Tributes to the great hero...Hi friends,
Let’s pay tributes to the practically most effective leader of the modern India,
Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. Babasaheb fought for his whole life for the upliftment of our nation.
My sincere appeal to every Indian- please don’t label him ‘only the leader for backward classes’. Practically, he was the only seriously working member for draft of our constitution. He was one of the greatest scholars on the issues of Indian history, culture, spirituality and the most educated Indian of his time.
He tried to convince the orthodox upper caste leaders to give equal religious rights to everybody. He stood firmly for the cause of backward and suppressed castes. He had expressed very brilliant thoughts on the issues of population, relationship with Pakistan, reservation for the backward classes and several other practical burning issues.
The most significant of the activities of Dr Ambedkar was conversion to Buddhism along with millions of his followers in Nagpur.
Here are few of his brilliant
thoughts-
1. 'Let the slaves know about their slavery and they will stand up against it.'
2. 'The greatest thing that the Buddha has done is to tell the world that the world cannot be reformed except by the reformation of the mind of man, and the mind of the world.'
3. 'Men are mortal. So are ideas. An idea needs propagation as much as a plant needs watering. Otherwise both will wither and die.’
4. 'Untouchability shuts all doors of opportunities for betterment in life for untouchables. It does not offer an untouchable any opportunity to move freely in society; it compels him to live in dungeons and seclusion; it prevents him from educating himself and following a profession of his choice’.
5. 'Everyman must have a philosophy of life, for everyone must have a standard by which to measure his conduct. And philosophy is nothing but a standard by which to measure’.
6. 'Unlike a drop of water which loses his identity when it joins the ocean, man does not lose his being in the society in which he lives. Man’s life is independent. He is born not for the development of the society alone, but for the development of his self’.
7. 'Freedom of mind is the real freedom. A person, whose mind is not free though he may not be in chains, is a slave, not a free man. One whose mind is not free though alive, is no better than dead. Freedom of mind is the proof of one’s existence’.
His
life events….
1891 Born at
Mahu (Madhya Pradesh), the fourteenth child of Subhedar Ramji Sapkal and Mrs
Bhimabai Ambedkar.
1900 Entered the Government High School at Satara.
1904 Entered the
Elphinstone High School at Bombay.
1906 Married Ramabai, daughter of Mr. Bhiku Walangkar, one of the relations of Gopal
Baba Walangkar
1907 Passed Matriculation Examination secured 382 marks out of 750.
1908 Honoured in a meeting presided over by Shri S K Bole;
Shri K A (Dada) Keluskar Guruji presented a book on the life of Gautam Buddha written by him. Entered the Elphinstone College, Bombay.
1913 Passed
B.A Examination with Persian and English from University of Bombay, secured 449 marks out of 1000.
1913 Sayajirao Gaikwar's Scholar in the Columbia University, New York, reading in the Faculty of Political Science.
1915 Passed M.A. Examination majoring in Economics and with Sociology, History Philosophy, Anthropology and Politics asthe other subjects of study.
1916 Wrote a Thesis entitled
'The National Dividend of India – A Historical and Analytical Study' for the PhD Degree.
1917 Columbia University conferred a Degree of
Ph.D.Return to India after spending a year in London working on the thesis for the M.Sc. (Econ) Degree. The return before completion of the work was necessitated by the termination the scholarship granted by the Baroda State.
Appointed as
Military Secretary to H.H. the Maharaja Gaikwar of Baroda with a view Finance Minister. But left shortly due to illness.
1918 Gave evidence before the Southborough Commission on Franchise. Attended the Conference of the depressed
1920 Started a Marathi Weekly paper
Mooknayak to champion the cause of the depressed classes. Shri Nandram Bhatkar was the editor, later Shri Dyander Gholap was the editor.
Attended depressed classes Conference held under the presidency of Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj at Kolhapur.
Resigned professorship at Sydenham College to resume his studies in London.
Rejoined the London School of Economics. Also entered Gray's Inn to read for the Bar.
1923 The Thesis
'The Problem of the Rupee – Its origin and its solution' was accepted for the degree of D.Sc. (Econ.). The thesis was published in December 1923 by P S King & Company, London. Reissued by Thacker & Company, Bombay in May 1947 under the title History of Indian Currency and Banking Vol. 1.
1924 Founded the
'Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha' for the uplift of the depressed classes. The aims of the Sabha were educate, agitate, organize.
1925 Published
'The Evolution of Provincial Finance in British India' - dissertation on the provincial decentralization of ImperialFinance in India'.
Opened a hostel for Untouchable students at Barshi.
1926 Gave evidence before the Royal Commission on Indian Currency (Hilton Young Commission).
Nominated Member of the Bombay Legislative Council.
