Dikhyaa Mohanty 
On the birth anniversary of Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar alias Babasaheb, President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik paid their tributes to the architect of Indian Constitution.
“A strong advocate of social justice, Babasaheb had laid the foundation of modern India as a constitutional architect. Let us contribute towards building an inclusive society following his ideal of Indians first, Indians last,” tweeted Kovind.
He is not only known for his great influence in eradicating the social scourge of untouchability in India but also for having led a crusade for the upliftment and empowerment of Dalits in the country since he believed that Dalits can never get their rights within Hinduism. Due to his Mahar caste since childhood, before converting to Buddhism, Dr BR Ambedkar witnessed economic and social discrimination and most of these painful experiences that honed Babasaheb’s life have been penned down by him in his autobiographical book ‘Waiting For A Visa’.
It was on August 29, 1947, that he was appointed as the chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee for the constitution of independent India and after Independence, he was appointed as the law minister of India. By writing the Indian Constitution, he not only broke the social conventions meant for Hindu Shudras to emulate caste supremacists, changed their mindsets and urged them to educate and fight for their rights, and gave equal rights to all but also ended the monopoly of Hindu Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas – in education, military, trade, social standards – who deemed themselves as superior to Shudras or the untouchables.
PM Modi also took to Twitter stating that Ambedkar has made indelible contributions to India’s progress. He urged all to reiterate the commitment to fulfilling his dreams for the nation.
“The champion of social justice & equality will always be remembered for his life-long efforts to uplift the underprivileged and marginalized,” tweeted Patnaik.
