What we know is that Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was the founder of the Constitution of independent India. The world’s largest written constitution is his immortal achievement. But in reality, he was far more, and led a fascinating and fulfilling life dedicated not just to the uplift of the marginalised communities, but the nation as well.

Introduction

He was also known as Babasaheb Ambedkar. He was the Executive Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution, which means that he was an influential figure in the political sphere. This extraordinary man who rose from a Mahar community was a Buddhist agitator, an Indian jurist, philosopher, anthropologist, orator and a historical nationalist revolutionary. He was one of the pioneers of the nationalist Dalit movement.
Being born in an untouchable or Dalit family, Dr Ambedkar received inhuman treatment from the so-called upper caste society right from his childhood. So from his childhood, he was able to understand how a person has to suffer deprivation and disenfranchisement due to being an untouchable or Dalit. The mindset of protesting against this exploitation and deprivation germinated in Ambedkar’s mind when he entered the educational arena and came in contact with eminent thinkers and theorists of the Western world.

Education

While studying abroad, he was deeply impressed by John Dewey’s pragmatic thinking. As an important basis for proper analysis of political, social, economic and religious problems, Ambedkar supported Dewey’s concept. He thought that in order to formulate a plan for a group or community, it is first necessary to know the context of the specific group or community. Dewey’s influence stirred Ambedkar’s thinking to such an extent that he began to think deeply about the untouchables in his own country and the indifference of the administrators towards their betterment. Secondly, the philosophy and thought of German sociologist Karl Marx influenced Ambedkar. He reviewed Marx’s theory of class struggle from the perspective of Hindu society divided into four quadrants. He thought that Hindu society was divided not based on economic status but based on the caste system. So the problem of untouchables or dalit class in India is not only related to economic factors, this problem is social and it is deeply related to the mentality of upper caste people. Thirdly, the thoughts and writings of John Stuart Mill influenced Ambedkar. He fully supported Mill’s view that if a man is not allowed to think independently, he cannot develop the qualities necessary for his condition.

Influences

Apart from the three theorists discussed, Ambedkar was deeply influenced by the philosophy and thought of Gautama Buddha. Buddhism questions the unscientific irrational basis of inequality, superstition, etc., and emphasizes the purification of the human mind. Buddha believed that man is capable of solving social, religious, political and economic problems by his thinking power. Inspired by this thought of Buddha, Ambedkar thought deeply about the existing inequality in Hindu society. Ambedkar believed that this inequality has created division, hatred, discrimination etc. among people in the society and has plunged the people of some groups or communities into inhuman conditions.
Ambedkar took a deep look at the untouchables and concluded that untouchability is not a new phenomenon. If we look for its source, it will be seen that untouchability started in the distant past when the nomadic people were looking for permanent shelter in rural life. Conflict between the nomadic people and the rural people often arose. Ambedkar studied ancient scriptures closely to find the source of untouchability. Citing an illustration from “Narada Smriti”, he says that impure acts in society were reserved only for the untouchables. Besides, occupations reserved for untouchables could never be occupations of upper castes.

His works

Ambedkar wrote many books on various subjects. Several of his books are timeless and highly acclaimed. Ambedkar’s thoughts on Dalits and untouchables are captured in his many books and writings such as Untouchability, On Untouchables, Outside the Fold, From Million to Fractions, An Anti-Untouchability Agenda, Political Safeguards for Depressed Classes, etc. Some of these works are particularly notable. Ambedkar’s first published work was called Castes in India. He read this essay as a postgraduate student at Columbia University. His last work was published after his death in 1957. This book is called The Buddha and His Dhamma. Among the various books written and published during his lifetime, some are particularly notable. These are Annihilation of Caste, The Problem of the Rupee, Pakistan or Partition of India, States and Minorities, Ranade, Gandhi and Jinnah, Who were the Shudras?, What Congress and Gandhi have done to the Untouchables? etc.
In his book On Untouchables, Ambedkar raised several important questions about untouchability – such as, why do untouchables live inside or outside the village? Why did eating beef give rise to untouchability? Have Hindus never eaten beef? Why did the non-Brahmins abstain from eating beef? Why did Brahmins become vegetarians? Ambedkar himself has answered these questions in the discussion book. According to him, the practice of cow-worship was introduced due to conflict between Buddhists and Brahmins. Brahmins, who were once beef eaters, gave up eating beef and became vegetarians. The main reason for this change was the attempt of Brahmanists to dominate Buddhism. Brahmins used to sacrifice animals to God in the name of religion. This practice has been condemned by Buddhists. The Brahmins then stopped sacrificing cows in the name of Yajna to dignify their position and introduced cow worship.