1927 Started a fortnightly Marathi paper
Bahiskrit Bharat Dr Ambedkar himself was the editor.
Established 'Samaj Samata Sangh'ight of access to the Chavdar Tank.
1928 Introduced the "Vatan Bill" in the Bombay Legislative Council.
Gave evidence before the Indian Statutory Committee (Simon Commission).
Professor. Government Law College Bombay.
Principal. Government Law College Bombay.
1930
Satyagraha at Kalram Temple in Nasik to secure for the untouchables the right of entry into the temple.
Delegate for Round Table Conference representing untouchables of India
1932 Signed with Mr. M.K. Gandhi the
Poona Pact giving up, to save Gandhi's life. separate electorates granted to the Depressed Classes by Ramsay MacDonald's Communal Award, and accepting, instead representation through joint electorates.
1935 Death of wife. Mrs. Ramabai Ambedkar.
Dr. Ambedkar was appointed as Principal of Government Law College, Bombay. He was also appointed Perry Professor ofJurisprudence.
Historical Yeola Conversion Conference held under the President ship of Dr. Ambedkar at Yeola Dist., Nasik. He exhorted the Depressed Classes to leave Hinduism and embrace another religion. He declared:
'I was born as a Hindu but I will not die as a Hindu'. He also advisedhis followers to abandon the Kalaram Mandi entry Satyagriha, Nasik.
1937 The First General Elections were held under the Govt. of India Act of 1935. Dr. Ambedkar was elected Member of Bombay Legislative Assembly (Total Seats 175. Reserved Seats 15. Dr. Ambedkar's Independent Labour Party won 17 seats.)
1937 The
Mahad Chowdar Tank case was decided in favor of D.C. by which they got a legal right to use the public wells and tanks.
1938 The Congress Party introduced a Bill making a change in the name of Untouchables. i.e. they would be called Harijans meaning sons of God. Dr. Ambedkar criticised the Bill. as in his opinion the change of name would make no real change in their conditions.
Dr. Ambedkar and Bhaurav Gaikwad protested against the use of the term Harijans in legal matters. When the ruling party by sheer force of numbers defeated the I.L.P., the Labour-Party group walked out of the Assembly in protest under the leadership of Dr. Ambedkar. He organized peasants march on Bombay Assembly. The peasants demanded the passing of Dr. Ambedkar's Bill for abolition of the Khoti system.
Dr. Ambedkar
opposed creation of a separate
Karnataka State in the national interest.
Dr. Ambedkar moved a
Resolution for adoption of the
methods for birth-control in the Bombay Assembly.
1939 Dr. Ambedkar addressed a large gathering at Rajkot
Ambedkar-Gandhi talks
Dr.Ambedkar-Nehru first meeting.
1940 Netaji Subash Chandra Bose met Dr. Ambedkar in Bombay.
Dr. Ambedkar published his
Thoughts on Pakistan. The second edition with the title Pakistan or Partition of India was issued in February 1945.
A third impression of the book was published in 1946 under the title
India's Political What's What: Pakistan or Partition of India.
1941 Dr. Ambedkar pursued the issue of recruitment of Mahars in the Army. In result the
Mahars Battalion was formed
1942 Dr. Ambedkar submitted a paper on "
The problems of the Untouchables in India" to the Institute of Pacific Relations at its Conference held in Canada. The paper is printed in the proceedings of the Conference. The paper was subsequently published in December 1943 in the book form under the title Mr. Gandhi and Emancipation of the Untouchables.
1946 Opening of
Siddharth College of Arts and Science in Bombay.
The Bharat Bhushan Printing Press (founded by Dr Ambedkar) was burnt down in the clashes between D.C. and the Caste-Hindus
Dr Ambedkar went to London to urge before the British Government and the Opposition Party the need to provide safeguards for the D.C., on grant of Independence to India and thus to rectify the wrongs done to the D.C. by the Cabinet Mission
Dr Ambedkar's First speech in the Constituent Assembly. He called for a 'strong and United India'
1947 Published
'States and Minorities'. A memorandum of Fundamental Rights, Minority Rights, safeguards for the D.C. and on the problems of Indian states.
1947 Article 17 of the Constitution of India for the abolition of Untouchability was moved by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in the Constituent Assembly and it was passed.
1947 India obtained her Independence. Dr Ambedkar was elected to the Constituent Assembly by the Bombay Legislature Congress Party. Dr Ambedkar joined Nehru's Cabinet. He became the
First Law Minister of Independent India. The Constituent Assembly appointed him to the drafting Committee, which elected him as a Chairman on 29th August 1947.
Dr Ambedkar completed the
Draft Constitution of Indian Republic.
