He drafted the Indian republic's most sacred book and called on millions to dream of equality and justice.

Dr BR Ambedkar pioneered good trouble in India. He was steadfast in his beliefs. His arguments were rooted in logic and his passion for justice inspired a generation of political leaders.

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Today marks 130 years of his birth. We celebrate it every year as Equality Day but beyond the symbolism, what is Ambedkar's legacy?

Ambedkar was a prolific writer. His philosophy and teachings are spread through hundreds of works but there are some trends that persisted throughout his life.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-pays-tribute-to-babasaheb-ambedkar-on-his-130th-birth-anniversary-377409" hreflang="en">PM Modi pays tribute to Babasaheb Ambedkar on his 130th birth anniversary</a>

His childhood was shaped by the injustices of British India. It was a time when the caste system was the norm. The everyday discrimination turned him into a revolutionary. He was disgusted with the way the Dalits were treated in India.

The rebellious boy soon turned into a gifted student. He earned degrees from Columbia University and the London School of Economics. He excelled in economics, sociology, history and philosophy.

It is important to talk about Ambedkar's educational prowess because this would come to define him — a man who believed in logic and rationality.

Most social reformers used religion to oppose discrimination, including Mahatma Gandhi who used the word 'Harijan' (children of God) to describe Dalits.

However, Ambedkar didn't bank on religion to fight casteism. For him, the system was flawed — religion or no religion —which is why he converted to Buddhism in 1956. His peers believed they could reform Hinduism from within, but he disagreed.

However, to be honest, India does not remember Ambedkar as a man of logic. He has forever been christened the Dalit icon — which he was and still continues to remain one.

Ambedkar has done more for India's Dalits than any other leader, but there is so much more to him.

"I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved," he once remarked. Through this, we can also see him as a feminist icon.

He also said, "A great man is different from an eminent one -- in that he is ready to be the servant of the society", which is important for today's India.

Ambedkar was a civil servant par excellence. Today, the Indian civil service is mired in inefficiency and corruption and has gone from being a service to merely a job.

Maybe Ambedkar's words can spur a change. This is a man who had strong opinions on most issues, and unlike the so-called commentators of today, Ambedkar's opinions were based on logic.

His take on spirituality and intellect was clear: "Cultivation of mind should be the ultimate aim of human existence".

Today, they are more relevant than ever. Society has been divided into echo chambers. Everyone thinks they are right and no one wants to listen to each other. So, cultivating the mind is a good idea. The first step in that is listening to all voices.

So looking back at his life and times, we can describe Ambedkar as a common thread through most of his beliefs.

He was a man who fought for what was due, not just to Dalits but to women, the elderly and to the poor.

Unfortunately, today, Dalit leaders have appropriated him and reduced him to a picture on billboards.

Our message today is that Ambedkar was not just a Dalit leader but also a maker of modern India and a beacon of social justice.

The mettle of one's ideology is tested only by time. More than half a century after his death, Ambedkar and his beliefs are still relevant today and it is a testament to his intellect and to his sense of right and wrong.

He drafted the Indian republic's most sacred book and called on millions to dream of equality and justice. Dr BR Ambedkar pioneered good trouble in India. He was steadfast in his beliefs.

