By Dilip Mandal
NEW DELHI : April 14, 2015 will kick off celebrations of Babasaheb Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar’s 125th birth anniversary. Though Dr. Ambedkar’s stature and image is growing larger with time, his prominence as India’s foremost advocate of Dalit empowerment often does not do much justice to several sterling aspects of the man’s multi-faceted personality.
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Dr. Ambedkar’s Multifaceted Contributions
Dr. Ambedkar was an economist par excellence and his work in this field had laid the foundation for the country’s central bank, Reserve Bank of India. He planned India’s first river valley project to generate power and irrigation facilities. As the chairman of the drafting committee of the Indian Constitution, he was its chief architect. He had also drafted the far-reaching Hindu code bill to liberate the vast majority of women and finally resigned from the union cabinet when this bill was not passed by the Parliament.
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A Visionary Approach to Nationhood
However, Dr. Ambedkar’s greatest and least known contribution was to be able to stretch the idea of the nation-state to include India’s vast diversity of people, cultures, and their differing aspirations. For him, the nation is a philosophical entity with shared dreams as its central theme.
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Recognition of Dr. Ambedkar’s Role
Academicians and scholars across India & the World are increasingly recognizing Dr. Ambedkar’s role as the nation builder of modern Indian State. Dr. Ambedkar had written eloquently on his idea of the nation, documented in Writings & Speeches of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
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Philosophical Dimensions of Dr. Ambedkar’s Idea of Nation
Dr. Ambedkar’s idea of nation is not only of a political or geographical entity, having a map and a flag. He didn’t subscribe to the popular definition of nation something as “large group of people living in one area with their own government, language, traditions, etc. (Cambridge Dictionary)” For him, the idea of the nation has to have a philosophical and spiritual connotation with welfare, equity, and fraternity as central themes.
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Dr. Ambedkar’s Quotations and Inspirations
While explaining his idea of the nation, he had quoted French philosopher Ernest Renan saying that “A nation is a living soul, a spiritual principle. Two things, which in truth are but one, constitute the soul, this spiritual principle…
Nation in the Making: Dr. Ambedkar’s Perspective
Babasaheb, in his entire life, tried to achieve this cherished goal of nationhood. For him, at that point in history, India was a nation in the making. He argued with another towering personality of his times, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on this issue. That great debate is now part of our national consciousness.
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The Annihilation of Caste: A Prerequisite for Nationhood
Any evaluation of Dr. Ambedkar’s contribution should keep this philosophical and spiritual framework he had in mind for the subcontinent. In his seminal but undelivered speech known as ‘The Annihilation of Caste’ he deliberated that a casteless society is a prerequisite for a strong nation.
Affirmative Action and Social Equality
It was to resolve these contradictions that Dr. Ambedkar labored hard to push the idea of affirmative action for the deprived sections of society and women. It sprang from his steadfast belief that there could not be sustainable liberty without equality and fraternity. “How can people divided into several thousands of castes be a nation” he said.
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Legacy of Social Equality and Fraternity
Forefathers of the Indian constitution had agreed to Babasaheb’s view on the need to have reservations for oppressed classes. If we go through the constituent assembly debates, we can notice that there were practically no conflicting views on the issue of equal rights and affirmative action…
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Celebrating Babasaheb’s Dream for India
As Ernest Renan had rightly said that a nation must forget the bad memories of the past and cherish the dream of a shared future, the constituent assembly of India passed that test of having social equality and fraternity with flying colors. That’s the legacy we have when we remember the great son of India, Baba Saheb Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar. Let’s all celebrate this year remembering the dream Babasaheb had for a great nation, called India.
About the author:
Author Dilip Mandal is Formerly Managing Editor, India Today Group and Executive Editor, CNBC Awaz
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