Ambedkar Jayanti on April 14 celebrates Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar, Known as 'Equality Day', it honors his dedication to eradicating discrimination.
Dr. Ambedkar's most important contribution to equality was his role as the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution. The Constitution he created helped establish India as a secular, democratic republic with fundamental rights that guaranteed equality to all citizens.
Ambedkar wanted to reorganise the society on equality and rationality, therefore opposed the caste based on social structure which he thought, was characterised by graded inequalities. According to Ambedkar, the Hindu Society, in common was composed of four classes namely, Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishya and Shudhras. These classes became an enclosed unit called caste and brought with it unequal distribution of benefits and privileges. He was a staunch believer that in order to make a society based on equality and fraternity, the caste system must abolish, so being the victim of such discrimination, he decided to give his life to fight battle against this system.
Struggle For Equality & Social Justice
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, born on April 14, 1891, in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, dedicated his life to uplifting marginalized communities, especially Dalits, women, and labourers, who faced systemic social discrimination. A visionary reformer and tireless advocate of equality, Ambedkar recognized that caste oppression was fracturing the nation and sought transformative measures to address these deep-rooted injustices.
Mahad Satyagraha: In the mid-1920s, the Municipal Committee of Mahad, in district Raigad of Maharashtra, passed a resolution allowing untouchables to use water from Chavdar Tank. Despite this, the caste Hindus were not allowing untouchables to fetch water from the tank though they had no objection to Muslims and Christians taking water from the same tank. On 20th March 1927, to restore the legal right of untouchables, Ambedkar led a procession of ten thousand untouchables to Chavdar Tank. Defying caste Hindus, they drank water from the tank. The procession then returned peacefully back to their base camp in the town. In memory of Mahad Satyagrah, 20th March is celebrated as “Social Empowerment Day”.
Orthodox Hindus also purified the defiled Tank by downing cow dung, cow urine and curd into the tank amidst chanting of hymns & mantras. This shameful conduct of Mahad Hindus was widely condemned by the press and the public.
Purification of the Tank added insult to the wounds of untouchables. An indignant Ambedkar decided to launch another Satyagrah on December 25 & 26 1927. Some leaders expressed an apprehension that there was a rumour that the government may ban the Satyagrah. Ambedkar told them that if the government prohibits Depressed classes from exercising their right, then, to shame Caste Hindus, the matter would be taken to the League of Nations.
Manusmirti Dahan: On 25th December 1927, as a protest against tactics of Caste Hindus, in presence of and with the consent of Ambedkar, one of the leaders of untouchables, Shastrabudhe, burnt Manusmriti – the Hindu scripture that codifies Caste System. The day is celebrated as “Manusmirti Dahan Divas” by Ambedakarites.
Newspaper To Voice The Of Untouchables: In 1919, Ambedkar was toying with the idea of starting a newspaper to voice the concerns of untouchables. Shahu Maharaj donated a sum of Rupees 2500 to kick-start the project. In January 1920, the first edition of the fortnightly newspaper, titled, “Mook Nayak” (Leader of the Dumb) was published from Bombay. In it, Ambedkar wrote: “India is the land of inequality. Hindu Society is like a multi-storeyed tower without an entrance or an exit; one has to live and die in the storey in which one is born.”
Bahikshrit Hitakarini Sabha: In July 1924, Ambedkar founded “Bahikshrit Hitakarini Sabha” (Untouchables Welfare Association) and in June 1928, “Depressed Classes Education Society” for the uplift of untouchables. These institutes started a number of hostels for Depressed Class students.
Kalaram Temple Satyagraha: In 1930, the year of famous Dandi March, Ambedkar, BK Gaikwad and other leaders of untouchables decided to launch one more Satyagraha. This time the objective was to establish the right of untouchables to enter the Kalaram temple of Nasik. On 2nd March 1930, Ambedkar led a mile-long procession of 15,000 untouchables, including 500 women, towards the temple. At the top of the column was a brass band signifying peaceful intent of the demonstrators.
In response to the march, the temple management closed the temple doors and police was posted at all four gates that were barricaded. From next day, protestors started around-the-clock Dharna (sit-in) in front of closed gates, singing Bhajans and reciting hymns. For all practical purposes, the temple was now closed to all devotees. Kalaram temple had a tradition of taking out the statue of Lord Rama in a Chariot procession through the city on the day of Ramnavi. As of April 9, the auspicious day of Ramnavi approached, a compromise was hammered out. It was agreed that the Chariot will be taken out of the temple by the Caste Hindus; thereafter, strong men from both sides – Caste Hindus and Untouchables – will draw the Chariot through the city. However, as soon as the Chariot came out of the temple, Caste Hindus ran away with it to a narrow lane guarded by police. Pandemonium followed when untouchables broke the police cordon and reached for Chariot. A free fight between the two groups erupted in which one young untouchable was killed.
The Textile Strikes: During the initial years, Ambedkar’s labour activism was carried out through his association with the Bombay Textile Labour Union, which was formed in 1925 by the moderates such as N.M. Joshi and R.R. Bakhale. In the textile mill weaving departments that paid the highest wages, Dalits were excluded from working due to “pollution”. During the weaving process, each time the weft bobbin required a replacement, workers had to wet the thread with their saliva to tie the knot. The Maratha caste workers argued due to this process, Dalits working in the weaving department would result in ‘pollution’ for them. They took that as the pretext for not allowing Dalits in weaving departments.
Ambedkar highlighted this issue during the famous 1928 Bombay Textile strike. In fact, he threatened the Communist leaders that in the list of demands, if his demand for Dalits’ access to all jobs in the mill did not find a space, then he will dissuade Dalit workers from joining the strike. His demand was accepted – although very reluctantly. While Ambedkar supported the 1928 textile strike, he opposed the 1929 strike. He even facilitated Dalit workers’ entry inside the textile mills during the strike.
Pivotal Role In The Poona Pact: Dr. B R Ambedkar’s pivotal role in the Poona Pact of 1932, which replaced separate electorates with reserved seats for Dalits, marked a turning point in India’s fight for social justice. Deeply inspired by Buddha’s teachings, Dr. Ambedkar embraced Buddhism as a path to liberation and an antidote to caste-based oppression.
