Dr.AMBEDKAR: An Inspiration to Multitudes

"LIFE SHOULD BE GREAT RATHER THAN LONG."- Dr. B.R. AMBEDKAR

                     The glory that defied death...The roar that resonated along the horizon...The life that became synonymous with victory-Dr.B.R.Ambedkar. He, who made people agitate with his unrivaled zeal was the prime craftsman behind the Indian Constitution. It was his undaunted spirit and relentless effort that made a fissure in the hitherto impregnable Caste Pyramid. His fathomless erudition translated itself into various polemical and radical texts including Annihilation of Caste and Hindu Code Bill. The accolades for making India a secular, socialist and democratic Republic should reach this Visionary whose foresight is sans pareil. Ambedkar's life-long struggle was neither for power nor for wealth but for Liberation.

"CASTE IS NOT A PHYSICAL OBJECT LIKE A WALL OF BRICKS OR A LINE OF BARBED WIRE WHICH PREVENTS THE HINDUS FROM CO-MINGLING AND WHICH HAS , THEREFORE, TO BE PULLED DOWN. CASTE IS A NOTION; IT IS A STATE OF MIND."

         The insult, humiliation and abuses endured by this motherless child is beyond our comprehension. He was impelled to quench his thirst with muddy water and was also coerced out of bullock-cart for being a Mahar. Having been the sole prodigy of his class, he was asked by his teacher to solve a Math problem on the board. This invitation disquieted the entire class and they argued  against a shudra touching the blackboard since it would defile their lunch boxes stacked behind it. An insult, both to the teacher and to his disciple, which disheartened the duo! Ambedkar deemed Education to be the prime weapon to combat Caste System. Subsequently, he was conferred Honorary Degrees from Columbia University, London School of Economics and University of Bonn. This ruling Law maker strove to dismantle the "savage laws" of our nation and put forth many path breaking acts including- Hindu Code Bill, Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, Government of India Act inter alia. 

"HUMANS ARE MORTAL. SO ARE IDEAS. AN IDEA NEEDS PROPAGATION AS MUCH AS A PLANT NEEDS WATERING. OTHERWISE BOTH WILL WITHER AND DIE."

             Eventually, he became the first Indian to hold a Doctorate in Economics from London School of Economics. The primacy Ambedkar attributed to Education prompted him to teach his fellow 'untouchables' which ensued the journal "Mookanayaka." He was courageous enough to renounce Hindu Faith and burn Manu Smrithi publicly. He blatantly critiqued the voids in Hindu Religion and resolved to leave the faith which has been tormenting his brethren from time immemorial. True to his word, Ambedkar accepted Buddhism and propagated his own version of it called Navayana. He worked against all sorts of oppressive forces and inequalities prevalent in Indian Society.

" I MEASURE THE PROGRESS OF A COMMUNITY BY THE DEGREE OF PROGRESS WHICH WOMEN HAVE ACHIEVED."

     Ambedkar also laboured for the upliftment of women. In his The Rise and Fall of Hindu Woman, he posits the causes which pushed  women into the perpetual woe perpetrated by Patriarchy. He even resigned his ministerial post for the women's cause. He was successful in forming solidarities among subalterns including women, Dalits and Workers. One of the significant causes behind his rage against Manusmriti is owing to its restrictive tenets that fettered and limited women. He exhorted women not to do anything that would tarnish their self respect. Ambedkar's radical reformative potential reflected in his series of theses-'Ancient Indian Commerce,' 'National Divident of India-A Historic and Analytical Study', 'Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development.' This incredible life came to an end on December 6th 1956.

TODAY, ON HIS 55th DEATH ANNIVERSARY (MAHA PARINIRVAN DIWAS), WE FONDLY REMEMBER OUR DEAREST BABA SAHEB AND SALUTE HIM FOR INITIATING RADICAL CHANGES SO THAT ALL OF US CAN FOLLOW SUIT!

-Santhwana Thomas