Messiah of untouchables

Ambedkar Jayanti is celebrated in India every year on the 14th of April to pay respect to Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar. On this auspicious day, we remember his contribution, accomplishments by him. He is one of the greatest leaders in Indian history.

We all recognize Dr. B. R. Ambedkar as the architect of the Indian constitution and a crusader for the rights of the untouchables. But one won’t be wrong to say that history has been a bit unfair to him.

All that we know about Dr. Ambedkar is that he was the messiah of untouchables and someone who drafted our constitution.

The major contribution by Dr. Ambedkar was helping Dalits to get equal authority, status, and respect in the society as others therefore, Dalits treat him as their God.

Some of these facts will change your perception about Ambedkar completely.

1. Way back in the year 1955 Ambedkar had suggested the division of both Madhya Pradesh and Bihar for better governance. The states were bifurcated 45 years later and in the year 2000 states of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand were formed.

2. Ambedkar played a key role in the establishment of the Reserve Bank of India in 1935. It was formed based on the guidelines provided by Dr. Ambedkar. His book ‘The Problem of the Rupee – Its Origin and Its Solution’ was widely referred to during the formation of RBI.

3. At the 7th Session of the Indian Labour conference, Ambedkar changed the working hours in India from 14 hours to 8 hours.

4. Ambedkar’s autobiography named ‘Waiting for a Visa’ which he wrote during 1935-36 is used as a textbook at Columbia University.

5. Ambedkar was instrumental in forming the National Employment Exchange Agency in India.

6. Ambedkar’s self-published book ‘Annihilation of Caste’ is actually a text of his undelivered speech at the Annual Hindu conference of the Jat-Pat-Todak Mandal.

7. Ambedkar played a crucial role in the establishment of large dam technology in India. He contributed to the setting up of Damodar, Hirakud, and Sone river dam projects.

8. In 1952, Ambedkar contested the first Lok Sabha election from Bombay North and lost to Congress candidate Naryan Kajrolkar.

9. Ambedkar had opposed Article 370 of the Indian constitution which gives special status to the state of Jammu & Kashmir.

10. Apart from being the savior of the untouchables, Ambedkar also fought for the emancipation of women. He resigned from the cabinet in 1952 because his Hindu Code Bill was not passed. He had argued in it for the equal rights for women in inheritance and marriage. Later on these laws were enacted under the Hindu Marriage Act.