Context

The Statue of Social Justice, featuring Dr BR Ambedkar Ambedkar, will be unveiled by the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh in Vijayawada.

About Statue of Social Justice or Dr. BR Ambedkar Smriti Vanam

• Location of Statue of Social Justice: The Statue of Social Justice is the tallest Dr BR Ambedkar bronze statue in the world, and is situated at the Ambedkar Smriti Vanam in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.
  • The statue is 125 feet tall and is installed on an 81-foot pedestal. 
  • With a total height of 206 feet, it is the fourth tallest, and the second tallest standing statue in India. 

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• Cost: The complete cost of the project is ₹404.35 crores.
• Material: The statue of social justice is made of steel frame and bronze cladding and is completely made in India. 
• Base of the Statue: The 81-foot pedestal building Is designed as Kalachakra Maha Mandal of Buddhist architecture.
• Complex areas also include the Dr BR Ambedkar Ambedkar Experience center under the statue where the exhibits of BR Ambedkar Ambedkar’s life are displayed.

Life of Dr BR Ambedkar Ambedkar

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• About: Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was an Indian polymath, economist, statesman, social reformer and the father of the Indian Constitution. 
  • Dr Ambedkar has also served as Law and Justice minister in the first cabinet of Jawaharlal Nehru, and inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement in India.
• Early Life: Dr Ambedkar was born on 14 April 1891 in the town of Mhow (now officially known as Dr Ambedkar Nagar) in Madhya Pradesh as the last child of Ramji Maloji Sakpal, an army officer.
  • The family of Dr Ambedkar belonged to the Mahar caste, who were treated as untouchables and subjected to socio-economic discrimination.
  • His family traced their origin to the town of Ambadawe in Ratnagiri district of modern-day Maharashtra. 

• Early Discrimination: Since Ambedkar’s father was in the army, he was allowed to attend the school. However, he was segregated and given little attention.
  • Ambedkar and other students of the dalit castes had to sit outside the class on a gunny sack and were not even allowed to touch vessels containing drinking water.  
• Change in Name: In High School, his surname was registered as Ambadawekar in school, which was later changed to ‘Ambedkar’ in school records by his school teacher.

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• Higher Education: Ambedkar enrolled at Elphinstone High School, becoming the only person from untouchable castes to do so.
  • Ambedkar enrolled at the Elphinstone College after passing his matriculation examination in 1907. He was the first person from his Mahar caste to do so.
  • In 1912, he obtained his degree in economics and political science from Bombay University, and decided to get employment with the Baroda state government.
  • However, he was awarded a Baroda State Scholarship to carry out postgraduate education at Columbia University in New York City.
• Overseas Education: Ambedkar passed his M.A. exam in 1915, majoring in economics, and other subjects of Sociology, History, Philosophy and Anthropology. 
  • For his second M.A, he presented the National Dividend of India – A Historic and Analytical Study. He also presented a paper Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development.
  • Ambedkar was admitted to the Gray’s Inn for Law and also allowed to prepare for the D. Sc. at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
  • He obtained his Ph.D. degree on the thesis ‘National dividend for India — A Historic and Analytical Study’.
  • He was called to the Bar in 1923 after he submitted his thesis “Problem of Rupee its Origin and Solution”, for the D.Sc. Degree.  He later returned to India to serve the state of Baroda.
• Fight Against Untouchability: After experiencing caste discrimination during his service, Ambedkar started an Association for the welfare of the depressed classes, with Sir Chimanlal Setalvad.

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Views of Dr BR Ambedkar

• Religion: Dr Ambedkar was a staunch opponent of Hinduism and always considered the option of conversion to any other religion.
  • Ambedkar also criticised Christianity and Islam, saying it did not offer egalitarian views. He also did not favour Sikhism.
• Untouchability: Since untouchability was a defining feature of caste, social reform was possible only through the abolition of caste. 
• Marxism and Communism: He agreed with Karl Max’s views that the privileged few’s exploitation of the masses perpetuated poverty and its issues.
  • However, he believed that cultural aspects of exploitation were as bad or worse than economic exploitation.
  • Dr Ambedkar opposed Marxist idea of controlling all the means of production and ending private ownership of property.

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Contributions of Dr BR Ambedkar Ambedkar

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Final Days of Dr BR Ambedkar

• Conversion to Buddhism: During the provincial conference of the depressed classes held at Yeola in Nashik District, Ambedkar had said that “I was born in Hinduism but I will not die as a Hindu”.
  • In this regard, Ambedkar had been studying various religions of the world before choosing the faith he would be converting to.
  • In 1950s, he began devoting his attention to Buddhism and travelled to Sri Lanka to attend a meeting of the World Fellowship of Buddhists. 
  • He founded the Bharatiya Bauddha Mahasabha, or the Buddhist Society of India and also finished his final work, The Buddha and His Dhamma.
  • In 1956, he organised a public ceremony for himself and his supporters in Nagpur for mass conversion. He accepted the Three Refuges and Five Precepts from a Buddhist monk in the traditional manner to accept Buddhism.
• Mahaparinirvana: Ambedkar passed away on December 6, 1956. At the “Jagatik Buddhism Council”, he was conferred with the title of “Bodhisattva” by the Buddhist monks.

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Honours and Legacy of Dr BR Ambedkar

• India’s Greatest Socio-economic Reformer: Ambedkar is termed as India’s greatest socio-economic reformer by uplifting Dalits and backward classes.
• Reviving Buddhism: His interest and studies in Buddhism sparked a revival in interest in Buddhist philosophy in India and abroad.
• Death Anniversary: Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s death anniversary is observed as Mahaparinirvan Diwas across the country
• Bharat Ratna: Dr Ambedkar was posthumously conferred with Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, in 1990.

Famous Quotes of Dr BR Ambedkar

• “Be Educated, Be Organised and Be Agitated”.
• “They cannot make history who forget history”.
• “Men are mortal. So are ideas. An idea needs propagation as much as a plant needs watering. Otherwise, both will wither and die.”
• “If I find the constitution being misused, I shall be the first to burn it”.
• “Political tyranny is nothing compared to social tyranny and a reformer who defies society is a more courageous man than a politician who defies Government.”
• “I like the religion that teaches liberty, equality and fraternity”.
• “Cultivation of mind should be the ultimate aim of human existence”.
• “I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved.”

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Conclusion

• Dr BR Ambedkar Ambedkar was an exceptional once-in-a-generation scholar whose knowledge of Economics, Politics, Law, Philosophy and Sociology shaped India’s modern society and politics.
• Despite having opportunity to settle abroad, he dedicated his life towards equality, brotherhood and humanity, working for the upliftment of the depressed classes.