As India commemorates the 135th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Br Ambedkar, her ideas of today are not simply limited to history books or ceremonial taxes, but continue to shape the vocabulary of the resistance, which echoes in the courts, classrooms, protests and digital spaces, where debates, equality and democracy are far from being established.
Widely revered as the main architect of the Indian Constitution, Ambedkar, whose birth anniversary is being marked throughout the country, was more than a lawyer.
He was a revolutionary thinker whose plan for an egalitarian and caste -free India remains deeply relevant to the nation’s contemporary socio -political discourse.
Dalit’s rights activist, Dr. Suraj Yengde, said that Ambedkar’s image is used for political benefit, but without recognizing his strong criticism of the caste system.
“Ambedkar’s image is used to silence Dalit Rage around any subject, for the benefit of the oppressor, who is more than happy to co -optar Ambedkar in his vicious hate and violence program,” Yengde Matters wrote.
He pointed out how leaders resorted to the Constitution in the 2024 general elections as a challenge symbol.
“They seemed like a more attractive idea to attract the common mass towards Samvidhaan, opposed to other traditional problems in question, such as social justice, welfare programs, education, health, taxes and protection of the working class,” he said.
Born in 1891 in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, Ambedkar belonged to a Dalit family and fought against the systemic exclusion of an early age. However, its relentless search for education, including doctorates from Columbia University and London School of Economics, transformed it into one of the most formidable social intellectuals and social reformers in India.
Ambedkar’s most biting criticism of the caste system occurred in its 1936 essay caste annihilation, originally written as a speech that was never pronounced due to its bold content.
“The caste is not a division of labor; it is a division of workers. It is a hierarchy in which the workers’ division is classified above the other,” he wrote that he continues to resonate in classrooms, protests and policies.
Approximately in time, Ambedkar’s legacy has seen a resurgence, not only through statues and portraits in public spaces, but through popular culture, academic erudition and protest policy. While political leaders in all the lines of the party pay tribute to their anniversary, their interpretations of their legacy vary widely.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said recently that building a “developed and inclusive bharat” would be the tribute to Ambedkar.
The leader of Congress, Rahul Gandhi, meanwhile, has repeatedly asked for a caste census, aligning it with the search for Ambedkar’s equality.
“The caste census is an important step to get the truth from inequality and discrimination, which are opponents do not want to reveal themselves.
“Babasaher’s dream is still incoming. His fight is not only for the past, but also a fight for today: we will fight with all our strength,” Gandhi said in a recent publication.
However, many scholars argue that while symbolic taxes to Ambedkar have multiplied, structural injustices based on castes with which he fought remain deeply rooted.
According to the 2022 data of the National Crime Registries Office, a total of 57,582 cases for crimes against castes (SC) scheduled were recorded.
Ambedkar had foreseen dangers related to caste -based crimes and warned him in his final speech before the Constituent Assembly on November 25, 1949.
“Political democracy cannot last unless it is at the base of social democracy … a way of life that recognizes freedom, equality, fraternity as the principles of life,” he said, according to writing and samples of Dr. Babasaheb. 13.
Beyond the caste, Ambedkar’s vision extended to economic justice, education, gender rights and state planning.
His correspondence with the African -American web thinker Du Bois reflected the global dimensions of his struggle.
There is a great position among the position of the untouchables in India and the position of African Americans in the United States, Ambedkar wrote in 1946, Chordination to Baws Vol. 10.
Dr. Nutsed the lasting relevance of Ambedkar’s analysis or caste consciousness.
“Ambedkar had noted that each caste is a nation in itself … that did not help form a communion of national feelings,” he wrote in caste matters.
The promotion of Ambedkar for federalism and controls on centralized power continue to resonate amid debates about democratic decline.
His famous statement that “democracy is only a top in an Indian soil that is essentially antidemocratic”, of his speech of the Constituent Assembly of 1949, is frequently cited in discussions on majority.
The political scientist Christophe Jaffrelot, in the silent revolution of India (2003), how Ambedkar foresaw the dangers of democracy without social equality, a warning that still launches a shadow discussed the political landscape of India.
In 2025, Ambedkar’s vision endures in his fundamental belief: democracy cannot prosper without social and economic justice.
As India continues to fight with her battle with the caste, class and communal divisions, her words of the annihilation of the caste continue to challenge and inspire: “Political tyranny is nothing compared to social tyranny, a reformer that challenges the government of society” challenges society ”
Posted on April 14, 2025
