main water tank of the town.He was appointed to the Bombay Presidency Committee to work with the Simon Commission in 1925.

While the Commission had faced protests across India and its report was largely ignored, Babasaheb himself wrote a separate set of constitutional recommendations for the future.Babasaheb was invited to attend the Second Round Table Conference in London in 1932 but Mahatma Gandhi was opposed to a separate electorate for untouchables as this would split the nation.In 1932, the British announced a Communal Award of a separate electorate, Gandhi ji protested by fasting while imprisoned in the Yerwada Central Jail of Poona. This resulted in an agreement widely known as the Poona Pact in which Gandhi ji ended his fast and Babasaheb dropped his demand for a separate electorate. Instead, a certain number of seats were reserved specifically for the ‘Depressed Class’.In 1935, Babasaheb was appointed principal of the Government Law College in Mumbai and continued in that position for two years. He lost his wife Ramabai during this period and this marked the beginning of an important chapter in Babasaheb’s life.

On 13 October that year, he announced his intention to convert to a different religion and exhorted his followers to leave Hinduism while speaking at the Yeola Conversion Conference in Nasik and repeated his message all through the country.In 1936, Babasaheb Ambedkar founded the Independent Labour Party, which contested the 1937 Bombay election to the Central Legislative Assembly for the 13 reserved and 4 general seats, securing 11 and 3 seats respectively. He served on the Defence Advisory Committee and the Viceroy's Executive Council as minister for Labour during this period.This is also the period when Babasaheb wrote extensively on the condition of Dalits and the caste system in Hindu society. During this period, Babasaheb renamed his party as the Scheduled Castes Federation which later evolved into the Republican Party of India.He was initially elected to the Constituent Assembly from Bengal but his seat went to Pakistan following the Partition of India. He was subsequently elected from the Bombay Presidency in place of a senior jurist Jaykar, ahead of Shri GV Mavalankar.

India became an Independent nation on 15 August, 1947 and Babasaheb Ambedkar was appointed as the Union Law Minister and Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee, which was given the responsibility to write India's new Constitution.Babasaheb Ambedkar’s text provided constitutional guarantees and protections for a wide range of civil liberties for individual citizens, including freedom of religion, the abolition of untouchability and the outlawing of all forms of discrimination. Granville Austin described the Indian Constitution as 'first and foremost a social document'.He argued for equality and also won wide support for introducing a system of reservations of jobs for members of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in the civil services, schools and colleges. This was aimed at providing a voice to people who had suffered grave injustices through centuries.The Constituent Assembly formally approved the draft Constitution on 26 November 1949 and Babasaheb’s greatest work, the Indian Constitution, became our way of life on 26 January 1950.Struggle was a part of Babasaheb’s life as he had to work hard for everything he achieved. While he is remembered for his relentless crusade for a new social order, the Indian nation shall always remain indebted to him for giving us a Constitution that defines our core values as a nation.He was the man who made us a nation of equals.

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Biography Online

B.R. Ambedkar biography

Dr B.R. Ambedkar (1891 – 1956)

Ambedkar was also a prolific scholar, attending university in Mumbai, New York and London; he specialised in law, economics and political science, and made contributions to Indian economic thought. In 1956, shortly before his death, he converted from Hinduism to Buddhism encouraging many fellow ‘untouchables’ to also convert.

Ambedkar was born in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh. He was the 14th child of Ramji Sakpal who was a Subedar (officer) in the British Indian Army.

His family were ranked as a Mahar (Dalit) ‘untouchable’ caste. At the time of his birth, those born in the Mahar caste were subject to great discrimination, with limited education and employment prospects. They were not allowed to share public water provision and often suffered very low standards of living, health and poor accommodation. The Mahars are mainly found in Maharashtra and comprise around 10% of the population.

However, as an officer in the British Indian army, his father lobbied for his children to be allowed to go to school. Ambedkar was allowed to attend, but because of great opposition from Brahmins and other upper classes, the untouchables were segregated and often not allowed in the classroom.

In his later writing “No peon, No Water.” Ambedkar later explained how he was not allowed to take water, without the school peon (person to do manual labour). It was an example of the discrimination and exclusion that untouchables often faced. However, his father was ambitious for his children and encouraged them to read both the Hindu classics and other literature to further their education.

