Dr. Ambedkar
| Born | April 14, 1891 Mhow, Central Provinces, British India(now in Madhya Pradesh) |
|---|---|
| Died | December 6, 1956 (aged 65) Delhi, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Other names | Baba, Baba Saheb , Bhima , Mooknayak |
| Education | M.A.,PH.D.,D.Sc.,LL.D.,D.LITT.,BARRISTER-AT-LAW |
| Alma mater | University of Mumbai Columbia University University of London London School of Economics |
| Organization | Samata Sainik Dal, Independent Labour Party, Scheduled Castes Federation,Buddhist Society Of India |
| Title | 1st Law Minister of India, Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee |
| Political party | Republican Party of India |
| Political movement | Ambedkar(ite) Buddhism |
| Religion | Buddhism |
| Spouse | Ramabai Ambedkar (m. 1906) , Savita Ambedkar (m. 1948) |
| Awards | Bharat Ratna (1990) |
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (Marathi: डॊ.भीमराव रामजी आंबेडकर) (14 April 1889 — 06 December 1956), also known as Babasaheb, was an Indian jurist, political leader, Buddhist activist, philosopher, thinker, anthropologist, historian, orator, prolificwriter, economist, scholar, editor, revolutionary and the revivalist of Buddhism in India. He was also the chief architect of the Indian Constitution. Born into a poor Mahar so called Untouchable family, Ambedkar spent his whole life fighting against social discrimination, the system of Chaturvarna — the Hindu categorization of human society into four varnas — and the Hindu caste system. He is also credited with having sparked the bloodless revolution with his most remarkable and innovativeBuddhist movement. Ambedkar has been honoured with the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian awards.
Overcoming numerous social and financial obstacles, Ambedkar became one of the first so called “untouchables” to obtain a college education in India. Eventually earning law degrees and multiple doctorates for his study and research in law, economics and political science from Columbia University and the London School of Economics, Ambedkar returned home a famous scholar and practiced law for a few years before publishing journals advocating political rights and social freedom for India’s untouchables. He is regarded as a Bodhisattva by Indian Buddhist Bhikkus and by millions of other Buddhists.
Upon India’s independence on August 15, 1947, the new Congress-led government invited Ambedkar to serve as the nation’s first law minister, which he accepted. On August 29, Ambedkar was appointed Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee, charged by the Assembly to write free India’s new Constitution. Ambedkar won great praise from his colleagues and contemporary observers for his drafting work. In this task Ambedkar’s study of sangha practice among early Buddhists and his extensive reading in Buddhist scriptures were to come to his aid. Sangha practice incorporated voting by ballot, rules of debate and precedence and the use of agendas, committees and proposals to conduct business. Sangha practice itself was modelled on the oligarchic system of governance followed by tribal republics of ancient India such as the Shakyas and the Lichchavis. Thus, although Ambedkar used Western models to give his Constitution shape, its spirit was Indian and, indeed, tribal.
The text prepared by Ambedkar provided constitutional guarantees and protections for a wide range of civil liberties for individual citizens, including freedom of religion, the abolition of untouchability and the outlawing of all forms of discrimination Ambedkar argued for extensive economic and social rights for women, and also won the Assembly’s support for introducing a system of reservations of jobs in the civil services, schools and colleges for members of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, a system akin to affirmative action. India’s lawmakers hoped to eradicate the socio-economic inequalities and lack of opportunities for India’s depressed classes through this measure, which had been originally envisioned as temporary on a need basis. The Constitution was adopted on November 26, 1949 by the Constituent Assembly.
A memorial for Ambedkar was established in his Delhi house at 26 Alipur Road. His birthdate is celebrated as a public holiday known as Ambedkar Jayanti or Bhim Jayanti. He was posthumously awarded India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna in 1990. Many public institutions are named in his honour, such as the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University in Hyderabad; Dr BR Ambedkar University in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh; B. R. Ambedkar Bihar University, Muzaffarpur and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar. The other being Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport in Nagpur, which was otherwise known as Sonegaon Airport. A large official portrait of Ambedkar is on display in the Indian Parliament building.
