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Top 10 Remarkable facts about Dr B. R Ambedkar

Born on April 14th 1891, Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader 

1. Dr Ambedkar headed the committee that drafted the constitution of India

Dr Ambedkar- Author; Unknown-

The Indian constitution and the drafting process it was subjected to is seen as synonymous with Ambedkar. He is referred to as the father of the Indian constitution and he is the most well known of all constituent assembly members.

He became prominent and a key figure in the making of India’s constitution because of the offices he held and his many interventions and speeches in the assembly.

He was the chairman of the assembly’s very crucial committee, known as the drafting committee. As a chairman of this committee, he had to defend the draft constitution. The committee that prepared this intervened in nearly every debate pertaining to that constitution.

His interventions and speeches on various aspects of the constitution were well reasoned, thoroughly researched and quite insightful. In turn, this won him the support and respect of other members of the assembly who allowed him to lead the constitution-making project.

2. He was the first law minister of independent India

Image by Laxman Deep from

In 1947, Dr B . R Ambedkar was appointed as the first law minister of independent India. His ideas as presented in the Hilton young commission served as an inspiration in the creation of the reserve bank of India.

3. Dr Ambedkar Converted to Buddhism

Buddhism- Author; Dmitry Makeev-

In 1956, Dr. B.R Amedkar together with about 365, 000 other supporters converted to Buddhism after devoting many years to studying religion.

He started a socio-political movement among the Dalits of India. The Dalits are also called the ‘untouchables’ since they belong to the lowest stratum castes in India. They were excluded from the four gold varna system of Hinduism.

Ambedkar thus included them, re- interpreted Buddhism and formed a new school of Buddhism that was called Narayana / neo- Buddhism. Through this movement, he advocated and championed for social justice.

4. Contested in India’s first general elections

Supporters of the Socialist Party in the Indian general election 1951/52- Author; Unknown-

As a caste federation party candidate, Dr. B. R Ambedkar contested in the very first general elections of India from Bombay North Central Constituency. These elections were dubbed as ‘the biggest experiment in democracy on human history’ by the then election commissioner, Sukuma Sen.

Dr. B.R Amedkar however did not win. He came 4th but despite his loss on the Lok Sabha election in 1952, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha.

5. Dr Ambedkar was a lawyer and economist before joining politics 

For his studies, Dr. B. R Ambedkar graduated from Elphinston college, a constituent college of Dr. Homi Bhabha State University where he obtained BA in Economics and political science.

Then he obtained a doctoral degree from London school of economics in 1923 and another one from Columbia University in 1927. He was among a handful of Indian students to have achieved that in the 1920s.

In his earlier carrer, Ambedkar was an economist, professor and lawyer. In his later life, he started becoming involved in campaigning and negotiations for India’s independence, publishing journals, advocating political rights and social freedom for Dalits and significantly contributing to the establishment of the state of India.

6. He was born in the lowest caste status

Dalits; Lowest social caste in India- Author; R. V. Russell-

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was born in the Mhow Army Cantonment, central provinces which is present day Madhya Pradesh. He was born to a Dalit family which is a name given to the people belonging to the lowest social caste in India.

They are officially recognized as the most disadvantaged socio economic group in India. These terms are even recognized in the constitution of India.

Because of his family’s background, Ambedkar’s early life was marked by discrimination, segregation and untouchability. He thus always advocated for the protection of Dalit rights which often resulted to a clash with the Indian national Congress.

He fought also for their rights to access public utilities and temples such as the Mahad Satyagraha.

7. Was awarded the Bharat Ratna 

Bharat Ratna Award- Author; GaneshBhakt-

In 1991, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was posthumously given the Bharat Ratna. This is the highest civilian award that the republic of India can bestow on someone.

It was instituted on 2nd January 1954 and was conferred so as to recognize “exceptional service/ performance of the highest order,”  without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex. 

Recommendations for Bharat Ratna are made by the prime minister to the press with a maxim of 3 nominees being awarded per year.

8. Dr B. R Ambedkar was the first Indian to pursue doctorate in economics abroad

Statue of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar at Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra- Author; Vijay Barot-

Dr. B. R. Amedkar was the first indian to pursue a doctorate in economics abroad. He stressed on the investment of agriculture  as the primary industry of India and according to sharad pawar an Indian politician, his vision  helped the government achieve it’s food security goal.

In his PhD dessertation, Amedkar analysed the various systems used by the British colonial government to manage finances in India.

9. He established the finance commission of India 

Finance Commission of India in 2017- Author; Ministry of Finance-

In 1951, Dr. B. R Ambedkar established the finance commission of India. This is a commission constituted by the president to define the financial relations between the central government of India and the individual state governments.

He strongly opposed income tax for low income groups and contributed in land revenue and  excercise duty policies to stabilize the economy.

10. Dr Ambedkar left quite a legacy

Central statue of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar in Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, India- Author; JAIBHIM5-

Ambedkar’s legacy as a socio-political reformer ended up having a  deep effect on modern India. In post-Independence India, his socio-political thought is very much respected across the political spectrum.

His initiatives have transformed the way India today looks at socio-economic policies, education and positive discrimination through socio-economic and legal incentives.

Positive discrimation is a set of policies and practices within a government or organization that seeks to include particular groups based on their gender, race, sexuality, creed or nationality in areas where they are underrepresented. E.g. education and employment.

Dr. B. R Ambedkar- Author; Unknown-

Dr Ambedkar passionately believed in individual freedom and criticised caste society. His accusations of hinduism as being the foundation of the caste system made him controversial and unpopular among Hindus. His conversion to Buddhism sparked a revival in interest in Buddhist philosophy in India and abroad.