April 14 marks the birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar, best known for being the architect of the Indian constitution and for his struggle against untouchability in Indian society.
Popularly known as Babasaheb, the social reformer, economist, thinker, politician and the first Law Minister of Independent India, Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was born on April 14, 1891 in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh and was known for his campaigns against social discrimination against Dalits, women and labour.
It is Ambedkar's 130th birth anniversary this year.
Facts you need to know about BR Ambedkar-
1. He was a social reformer and a Dalit icon who spoke out against the inequality, discrimination faced by the members of his community.
2. He was the first Union Minister of Law and Justice in the Nehru government and the key architect of the constitution of India.
3. Ambedkar's father served in the Indian army and his ancestors had worked with the East India Company.
4. Ambedkar strongly spoke out against Manusmriti for justifying caste discrimination and untouchability and even burnt its copies.
5. He resigned as the Union Law Minister when his Hindu Code Bill failed to pass in Parliament.
6. He was fervently against Article 370, which grants special status for Jammu and Kashmir.
7. Ambedkar was the man behind the setting up of the Finance Commission of India. His ideas were also used when the Reserve Bank of India was founded.
8. On March 31, 1990, he was posthumously conferred with India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna.
9. He converted to Buddhism in 1956 along with his wife.
10. After returning to India during the independence movement, in 1936, Ambedkar wrote his magnum opus ‘Annihilation of Caste’, a fiery critique of the caste system.
11. Babasaheb’s personal library “Rajgirh” had more than 50,000 books and it was said to be the world’s largest private library.