On the anniversary of his birth (14 April) and death (6 December) and on Dhamma Chakra Pravartan Din, 14th Oct at Nagpur, at least half a million people gather to pay homage to him at his memorial in Mumbai. Thousands of bookshops are set up, and books are sold. His message to his followers was ” Educate!!!, Agitate!!!, Organize!!!”
Jai Bhim is a greeting phrase used by the Buddhist people in India, especially by the ones who converted to Buddhism with or by inspiration of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. Though mostly used by the Dalit converts to Buddhism, it is not religious by its origin and meaning. It was never considered as religious word and has been used by the long-exploited and down-trodden class as a word of greeting as a mark of respect towards their ideologue Bhimrao Ambedkar.[1] Jai Bhim literally means “Victory to Bhim,” i.e., to Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar. The phrase has also been used as formal slogan of Bahujan Samaj Party.[2] It fell into controversy in February 2009 after Dar-ul Uloom Islamic seminary issued a fatwa declaring the slogan “un-Islamic” and “violative of Shariat.”[3]
The term Jai Bhim was coined by Babu L. N. Hardas, a strong follower of Dr. Ambedkar.[4] Many alternatives, such as Jai Rama-pati and Bal Bhim, were considered before deciding on the term Jai Bhim. Babu Hardas promoted this method of greeting with the help of workers of Bhim Vijay Sangh[5]
Related Articles
- INDIA: Dr. Ambedkar Speaks Out (time.com)
JAY BEM JAY BARHAT
September 4, 2010 at 4:32 am
There is no intent to offend however, Ambedkar once being a Ravidassia Chamar went to the Golden Temple to receive Amrit Shakna, and was told that he could not become a Sikh, but could become a Ravidassia Sikh, unfortunately he was unable to take this level of discrimination and turned his back on the Ravidassia people and became a buddhist. The claim is that there is no God – the fact is that Buddha said “Do not search for God, He exists within us all,” even Buddha believed in God.
October 5, 2010 at 4:58 am
Your facts are completely wrong. Dr Ambedkar was NOT from the so called Ravidassia community ( a new invention of the followers of Ballan Dera) but from the low caste mahar community who are of a different caste (from the chamars) in the state of Maharastras, India. He did not go to the Golden Temple to receive Amrit Shakna personally but to propose to the Sikh leaders that he wanted to mass convert 30 million dalits of lower castes to Sikhism to break them away from the oppressive shackles of the hindu caste system. Sikhism rejects caste in theory in all forms. Sikhism appealed to Dr Ambedkar for that reason. The Sikh leaders at the time turned his proposal down for political reasons and advised him to get the dalits to embrace ‘other religion’. The sikh religious power and domination was (and even now) in the hands of the higher castes including the Jats. They feared that this proposed conversion would shift power to the new proposed converts. There is nothing that could have prevented Dr Ambedkar to become sikh personally if he wanted to, just as anybody can take amrit then, or now, and become a baptised sikh. Dr Ambedkar was disappointed and had to seek another indigenous religion from India that he could take the dalit community to. He himself and large mass of dalits present converted to Buddhism before he died.
July 21, 2011 at 10:25 am
bhen da pfuda chamara da saale kal te ghuu saaf karde si matrec jaat sale
July 21, 2011 at 7:57 pm
You have nothing to contribute to this debate as you have a gormless animalistic brain and no knowledge and poor in education. You obviously resent the rise of the dalits who were an oppressed group in the past. The dalits after acquiring political power will be the rulers of India. You are so blinded by your jealousy that you fail to see it has already started in Uttar Pradesh where the dalits are already have aquired political power and with that economic emancipation and social transformation is already taking place, which will accelerate as time goes by. Guru Ravidass’s dream of ‘esa chanhun raj main’ has started in the Indian state where he was born. The dalits were rulers of India in the past, Guru Ravidass in his shlok in the Guru Granth Sahib says’ Achoot raj vicharat dukh payo’. After the achhoots or dalits lost their political power or raj all form of oppresive painful measures were imposed on them and all human rights were denied reducing them to base state of ‘Jaat kamini path kamini ouchh janam humara’ as our spiritual Patron Saint Guru Ravidass put it.Thanks to Baba Sahib Dr Ambedkar all our human rights have been restored in the Indian constitution. We may have had humble backgrounds but our rise will be such that you will look up to us and you will be humbled yourself. (Don’t want to waste anymore breath on you).