The discrimination and segregation of being born into the Mahar caste had a lasting influence on Ambedkar’s outlook on Indian society and political life.

In 1896 his mother died, and he was raised by their paternal aunt in difficult financial circumstances. Of his 13 brothers and sisters, only Ambedkar succeeded in graduating to high school; it was quite a rarity for his Mahar caste. In 1897, he became the only ‘untouchable’ to be enrolled in Bombay high school. In 1907, he became the first ‘untouchable’ to enter an affiliated college of the University of Bombay. This achievement was widely celebrated by his Mahar caste and was given a public ceremony. This ceremony occurred despite Ambedkar’s father refusing to give permission, arguing such a celebration ‘would go to the young boy’s head.’

As was custom, in 1906, he was arranged to be married to a nine-year-old girl, Ramabai.

Ambedkar received a degree in economics and political science from Bombay University. As a talented scholar, in 1913, he gained a Baroda state scholarship to study at Columbia University, New York. Here he gained an M.A, presenting a thesis on Ancient Indian Commerce.

After New York, in 1916, he moved to London where he enrolled at the Bar at Gray’s Inn and also at the London School of Economics. By 1923, he was called to the Bar and had completed a Master’s degree in economics (1921) and a D.Sc. in economics (1923).

Ambedkar was a professional economist until 1921. He wrote an influential paper to the Hilton Young Commission which formed the basis of the Reserve Bank of India. (RBI). In his 1923 these ‘The problems of Rupee, it’s origins and solution’ – he studied the importance of price stability to the value of the Rupee. He also investigated how the Indian economy could successfully develop.

In 1917, he had to return to India to serve in the Baroda State military. However, his military career didn’t last very long. He quit and found work as a private tutor. He also tried to set up an investment consulting business, but soon lost clients when they found out about his ‘untouchable’ status.

In 1918, he became Professor of Political Economy at the Sydenham College in Bombay. He also went on to serve as a lawyer.

In the 1920s, Ambedkar became increasingly concerned and active about the plight of his fellow cast members. He became a high profile figure within Indian politics. He sought to improve education for the ‘outcastes’. In 1924, he founded the Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha – an organisation dedicating to improving the welfare of outcasts. Its founding principles were ‘Educate, Agitate and Organize.’

He also founded a newspaper called “Mooknayaka” (leader of the silent)

During the 1920s, he became more active in organising protests against discrimination. He inspired mass protests against ‘untouchability’ and for the right to draw water from the main public tank. He attacked elements of orthodox Hinduism – burning copies of Manusmrti (Laws of Manu) which he felt justified caste discrimination.

“For a successful revolution, it is not enough that there is enough discontent. What is required is a profound and thorough conviction of justice, necessity and importance of political and social rights.”

– Ambedkar, Political Science for Civil Services Main Examination, 2010

He also campaigned for ‘untouchables’ to be given admission to Hindu temples. In 1930, he led about 15,000 untouchables in a peaceful procession to gain admission to Kalaram Temple.

Ambedkar wrote prolifically on the subject of caste. He strongly criticised orthodox Hinduism and the caste system in particular. His book – The Annihilation of Caste – expressed these views most force ably.

“My study of the Caste problem involves four main points: (1) that in spite of the composite make-up of the Hindu population, there is a deep cultural unity; (2) that caste is a parcelling into bits of a larger cultural unit; (3) that there was one caste to start with; and (4) that classes have become Castes through imitation and excommunication.”

– Castes in India

He was also critical of Islam for the way he felt it justified slavery and the mistreatment of women.

“the Muslim Society in India is afflicted by the same social evils as afflict the Hindu Society. Indeed, the Muslims have all the social evils of the Hindus and something more. That something more is the compulsory system of purdah for Muslim women.”

– B.R. Ambedkar (1)

Separate Electorate

Eventually fearing conflict between orthodox Hindus and the Dalit’s, Ambedkar agreed with Gandhi to avoid a separate electorate. Instead, a certain number of seats were reserved for untouchables. This was known as the Poona Pact and drew Gandhi and Ambedkar closer politically. Though tensions between the two still remained. Ambedkar wanted independence, but he gave equal weighting to the amelioration of the untouchables and other marginalised groups in society.

