 |
| Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Role Making of the Indian Constitution — A representative image. |
File Information
| Document Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Title | DR. B.R. AMBEDKAR ROLE MAKING OF THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION |
| Article Credit | North Asian International Research Journal of Social Science & Humanities, ISSN: 2454-9827, Vol.: Vol. 6, Issue: Issue-3, Year: 2020, (Pubd in: North Asian International Research Journal of Social Science & Humanities) |
| Author | DR. HANAMANTHA DASAN (Assistant Professor in Politcal Science Govt. First Grade College Gurumitkal Dt. Yadgir.) DR.I.S. VIDYASAGAR (Associate Professor, Dr.Ambedkar Degree College, Kalaburgi.) |
| Subject | An article on Dr. B. R. Ambedkar's role in drafting the Indian Constitution, with emphasis on social justice, fundamental rights, and constitutional democracy. |
| Category | History |
| Institution | North Asian International Research Journal of Social Science & Humanities |
| Main Topics | Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Indian Constitution, Constitution Drafting Committee, social justice, fundamental rights, Directive Principles of State Policy, untouchability, reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes |
| Number of Pages | 5 |
| Language | English |
| File Type | |
| File Size | 292.5 KB |
Summary Note of this Document
DR. B.R. AMBEDKAR ROLE MAKING OF THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION
This document discusses Dr. B. R. Ambedkar's role in making the Indian Constitution. It presents him as the central figure in the drafting process and stresses his belief that India needed a democratic framework suited to its social and economic conditions. The article links his work to the Constitution Drafting Committee, the study of foreign constitutions, and the adoption of constitutional safeguards for equality and liberty. It gives special attention to the Directive Principles of State Policy, especially provisions connected to livelihood, equal pay, public assistance, and the reduction of economic inequality. The text also connects Ambedkar's constitutional vision to the abolition of untouchability, the rejection of caste discrimination, and the protection of women and oppressed groups. Federalism, the parliamentary system, and the ceremonial role of the President are also discussed as features Ambedkar supported. The conclusion argues that the Constitution was shaped by his effort to create a democratic social order and that its promises remain unevenly implemented. The article therefore combines biography, constitutional history, and a sustained defense of social justice as the guiding idea behind Ambedkar's constitutional work.
Core Themes
- Ambedkar as chief architect of the Constitution
- constitutional democracy and parliamentary government
- social and economic justice
- abolition of untouchability and caste discrimination
- rights of women and depressed classes
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.
Complete Ambedkar Research Collection
Download the entire collection of Ambedkar research PDFs available on HISTORY MARG