In News
The Indian Government has decided to develop five places as Panchteerth in honour of Dr. B R Ambedkar.
Panchteerath include
- Amedbkar’s birthplace in Mhow
- The place in London where he stayed while studying in the UK
- Deeksha Bhoomi in Nagpur, where he took education
- Mahaparinirvan Sthal in Delhi
- Chaitya Bhoomi in Mumbai.
About Dr. Ambedkar
- B.R. Ambedkar was born on 14 April 1891 in Mhow, Central Province (now Madhya Pradesh).
- He was India’s first Law Minister and was Chairman of the Drafting Committee for the new Constitution.
His Contributions In Modern India
- Mahad Satyagraha: It was led by B. R Ambedkar in 1927 to allow the untouchables to use water in a public tank in Mahad,Maharashtra.
- He participated in all three round-table conferences.
- Poona Pact: In 1932, Ambedkar agreed on Poona pact with Mahatma Gandhi and an agreement was signed between Ambedkar and Madan Mohan Malviya which abandoned the idea of separate electorates for the depressed classes(Communal Award).
- In 1939, during the Second World War, he called upon Indians to join the Army in large numbers to defeat Nazism, which he said, was another name for Fascism.
He Forms Following Organisations
- Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha (1923),
- Independent Labor Party (1936),
- Scheduled Castes Federation (1942)
- On October 14, 1956 he embraced Buddhism along with many of his followers. The same year he completed his last writing ‘Buddha and His Dharma’.
- In 1990, Dr.B.R.Ambedkar, was bestowed with Bharat Ratna.
- The period from 14th April 1990 – 14th April 1991 was observed as ‘Year of Social Justice’ in the memory of Babasaheb.
- Dr. Ambedkar Foundation was established by the Government of India under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on March 24, 1992 as a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
- The main objective of the foundation is to oversee the implementation of programmes and activities for furthering the ideology and message of Babasaheb Dr. B. R. Ambedkar among the masses in India as well as abroad.
- Books
- Annihilation of Caste,
- Buddha Or Karl Marx,
- Buddha and His Dhamma,
- Who were the Shudras,
- The Rise and Fall of Hindu Women among others.
- Journals
- Mooknayak,
- Bahishkrit Bharat,
- Samatha,
- Equality Janata among others.
Main Architect of Indian Constitution
- Babasaheb Ambedkar’s legal expertise and knowledge of the Constitution of different countries was very helpful in the framing of the constitution. He became chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly and played an important role in framing the Indian Constitution.
- Among others, his most important contributions were in areas of fundamental rights, strong central government and protection of minorities.
- Article 32 guarantees judicial protection to the Fundamental Rights which makes them meaningful. For him, Article 32 was the most important article of the constitution and thus, he referred to it “soul of the Constitution and very heart of it”.
- He supported a strong central government. He was afraid that Casteism is more powerful at the local and provincial levels, and the government at this level might not protect the interest of lower caste under pressure of upper caste. Since the National government is less influenced by these pressures, they will ensure protection to lower caste.
- He was also afraid that the minority which is the most vulnerable group in the nation may convert into political minorities too. So democratic rule of ‘One man one vote’ is not sufficient and the minority should be guaranteed a share in power. He was against ‘Majoritarianism Syndrome’ and provided many safeguards in the Constitution for the minorities.
Relevance of Ambedkar in Present Times
- Caste-based inequality in India still persists. While Dalits have acquired a political identity through reservation and forming their own political parties, they lack behind in social dimensions (health and education) and economic dimension.
- There has been a rise of communal polarization and communalization of politics. It is necessary that Ambedkar’s vision of constitutional morality must supersede religious morality to avoid permanent damage to the Indian Constitution.
Source: daic.gov.in
