Today is April 14, birth anniversary of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar. Dr Ambedkar a truly multi-talented personality and an intellectual giant. But even today people limit him to the leader of the downtrodden or Dalits. He was more than what people know about him. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was the principle chief architect of the constitution. He was an economist by training, an anthropologist, a sociologist, a jurist and the first law minister in Nehru’s court.
Ambedkar once said “Religion is for man and not man for religion” which means religion is there to protect the dignity of human beings not to make them feel excluded. According to him religion should be based on the principles of Equality, Fraternity and Freedom. Dr. Ambedkar was a religious man but he did not want hypocrisy in the name of religion. To him religion was morality and it should effect the life of each and every individual his character, actions, reactions, likes and dislikes.
Babasaheb was a Hindu by birth and belonged to the lowest of hierarchy Dalits [Mahar caste] who were treated as untouchables and socio-economically discriminated. Caste System was an inherent part of Hindu religion and Babasaheb considered it as a threat to freedom of the lower caste people. Hence he said that conversion was the only method for Dalits to denounce the caste system. For the same reason he was searching for one such religion. Finally he decided to convert into Buddhism.
Babasaheb had curiosity about Buddha and his Dhamma since childhood. Later on he was convinced that Buddha’s dhamma is the best and Buddhism is the most scientific religion, which would accept a society awakened by science. He strongly felt that Buddhism could improve the social status of the country’s oppressed classes. Ambedkar rejected Islam, Sikhism, Christianity and preferred Buddhism mainly because it is a religion of ethnics, morality and learning which has no place for caste system. On 14th October 1956 Babasaheb embraced Buddhism in Nagpur and brought a great revolution in the life of the depressed. “The Buddha and his Dhamma” is a book written by B R Ambedkar to spread Buddhism to his people.
Babasaheb also said “The foundation of religion is essential to the life and practices of a society but religion should help in the development of man and society”.
~ Vaadasabha member
Savani Mane