July 26, 2011 at 8:59 am
Jai Satgur Ravidass! Jai Bheem!
December 11, 2011 at 11:46 am
<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>
April 9, 2011 at 11:18 am
JAI BHEEM JAI BHARAT
April 9, 2011 at 11:19 am
I watch your programme in the morning and on Saturday. But I could not understand why do you sing the same Aarti, which Shree Ravidass Ji was singing for his ਅਦਰਸ਼ ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮ ਤਥਾ ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਕਰਿਸ਼ਨ ਜਿਵੇਂ ਮਜਨ ਮੁਰਾਰੇ। Why don’t you write your own Aarti with new wordings which could praise the good work of Shree Ravidass Ji. Some time you say you don’t believe in moorti pooje and the same time you do the same to the moorti of Shree Ravidass Ji. Please express your thoughts on TV show, otherwise it is a big confusion. Also why Mayavati did not display the moorti of Shree Ravidass Ji in the UP park while Shree Ravidass Ji is the first person who fought against discrimination before Dr Ambadkar Ji. Neighter she ever appeared on the Birthday celebration of Shree Ravidass Ji or she never gave any message to the community. Sometimes I feel there is no unity amongst the community. If this is the case then how other community can trust to your imaginary voice. Regards.
March 20, 2012 at 3:06 am
Thank you for showing interest in the ravidassia community and its development. We sing the same Arti as Satguru Ravidassji because that is how the Ravidassia sikhs and other Ravidassias have been taught by the Sikh Religion ;the Sikhs also recite the same Arti the same way.. But the way you have quoted the start of Art is incorrect. This is interpolation, which is what the brahmins have done to lot hindu scriptures such as the Bhagwat Gita so as to fit into brahminism. Satguru Ravidass’s Arti sets an example of how his mind was focused on God all the time and how all the things around him reminded him of God. This Arti was composed by our spiritually enlightened Guru. We do not need another Arti. He taught us to Recite God’s Name and not believe in or follow deities, images puja and other ritualisms unlike the Brahminical hinduism. It is completely wrong and yet due to heavy brahminical influence in some temples the priests may practise murti puja, which they should not and the congregation should intervene to put a stop to it.. In Ravidassia Sikh Temple we do not. The new Ravidassia religion practioners may do. We respect and praise Guru Ravidass as our Guru and as our Patron Saint in many ways but we only worship one Almighty God, the creator and sustainer of the Universe through His Universal Laws. The TV show that you are talking about is run by the adherents of the new Ravidassia Religion and these adherants are from the Punjab and not from Uttar Pradesh, where Guru Ravidass is relatively unheard of, however, is slowly being made known there also through the works of Ravidassia Punjabi’s and the NRI’s from UK, USA etc.by establishing a large Ravidass Temple at his place of birth at Kanshi near Varanasi. Ravidass, whilst in his time faught tirelously against discrimination and the the caste system, was largely a spiritual person . I cannot speak for Mayawati but she has spoken quite highly of Guru Ravidass’s contribution in the past at BSP and dalit rallies in the Punjab and UP.. Bear also in mind she is Buddist by religious background. But what Dr Ambedkar achieved and gained for the dalits in general no body has been able to achieve and that is why he is our ‘Martin luther King’ who restored all our human rights, denied to us by Manuwad and Brahminism, . We are united in our causes but our people are free to disagree like other communities. The Ravidassia community is very progressive and is developing rapidly after centuries of oppression. Jai GurRavidass Jai Bhim.
May 10, 2012 at 12:59 pm