On the 14th of April every year India celebrates Ambedkar Jayanti. For the Indians, it is the celebration of the day Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar was born.
Dr. Ambedkar is the awardee of India’s highest civilian honor Bharat Ratna. He is known for giving India it’s the biggest gift, ‘The Constitution’ which helped the country to become a very successful democracy.
Known as the chief architect of Indian constitution, Dr. B R Ambedkar has also been known for his Dalit activism in India, giving a voice to the unheard masses of the nation.
Here are a few lesser-known facts about Dr. B R Ambedkar.
Early life and change of surname
The town is now known as Dr. Ambedkar Nagar. Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar was the 14th and the last child of his parents. His original surname was Ambawadekar, however, it was changed to Ambedkar in school by his teacher.
Conversion to Buddhism
Dr. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was born in the Mahaar caste (natives of Maharashtra) in Hindu religion.
Dr. Ambedkar was an active revolutionary against inhuman caste practices against Dalits and inequality among men and women based on caste. He converted to Buddhism in 1956.
Dr. Ambedkar was married twice – second time with Brahmin girl
Child marriages were common during his time. At the age of 14, Dr. B R Ambedkar was married to Ramabai.
However, Ramabai Ambedkar on May 27, 1935, after a long illness. She was 37 at
After her death, Dr. B R Ambedkar married Savita Ambedkar. Savita Ambedkar, who originally belonged to a Brahmin family, converted to Buddhism along with Dr. B R Ambedkar. She passed away in the year 2003.
Unparalleled academic record
Dr. B R Ambedkar was master in 64 subjects. He had knowledge of 9 languages. Apart from this, he studied all the religions of the world in a comparative way for almost 21 years.
He completed 8 years of studies in just 2 years 3 months at London School of Economics.
He is the first and only person in the world to receive a valuable doctorate degree named “Doctor All Science” from the London School of Economics.
Dr. Ambedkar has the highest number of statues to his name
Dr. B R Ambedkar has the highest number of statues in the world. In 1950, his first statue was built in Kolhapur city.
Dr. B R Ambedkar is the only Indian whose statue is attached with Karl Marx in the London Museum. His birth anniversary is also celebrated all over the world.
Ashok Chakra on the Indian tricolor flag
Not many people know this fact. The main credit for giving a place to “Ashok Chakra” on the Indian tricolor goes to Dr. B R Ambedkar.
Dr. Ambedkar in textbooks
His book “Waiting for a visa” is a textbook at Columbia University. Worldwide, the highest number of songs and books written in the name of any leader is Dr. B R Ambedkar.
Painting of Buddha with open eyes
All the statues and paintings of Buddha around the world have Buddha with closed-eyed, but Dr. B R Ambedkar made the first painting of Buddha in which Buddha’s eyes were opened.
Credit for largest religious conversion in the world
Dr. B R Ambedkar’s initiation in Buddhism with his 8,50,000 supporters historical in the world was the largest conversion in the world.
Mahant Veer Chandramani, a great Buddhist monk who initiated Dr. Ambedkar to Buddhism, called him “the modern Buddha of this age”.
Death of a legend and Bharat Ratna
Ambedkar, chairman of the Drafting Committee, presenting the final draft of the Indian Constitution to Rajendra Prasad
Ambedkar took his last breath on December 6, 1956, in New Delhi, where he was accorded a Buddhist cremation.
Ambedkar was posthumously conferred with Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award In 1990.