He drafted the Indian republic's most sacred book and called on millions to dream of equality and justice. Dr BR Ambedkar pioneered good trouble in India. He was steadfast in his beliefs. His arguments were rooted in logic and his passion for justice inspired a generation of political leaders. Today marks 130 years of his birth. We celebrate it every year as Equality Day but beyond the symbolism, what is Ambedkar's legacy? Ambedkar was a prolific writer. His philosophy and teachings are spread through hundreds of works but there are some trends that persisted throughout his life. Also read | PM Modi pays tribute to Babasaheb Ambedkar on his 130th birth anniversary His childhood was shaped by the injustices of British India. It was a time when the caste system was the norm. The everyday discrimination turned him into a revolutionary. He was disgusted with the way the Dalits were treated in India. The rebellious boy soon turned into a gifted student. He earned degrees from Columbia University and the London School of Economics. He excelled in economics, sociology, history and philosophy. It is important to talk about Ambedkar's educational prowess because this would come to define him — a man who believed in logic and rationality. Most social reformers used religion to oppose discrimination, including Mahatma Gandhi who used the word 'Harijan' (children of God) to describe Dalits. However, Ambedkar didn't bank on religion to fight casteism. For him, the system was flawed — religion or no religion —which is why he converted to Buddhism in 1956. His peers believed they could reform Hinduism from within, but he disagreed. However, to be honest, India does not remember Ambedkar as a man of logic. He has forever been christened the Dalit icon — which he was and still continues to remain one. Ambedkar has done more for India's Dalits than any other leader, but there is so much more to him. "I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved," he once remarked. Through this, we can also see him as a feminist icon. He also said, "A great man is different from an eminent one -- in that he is ready to be the servant of the society", which is important for today's India. Ambedkar was a civil servant par excellence. Today, the Indian civil service is mired in inefficiency and corruption and has gone from being a service to merely a job. Maybe Ambedkar's words can spur a change. This is a man who had strong opinions on most issues, and unlike the so-called commentators of today, Ambedkar's opinions were based on logic. His take on spirituality and intellect was clear: "Cultivation of mind should be the ultimate aim of human existence". Today, they are more relevant than ever. Society has been divided into echo chambers. Everyone thinks they are right and no one wants to listen to each other. So, cultivating the mind is a good idea. The first step in that is listening to all voices. So looking back at his life and times, we can describe Ambedkar as a common thread through most of his beliefs. He was a man who fought for what was due, not just to Dalits but to women, the elderly and to the poor. Unfortunately, today, Dalit leaders have appropriated him and reduced him to a picture on billboards. Our message today is that Ambedkar was not just a Dalit leader but also a maker of modern India and a beacon of social justice. The mettle of one's ideology is tested only by time. More than half a century after his death, Ambedkar and his beliefs are still relevant today and it is a testament to his intellect and to his sense of right and wrong.

BR Ambedkar: A man more than just a Dalit icon

More than half a century after his death, Ambedkar and his teachings continue to remain relevant. He is admired as a Dalit icon. But Ambedkar's beliefs extended to justice for everyone in society. WION's Palki Sharma tells you what India is yet to learn from him.

Gravitas: Lessons in 2021 from B.R. Ambedkar

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar - father of Indian Constitution: Celebrating his 128th birth anniversary

On the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti, the 127th birthday of the father of the Indian constitution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Kovind took to Twitter to extend their wishes to the nation.&nbsp

They also expressed their gratitude towards BR Ambedkar, for framing the constitution of India, which is considered the backbone for the smooth functioning of the country.

Wishing people on Dalit icon BR Ambedkar's 127th birth anniversary, Kovind tweeted: "Homage to Dr BR Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. An icon of our nation, Dr Ambedkar was a multifaceted personality who waged a life-long struggle for a modern India free of caste and other prejudices, ensuring equal rights for women and for the disadvantaged."

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Homage to Dr B.R. Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. An icon of our nation, Dr Ambedkar was a multifaceted personality who waged a life-long struggle for a modern India free of caste and other prejudices, ensuring equal rights to women and for the disadvantaged <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PresidentKovind?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PresidentKovind</a>
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) <a href="https://twitter.com/rashtrapatibhvn/status/984968254195027968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Meanwhile, Modi said in a tweet: "Pujya Babasaheb gave hope to lakhs of people belonging to the poorest and marginalised sections of society.&nbsp

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Greetings on Ambedkar Jayanti. Pujya Babasaheb gave hope to lakhs of people belonging to the poorest and marginalised sections of society. We remain indebted to him for his efforts towards the making of our Constitution. 
 
सभी देशवासियों को अम्बेडकर जयंती की शुभकामनाएं। जय भीम! <a href="https://t.co/NZW6QsKgN0">pic.twitter.com/NZW6QsKgN0</a>
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/984968515970101248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp

Saturday, April 14, marks the 127th birth anniversary of Bhim Rao Ambedkar. He was a social reformer, economist and jurist who encouraged the Dalit Buddhist Movement.

