Babasaheb Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Books, Biography, Activities - A brief Essay

Bharatratna B.R. Ambedkar Books, Biography, Activities

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar widely known as Babasaheb Ambedkar. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was a scholar, Jurist, economist, politician, social reformer, author, historian, sociologist, educationist, freedom fighter, journalist, human rights activist, a philosopher a social reformer and a leader. B. R. Ambedkar devoted his life to established social equality in India. He is also known as the Father of Indian Constitution. He wrote many books. B. R. Ambedkar’s books give us knowledge about historical movements, social inequality in India. Dr. B R. Ambedkar was appointed as India’s first Law Minister in the Cabinet of Jawaharlal Nehru. In the year 1990, he was posthumously awarded by India’s highest civilian honor the Bharat Ratna.

The caste system is a Social evil and India is the worst sufferer country in this regard. Among the eminent Indian leaders "who were mercilessly persecuted by this abominable system was no other than Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, the father of the Indian Constitution. He was indeed a scourge against casteism and his entire life was dedicated to a relentless battle against this cancerous menace.

Born:  14.04.1891

Place of Birth: Mhow in Central Provinces (currently Madhya Pradesh)

Father: Ramji Maloji Sakpal

Mother: Bhimabai Ramji Sakpal

Spouse: Ramabai Ambedkar, Savita Ambedkar

Sons: Yashawant, Ramesh, Gangadhar & Rajaratna

Daughter: Indu

Education: Elphinstone High School, University of Bombay, Columbia University, London School of Economics, Gray's Inn

Education (Degrees):

B.A. (1913)

M.A. (twice, 1915 & 1916)

Ph.D. (1916, awarded in 1927)

M.Sc. (1921)

Barrister-at-law (1922)

D.Sc. (1923)

LL.D. (1952)

D.Litt. (1953)

Awards: Bharat Ratna (posthumously in 1990)

Died:  6.12.1956

Childhood

B. R. Ambedkar was born on 14th April 1891 in the Mahar Community in Maharashtra. "All through his life the trail of Caste menace kept him a nagging company." He was made the military secretary of the Maharaja of Baroda. Even in this position, his office peon carried out his order by keeping a physical distance from him. At no stage of his life, he could rid himself of a sustained spell of conflict on caste prejudice.

Victim of Caste Curse

In his childhood, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was the victim of humiliation in his schools. He was not allowed to share the same bench with his fellow students. He was not allowed to approach the teacher for any problem. He was not allowed to touch the water tap in the school. Even the Pundits did not permit him to take Sanskrit as one of his subject of study.  He received this treatment from all because he belonged to the so-called lower caste. Even after showing his caliber and securing meritorious result from the internationally reputed institution like the London School of Economics and Political Science, Dr. Ambedkar joined a college in Bombay as a Lecturer. But here too he was treated with humiliation. The hated caste tradition still haunted him. His colleagues raised the vehement objection of his use of drinking water from the same pot in the college. He received no house on rent even. Even once a caste fanatic landlord ejected him from his house. 

Thus in his youth, Dr. B. R. 'Ambedkar became a victim of Caste Curse. But while studying at the University of California he received the affectionate refuge of Late Lajpat Rai, the great illustrated son of India who was then studying in exile in the U. S. A. He did not fail to realize the young talent and did all to help Ambedkar to go for higher studies in the same university.

Political career & Activities

At the age of 27 Ambedkar started his political career. He united a group of backward class people at Nagpur in 1918. He was nominated to the Bombay Legislative Council in 1927. In 1928 the Congress boycotted the Simon Commission but Dr. Ambedkar deposed before it with the purpose of bringing into focus the impending danger of the growing caste conflicts all over the country. In 1932 he made the written Pact with Gandhiji known in history as the Poona Pact. This pact ensured the rights to representation of the backward classes. He formed the Independent Labour Party and contesting in

17 seats of the Bombay Legislature in its election in 1938 won in 15 seats, this brought him into greater politics.

Credit should go to Dr. Ambedkar as he was the first to place the Hindu Code Bill in the Parliament wherein the Congress M. P's exercised their conscience in respect of the bill and the bill was voted out. This was an act of betrayal and on the protest. Dr. Ambedkar resigned from the Cabinet as the   Minister of Law in 1951. This had made his relation with Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru the then Prime Minister, bitter which lasted till his death.

Thoughts about Panchayat System

Dr. Ambedkar was not in a cordial relation with Gandhiji. In his book "Congress and Gandhi" he even criticized Gandhiji, In 'Harijan' he expressed his resentment against the dealing of Gandhi and the National Congress towards the so-called untouchables. He believed that the term 'Harijan' was a tacit aspersion to the communities concerned. It was Dr. B. R. Ambedkar who made distinct provisions for the Village Panchayat System while framing the Constitution of India. Such a bold initiative was widely appreciated by all renowned men like H. V. Kamath and others. Ambedkar had a firm faith on the land revenue system of the Soviet Union and considered it as an ideal one. It was he who strongly advocated for the abolition of Zamindary system and acquisition of all agricultural lands by the State. He believed that only through Co-operative farming the conditions of the peasants might be improved.

Frustration with Hinduism

In fact, Dr. Ambedkar got totally frustrated with Hinduism.  He failed in his uncompromising battle against tyranny, injustice, inhuman cruelties and shameless untouchability nurtured by the Hinduism. He failed to uphold the cause of the socially downtrodden victims of cast conflicts and untouchability and similar other ills due to the orthodoxy of Hindu Community. As such with a broken heart be relinquished his Hindu religion and accepted Buddhism in October 1956. Shortly after this, he breathed his last on 6th December 1956. The National Front Government of India had conferred the highest national award of Bharat Ratna posthumously upon this great son of India. In fact, by honoring him so at last, we have honored ourselves.

Books: 

Here is the list of some famous books written by the Dr. B. R. Ambedkar

SL. NO/ IN WORD	PUBLICATION YEAR	BOOKS NAME
1. One	1916 (Nineteen sixteen)	Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development
2. Two	1920 (Nineteen twenty)	Mook Nayak (weekly)
3. Three	1923 (Nineteen twenty-three)	The Problem of the Rupee: its origin and its solution
4. Four	1927 (Nineteen twenty-seven)	Bahishkrut Bharat (India Ostracized)
5. Five	1930 (Nineteen thirty)	Janta (weekly)
6. SIX	1936 (Nineteen thirty-six)	The Annihilation of Caste
7. Seven	1939 (Nineteen thirty-nine)	Federation Versus Freedom
8. Eight	1940 (Nineteen forty)	Thoughts on Pakistan

9. Nine	1943	Mr. Gandhi and Emancipation of Untouchables
10. Ten	1943	Ranade, Gandhi, and Jinnah
11. Eleven	1945	Pakistan Or Partition Of India
12. Twelve	1945	What Congress and Gandhi have done to the Untouchables
13. Thirteen	1947	State and Minorities
14. Fourteen	1948	The Untouchables
15. Fifteen	1948	Who were the Shudras
16. Sixteen	1948	Maharashtra as a Linguistic Province
17. Seventeen	----	Manu and the Shudras
18. Eighteen	1956	Buddha Or Karl Marx
19. Nineteen	1957	The Buddha and his Dhamma
20. Twenty	2008	Riddles in Hinduism