1891 - 1956

The years 1901 to 1956 were a period of great social upheavals and revolutionary movements around the world.

In India during this time, there were two struggles being fought simultaneously; the first, which is well known throughout the world, was India’s fight for independence spearheaded by Mahatma Gandhi, against the British colonial powers.

"We must stand on our own feet and fight as best as we can for our rights. So carry on your agitation and organize your

forces. Power and prestige will come to you through struggle."

Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was born in a family of “untouchables” on April 14th 1891.

They were called the untouchables because if a member of another caste touches one of them, they will become polluted. The untouchables had the lowest status possible and were discriminated against by all other castes.

“Indifferentism is the worst kind of disease that can affect people.”

Ambedkar left New York in 1916 for London and entered in October, 1916 the Gray’s Inn for doing his Bar-at-Law, and also simultaneously enrolled himself in the famous London school of economics.

He had to discontinue his studies due financial reasons and return to Bombay.

“ What are we having this liberty for? We are having this liberty in order to reform our social system, which is full of inequality, discrimination and other things, which conflict

with our fundamental rights. “

In 1919 Ambedkar started a fortnightly paper under the name of Mook Nayak (Leader of the Dumb).

Although Ambedkar was not its editor officially, this paper became his mouth-piece.

He made full use of it to expose with his brilliant logic, the irrationality and the basic injustice inherent in the Caste System.

“The Swaraj wherein there were no fundamental rights guaranteed for the Depressed Classes, would not be a Swaraj to them. It would be a new slavery for them.“

The composition of the committee reflected the broad and secular outlook of Dr. Ambedkar. He had a firm belief that untouchability should be the concern not only of the untouchables alone but of all the sections of the Indian society.

"Every man should have a philosophy of life, for every one must have a standard by which to measure his conduct.

And philosophy is nothing but standard by which to measure."

Dr. Ambedkar declared that the religion was for the man and not the other way around and in 1935 he uttered those famous words: “I solemnly assure you that I will not die as a Hindu.”

“We build a temple for a God to come in and reside, but before the God could be installed, the devil had taken

possession of it, what else could we do except destroy the temple?”

“Send your children to schools. Education is as necessary for females as it is for males. If you know how to read and write, there would be much progress. As you are, so your

children will be”

He organised a formal public ceremony for himself and his supporters in Nagpur on 14 October 1956. Accepting the Three Refuges and Five Precepts from a Buddhist monk in the traditional manner, Ambedkar completed his own conversion.

Ambedkar died in his sleep on the 6th of December 1956.

According to Ambedkar, the social norms founded on the principles of liberty, equality and fraternity alone can guarantee of egalitarian society.

The egalitarian society can be established by the peaceful means of educate, agitate and organize.

He adopted the method of three slogan from the Buddhist trinity namely, Buddham, Dhammam and Sangham.

The three slogans were based on non-violence.

“I like the religion that teaches liberty, equality and fraternity.”

THANK YOU

"The Out-caste is a bye-product of the Caste-system. There will be out-castes as long as there are castes. Nothing can emancipate the Out-caste except the destruction of the Caste-system. Nothing can help to save Hindus and ensure their survival in the coming struggle except the purging of the Hindu Faith of this odious and vicious dogma."