On the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti, the 127th birthday of the father of the Indian constitution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Kovind took to Twitter to extend their wishes to the nation. They also expressed their gratitude towards BR Ambedkar, for framing the constitution of India, which is considered the backbone for the smooth functioning of the country. Wishing people on Dalit icon BR Ambedkar's 127th birth anniversary, Kovind tweeted: "Homage to Dr BR Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. An icon of our nation, Dr Ambedkar was a multifaceted personality who waged a life-long struggle for a modern India free of caste and other prejudices, ensuring equal rights for women and for the disadvantaged." Homage to Dr B.R. Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. An icon of our nation, Dr Ambedkar was a multifaceted personality who waged a life-long struggle for a modern India free of caste and other prejudices, ensuring equal rights to women and for the disadvantaged #PresidentKovind — President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) April 14, 2018 × Meanwhile, Modi said in a tweet: "Pujya Babasaheb gave hope to lakhs of people belonging to the poorest and marginalised sections of society. Greetings on Ambedkar Jayanti. Pujya Babasaheb gave hope to lakhs of people belonging to the poorest and marginalised sections of society. We remain indebted to him for his efforts towards the making of our Constitution. सभी देशवासियों को अम्बेडकर जयंती की शुभकामनाएं। जय भीम! pic.twitter.com/NZW6QsKgN0 — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 14, 2018 ×

Kovind, Modi greet nation on Ambedkar Jayanti, say Babasaheb gave hope to poorest, marginalised sections

After its new-found bonhomie with the BSP won it two Lok sabha seats in recent bypolls in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party is set to celebrate Dr Ambedkar Jayanti on April 14 in a big way.

The party which had stayed content with celebrating anniversaries of socialist idealogues like Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia and Janeshwar Misra so far has asked all its district units to celebrate Ambedkar Jayanti at the district party headquarters or any public place to mark the day.

Though the Samajwadi Party's move has not gone down well with the BJP, which has termed it a big drama, political analyst Ramesh Dixit said it is aimed at further consolidating the relations.

"All the forces of social justice are coming together on one platform... This move is aimed at consolidating the friendship for the cause of defeating rivals," Dixit said, who retired as head of the political science department of Lucknow University.

It is also a move to claim the legacy of social justice espoused by these parties which was being grabbed by the BJP which has had no connection with them," he said.

Samajwadi Party which had been holding customary functions on Ambedkar Jayanti has this time asked its partymen to recall the services of Babasaheb as also his resolve taken while framing the Constitution.

SP's state unit president Party Naresh Uttam said that on 127th anniversary of Babasaheb this April 14, all district and city unit heads have been asked to pay homage and recall his immense contribution to the country and emancipation of the downtrodden.

This will be perhaps the first time that a conscious effort is being made by the SP to ensure celebrations on Dr Ambedkar Jayanti on a big scale.

The BSP had been organising Ambedkar Jayanti annually on a big scale with its president Mayawati leading partymen in paying homage to the Dalit icon.

There are, however, no plans yet to hold any joint SP-BSP programmes on the day.

It is wrong to say that we will be celebrating Ambedkar Jayanti for the first time. The party has always paid tributes to Dr Ambedkar on his birth and death anniversary and we hold him in high esteem," SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said.

A senior SP leader on condition of anonymity said that party will try to remove doubts in the minds, if any, that its ideology was at variance with that of BSP and reach out to all sections of society.

Before the coming Lok Sabha elections early next year, the Ambedkar Jayanti will give a chance to increase the interaction and coordination between the cadres of both the parties in order to develop better understanding, he said.

It is a fact that the success of any alliance of these two major players in the state depend on how Dalits and OBCs, especially Yadavs, come to terms with each other, he said.

BJP spokesman Rakesh Tripathi however said, "It is a big drama? ever since the SP has made 'elephant' (BSP's election symbol) its friend, it is worried for the Dalits but the people of Uttar Pradesh have not forgotten how Dalits were at the receiving end on the very day when Akhilesh Yadav had become the chief minister in 2012 and how their houses and hamlets were set ablaze."

The understanding between the SP and the BSP in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha bye-elections stopped the victory march of the BJP, which along with its allies had bagged 73 of the 80 parliamentary seats in the state.

While Gorakhpur is the home turf of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Phulpur was represented by his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya and defeats in both the places at the hands of the SP caused considerable embarrassment to the saffron party ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, though the BJP took a sweet revenge soon afterwards by defeating the BSP candidate in the recent Rajya Sabha biennial elections in the state.

