Dr. B.R Ambedkar is a philanthropist whose contribution in the development of the nation is immense.His birthday is celebrated all over the nation as Ambedkar Jayanti on 14th April. It is celebrated throughout the country in memory of the Dalit icon and chief architect of the Indian constitution, the most complex constitution in the world. Politician, economist, jurist and social reformer, Dr. Ambedkar donned many hats. He was also independent India’s first law minister.

The day has been declared as a public holiday all over the India. Like ever before a respectful homage is paid by the President and Prime Minister (including other political parties leaders) of India every year to his statue at the Parliament, New Delhi. Indian people worship him like a God by keeping his statue in their home. At this day people make a parade by keeping his statue in front, they also enjoy dancing using dhol.

About Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar

He was the great human rights activists who born on 14^th of April in 1891. He had established the “Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha” in the year 1923 in India aiming to spread the necessity of education as well as enhancing the economic status of the low group people of India. He run a social movement for people using slogan “Educate-Agitate-Organize” aiming to eradicate the casteism in India as well as rebuilding the Indian Society by following the rule of equality of human beings.

A march was also led by him in the year 1927 at Mahad, Maharashtra for establishing the equal rights for untouchable people who were not allowed to even touch or taste the water of “Public Chawdar Lake”. He has been marked in the Indian history for starting the social movements like anti-caste, anti-priest movement and temple entry movement. He led the temple entry movement in the year 1930 at Kalaram Temple, Nashik, Maharashtra for real human rights and political justice. He said that political power is not the only way to solve all the problems of depressed class people, they should get equal rights in the society in every field. He was deeply involved in making legal changes in order to protect the low class people rights during his Membership of Viceroy’s Executive Council in 1942.

He paid his major contribution by protecting the Fundamental Rights (for the social freedom, equality and eradication of untouchability for low group people) and Directive Principles (enhancing the living status by securing the fair distribution of wealth) of State Policy in the Indian Constitution. He continued his social revolution till the end of his life through the Buddhism. He has been honored with the Bharat Ratna in the month of April in 1990 for his big contributions towards the Indian society.

Contributions of B. R. Ambedkar

• He worked to eliminate the social belief of untouchability for the lower group of people. He protested to uplift the untouchables in the society to enhance their social status during law practice in the Bombay High Court. He had organized an event called Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha to encourage the education among untouchables for their socio-economic improvement and welfare of the outcastes people of depressed classes. He also protected the Dalit rights by organizing various programs like “Mook Nayak, Bahishkrit Bharat and Equality Janta”.
• He had started an active public movements and marches in 1927 against untouchability to remove the untouchability for water resources as well as enter to the Hindu temples (Kalaram Temple movement in 1930). He has demanded for the separate electorate through the Poona Pact to reserve seats for untouchable people of depressed class.
• He was invited by the Congress government to serve as a first Law Minister after the independence of India on 15^th of August in 1947 and appointed as a “Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee” on 29^th of August in 1947 where he drafted the new Constitution of India which was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26^th of November in 1949.
• He had played his great role in establishing the Reserve Bank of India as he was a professional economist. He became successful in forming the Reserve Bank of India in 1934 after giving his ideas to the Hilton Young Commission through his three successful scholarly books on economics such as “Administration and Finance of the East India Company, The Evolution of Provincial Finance in British India, and The Problem of the Rupee: Its Origin and Its Solution”.
• He also played his role in planning the Indian economic as he got his Economics doctorate degree from abroad. He encouraged people for the growth and development of the industrialization and agricultural industry to enhance the economy of country. He had given ideas to the government for accomplishing the food security goal. He encouraged people for good education, hygiene and community health as their basic requirement. He had established the Finance Commission of India.
• He had opposed the Article 370 in the Constitution of India in order to provide the special status to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, India.

Quotes by Ambedkar

• “I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved”.
• “History shows that where ethics and economics come in conflict, victory is always with economics”. Vested interests have never been known to have willingly divested themselves unless there was sufficient force to compel them”.
• “Knowledge is the foundation of a man’s life”.
• “A people and their religion must be judged by social standards based on social ethics. No other standard would have any meaning if religion is held to be necessary good for the well-being of the people”.
• “Every man who repeats the dogma of Mill that one country is no fit to rule another country must admit that one class is not fit to rule another class”.
• “Life should be great rather than long”.
• “Every man who repeats the dogma of Mill that one country is no fit to rule another country must admit that one class is not fit to rule another class”.
• “Cultivation of mind should be the ultimate aim of human existence”.
• “Humans are mortal. So are ideas. An idea needs propagation as much as a plant needs watering. Otherwise both will wither and die”.
• “One whose mind is not free though alive, is no better than dead”.
• “Life should be great rather than long”.
• “The teachings of Buddha are eternal, but even then Buddha did not proclaim them to be infallible”.
• “Unlike a drop of water which loses its 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”.
• “Freedom of mind is the proof of one’s existence”.
• “Freedom of mind is the real freedom”.
• “I like the religion that teaches liberty, equality and fraternity”.
• “Religion is for man and not man for religion”.
• “Religion must mainly be a matter of principles only. It cannot be a matter of rules. The moment it degenerates into rules, it ceases to be a religion, as it kills responsibility which is an essence of the true religious act”.
• “The basic idea underlying religion is to create an atmosphere for the spiritual development of the individual”.
• “If you study carefully, you will see that Buddhism is based on reason. There is an element of flexibility inherent in it, which is not found in any other religion”.
• “A great man is different from an eminent one in that he is ready to be the servant of the society”.
• “In Hinduism, conscience, reason and independent thinking have no scope for development”.
• “The relationship between husband and wife should be one of closest friends”.
• “One cannot have any respect or regard for men who take the position of the reformer and then refuse to see the logical consequences of that position, let alone following them out in action”.
• “A bitter thing cannot be made sweet. The taste of anything can be changed. But poison cannot be changed into nectar”.
• “For a successful revolution it is not enough that there is discontent. What is required is a profound and thorough conviction of the justice, necessity and importance of political and social rights”.
• “So long as you do not achieve social liberty, whatever freedom is provided by the law is of no avail to you”.
• “I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved”.
• “Unlike a drop of water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not lose his being in the society in which he lives”.