Ambedkar Jayanti: Today, 14th April is a very special day for the country because today is the 135th birth anniversary of Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar. Baba Saheb was born on 14th April 1891 in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh. He was the most educated person of his time and fought against untouchability and poverty all his life. Today on his birth anniversary, we tell you some important and unheard things about him.
Baba Saheb’s real surname and family
Baba Saheb’s real surname was not Ambedkar, but his real surname was ‘Ambavadekar’. His father had registered this name in school, but one of his teachers gave him the surname ‘Ambedkar’. Baba Saheb’s family belonged to the Mahar caste, which was then considered ‘untouchable’. His ancestors served in the army of the British East India Company for a long time. His father was also a Subedar in the British Army. He was the last of 14 children in Baba Saheb’s family and he was the only person who got the opportunity to study.
Paths of education and struggle
Baba Saheb passed the matriculation examination in 1907 and then took admission in Elphinstone College. He was the first Dalit student to take admission in this college. After this, in 1912, he received a degree in Economics and Political Science from Mumbai University. After this, Baba Saheb went abroad and did PhD in Economics and he was the first Indian to achieve this feat. He was the first and only Satyagrahi who agitated for drinking water. Apart from this, Baba Saheb became the first Law Minister of the country and became the chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee.
Baba Saheb’s legacy and achievements
Baba Saheb’s library collection was very large. In 1938 he had 8,000 books, which reached 35,000 by his death. Baba Saheb was very fond of books and his library was very famous. He did many important works in his life. He was the first jurist who belonged to a backward caste and he always fought for equality and justice in the society. It was due to his contribution that the Constitution of India was made and he started many schemes for the weaker sections of the society.
