When is Ambedkar Jayanti?
Ambedkar Jayanti is a regional holiday always observed on April 14th.
Please note that in some states, not all companies and organisations will observe it as a holiday.
Death anniversary of Ambedkar
In the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, December 6th, the date of Dr Ambedkar's death, is a public holiday.
History of Ambedkar Jayanti
It is celebrated to mark the birthday of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, an Indian jurist, politician, philosopher, anthropologist, historian and economist who was the principal architect of the Constitution of India.
Dr Ambedkar was born on April 14th 1891. Born into poverty, Ambedkar campaigned against the Indian caste system. He became a convert to Buddhism and is seen as a driving force in the surge of converts that saw many thousands of lower caste members become Buddhists.
Ambedkar was the first untouchable of India to pursue a college degree. He earned a law degree and doctorates for his studies in law, economics and political science, gaining a reputation as a scholar and campaigning for political rights and social freedom for the lowest in the caste system, untouchables.
In 1927, Dr Ambedkar organised and led a march at Mahad, Maharashtra that eventually helped established equal rights for untouchable people who were not allowed to touch or taste the water of Chawdar Lake.
In 2012, Ambedkar, was voted as the 'Greatest Indian' by a poll organised by History TV18 and CNN IBN. Nearly 20 million votes were cast, making him the most popular Indian figure since the launch of the initiative.
Dr Ambedkar died on December 6th 1956 and was posthumously awarded the 'Bharat Ratna', India's highest civilian award, in 1990.
How is Ambedkar Jayanti Celebrated?
on Ambedkar Jayanti, it is a custom that the President, Prime Minister and leaders of other parties pay homage to his statue at the Parliament, New Delhi.
Dr. B R Ambedkar has the highest number of statues in the world, with his first statue being built in Kolhapur in 1950.
Ten Quotes from Dr Ambedkar
- I have always held that Knowledge is Power in every field of life. The Scheduled Castes will not attain their goal of freedom and liberty until they drink deep of all knowledge.
- The constitution is not a mere lawyer's document, it is a vehicle of life and its spirit is always the spirit of the age.
- Cultivation of the mind should be the ultimate aim of human existence.
- For a successful revolution, it is not enough that there is discontent. What is required is a profound and thorough conviction of the justice, necessity and importance of political and social rights.
- A people and their religion must be judged by social standards based on social ethics. No other standard would have any meaning if religion is held to be necessary good for the well-being of the people.
- I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress that women have achieved.
- A great man is different from an eminent one in that he is ready to be the servant of society.
- Humans are mortal. So are ideas. An idea needs to propagate as much as a plant needs watering. Otherwise, both will wither and die.
- Equality may be fiction but nonetheless one must accept it as a governing principle.