“It was not enough that India should get Swaraj. It was more important in whose hands the Swaraj would be.”

– Ambedkar

In 1937, he formed the Independent Labour party to represent the untouchables in elections. They gained local success in the 1937 elections but fared less well in the 1947 elections.

Constitution of India

In 1947, after India’s independence, he was invited by the Congress government to play a significant role in drafting India’s new constitution. He was appointed Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee. He was also appointed first Law Minister.

Ambedkar prepared a constitution which protected a wide range of civil liberties for both the poor and women.

“The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them.”

– Article 15

Article 17 outlawed the practice of ‘untouchability’. The constitution also included affirmative action to reserve jobs for people from scheduled castes. The constitution was adopted in 1949.

WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR 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 the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;

– Constitution of India

Ambedkar was brought up in a Hindu culture and studied Hindu texts. However, he was critical of the caste aspect of Hinduism and frequently talked about his desire to leave his religion and encouraged others to do the same.

For a while he considered Sikhism. But, in October 1956, he announced his formal intention to convert to Buddhism. He studied Buddhism throughout his life and in the 1950s spent more time studying Buddhism, travelling to Sri Lanka and attending Buddhist conferences.

“The direct answer to this question is that I regard the Buddha’s Dhamma to be the best. No religion can be compared to it. If a modern man who knows science must have a religion, the only religion he can have is the Religion of the Buddha. This conviction has grown in me after thirty-five years of close study of all religions.”

– Ambedkar, The Buddha and his Dharma

Dr._Ambedkar during his conversion

After his conversion, he oversaw the conversion of 500,000 of his followers to the Buddhist religion. It was one of the biggest mass conversions in India. He founded the Buddhist Society of India and has helped to revitalise Buddhism within India, the land of its birth.

Shortly after his conversion to Buddhism, he died in his sleep on 6 December 1956 at his home in Delhi. He suffered from diabetes and stress-related illness. He was given a Buddhist cremation, and over half a million people came to pay their respects.

Ambedkar left a powerful legacy for Indian culture, politics and society. His drafting of the Indian constitution placed great emphasis on equal rights and the overcoming of discrimination. His criticism of Hinduism has made him a controversial figure. But, in 2012, he was voted the greatest Indian by a national poll organised by History TV18 and CNN IBN. He gained nearly 20 million votes.

He has also received praise for his economic work. Nobel prize winner Amartya Sen said that his contribution in the field of economics ‘is marvellous and will be remembered forever.’

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan . “B.R. Ambedkar Biography”, Oxford, UK. www.biographyonline.net. Published 26th November 2014. Last updated 15 February 2019.

Annihilation of Caste:

Annihilation of Caste: by B.R. Ambedkar at Amazon

14 Comments

Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar , one of the respected great man so I want know everything related to him

January 17, 2019 12:14 AM
By sangita Diwakar

I m great admirer of dr Ambedkar sir want to join all the discussion and interviews related to him and his work

January 13, 2019 5:04 AM
By Utsav Sharma

Nice biography of ambedkar

December 09, 2018 3:15 PM

INDIA IS ONE OF THE GREAT COUNTRY AND DR. BR AMBEDKAR ALSO ONE OF THE GREAT PERSON, INSPIRED THANKS FOR GOOD ARTICLE……………..

November 26, 2018 9:03 PM

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Title:	Dr B R Ambedkars contribution towards social justice a study
Researcher:	Pushpinder Kaur
Guide(s):
Keywords:	Equality Fraternity Ideal society Liberty Social Justice
University:	Panjab University
Completed Date:	2022
Abstract:	The idea of Social Justice is deeply rooted in and is firmly opposed to the concept of social inequality. Social inequality was a way of life in the Indian Social order. In such a Social order a dominant minority enslaved people in the majority for perpetuating its dominance and protecting its rights and interests. Millions of people were denied their basic civil rights and were forced to lead in human life. Babasaheb Ambedkar who himself hailed from such a community, became a victim of such degraded behaviour of society. Realizing the pain and suffocation of such a stratified society he became a beacon for suppressed and deprived sections of the society. By his relentless struggle, he fought against the age-old stereotyped rigid social system and their perpetuated social evils. Babasaheb Ambedkar always emphasized creating an ideal society that must be based on a trio of liberty, equality and fraternity. newlineThe work of the researcher has been conceived as an Endeavour to see the concept of Social Justice through the prism of Babasaheb Ambedkar s vision and to throw light on his magnificent contribution towards achieving Social Justice. The motivation for taking up this topic i.e. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar s Contribution towards Social Justice: A study was twofold. Firstly to analyze the immense contribution of Dr Ambedkar in ameliorating the socio-economic conditions of deprived sections of the society that includes Scheduled castes, Women and Labour Class. Secondly to find out that how far the task of achieving Social Justice as envisioned by Babasaheb Ambedkar has been accomplished. newline newline
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Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar Biography

Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar Information

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, also known as Baba Saheb Ambedkar, was born on April 14, 1891, at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, India. He was a good student earning doctorates from both London University and Columbia University of London. He gained a reputation as a scholar for his research in law, economics, and political science. in his early carrier, he was an editor, economist, professor, and activist who was against the discrimination Dalits faced because of caste. Dr. B.R.Ambedkar's later career included participating in political activities.

Ambedkar History

Dr. B.R.Ambedkar was born in Mhow of Madhya Pradesh. His father was Ramji Makoji Sakpal, who was an army officer in the British India army. Dr. B.R.Ambedkar was the fourteenth son of his father. Bhimabai Sakpal was his mother. His family was of Marathi background from the town of Ambawade. Dr. B. R.Ambedtkar was born as a Dalit and he was treated as an untouchable. He was subjected to regular social and economic discrimination. Although Ambedkar attended school, he and other Dalit students were treated as untouchables. They were separated from another group of students from other caste and were not given attention by the teachers. They were even not allowed to sit with other students for their own drinking water.

He used to drink water with the help of the peon as he and other Dalit students were not allowed to touch anything. His father retired in 1894 and his mother passed away 2 years after they moved to Satara. Of all his brothers and sisters, Ambedkar was the only one who passed his examination and went to high school. Later in high school, his school, a Brahmin teacher, changed his surname from Ambadawekar, which was given by his father to Ambedkar in records. This shows the level of discrimination that was done on Dalits. Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar EducationIn 1897, Ambedkar became the only untouchable to get enrolled at the Elphinstone High School. In 1906, Ambedkar, who was 15 years old, married a 9 years old named Ramabai.

The marriage was done by the couple's parents as per the rituals. In 1912, he obtained his degree in political science and economics from Bombay University and was employed by the Baroda state government. In 1913, Ambedkar moved to the United States as he was awarded a scholarship for three years by Sayajirao Gaekwad three. The scholarship was designed to provide opportunities for post-graduate education at Columbia University in New York City. In 1915, he majored in Economics, Sociology, History, Philosophy, and Anthropology. In 1917, he completed his master's degree and wrote a thesis on "The problem of the rupee- its origin and solution," and in 1923, he completed a D.Sc in Economics, which was awarded by the University of London.

The birthday of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, or Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, is on April 14 as he was born on that day in Mhow, India, in the year 1891 and died on December 6, 1956, in New Delhi. His mother's name was Bhimabai and father's name was Ramji Sakpal. He was born in an army cantonment in Madhya Pradesh as his father was an army subedar. Once his father retired, they moved to Satara and that's where his mother passed away. His father remarried four years after the death of his mother and the family relocated to Bombay. When Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar was 15 years old, he was married to Ramabai, who was a 9-year-old girl, in 1906. In 1912, the father of Ambedkar died in Bombay.

Ambedkar had a difficult time in his childhood because he always faced caste discrimination. He belonged to a Dalit family and Dalits were considered "untouchables," a low caste. When Ambedkar was in an army school, he faced discrimination there as well. Due to this, teachers usually made a separate arrangement for low caste students so that they are not mixed with high caste students like Brahmins. Sometimes, Ambedkar and other low caste students were even asked to sit outside the classroom by the teachers as they feared it might cause problems if low caste students were mixed with high-class students.

The problem of caste discrimination didn't end for Ambedkar even when he was enrolled in a local school in Satara. This discrimination seemed to be following him. When he came back from America, the King of Baroda appointed him as his defense secretary. Even being in such a high position, he was called 'untouchable' by his upper-class officials.

