Ambedkar: The Founding Father of Modern India

By Jagath Jayaprakash

This book is an engrossing account of one of India's most outstanding and influential personalities. Born from the "untouchable" caste, B.R. Ambedkar surmounted enormous difficulties to become a lawyer, philosopher, and social reformer who devoted his life to defending the rights of India's underprivileged populations.

Ambedkar was a vociferous opponent of the caste system and a dedicated fighter for social justice from the time he was a student. He played a significant role in the development of India's constitution, which outlawed untouchability and created the groundwork for a more democratic and equal society.

Ambedkar never wavered in his determination to create a better world for all Indians, despite encountering prejudice and criticism throughout his life. This book offers a vivid image of a man whose legacy continues to inspire millions of people today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jagath Jayaprakash
• Release date: Mar 4, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215138045

Jagath Jayaprakash

Jagath Jayaprakash is an Academic Administrator by profession and an avid writer by intellectual pursuit. In addition, he publishes Op-Ed Articles on Political history, National security, Cyber warfare, and International relations in Malayalam and English for major media outlets like as Manorama Online, Janmabhumi, Indus Scrolls, Organiser, Kesari, and a host of other prominent news websites.

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Jagath Jayaprakash

The Founding Father of Modern India

Copyright © 2023 by Jagath Jayaprakash

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

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Contents

Foreword

Preface

The Family Roots

Childhood and sufferings

Back to India

Hero of the Oppressed classes

The Poona Pact

Relationship with Gandhi

Rising of a National leader

Breaking New Ground

An Exceptional Visionary

The Indian Constitution

On the path of Buddha

Epilogue

Bibliography

About the Author

Foreword

Bhimrao Ambedkar was a famous Indian scholar and politician, leader and liberator, and the Chief Architect of India’s Constitution. It brings me great pleasure and honour to compile this official and updated biography of him. After achieving political independence, India turned into a social and economic democracy. Dr. Ambedkar’s life more than any other political leader epitomises this message. His life, with all its sacrifices, hardships, and scholarship, has been mostly devoted to liberating six crore people from centuries of captivity and ushering in a new era in their lives. Yet, directing India’s social and economic democracy is no less a magnificent fight.

This book is a biography of this amazing man in which I endeavour to shed new light on his words, deeds, and motivations. I have caught him in his natural state.

Ambedkar was essential in India’s oppressed humanity’s emancipation. Consequently, India must come to comprehend his life, personality, and purpose in order to know him for who he really is, not as his adversaries have distorted him or as his supporters have deified him. To assist readers in visualising his mental growth and appreciating the ferocity and violence with which he attacked the old views and values that had defaced a portion of humanity in this land, I have placed events and facts in their proper context and discussed the views of his great contemporaries with whom he clashed.

In doing so, I have no intention of diminishing their majesty. Each great man has his own quirks and defects, and as he matures and suffers in a certain field, he comes into conflict with the other greats in that field.

This biography is intelligent, intriguing, and thought-provoking from a different perspective. This existence has much to teach anybody who appreciates human dignity and equality in human interactions. In addition, it offers as an inspiring example of what a man can achieve by unwavering persistence and self-sacrifice, despite despair and deprivation. In addition, it emphasises the need of relying on one’s own efforts throughout life, as opposed to the assistance and favour of others. Ambedkar’s unflinching pursuit of knowledge, his incredible industry, and his unflinching goal in rising from dust to doyen, from the life of a social leper to the position of constitution-maker, as well as his heroic struggle to restore human dignity to the oppressed, will constitute golden chapters in the history of this nation as well as the history of human freedom. Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar’s life is a story of a man who, despite being born into a Untouchable household, ascended to great heights and played vital roles due to his character and perseverance. Dr. Ambedkar is one of the most distinguished sons of our nation, whose life and work affected and inspired both young and old generations before and after independence. The significance of his contribution to the Indian Constitution cannot be overstated. His contributions to several fields, including education, should be made known to new pupils. Dr. Ambedkar valiantly strove for the improvement of the poorest strata.

In addition, he shown an uncommon zeal in this endeavour, establishing himself as a prominent figure among India’s foremost architects of the present day. This concise biography of Dr. Babasahib Ambedkar was prepared to acquaint Indian youngsters with the life, views, and accomplishments of one of our nation’s most distinguished people and to provide an overview of the various influences that impacted his life. This is not intended to be an authorised or exclusive biography of Dr. Ambedkar, since others with better aims for research and comprehension have already written extensively about him.

Jagath Jayaprakash

Preface

I am convinced that this biography will motivate the next generation and the Indian community as a whole. First, we witness how Bhimrao fought for excellence in so many disciplines of study throughout his school and college years in India and abroad. He pondered on his time as a student. Dr. Ambedkar once said, I used to attend school wearing nothing but a loincloth. I was unable to acquire adequate water to drink at school. When I felt thirsty, I was not allowed to operate the faucet on my own. Even in Bombay’s Elphinstone College, untouchability was seen. Since he was untouchable, Sanskrit education was prohibited to him.

