What BR Ambedkar visualized on Casteism in India?

NEW DELHI: The architect of the Constitution of India, Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was also an economist, politician and social reformer. He was also known as Baba Saheb and was appointed as India's first Law Minister. Ambedkar was posthumously decorated with Bharat Ratna in 1990.

He was the front face of the campaign against social discrimination and also pioneered Dalit Buddhist movement. Due to his own sufferings, he was very much related to the people considered as untouchable's in the society.

In his speeches and works, he raised his voice for equal rights in favour of women and labour union. It was only his idea for chalking out reservations for Dalits and other suppressed religious caste. Ambedkar even opined for a separate electoral system for the Untouchables. It was only after his efforts through which the lower classes were designated as Scheduled Class and Scheduled Tribe.

Through his newspaper "Mooknayaka", he wanted to spread his views in people on the drawbacks of ongoing social evils of that time. In the year1927, he came forward with full-on campaigns for equal rights for Dalits and wanted the availability of water resources for all classes of the society.

Have a look at some of the quick bytes from his life:

• Ambedkar was the mastermind behind the set-up of Reserve Bank of India in 1935. The idea of the bank was weaved on the basis of his book, 'The Problem of the Rupee – Its Origin and Its Solution'.
• He was responsible for the shortening of working hours in India from 14 hours to 8 hours. He introduced this reform at the 7th Session of Indian Labour conference.
• He also helped in the establishment of the National Employment Exchange Agency in India.
• He played an important role in the technology behind dams in India. He extended support in the construction of Damodar, Hirakud and Sone river dam projects.
• He was very much averse to the Article 370 of the Indian constitution, according to which Jammu & Kashmir was granted special status.

Ambedkar's aspect of caste system

As per his views, the caste system was a mere tool to guide inequalities in the society. There were no equal rights for the people belonging to the low class. The people of high class were enjoying the benefits of these disparities.

He also opposed the system of selection for occupation as per the class grade. The people belonging to higher class drew the undue benefits of easy and respectable jobs, where the Dalits and untouchables were meant to do petty jobs.

Individuals were assigned jobs as per the social status of their family, irrespective of merit and aptitude of the person.

He viewed the Hindu social order as a way to exploit a certain lot of people so that the rich and high-class people could reap the inappropriate benefits. Thus, Ambedkar voiced the annihilation of the caste system.