What is Ambedkar Jayanti? Date, significance, history and why it is celebrated

Ambedkar was born on April 14, 1891 at Mhow near Indore in the then Central Province, now Madhya Pradesh. (IE)

History and Significance of Ambedkar Jayanti: The birthday of Dr BR Ambedkar is celebrated as Ambedkar Jayanti. He was born on April 14, 1891 at Mhow near Indore in the then Central Province, now Madhya Pradesh. For the first time, activist Janardan Sadashiv Ranapisay celebrated Ambedkar’s birthday publicly on 14 April 1928 in Pune. Since then, this day is celebrated as Ambedkar Jayanti or Bhim Jayanti. From a humble origin, Dr Ambedkar went on to become a foremost legal mind in the country. He was also the first law minister of independent India.

Dr Ambedkar was the chairman of the drafting committee of the Indian Constitution. He established himself as a social reformer, educationist, jurist, economist, politician and legal expert of international stature. His thoughts on society, castes, and communities transcends the political boundaries.

On March 31, 2021, the Government of India decided to declare April 14 as a public holiday on account of the birthday of Dr Ambedkar.

In July 2020, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu said Ambedkar was the architect of the Indian Constitution and one of the builders of modern India. He was a multi-faceted genius — a visionary statesman, towering intellectual, eminent jurist, economist, writer, philosopher, social reformer and a humanist par excellence.

All through his life, Ambedkar fought for downtrodden and strongly believed in gender equality. He pushed for emancipation of women through education and strove to dismantle the caste barriers to ensure equality for all people in the society. In 1923, Ambedkar set up the Bahishkrit Hitkarni Sabha (Outcastes Welfare Association) for spreading education amongst the downtrodden and improving their economic status. His various initiatives to unshackle the lower strata of society made him the messiah of large section of people in the country.