Today the whole country is celebrating the 134th birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Babasaheb Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar Ji with full honors. Today he is remembered as the greatest nationalist, legislator, political leader, philosophical thinker, anthropologist, historian, eminent writer, world-renowned economist, scholar, revolutionary thinker and a devotee who revived Buddhism in modern India. He was born on 14 April 1891 in the town of Mhow in Madhya Pradesh. Babasaheb dedicated his entire life to the welfare of the marginalized people, especially Dalits, women and workers. 
He was born in the Mahar caste, which was considered an untouchable in the caste-based society. At that time, being an "untouchable", he was not allowed to sit with other children. Even in the summer, he had to stay thirsty in school because the people of that community were prohibited from drinking water from public water sources. Despite the innumerable difficulties he faced in his childhood, he was very smart in studies. His father, Subedar Ramji Maloji Skpal, was an employee in the British Army and understood the importance of education. 
His mother died when Baba Saheb was only six years old. His aunt raised him. He received his primary education in Satara. Later he came to Bombay. Dr. Ambedkar completed his graduation from Elphinstone College, Bombay, for which he was given a scholarship by the Maharaja of Baroda, Sayajirao Gaekwad. After graduation, he had to work in the Baroda princely state as per a written agreement. In 1913, he was selected as a scholar to go to America. This was a great achievement for him. In 1915 and 1916, he obtained his MA and PhD degrees from Columbia University. After this, he went to London for further education. Here he got admission in Gray's Inn for Law. He also did higher education from the London School of Economics. 
Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar was the most educated Indian politician of his time. He was the first Indian to do a doctorate from the London School of Economics as well as a PhD from Columbia University. He had an insatiable desire to read. During his foreign travels, he used to bring hundreds of books with him. His personal library in Bombay Rajgriha had more than fifty thousand books. He fully understood the importance of education. He asked the downtrodden people to emphasize education to progress in life. 
Babasaheb established colleges and encouraged the Dalit community to pursue higher education to free themselves from the shackles of social and caste discrimination. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar's most enduring legacy in Indian politics is his role as the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly. As the main drafter of the Indian Constitution, he ensured that the document upheld the principles of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity.
Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar served as the Minister of Labour in the Viceroy's Executive Council from 1942 to 1946. During his tenure, he introduced several labour reforms, including the Factories Act of 1946 and the Trade Union Act of 1947. He supported the creation of the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESI) and the Employees' Provident Fund Scheme (EPF).
After the country's independence in 1947, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar became the first Law and Justice Minister in Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet. While in this position, his significant contribution was the introduction of the Hindu Code Bill, which codified Hindu personal law. However, the bill could not be passed in Parliament, due to which Babasaheb resigned from Nehru's cabinet in 1951. Babasaheb studied different religions and philosophies in search of social justice and equality. 
He became interested in Buddhism. Fed up with the prevailing evils and caste divisions of Hinduism at that time, he preferred Buddhism. In 1935, at the State Conference of the Dalit community held at Youla (Nasik), he publicly declared for the first time that "I was born a Hindu, but I will not die as a Hindu." On 14 October 1956, Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar converted to Buddhism in Nagpur along with thousands of his associates during a huge public event. Inspired by him, millions of Dalits adopted Buddhism, which is known as the Dalit Buddhist movement.
Dr. Ambedkar was a strong supporter of women's rights. Today, the maternity leave that is available to women working in government jobs is a great gift from him. He was also a prolific writer. His books "Jat Da Naash", "Who Were the Shudras?" and "The Buddha and His Dhamma" are popular all over the world. Today, when we are celebrating his birth anniversary with great enthusiasm across the country, we should take guidance from his life of struggle and ideology. In 1990, recognizing his personality and contribution, the Government of India awarded him the highest civilian honor "Bharat Ratna". He is still a beacon of light for the marginalized people.

– Surinder Pal 'Jhall'