Reforms by Dr BR Ambedkar

The Father of the Constitution of India, DR Bhim Rao Ramji Ambedkar, popularly known as “Babasaheb,” was an educationist, jurist, social reformer, economist and one of the greatest political leaders of India who relentlessly struggled to reform the Indian social structure. He was a man with a vision who was ready to serve the nation from the core of his heart.  Throughout his political career, he worked for the welfare of the society, especially for women and the downtrodden class.

Early life 

Ambedkar was born on April 14, 1891, in a village near Mahou’s military barracks. He was the son of Shri Ramji Maloji Sakpal, a military officer in the rank of Major Subedar at Mahow, and Bhimabai Sakpal, daughter of  Laxman Murbadkar. His family lived in Ambawade (Mandangad taluka) in the Ratnagiri district of modern-day Maharashtra. 

Ambedkar was born and raised among the Mahar (Dalit) community, who were considered as untouchables. The community was underprivileged and was looked down upon by other communities. Ambedkar renounced Hinduism and embraced Buddhism. He also spearheaded the Dalit Buddhist Movement. His conversion encouraged mass conversion to Buddhism in his Dalit community. 

Educational Background

In 1897 Ambedkar’s family moved to Mumbai. He joined the Elphinstone High School as the only untouchable to attend the school. He completed his graduation from the University of Bombay and subsequently acquired doctoral degrees by studying economics at Columbia University and the London School of Economics in 1927 and 1923, respectively. He was one of the few Indian students to have accomplished such a feat in the 1920s. 

Social Reform Works

1. Struggle to achieve Dalit Rights: Dr Ambedkar was the leader of the Mahad Satyagraha movement. This movement was a struggle to secure basic human rights for the Dalit community. Through the Mahd movement, Ambedkar wanted to end social discrimination against Dalits. The movement started with the Dalits not being allowed to use water from the chowder tank in a place called Mahd. However, Ambedkar’s relentless struggle made the Mahad Municipality pass a resolution in 1927 allowing all people, irrespective of their social caste, to use the water of the tank. He published five weekly papers Mook Nayak, Bahishkrit Bharat, Bahishkrit Bharat and Samta Janata to fight untouchability. In July 1924, Ambedkar founded the Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha to fight the evils of untouchability. The Sabha started a free school for the young and the old and ran reading rooms and libraries. 

2. Society based on Equality: He vehemently fought with the aim of reconstructing the society by uprooting the social evils of feudal inequality and caste system. He wanted a reformed society based on the ideals of the French Revolution – liberty, equality and fraternity. He also wanted to free Indian society from the evils of the caste system. 

3. Spreading Education: Ambedkar’s educational goals were integrated with his social objectives. He realized that social emancipation could only be possible with education of the masses. The slogan ‘Educate, Agitate, Organize’ embodied the ideological basis of Ambedkar’s movement for social reforms. Under the support of the People’s Education Society established in 1945, many schools, colleges, hostels and other educational institutions were established to uplift the underprivileged.  

4. Political Upliftment of the Underprivileged: Ambedkar succeeded in transforming a class movement into a revolutionary movement throughout India. During the British rule, he was one of the delegates at the Roundtable conference in London, where he demanded a separate electorate for the Dalit people. When the new constitution was framed in independent India, Ambedkar ensured as the chairman of the drafting committee that the welfare and development of the backward community in India were guaranteed. This introduced reservations for backward communities in various fields such as employment, education etc.

5. Land Reforms and Economic Reforms: Dr Ambedkar stressed the need for extensive land reforms. His philosophy of life centred around giving justice to the underprivileged, lifting the downtrodden, and providing a just society for all. He believed that an unequal agricultural system was a hindrance to the development of society. He supported land reforms so that the agricultural system is equitable for all, particularly the landless. 

He believed that the state has a very important role to play for the economic transformation of the state.  As such he advocated in favour of nationalization of land and the leasing out of land to small groups of cultivators. These groups have to be encouraged to form cooperatives to promote agricultural activities. Agricultural development has to be accompanied by large capital investments to raise productivity.

He also realized the necessity of industrialization so that the surplus labour from agriculture could be moved to other productive livelihoods.

Conclusion

Dr Ambedkar championed as a fighter for human rights not only for the Dalits but also for the unequal social system and oppressed class, which included workers, farmers and women. Ambedkar was an extraordinary social reformer, emancipator of the oppressed classes, scholar and educationist, and a true champion of human rights. Dr. Ambedkar advocated equal rights for all Indian citizens in the constitution. As the chairman of the drafting committee, he designed the constitution in such a way that all citizens are equal before the law. His ideology for the entire nation was: “Be Educated, Be Organized and Be Agitated.”