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File Information
| Document Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Title | Ambedkar’s Notion of Social Justice – A Different Perspective |
| Article Credit | International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, ISSN: 2229-5518, Vol.: Volume 2, Issue: Issue 12, Year: 2011, (Pubd in: ResearchGate) |
| Author | A. Ranjithkumar (Ph.D Research Scholar in Dept. of Politics & International Studies, Pondicherry University, India, Pondicherry - 605 014) |
| Subject | A study of Ambedkar's critique of caste society and his theory of social justice grounded in liberty, equality, fraternity, and constitutional rights. It focuses on untouchability, Dalit uplift, and the limits of Hindu social order. |
| Category | Academic article |
| Institution | International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research |
| Country of Publication | India |
| Main Topics | B. R. Ambedkar, social justice, caste system, untouchability, Dalit rights, liberty, equality and fraternity, state socialism, constitutional rights |
| Number of Pages | 5 |
| Language | English |
| File Type | |
| File Size | 286.0 KB |
Summary Note of this Document
Ambedkar’s Notion of Social Justice – A Different Perspective
Ambedkar’s Notion of Social Justice – A Different Perspective examines B. R. Ambedkar’s critique of caste society and his vision of justice for Dalits and other marginalized groups. The article argues that untouchability, caste hierarchy, and Hindu social orthodoxy are the central sources of social inequality in India, and it presents Ambedkar’s response as both philosophical and constitutional. The discussion links his ideas to legal protections, reservation policy, and the need for equal rights in practice rather than only in principle. It emphasizes Ambedkar’s insistence that political democracy cannot survive without social democracy, and that liberty, equality, and fraternity must function together as the basis of a just social order. The paper also highlights his rejection of caste-based religion, his turn toward Buddhism, and his belief that social reform requires the annihilation of caste. In addition, it considers his support for state socialism, education, and the redistribution of resources as part of a broader program for dignity and participation. The article concludes that Ambedkar’s ideas remain relevant to contemporary debates on discrimination, constitutional equality, and the social transformation of Indian society.
Core Themes
- Critique of caste and untouchability
- Ambedkar's theory of social justice
- Constitutional equality and rights
- Dalit uplift and reservation
- Liberty, equality and fraternity
- Buddhism and rejection of Hindu orthodoxy
- State socialism and economic justice
Keywords
About Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was born in 1891 as the fourteenth and youngest child of an army Subedar in Mhow. Born into the Mahar caste, which was considered untouchable, Bhimrao faced many hardships at school. He had to sit on a gunny sack that he brought from home. He was not allowed to touch the water vessel or cup, so he could drink water only when the school peon was present to pour it for him. He later described this experience with the words, “No peon, no water.” His mother died when he was very young, and he had a difficult childhood. However, he was the only one of his siblings to pass his examinations and continue to high school, becoming the first person from his community to attend Elphinstone College. With a scholarship from the Maharaja of Baroda, he went on to study at Columbia University and the London School of Economics. He earned doctorates in economics and trained as a barrister at Gray’s Inn. According to the account supplied for this biography, his books were lost when his ship was torpedoed during the First World War.
Despite his education, Ambedkar continued to face prejudice. When he returned to India, he was required to work in Baroda but had to leave the position because of discrimination. His business providing investment consultancy failed when clients learned that he belonged to a community considered untouchable. While working as a professor in Mumbai, his colleagues objected to the idea of him sharing a water jug with his students. These experiences helped spur his activism. He established newspapers to give a voice to marginalized people. He led the Mahad Satyagraha, asserting Dalits’ right to collect water from a public tank, and publicly burned the Manusmriti in 1927. In 1932, he negotiated the Poona Pact with Mahatma Gandhi. Although it involved a difficult compromise, the pact provided reserved seats in legislatures for the Depressed Classes. Ambedkar was outspoken in public life but private by nature. His wife Ramabai died in 1935, and he filled his home in Bombay with a large personal library reported to contain more than 50,000 books. He declared, “I am born a Hindu, but I will not die as one.”
During the period of Indian independence, Jawaharlal Nehru invited Ambedkar to become India’s first Law Minister. Ambedkar chaired the Drafting Committee that prepared the Constitution of India, which abolished the practice of untouchability and established civil liberties and constitutional safeguards, including reservations for historically oppressed communities. He acknowledged the contribution of other constitutional experts, including B. N. Rau, who had prepared an earlier draft. Because of his poor health, including diabetes, Ambedkar married Savita, a doctor who cared for him. In October 1956, he converted to Buddhism in Nagpur along with a vast gathering of followers, commonly estimated at around half a million. He died in his sleep just weeks later, shortly after completing his final major work, The Buddha and His Dhamma. He was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1990. His message, “Educate, agitate, organise,” continues to inspire people seeking equality and social justice.
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