In spite of this, he came to popularity as a Sanskrit scholar owing to his perseverance, effort, and diligence. He repeatedly asserted, When given equal opportunities, we are not inferior to anybody. His strong belief and commitment to removing the untouchability stigma in Indian culture is another part of his character. He had been subjected to humiliation and abuse for much of his life. Hence, he refused countless lucrative offers and continued to fight for the human, social, and political rights of the disadvantaged. Dr. Ambedkar said that the elevation of the untouchables was identical with the uplift of the country. The untouchables advocated the elimination of Varnashram and the adoption of the principle that one’s rights, responsibilities, and position should be determined only on the basis of merit. The untouchables were destined for a massive social upheaval, as he saw in them the birth of a new civilization.

His works and speeches demonstrate that he is an ardent rationalist. Nothing could make him happy unless it was based on logic and reason. He condemned false beliefs, superstitions, rituals, and traditions. He disliked being confusing and vague by nature and by training. Hence, even if many of us may cringe or be upset by some of his ideas or comments, we should reject them unless we choose to remain intellectually blind. Tragic is the political career of Dr. Ambedkar, a man who believed that rationality might be used to politics. He claims that all truthful statements are reasonable. Invulnerability defies logic. Ambedkar, a highly logical person, progresses from premises to conclusions. Yet, politicians as a group are illogical. The debate is occurring in reverse order. They modify their premises in order to strengthen their results.

It is important to note that in all of his social and political acts, he never acted against the national interest. He consistently served the nation’s best interests. He was a fervent nationalist who sought India’s advancement. Dr. Ambedkar declared earlier, I profess implicit conviction in my creed’s tenets. This is the country of opportunity in which we reside. This is the race that we have chosen.

Moreover, he remarked, I hold both Gandhi and Jinnah in contempt. There is nothing I dislike about them. This is because I hold India in higher regard. This is the genuine faith of the nationalist. I hope that one day my fellow citizens will realise that the nation is more important than persons. In his speech to India’s Constituent Assembly on November 25, 1949, he stated: In addition to the traditional enemies of castes and creeds, there would be several political parties with opposing political ideas. Would Indians choose nationalism above religion, or religion over nationalism? I am uncertain. Yet, one thing is certain: their independence would be jeopardised a second time if the parties choose their ideology above the nation. That will definitely be gone forever. This situation must be avoided fiercely. We must be resolute in our resolve to defend our independence until the death.

He remarked in his book, Annihilation of Castes, There is no question in my view that until you reform your social order, your progress would be limited. The community cannot be mobilised for defence or attacking objectives. Nothing can be created on the caste system’s basis. Neither a country nor morality can be constructed. Everything founded on caste is doomed to fail and will never be accomplished. Thus, he thinks that society must be reasonable and independent of the legacy of the caste system. Hence, by keeping a moral compass throughout his acts, he avoided becoming a victim of circumstance and instead grasped every chance to gain control over luck, destiny, or fate.

Dr. Ambedkar was not a follower of heroes. He also discouraged his followers from doing so, since he was well aware of the harmful consequences of hero worship and the damage it had caused to the nation over time. According to his assertions, Excessive adoration for leaders erodes the confidence of the people, leaving them defenceless in times of crisis or when led by dishonest leaders. Krishna’s injunction that whenever people experience adversity is a major factor in the death of Hindu society and the perpetuation of its degraded position. They should wait for his avatar (incarnation) to save them. Thus, the Hindu community is now defenceless in the face of hardship. I do not want you to adhere to this harmful doctrine. I do not want you to place your salvation in the hands of a single person. The only means of redemption is self-sacrifice.

Dr. Ambedkar famously said in one of his speeches: "The great man must be motivated by the dynamics of social purpose and act as a scourge and scavenger inside society. These attributes characterise a known guy as a wonderful man deserving of respect and esteem.

One extraordinary individual has defied overwhelming barriers to question the status quo everywhere and at any time. Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, a Bharat Ratna Bodhisattva, is one such. Babasaheb Ambedkar was an original thinker, scholar, jurist, lawmaker, principal architect of the Indian constitution, economist, public policy leader, and development practitioner.

In whatever arena he spoke or wrote, his opinions were incisive, his principles were clear and unambiguous, and his comments were unequivocally and strongly expressed. The more one studies about Babasaheb, the more one admires his unique intellect and recognises his importance and the circumstances that led him to upset the status quo and seek disruption by requesting the abolition of the caste system in its entirety.

Unlike everyone else, Babasaheb perceived society through the lens of raw force and caste-based inequality. Thus, he battled until his last breath for the goal of absolute empowerment for the socially disadvantaged.

As I consider Ambedkar’s ideas and vision, I recall his commitment to social democracy. In a recent speech to the Constituent Assembly, he specifically said that the caste system and democracy cannot