Samajwadi Party which had been holding customary functions on Ambedkar Jayanti has this time asked its partymen to recall the services of Babasaheb as also his resolve taken while framing the Constitution.

After its new-found bonhomie with the BSP won it two Lok sabha seats in recent bypolls in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party is set to celebrate Dr Ambedkar Jayanti on April 14 in a big way. The party which had stayed content with celebrating anniversaries of socialist idealogues like Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia and Janeshwar Misra so far has asked all its district units to celebrate Ambedkar Jayanti at the district party headquarters or any public place to mark the day. Though the Samajwadi Party's move has not gone down well with the BJP, which has termed it a big drama, political analyst Ramesh Dixit said it is aimed at further consolidating the relations. "All the forces of social justice are coming together on one platform... This move is aimed at consolidating the friendship for the cause of defeating rivals," Dixit said, who retired as head of the political science department of Lucknow University. It is also a move to claim the legacy of social justice espoused by these parties which was being grabbed by the BJP which has had no connection with them," he said. Samajwadi Party which had been holding customary functions on Ambedkar Jayanti has this time asked its partymen to recall the services of Babasaheb as also his resolve taken while framing the Constitution. SP's state unit president Party Naresh Uttam said that on 127th anniversary of Babasaheb this April 14, all district and city unit heads have been asked to pay homage and recall his immense contribution to the country and emancipation of the downtrodden. This will be perhaps the first time that a conscious effort is being made by the SP to ensure celebrations on Dr Ambedkar Jayanti on a big scale. The BSP had been organising Ambedkar Jayanti annually on a big scale with its president Mayawati leading partymen in paying homage to the Dalit icon. There are, however, no plans yet to hold any joint SP-BSP programmes on the day. It is wrong to say that we will be celebrating Ambedkar Jayanti for the first time. The party has always paid tributes to Dr Ambedkar on his birth and death anniversary and we hold him in high esteem," SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said. A senior SP leader on condition of anonymity said that party will try to remove doubts in the minds, if any, that its ideology was at variance with that of BSP and reach out to all sections of society. Before the coming Lok Sabha elections early next year, the Ambedkar Jayanti will give a chance to increase the interaction and coordination between the cadres of both the parties in order to develop better understanding, he said. It is a fact that the success of any alliance of these two major players in the state depend on how Dalits and OBCs, especially Yadavs, come to terms with each other, he said. BJP spokesman Rakesh Tripathi however said, "It is a big drama? ever since the SP has made 'elephant' (BSP's election symbol) its friend, it is worried for the Dalits but the people of Uttar Pradesh have not forgotten how Dalits were at the receiving end on the very day when Akhilesh Yadav had become the chief minister in 2012 and how their houses and hamlets were set ablaze." The understanding between the SP and the BSP in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha bye-elections stopped the victory march of the BJP, which along with its allies had bagged 73 of the 80 parliamentary seats in the state. While Gorakhpur is the home turf of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Phulpur was represented by his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya and defeats in both the places at the hands of the SP caused considerable embarrassment to the saffron party ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, though the BJP took a sweet revenge soon afterwards by defeating the BSP candidate in the recent Rajya Sabha biennial elections in the state.

SP to celebrate Ambedkar Jayanti after friendship with Mayawati

India&nbsp;prime minister Narendra Modi&#39;s administration unveiled a raft of measures on the occasion of 126th birth anniversary of Bhim Rao Ambedkar -- the architect of India&#39;s constitution.

The highlight of the prime minister&#39;s address was the launch of an app that will help millions of Indians who have no mobile phone, internet connection, credit and debit card to make digital payments.

Addressing the nation from Nagpur city in west India on Friday, PM Modi rolled out the BHIM-Aadhar app (Bharat Interface for Money) to allow millions of phone-less Indians to start using digital wallets.

&quot;Any citizen without access to&nbsp;smartphones,&nbsp;the Internet, debit or credit cards will be able to transact digitally through the BHIM-Aadhaar platform, thus&nbsp;realising&nbsp;Bhim Rao Ambedkar&#39;s vision of social and financial empowerment for all,&quot; a statement released by NITI-Aayog said. NITI-Aayog is a government-backed think tank.