Second marriage - Dr Ambedkar married Dr Sharda Kabir in Delhi.
Published his book
The Untouchables. A thesis on the origin of Untouchability. Dr Ambedkar submitted his Memorandum, "Maharashtra as a linguistic Province" to the Dhar Commission. The Linguistic Provinces Commission).
1948 Dr.Ambedkar presented the Draft Constitution to Constituent Assembly. The Constituent Assembly adopted Article 17 of the Constitution for the abolition of Untouchability.
1949 Meeting between Dr Ambedkar and Madhavrao Golvalker, Chief of RSS and the residence of Dr Ambedkar at Delhi.
1950 Dr Ambedkar addressed the Siddharth College Parliament on the Hindu Code Bill.
In the evening he was presented with a silver casket containing a copy of the Indian Constitution at Nare Park Maidan, Bombay.
Dr Ambedkar's article '
The Buddha and the Future His Religion' was published in the journal of Mahabodhi Society, Calcutta. Dr.Ambedkar addressed the Young Men's Buddhist Association on "
The Rise and Fall of Hindu Women". Dr Ambedkar spoke on the "Merits of Buddhism" at the meeting arranged on the occasion of Buddha Jayanti in Delhi.bay.
1950 Dr Ambedkar went to Colombo as a Delegate to the
World Buddhist Conference.
1951 Dr.Ambedkar, Law Minister introduced his "
Hindu Code Bill" in the Parliament.
1951 Dr Ambedkar resigned from the Nehru Cabinet because, among other reasons, the withdrawal of Cabinet support to the Hindu Code Bill in spite of the earlier declaration in the Parliament by the Prime Minister Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, that his Government would stand or fall with the Hindu Code Bill.
Apart from this Nehru announced that he will sink or swim with the Hindu Code Bill.
Dr Ambedkar published his speech in book form under the title The Rise and Fall of Hindu Women.
1952 Dr Ambedkar was defeated in the First Lok Sabha elections held under the Constitution of Indian Republic. Congress candidate N. S. Kajrolkar defeated Dr Ambedkar.
Dr Ambedkar was introduced into Parliament as a member of the Council (Rajya Sabha) of States, representing Bombay.
Dr Ambedkar left for New York from Bombay.
Columbia University (USA) conferred the
honorary Degree of LL.D., in its Bi-Centennial Celebrations Special Convocation held in New York.
Dr Ambedkar delivered a talk on "Conditions Precedent to the Successful working of Democracy" at the Bar Council, Pune.
1953 The
Osmania University conferred the honorary
Degree of LL.D on Dr Ambedkar.
1953 The
Untouchability (offences) Bill was introduced in the Parliament by the Nehru Government.
1953 Dr Ambedkar contested the by-election for Lok Sabha from Bhandara constituency of Vidarbha region but was defeated by congress candidate Mr Borkar.
1954 Dr Ambedkar visited
Rangoon to attend the function arranged on the occasion of Buddha Jayanti.
1954 The
Maharaja of Mysore donated 5 acres of land for Dr Ambedkar's proposed Buddhist Seminary to be started at Bangalore
1954 Dr Ambedkar spoke on the Untouchability (Offences) Bill in the Rajya Sabha.
1954 Dr Ambedkar participated as delegate to the 3rd World Buddhist Conference at Rangoon.
1955 Delivered a speech "
Why Religion is necessary".
Dr Ambedkar established Bhartiya Bauddha Mahasabha (The Buddhist Society of India
Published his opinions on linguistic states in book form under the title Thoughts on linguistic States.
Dr Ambedkar installed an image of Buddha at Dehu Road (near Pune)
Dr Ambedkar spoke
against reservation of seats in the State and Central Legislatures.
1956 Dr Ambedkar wrote and dictated the Preface of The Buddha and His Dhamma.
Dr Ambedkar completed his
The Buddha and His Dhamma, Revolution & Counter-revolution in Ancient India.
1956 Dr Ambedkar spoke on Linguistic states in the Council of States.
Dr Ambedkar spoke on
BBC London on "Why I like Buddhism", Also, he spoke for Voice Voice of America on "The Future of IndianDemocracy".
Dr Ambedkar
embraced Buddhism at an historic ceremony at Diksha Bhoomi, Nagpur with his millions of followers. Announced to dissolve S.C.F and establish Republican Party.
1956 Delegate, 4th World Buddhist Conference,
Khalinandu, where he delivered his famous speech famous speech 'Buddha or Karl Marx'.
1956
Maha Nirvana at his residence, 26 Alipore Road,New Delhi.
1956 Cremation at Dadar Chawpatti – Now known as
Chaitya Bhoomi Dadar (Bombay).
Jai Bhim.
