Description
Ambedkar Jayanti: DR BR Ambedkar became the first Indian to earn a PhD in economics abroad. Ambedkar Jayanti is celebrated on April 14 to commemorate the birthday of the father of the Indian Constitution, Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar. Lawyer, politician, economist and social reformer, Dr. BR Ambedkar strove to uplift Dalits and those from backward communities. Who was Dr. BR Ambedkar?
Dr. BR Ambedkar or Babasaheb was born on April 14, 1891 at Mhow in present-day Madhya Pradesh. He was the fourteenth and last son of Ramji Maloji Sakpal. A Dalit from a poor family, Babasaheb witnessed the atrocities and discrimination suffered by his community.
At school, Dr. BR Ambedkar and other Dalit children were not allowed to touch the water or the bowl and someone from the upper caste served them water. Babasaheb was also not allowed to sit inside the classroom and used to sit on a burlap sack.
The social reformer vehemently opposed social ills such as untouchability and caste-based discrimination and fought for the rights of the oppressed throughout his life.
Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar graduated in Economics and Political Science from the University of Bombay. He got his first job in the Baroda state government and won a scholarship to Columbia University when he was 22 years old. Babasaheb earned a master's degree and completed his doctorate at Columbia University. He then went to the London School of Economics and studied history, economics and political science there and also wrote on a variety of topics including the caste system in India.
Babasaheb became the first Indian to earn a PhD in economics abroad.
Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar is known as the architect of the Indian Constitution. He chaired the drafting committee of the Constituent Assembly and was India's first justice minister. The jurist was also instrumental in the formation of the Reserve Bank of India.