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.<a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi">@narendramodi</a> launches <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BHIMAadhaar?src=hash">#BHIMAadhaar</a> to enable every single Indian citizen to pay just with their THUMB! No internet, wallet, mobile needed. <a href="https://t.co/Pxo6eanHFU">pic.twitter.com/Pxo6eanHFU</a>
&mdash; NITI Aayog (@NITIAayog) <a href="https://twitter.com/NITIAayog/status/852794639908085760">April 14, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Twenty-seven major banks were already on board with around three lakh merchants so that they can start accepting payments using BHIM-Aadhaar, the statement said.&nbsp;

Under the new system, merchants will have to download the app and sync them to a biometric scan machine. As for the users, they just need to have the 12-digit Aadhaar code. That will enable traders to transfer the amount from the customer&#39;s bank account to theirs.&nbsp;

The Aadhaar card is an identity card based on their biometric and demographic data.

The other initiatives announced by the government was the cash back system and the referral system.

&quot;If you add a person to BHIM app and he makes three transactions, Rs 10 will be added to your account. The scheme will continue till October 14,&quot; Modi said.

As for the cashback scheme, traders will get a cashback on every transaction made by them.

The other salient point was Modi&#39;s promise to build homes for all Indians by 2022.

As per official data, there are 17.73 million homeless people in India. The housing crisis gets magnified when government data suggest that up to&nbsp;70 million Indians live in urban slums.

&ldquo;We have a dream for 2022. The poorest of poor should have a house of his own. And that house must be equipped with electricity, water and other facilities. There should be hospitals and schools in the neighbourhood,&rdquo; Modi said.

The raft of social policies was announced to coincide with Ambedkar&#39;s birth anniversary.

Ambedkar was one of the towering figures in Indian politics to fight for the then-termed untouchables and backward&nbsp;castes in India. He was also the country&#39;s first law minister and is credited to have drafted the Indian constitution.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

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India Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a clutch of pro-poor schemes on the birth anniversary of leading social crusader BR Ambedkar

India prime minister Narendra Modi's administration unveiled a raft of measures on the occasion of 126th birth anniversary of Bhim Rao Ambedkar -- the architect of India's constitution. The highlight of the prime minister's address was the launch of an app that will help millions of Indians who have no mobile phone, internet connection, credit and debit card to make digital payments. Addressing the nation from Nagpur city in west India on Friday, PM Modi rolled out the BHIM-Aadhar app (Bharat Interface for Money) to allow millions of phone-less Indians to start using digital wallets. "Any citizen without access to smartphones, the Internet, debit or credit cards will be able to transact digitally through the BHIM-Aadhaar platform, thus realising Bhim Rao Ambedkar's vision of social and financial empowerment for all," a statement released by NITI-Aayog said. NITI-Aayog is a government-backed think tank. .@narendramodi launches #BHIMAadhaar to enable every single Indian citizen to pay just with their THUMB! No internet, wallet, mobile needed. pic.twitter.com/Pxo6eanHFU — NITI Aayog (@NITIAayog) April 14, 2017 × Twenty-seven major banks were already on board with around three lakh merchants so that they can start accepting payments using BHIM-Aadhaar, the statement said. Under the new system, merchants will have to download the app and sync them to a biometric scan machine. As for the users, they just need to have the 12-digit Aadhaar code. That will enable traders to transfer the amount from the customer's bank account to theirs. The Aadhaar card is an identity card based on their biometric and demographic data. The other initiatives announced by the government was the cash back system and the referral system. "If you add a person to BHIM app and he makes three transactions, Rs 10 will be added to your account. The scheme will continue till October 14," Modi said. As for the cashback scheme, traders will get a cashback on every transaction made by them. The other salient point was Modi's promise to build homes for all Indians by 2022. As per official data, there are 17.73 million homeless people in India. The housing crisis gets magnified when government data suggest that up to 70 million Indians live in urban slums. “We have a dream for 2022. The poorest of poor should have a house of his own. And that house must be equipped with electricity, water and other facilities. There should be hospitals and schools in the neighbourhood,” Modi said. The raft of social policies was announced to coincide with Ambedkar's birth anniversary. Ambedkar was one of the towering figures in Indian politics to fight for the then-termed untouchables and backward castes in India. He was also the country's first law minister and is credited to have drafted the Indian constitution. (WION with inputs from agencies)

India launches digital payment app for poor, vows homes for all by 2022