Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu led the nation on Friday in paying rich tributes to the country's Dalit icon and architect of the Indian Constitution -- Bhim Rao Ambedkar on his 132nd birth anniversary.
Through a video message posted on Twitter, Prime Minister Modi recalled Dr. Ambedkar's life journey and hailed him as the social reformer and “a man of universal vision” who dedicated his life to the empowerment of the deprived and the exploited sections of society.
PM Modi's tweet on 132nd birth anniversary of Bhim Rao Ambedkar
© Photo : Twitter
In the morning, President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Modi, and several other political leaders paid floral tribute to Dr. Ambedkar at the Parliament House's lawn.
Calling him "a symbol of knowledge and prodigy", President Murmu tweeted a long note as her tribute, stating that Dr. Ambedkar worked untiringly even in adverse circumstances as an educationist, legal expert, economist, politician, and social reformer.
"His basic mantra- Educate, Organize and struggle to bring the deprived community into the mainstream of society, will always remain relevant. His unwavering faith in the rule of law and commitment to social and economic equality are the backbone of our democracy," Murmu wrote.
Ambedkar's Fight Against Social Discrimination
Call him a jurist, a politician, an economist, a social reformer or a messiah for the Dalit community, Dr. Ambedkar donned many hats and dedicated his entire life to the welfare of the underprivileged.
Dr. Ambedkar was born on 14 April, 1891, in Mhow town of Madhya Pradesh state's Indore district, Dr. Ambedkar, also known as Babasaheb. He became the 14th and last child of Ramji Maloji Sakpal.
It was a poor Dalit family that was treated as 'untouchables' and therefore, subjected to atrocities and socio-economic discrimination.
At a very young age, Ambedkar witnessed social discrimination, right from his school, where he and other Dalit children weren't allowed to touch the water or the container and someone from the higher caste would pour water for them.
He was also not allowed to be inside the class and used to sit on a gunny sack.
As he grew up, Dr. Ambedkar started fighing against social evils such as untouchability and discrimination on the basis of caste, defending the rights of the oppressed throughout his life.
He did his graduation in Economics and Political Science from Bombay University and bagged his first job in the Baroda State Government.
At 22, Ambedkar won a scholarship at Columbia University and obtained a Master's degree, and went on to do a Ph.D.
Famous as the first Indian to pursue a doctorate in Economics abroad, Dr. Ambedkar also went to the London School of Economics and studied history, economics, and political science and also wrote on a range of topics including the caste system in India.
Dr. Ambedkar is remembered as the architect of the Indian Constitution who chaired the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly and was the first law minister of India.
As a jurist, he played a key role in the formation of the country's apex bank -- the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).