Ambedkar’s Involvement during Independence

Ambedkar was involved in campaigning and negotiation of India's Independence. After Independence, he became the chairman of the drafting committee of the Indian constitution. After India's Independence, he was the first minister of law and justice and is considered to be the architect of the constitution of India. In 1956 he converted to Buddhism, resulting in the mass conversion of Dalits. In 1948, Ambedkar suffered from diabetes. After fighting diabetes for almost seven years, Ambedkar passed away in his sleep on December 6 1956 at his home.

Education Of Dr B. R. Ambedkar

In 1908, Ambedkar passed his tenth class from the Elphinstone High School. He graduated from Bombay University in 1912 and his subjects included political studies and economics. Ambedkar was an intelligent student and cleared all his exams without much problem. Gaekwad ruler of, Sahyaji Rao III was so impressed with him that he gave a scholarship of 25 rupees per month to Ambedkar. Ambedkar used all that money to continue his studies outside India. He applied for Columbia University in New York to complete his master's degree in Economics.

He was selected in that university and completed his master's degree in 1915 and this is the time when he gave his thesis called 'Ancient Indian Commerce. In 1916, he started working on his new thesis, 'The problem of the rupee: Its origin and its solution' and this was the time when he applied for the London School of Economics and got selected. In this thesis, he was also helped by Governor Lord Sydenham. In Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics, he became a political science professor, but he decided to continue his further studies and went to England. He completed his Ph.D. degree in 1927 in Economics and was awarded a Doctorate by the University of Columbia in the same year.

Achievements of Dr B. R. Ambedkar

Ambedkar played a key role in the formation of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in 1935. Back in 1955, he was the first person to propose the partition of Madhya Pradesh and Bihar for better government. He also wanted to make Sanskrit the Indian union's official language and he took part in the 'Lok Sabha' election twice but failed to win on both occasions. 'Waiting for a Visa,' his autobiography, is used as a textbook at Columbia University. He was opposed to the principle of employment and constituency reservation and didn't want the system to exist at all. He was the first Indian to earn a Ph.D. degree outside of India. Ambedkar was the one who pushed for a reduction in India's working hours from 14 to eight hours a day. He was a vocal opponent of the Indian constitution's 'Article 370,' which granted the state of Jammu and Kashmir special status.

In 1916, Dr. B.R.Ambedkar worked as the defense secretary for the princely state of Baroda. As he was a Dalit, wor was not easy. He was ridiculed by the people and often ignored. After continuous caste discrimination, he quit his job as the defense secretary and took up jobs as a private tutor and accountant. He later established a consulting firm, but it failed to flourish. The reason has been that he was a Dalit. He finally got a job as a teacher at the Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics in Mumbai. As Ambedkar was a victim of caste discrimination, he thrived on uplifting the pitiable state of the untouchables in society. He founded a weekly journal called "Mooknayak," which enabled him to criticize the beliefs of the Hindus. He was passionate about eradicating the practice of caste discrimination in India which led him to establish "Bahishkrit Hitakarni Sabha."

The main goal of the organization was to provide education to the backward classes. In 1927, he continuously worked against untouchability. He followed the footsteps of Gandhi and led a Satyagraha movement. The untouchables were denied access to the main source of drinking water and entry in Temples. He fought for the rights of the untouchables. In 1932, the "Poona Pact" was formed that allowed reservation for the depressed class in the regional legislative assembly and central council states. In 1935, he founded the "Independent labor party," which secured fourteen seats in the Bombay election.

In 1935, he published books such as 'The Annihilation of Caste,' which questioned orthodox Hindu beliefs, and the very next year, he published another book by the name 'Who Were the Shudras?' in which he explained how the untouchables were formed. After India's Independence, he served on the board of the defense advisory committee and as the minister for labor for the 'viceroy's executive council.'His dedication towards the work earned him the chair of India's first law minister. He was the first chairman of the drafting committee of the Constitution of India.

He also established the finance committee of India. It was through his policies the nation progressed both economically and socially. In 1951, 'The Hindu Code Bill' was proposed to him, which he later rejected and resigned from the Cabinet. He contested for the seat of Likh Sabha but was defeated. He was later appointed to the Rajya Sabha and remained a member of the Rajya Sabha until his death in 1955.

