Dr. Ambedkar And The Fight Against Caste Discrimination: Then And Now
- IJLLR Journal
- May 3
- 2 min read
Singh Utkarsh, Bennett University
INTRODUCTION
The social justice movement received its most luminous figure in Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar who conducted an insurmountable pursuit against caste discrimination to reshape Indian society alongside global equality movements. The untouchable Mahar caste birthed Dr. Ambedkar in 1891 before he achieved status as India's leading figure who authored the country's Constitution. Through his complete career Ambedkar developed actual social justice and human dignity frameworks which continue to inspire modern global movements against discrimination.
During his early life Ambedkar experienced extremely challenging conditions which became the fundamental forces shaping his destiny. From the beginning of his life Ambedkar built his perpetual campaign against caste discrimination on the rude conditions of his childhood experiences. As a native of Mhow in Central India his young life brought understanding of organized prejudice based on caste. Being a school student involved separating him from other children and denying him access to the water pot utilized by higher casted persons while he faced frequent verbal and physical mistreatment. Bhimrao experienced as a young student how caste functioned as an evil system by observing teachers reject touching his notebooks and ultimately learn that caste stripped basic human dignity away. Barricades did not dissuade Ambedkar from continuing his educational journey because he demonstrated extraordinary drive. Through the backing of forward-thinking political leaders such as the Maharaja of Vadodara he obtained two doctoral degrees from Columbia University and the London School of Economics. His educational experience developed from individual progress to become an anti-caste suppression strategic tool. According to Ambedkar education stands as "the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." The concept he developed here advanced to become his fundamental method of breaking the caste system.
