On the Greatest Indian

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India is home to many great lives. But who among them is the greatest? A recent nationwide survey (2012) jointly conducted by History TV and CNN-IBN said that Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (Babasaheb), is the greatest Indian. Babasaheb, who is mostly remembered as the organizer of Indian constitution, is in fact much more than the Bharat Ratna he was awarded. Though born in a family of untouchables, he could grow into an Indian jurist, political leader, philosopher, anthropologist, historian, orator, economist, teacher, and an editor. In School, he had to undergo severe discrimination, because he was a Dalit. There, he was required to sit on a gunny sack which he had to take home with him. In 1907, he passed his matriculation examination and in the following year he entered Elphinston College, which was celebrated by his community. To become the first  Dalit (untouchable) to obtain a college education he had to overcome numerous social and financial obstacles. He has explained all his struggles to survive, in his autobiography ‘Waiting for a Visa’. His higher education in London also was feathered with utter poverty.

All his life he tried to uplift his community. His first organized attempt to achieve this was the Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha, which was intended to promote education and socio-economic improvement, as well as the welfare of "outcastes", at the time referred to as depressed classes. Later, his speech at a Depressed Classes Conference in Kolhapur impressed the local state ruler, Shahu lV, who described Ambedkar as the ‘future national leader’ and shocked the orthodox society by dining with him. In 1935, Ambedkar was appointed principal of the Government Law College, Mumbai, a position he held for two years. Settling in Mumbai, Ambedkar oversaw the construction of a house, and stocked his personal library with more than 50,000 books. In 1936, Ambedkar founded the Independent Labour Party.

As India became independent, Ambedkar also was one among the Cabinet Ministers. He was appointed Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee. Ambedkar resigned from the Union cabinet in 1951 and independently contested an election in 1952 to the lower house of Parliament, but was defeated.  He was appointed to Rajya Sabha in March 1952 and remained as member till death. Much is to be said on this great Indian. His message, ‘Educate, Organize and Agitate’ still keeps millions on move.