Thoughts and Opinions

B.R. Ambedkar was a leading social reformer and an activist who dedicated his entire life to the betterment of the Dalits and other socially backward classes of India. Ambedkar continuously fought for the eradication of caste discrimination that had spread like a disease in Indian society. As he was born in a socially backward family, Ambedkar was a Dalit who was a victim of caste discrimination and inequality. However, against all odds, Ambedkar became the first Dalit to complete higher education. He then went on and completed college and got a doctorate in economics from London University. He entered politics entirely, aiming to fight for the rights of the backward classes and against the inequality practiced in society. After India became independent, he went on to become the first law minister of free India and the chief architect of the 'Constitution of India.'Later in 1956, he converted to Buddhism, as he considered it to be 'the most scientific religion.'

Within 2 months of the conversion anniversary, Ambedkar died of diabetes in 1956.ConclusionBhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, popularly known as Baba Saheb, was a jurist, politician, economist, writer, editor. He was a Dalit who was a usual subject to caste discrimination. He was not allowed to eat with other caste children or even drink water at school. His story is the best example of determination and showcases how education can change the fortune of anyone. A child who was subject to caste discrimination went on to become a man who was the architect of Independent India's constitution. A story is written in heaven's which is the best example of not giving up on yourself even if the odds are against you.

FAQs on Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar Biography

1. Why did Ambedkar Change his Name?

Dr. B.R.Ambedkar's original name was Sakpal, but his father changed his name to Ambadawekar, meaning he is from the village 'Ambadawe' in Ratnagiri district. His Brahmin teacher Krishnaji Keshav Ambedkar changed his surname from 'Ambadawekar' to 'Ambedkar' in the school records.

2. How Many Hours did Ambedkar Study?

Dr. B.R.Ambedkar was a social transformer and a great leader of our nation, but at the heart of his personality was his dedication. He used to spend eighteen hours studying at a stretch. He believed that education is the key to a person's growth.

3. Why did Dr. B.R Ambedkar Decide to Change his Religion?

Ambedkar decided to change his religion to escape the caste system, which was constantly propagated in Hinduism. He believed in religion with no divisions and he did not find his ideologies coexisting with what Hinduism was about. So in 1956, he decided to convert to Buddhism, which he considered the most scientific religion.

4. What was the thinking of Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar?

Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar or Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, was a broad-minded person as he had a very broad type of thinking. Ambedkar was selfless and always thought about others and was always against the caste system as he belonged to the family of Dalits who was considered as 'untouchables.' He always believed in one's freedom and not the society of caste.

5. Was Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar a freedom fighter?

He was a freedom fighter, one of his kind, as he didn't only want India's freedom from British rule, but he also wanted India to be free on an individual basis. He fought hard against the caste system and dedicated his whole life to Dalits, who were discriminated against very badly at that time. He wanted that all the people of India, irrespective of their caste, creed and color, get equal rights before the law.

Ambedkar Initiative

What B.R. Ambedkar Wrote to W.E.B. DuBois.

Professor Rao speaks on caste – Columbia Journalism students push to add caste to university non-discrimination policy.

Listen to our B.R. Ambedkar student podcasts here .

Watch ICLS Director Anupama Rao discuss Ambedkar in “Anti Caste Writings” Series .

View an interactive Knightmap curated by Samuel Needleman.

B. R. Ambedkar is arguably one of Columbia University’s most illustrious alumni, and a democratic thinker and constitutional lawyer who had enormous impact in shaping India, the world’s largest democracy. As is well known, Ambedkar came to Columbia University in July 1913 to start a doctoral program in Political Science. He graduated in 1915 with a Masters degree, and got his doctorate from Columbia in 1927 after having studied with some of the great figures of interwar American thought including John Dewey. Columbia University awarded Ambedkar with an honorary LL.D. in 1952.

ICLS is pleased to announce the Ambedkar Initiative , led by Professor Anupama Rao. The Ambedkar Initiative links Columbia University with the anti-caste legacy of B. R. Ambedkar and recognizes his continued relevance to discussions about social justice, affirmative action, and democratic thinking in a global frame. Our project is dedicated to:

*Exploring genealogies of radical democracy outside the North Atlantic

*Addressing the complex interrelationship of identity inequality in global frame

*Recognizing emergent affinities and solidarities in the struggle for recognition and social justice

At present, this multi-pronged Initiative consists of the following scholarly and Public Humanities components:

1) The Annual Ambedkar Lectures supported by the EVP, Columbia; Provost, Barnard College; Dean of Humanities; Dean of Social Sciences; and various departments and units at Barnard and Columbia.