The concepts

It is necessary to mention here that by the word ‘Dalit’, Ambedkar meant a member of an inferior caste and the untouchables. In general political commentary, the term ‘Dalit’ refers to Scheduled Castes – which was used by the British in the Rule of India Act of 1935. Earlier in practice, untouchables meant ‘Depressed Class’ or oppressed caste. Mahatma Gandhi named them ‘Harijan’. Traditionally, according to Hindu scriptures, untouchables are at the bottom of the hierarchy of caste structure in India and are known by various names throughout India, such as Shudra, Atishudra, Chandal, Antyaja, Pancham, Avarna, Namashudra, etc. Although there is controversy over the use of the term ‘Dalit’, prominent sociologist Ghanshyam Shah in his book ’Dalit Identity and Politics (2001)’ commented, “Dalit refers to all types of suppressed and oppressed people in the society…This oppression and torture is not only from the point of view of economic harmony. The lives of Dalits are associated with the suppression of culture, lifestyle, and value system, and most importantly they are deprived of the dignity they deserve as human beings. Dalits emerged mainly as a political class”.

The path of uplift

The movement was organised by Ambedkar to improve the condition of untouchables or marginal people. Ambedkar wanted to create an egalitarian society where Dalits would be freed from oppression and deprivation. But he realized that it was really difficult to build such a society under Hinduism, because the very structure of Hindu society was necessarily hierarchical, with Dalits at the bottom. So Ambedkar wanted Dalits or untouchables to come forward themselves because of their interests. He also initiated them in the mantra of self-belief and self-awakening. Ambedkar’s biographer Dhananjay Keer (1971) commented, “Ambedkar was aspiring them (dalit) to do battle for their human rights. He was driving them to action by acting himself. Ambedkar was displaying energy through his action; arousing their faith by showing faith.”
The truth of Keer’s comment becomes clear when we see Ambedkar exhorting the Dalits to follow certain principles. These principles are — Self-Improvement, Self-Progress, Self-Dependence, Self-Respect, and Self-Confidence, known as the ‘Panchasutras’. Besides, he also inspired Dalit untouchables to organize the movement. So Ambedkar declared at the ‘All-India Depressed Class Conference’ held in Nagpur in 1942, “My final word of advice is to educate, agitate, organize and have faith in yourself. It is a battle for the reclamation of human personality”.

Ambedkar and his contemporaries

According to Ambedkar, leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Jawaharlal Nehru represented hegemonic Hindu nationalism, in contrast to which he strove for the emancipation and empowerment of Dalits and untouchables as an essential part of the nationalist movement. This is known as the ‘Subaltern Approach’ of Ambedkar’s social thought. Through this perspective, Ambedkar constructed an ‘Anti-Hindu and Anti-Brahminical’ language of Indian nationalism. This alternative nationalist thought of Ambedkar’s became ‘Dalit’. Ambedkar was thus highly critical of pre-colonial Brahminism and the resulting discriminatory social system of upper and lower castes.
Ambedkar is a prominent figure among the backward and neglected communities in Indian history. He is distinguished by scholarly brilliance and intellectual acumen. Due to this, he gained a special status in the social and political field across India, especially in Maharashtra. He has given special thought to the preservation of the individual interests and overall development of this Indian community, which has been neglected for a long time. He laid special emphasis on preserving political and economic rights to ensure a prosperous future for these backward communities. In this regard, he emphasized integrated initiatives. Ambedkar emphasized the recognition and preservation of political and social rights while various constitutional reform laws were being constituted. He demanded separate constituencies and reservation of seats for backward classes. He was angered by the indifference of the British government towards the all-round upliftment of the underprivileged classes of contemporary India. Ambedkar protested against this indifference of the British government.

