Dr John Mohan Razu
BR Ambedkar, one of the most unique and revered personas, known for versatile scholarship, intellectual acumen, academic rigor and pragmatism hardly be understood not just by viewing through single prism, because his veracity and versatility often goes beyond our comprehension, and therefore be viewed through multiple prisms. Over and above, his understanding, analysis and interpretations particularly about the Indian society have been phenomenal and multi-faceted. As we celebrate 135th birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar, on 14th April, 2025, it is important to go through his works, because they are studded with ideas and thus nuanced. His know-how on varied issues and subjects has been ground-breaking horizons of understanding.
Ambedkar’s understanding of issues that concerns democracy, constitution, caste, Hinduism, equality, liberty, fraternity and host of others revolves around one of the most important and nerve-breaking notions that was close to him was humanity. B.R. Ambedkar in his own ways articulated what’s this humanity all about? So, he struggled hard to bring about and thus establish authentic humanity. To bring about authentic humanity he articulated in-depth the notion of equality by pitching at the centre the egalitarian revolution. Hence, B.R. Ambedkar invoked egalitarian revolution in a society/country where inequality at all levels prevailed and to root out the social-economic, political-cultural and religious ills and structural imbalances.
System of caste backed by the Hindu religion has de-humanized and thus treated the Untouchables as sub-humans. One shall never expect equity, equality, liberty and fraternity in a stratified system of caste that designates who should be on top, middle, bottom and outside that maintains hierarchy and difference. Any religion that functions on the basis of discrimination and Untouchability shall never have basic tenets of humanity and therefore negates equality because it is premised on difference. For Ambedkar, humanity is the core of everything be it religion, politics, economics, culture or whatever. If something impedes the worth or the sanctity of humanity then it should go or be dismantled.
B.R. Ambedkar skillfully analyzed the system of caste and its root propelling factor—Hinduism. For him humanity is the key to any ethics and by and large religion claims to function of ethical principles. And if any religion functions without basic mores that abhors the sanctity of human and thus treats people as lesser human beings and in the process de-humanizes it is not a religion at all. It is in this context, he decided that though he was born as a Hindu shall never dies as a Hindu and got converted himself to Buddhism. Humanity remained as a powerful concept that influenced Ambedkar to a large extent around which he weaved-in other concepts.
John Dewey influenced Ambedkar when he was a student of Harold Laski in Laski concerning the issues that related social and philosophical. Dewey was a pragmatist and humanist, and happened to be a signatory to the first International Humanist Manifesto. Indian society is a gradation of castes forming an ascending scale of reverence of descending scale of contempt, where there is no scope for the establishment of liberty; equality and fraternity are fundamental principles of humanity and democratic functioning.
He saw the system of caste as the stumbling block. It was in this context B.R. Ambedkar, unfurled “the banner of equality”. Ambedkar in his analysis and interpretation clearly brought out that without demolishing the system of caste and Hinduism, there is no possibility of establishing humanity and democracy. And for Dalits, to realize freedom, liberty, equality, dignity and fraternity and authentic humanity, they should educate, agitate and organize. He was a pragmatist and a visionary. He realized that thousands of years of mental twist of the Caste Hindus would hardly be twisted and so resolved to renounce Hinduism and embraced Buddhism with millions of followers. After the conversion, B.R. Ambedkar remarked, “I am overjoyed, I am exalted. I feel I have been liberated from the hell.”
To regain the lost humanity which pre-supposes equality those who are oppressed in particular are engaged in egalitarian revolution. B.R. Ambedkar was categorical in his praxis that social equilibrium ought to precede economic equilibrium. It is unfortunate that in India there has not been social revolution because the monolith of pyramidal and hierarchical caste structure. Unless and until the system of caste is dismantled Indian society shall never be called as egalitarian. To realize egalitarianism, caste is the stumbling block and by all means it should be annihilated. Caste promotes difference, inequality, indignation and stratification. So, the movements by the oppressed communities and those who are antagonistic towards caste revolt against caste. Oppressed people are no more the vote banks and passive spectators to injustices and exploitation.
History has shown to the Indian society and proven that uprisings of these people have conveyed to the world that their struggles against the perpetrators of caste and custodians of Hinduism that the SCs and STs in their resolve have decided to fight against the casteist forces. Equality has always been one of the vital bases and widely used normative principles for B.R. Ambedkar. Since, Ambedkar faced all sorts of humiliation and discrimination in his early years, wherein he was negated equality. It was precisely against the historical experience that he and other underwent, he emphasized equality as one of the important ethical principles.
For him humanity thus became the overarching principle within which he centralized equality. Ambedkar revolutionized the concept of equality and made it as the functional principle for which he tirelessly pursued at all levels. Babasaheb Ambedkar, a composite and integral persona weaved in social, economic, political, religious, cultural and other dimensions on varied issues that confront specifically Dalits, Indian society, India as a nation nations and organs of the State. He has always been profound and down-to-earth in his analysis, interpretation and evaluation. To conclude one of the most striking messages of B.R. Ambedkar merits mentioning: “No one can hope to make any effective mark upon his time and bring the aid that is worth bringing to great principles and struggling cause if he is not strong in his love and his hatred. I hate injustice … and humbug, and my hatred embraces all those who are guilty of them. I want to tell my critics that I regard my feelings of hatred as a real force. They are only the reflex of the love I bear for the causes I believe in.”