2) B. R. Ambedkar Book Series published by Columbia University Press.

3) The course, “Columbia University and B. R. Ambedkar,” which draws on relevant holdings at the RBML, [Rare Books and Manuscript Library] and which is being developed with the support of RBML librarian Thai Jones, and student researchers.

4) Public exhibits, installations, readings and workshops to commemorate Dalit activism, aesthetics, and public culture.

5) Development of Ambedkar Research Fellowships to enable scholars to conduct brief spells of library research at Columbia University and in the broader New York city area. (in progress)

The video recordings of the Inaugural Ambedkar Lectures are available on Youtube to view. To access the videos, click here .

Read the Borderlines article, “ Dalit is the New Political and Epistemic Horizon: An Interview with Suraj Yengde ,” from November 23, 2020.

Watch a review of our US premiere screening of Chaityabhumi, December 2023.

Dalit Film and Cultural Festival (DALIFF)
Practicing Caste: On Touching and Not Touching
Inaugural Ambedkar Lectures | Ambedkar Now
Inaugural Ambedkar Lectures | Global Ambedkar
To Think Otherwise: An Interview with Anupama Rao
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Ambedkar Lectures on Youtube
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How London taught Ambedkar to ‘educate, agitate, organise’

A new book explores b.r. ambedkar’s little-known years in britain, revealing his far-reaching influence on anti-discrimination movements..

Published : Aug 26, 2024 20:12 IST - 7 MINS READ

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Dr B. R. Ambedkar (first from right in second row) with his professors and friends from the London School of Economics and Political Science, circa 1916-17. | Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

While Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s studies in, and connections with, Columbia University are well-known and much celebrated, not many know that he also studied for a masters in Economics at the London School of Economics (LSE), and was called to the Bar at Gray’s Inn in London. In fact, his doctoral work in economics and finance at LSE was instrumental in the setting up of the Central banking mechanism now known as the Reserve Bank of India.

Ambedkar in London

Rupa publications, price:rs.995.

Even less studied is Ambedkar’s work in London during the 1930s as part of the two Round Table Conferences held in 1930-early 1931 and late 1931-early 1923 respectively, and his subsequent work in the UK championing the cause of the “Depressed Classes”. The book Ambedkar in London is an attempt to bridge this gap, even as it reveals the extent of his involvement in, and influence upon, the struggles of the underdog all over the world.

Edited by William Gould, professor of Indian History at University of Leeds; Santosh Dass MBE, former civil servant and human rights activist; and Professor Christophe Jaffrelot, Research Director at CERI-Sciences Po and Professor of Indian Politics and Sociology at King’s College London, this excellent compilation of essays covers a wide range of geographies and schools of thought.

It is not incidental that the trigger for this volume was the mobilisation by several UK-based Dalits to set up the Ambedkar Museum at 10, King Henry Road, in Camden, a residential borough in the heart of London where Ambedkar spent several years as a tenant. The struggle to set up the Museum after decades of obscurity and years of lobbying and advocacy with civic authorities, the Maharashtra and UK governments, and not least, the residents of King Henry Road, is emblematic of society’s reception to the values that Ambedkar himself struggled for.

Evaluating Ambedkar’s contribution

Ambedkar in London is divided into two parts. Part one covers Ambedkar’s years in London as a student in the 1920s and a lobbyist and policymaker in the 1930s. The foreword by Suraj Milind Yengde, who has worked on the issues of caste and race in Africa, the US, and now the UK, emphasises the international scholarly and policy footprint of Ambedkar whose work continues to impact present-day India and inspires generations. The Introduction by Santosh Dass and William Gould connects Ambedkar’s sojourns in London with the progress of the struggle for the rights of Dalits in the UK, which is explored in greater detail in Chapter 8 in the second part of the book.

