BR Ambedkar death anniversary: Five interesting facts about the father of Indian Constitution

Dr BR Ambedkar. File Pic

Every year India observes December 6 as Mahaparinirvan Divas to mark the death anniversary of Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar. Born on April 14, 1891, he was an eminent jurist, social reformer and the minister of law and justice in the first cabinet of independent India.

BR Ambedkar, the father of the Indian Constitution, was also the chairman of the drafting committee which was tasked with framing a constitution for the governance of the newly independent India. Dr Ambedkar died on December 6, 1956, in his sleep shortly after completing the final manuscript of ‘Buddha and His Dhamma'.

Here are some interesting facts about Dr B R Ambedkar:

• Ambedkar graduated from Elphinstone College, University of Bombay, and studied economics at Columbia University and the London School of Economics, receiving doctorates in 1923 and 1927 respectively.

• While he was known as a Buddhist, not many know that Baba Saheb was born to a Hindu family belonging to the Mahar caste in Maharashtra. In the year 1956, he converted to Buddhism.

• After returning to India during the independence movement, in 1936, Ambedkar wrote his magnum opus ‘Annihilation of Caste', a fiery critique of the caste system.

• Originally, his surname was Ambawadekar, but his teacher gave him the surname "Ambedkar" in school records.
• In 1990, the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, was posthumously conferred on Ambedkar.