Every year April 14, people celebrate the birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar. He was the architect of the Indian constitution and best known for his struggle against untouchability in Indian society.
He is popularly known as Babasaheb, the social reformer, economist, thinker, politician, and the first Law Minister of Independent India. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was born on April 14, 1891, in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, and was known for his campaigns against social discrimination against Dalits, women, and labor.
Today is Ambedkar’s 130th birth anniversary this year.
Some facts you need to know about BR Ambedkar
1. He was a social reformer and a Dalit icon who spoke out against the inequality, discrimination faced by the members of his community.
2. He was the first Union Minister of Law and Justice in the Nehru government and the key architect of the constitution of India.
3. Ambedkar’s father served in the Indian army and his ancestors had worked with the East India Company.
4. Ambedkar strongly spoke out against Manusmriti for justifying caste discrimination and untouchability and even burnt its copies.
5. He resigned as the Union Law Minister when his Hindu Code Bill failed to pass in Parliament.
6. He was fervently against Article 370, which grants special status for Jammu and Kashmir.
7. Ambedkar was the man behind the setting up of the Finance Commission of India. His ideas were also used when the Reserve Bank of India was founded.
8. On March 31, 1990, he was posthumously conferred with India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna.
9. He converted to Buddhism in 1956 along with his wife.
10. After returning to India during the independence movement, in 1936, Ambedkar wrote his magnum opus ‘Annihilation of Caste’, a fiery critique of the caste system.
11. Babasaheb’s personal library “Rajgirh” had more than 50,000 books and it was said to be the world’s largest private library.
Famous and Inspirational quotes by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
1. “The history of India is nothing but a history of a mortal conflict between Buddhism and Brahminism.”
2. “If you believe in living a respectable life, you believe in self-help which is the best help.”
3. “I like the religion that teaches liberty, equality, and fraternity.”
4. “I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved.”
5. “A great man is different from an eminent one in that he is ready to be the servant of society.”
6. “Life should be great rather than long.”
7. “Cultivation of mind should be the ultimate aim of human existence.”
8. ” Political tyranny is nothing compared to the social tyranny and a reformer who defies society is a more courageous man than a politician who defies Government.”
9. “The history of India is nothing but a history of a mortal conflict between Buddhism and Brahminism.”
10. “If I find the constitution being misused, I shall be the first to burn it.”
11. “They cannot make history who forget history.”
12. “Be Educated, Be Organised, and Be Agitated.”
13. “Indifferentism is the worst kind of disease that can affect people.”
14. “Men are mortal. So are ideas. An idea needs propagation as much as a plant needs watering. Otherwise, both will wither and die.”
15. “Constitutional morality is not a natural sentiment. It has to be cultivated. We must realise that our people have yet to learn it. Democracy in India is only a top-dressing on an Indian soul which is essentially undemocratic.”
16. “The relationship between husband and wife should be one of closest friends.”
17. ” Constitution is not a mere lawyers document, it is a vehicle of Life, and its spirit is always the spirit of Age.”
18. “Equality may be a fiction but nonetheless one must accept it as a governing principle.”
19. “Religion is for man and not man for religion.”
20. “A bitter thing cannot be made sweet. The taste of anything can be changed. But poison cannot be changed into nectar.”