The first three chapters, by William Gould, Sue Donnelly and Daniel Payne, and Steven Gasztowicz KC respectively, cover Ambedkar’s stint as an activist research scholar, student of LSE, and student of Law in London, while the fourth by Jesus F. Chairez-Garza discusses Ambedkar’s networking and activism in the First Round Table Conference. “Dr Ambedkar in the 1920s: The Transitional Decade” by Christophe Jaffrelot is a comprehensive treatment of the years between Ambedkar’s life as a student in London and his leadership in the Round Table Conferences in the 1930s.

The second part of the book, while broadly discussing the contemporary movement for the rights of Dalits in the UK, also harks back to Ambedkar’s interaction with the Black intellectual W.E.B Dubois and the subsequent engagement of the Black movement in the US with the Indian freedom struggle and the Dalit movement in India. The African-American community was in sympathy with Indians struggling against white supremacy/colonialism, and also aware of the overlaps between caste and race. Santosh Dass has collaborated with Arun Kumar to trace the growing Ambedkarite movement in the UK in Chapter 6; with Jamie Sullivan to explain how the Ambedkar Museum in London was set up; and writes in detail about the campaign to outlaw caste discrimination in the UK in Chapter 8. The African-American scholar Professor Kevin Brown, renowned for his work on race and caste, writes on Ambedkar in London and the African-American community in Chapter 9.

Also Read | Ambedkar in the here and now

A fuller evaluation of Ambedkar’s contribution and intellectual and political leadership at the national and international sphere is yet to be achieved, but this compilation of essays does cover extensive ground, and connects the contribution of the younger scholar Ambedkar to the mature Constitutionalist, Law Minister, and politician in a substantial manner.

“This compilation of essays connects the contribution of the younger scholar Ambedkar to the mature Constitutionalist, Law Minister, and politician in a substantial manner.”

In his Conclusion, Gould writes: “[t]he early 1920s in London position Ambedkar’s intellectual contributions in the longer term…(his) powerful principles and strategies for Dalit representation and keen principles and strategies for Dalit representation and keen sociological approaches to Indian inequality that characterise his mature phase can only be fully explained in relation to his longer-term intellectual contributions. In his early writings this included the politics and governance of space, the nature of the colonial economy, the idea of the rule of law, and the wider context of political power in interwar India.”

Chairez-Garza and Jaffrelot argue that Ambedkar’s experiences and connections to London around the early mobilisation of the Depressed Classes through education and reform were significant to his later, and more radical, ideas about caste. Gould feels that Ambedkar’s study in London helped him better relate the significance of space and transnationalism to the issues of social segregation and exclusion of the untouchables.

The bungalow on King Henry’s Road in North London where Dr. B R Ambedkar lived as a student in the 1920s. | Photo Credit: PTI

Thus we find that Ambedkar embodied, as an exemplar, that education was the first strategy to ensure the social and economic progress of Dalits, and thereafter became an important means of fostering the wider Dalit movement. Even as his own sponsors saw in his education and progress a means to be more influential in the public life in India, Ambedkar himself saw it as a means to be taken more seriously as an internationally qualified person with the capability to take on both the colonial government as well as Indian politicians who enjoyed a higher social status.

These approaches have stood the Dalit movement in good stead. The principles of institution-building and social mobilisation as modelled by Ambedkar continue to be popular, including in the Buddha Vihara in London as well as at the smallest village or taluk level even now in India.

Spirited challenge to inequality

The other important model that he followed is the spatial contextualisation and representation of the Depressed Classes in the face of caste discrimination. This elicited results in the UK, as the Dalits strove to have caste discrimination officially acknowledged in anti-discrimination legislation: the struggle against social elitism continues as a significant challenge even now both in India and the UK, stemming from an inability—or unwillingness—of the social and political elite to understand the structural advantages conferred on them by historical privilege.

Ambedkar’s spirited and multi-pronged challenge to this inequality includes education, institutionalising legal obligations to the progress of the disadvantaged, political representation and even, towards the end of his life, a spiritual challenge to the entrenched privilege enjoyed by a few on the basis of birth and religious claims.

Stories that help you connect the dots

Politics over the purse

To now create artificial rifts and systematically strip States of fiscal rights, as the Centre is doing, is destructive.

Editor’s Note: The Centre is stripping States of their fiscal rights

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