His predecessors

Babasaheb’s emergence as an elite leader of the Dalit society was paved by Jyotirao Phule, a man from West India plagued by casteism, a native of Maharashtra, who published his famous book ‘Gulamgiri’ in 1872. This book was a manifesto of the movement for the Dalit people. In 1873, Jyotirao Phule founded the ‘Satyashodak Samaj’.The main aim of this samaj was to prevent the dominance of Brahminism in society, to end the caste system and to spread education among the lower caste people.
As a disciple of Jyotirao Phule, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar emerged as a hero of the Dalit movement in Maharashtra. His immense enthusiasm was coupled with a unique common sense. Ambedkar was born in a lower caste family of the Mahar community in Maharashtra. It is claimed that this Mahar community is the original inhabitants of Maharashtra. The region was named Maharashtra as the state of the Mahars. Cobblers and sweepers are employed by the Mahar caste. After suffering continuous deprivation in school, university and workplace, he became determined towards the Dalit liberation movement. His sharp writings as the editor of magazines like Muknayak (1920), Bhaishkrit (1927) etc. gave back their voice to the deprived people. It was during this time that he raised his famous rallying cry ‘Educate, Agitate, Organise’.

His influence on literature

Dr Ambedkar realized that only a movement based on literature and culture could be the mouthpiece of Dalits. He established the Siddhartha College in Bombay through the ‘People’s Education Society’, mixing the tool called education for the sake of the people’s struggle. In 1950, the first-year undergraduate students of Siddhartha College formed a literary organization called ‘Siddhartha Sahitya Sangh’. From this literary organization ‘Maharashtra Dalit Sahitya Sangh’ was born. In 1969, the Diwali issue of Marathwada Patrika detailed a discussion on the definition, history and identity of Dalit literature. Since then the term ‘Dalit literature’ has given birth to a special type of literary genre in the discussion of Maratha literature. On July 19, 1972, in the house of Namdeo Dhasal, an exceptional and powerful Dalit poet of Maharashtra, writers like Arjun Dangle, JD Daya Pawar, Umakant Randhir and others gave birth to a cultural stage called ‘Dalit Panthers’ in the style of Black Panthers of the USA. It was from the time that the Dalit literary movement spread beyond the borders of Maharashtra to other language-speaking regions of India.
One of the hallmarks of Dalit literature is autobiographical writing. In 1988, Laxman Mane won the Sahitya Akademi Award for writing an autobiographical novel in Marathi. Dalit women have also played a leading role by taking the help of literature to get their rights. Shantabai and Urmila Pawar have proved that Dalit women are thrice subjugated (caste, class, gender) in society in their autobiographical works. Dalit writers have clarified the concept of ‘Personal is Political’ in society by publishing autobiographies. In 1990, Kannada writer Devanur Mahadeva won the Sahitya Akademi Award for his novel ‘Kusumabale’, and Dalit literature was able to attract international attention. Students of contemporary literature have been able to realize that Dalit literature does not only speak of Dalit oppression but also criticizes the so-called Dalit bourgeoisie and resists the encroachment of acculturation, especially the Sanskritization of Dalits.

Conclusion – social thought and social

Finally, we have to say that a large part of Ambedkar’s social thought was concerned with Dalits and untouchables. In actuality, no other sociologist before him had shown such a mentality and initiative. He realized that socialist or egalitarian ideals could not be established in Indian society unless the condition of Dalits and untouchables improved. Moreover, in democratic states where representative government exists,
 there should be equality of opportunity and for that political participation of Dalits is essential. His attitude towards the minorities became clear in the speech he gave to the “Indian Statutory Commission” on 29 May, 1928 on behalf of the “Excluded Benefactors’ Meeting” he founded. Ambedkar said – “Many people in the world have fallen low by forces of circumstances. But having fallen they are free to rise.”