Today i.e. April 14, the 132nd Birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, the father of the Indian Constitution, is celebrated as a festival all over the world including India. Ambedkar Jayanti is also celebrated as ‘Equality Day’ and ‘Knowledge Day’ as Dr. Ambedkar, who fought for equality throughout his life, is considered a symbol of equality and knowledge.

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, popularly known as Ambedkar, was an Indian scholar, jurist, economist, politician and social reformer. He inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement and campaigned against societal discrimination against untouchables (Dalits). He also supported the rights of workers, farmers and women.

Ambedkar was born on April 14, 1891 in the Mhow Nagar military cantonment located in the Central India Province (now Madhya Pradesh) of British India. He was the fourteenth and last son of Ramji Maloji Sakpal and Bhimabai. His family was of Marathi origin, a follower of Kabir Panth and he was a resident of Ambadwe village in present-day Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra.

Since the year 1928, the birth anniversary of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar has been celebrated on April 14, but this is not his exact date of birth, nor was Bhimrao the name given to him at the time of his birth. According to philosopher Akash Singh Rathore’s book ‘Becoming Baba Saheb’, when Ambedkar’s second marriage was being decided, Ambedkar wrote in a letter to his fiancée Dr. Sharda Kabir: “You ask me why only the 15th, not the 14. Why not? Actually 14 is my official date of birth. But no one can say that this is the true date of my birth. Different astrologers have told me different dates. Some say April 14, others say April 17. April and others on May 15.

Ambedkar says: “My father did not keep records, so I don’t know the exact date of my birth. I was born in the middle of the night and my mother had a lot of trouble giving birth to me.”

Babasaheb’s year of birth is believed to be 1891, but after he became a member of the Bombay Legislative Council in 1927, when he submitted a document, he mentioned his birth year as 1893. In his passport for the year 1932, he has given as year of birth 1892. However, all other historical documents confirm that Ambedkar’s birth year is only 1891.

In the school history from the year 1900, his name is recorded as ‘Bhiva Ramji Ambedkar’. His mother affectionately called him Bheeva. Babasaheb was about to graduate at the age of 21. He later named himself Bhimrao.

In 1896, when Babasaheb was five years old, his mother died. Two years later, in 1898, his father remarried Jijabai. She was a widow. Young Bhiva did not like his stepmother. One day, Bhiva got angry when he saw his stepmother wearing his real mother’s jewelry. He planned to steal money from his aunt Mirabai’s purse to buy a train ticket to go to Bombay and find work as a laborer in a mill.

Ambedkar was an immensely talented student. When he went to New York to study at Columbia University, he only ate one meal to save time and money. He used to spend $1.1 on food every day. In this he used to eat a cup of coffee, two muffins and meat or fish. Living in New York was not cheap on the pocket and they also had to send money home.

Ambedkar used to wake up at 2 o’clock at night to study during his childhood. This habit persisted in New York as well. Here in three years he had collected two thousand books in his personal library. He loved to read. Apart from this, he also liked music.

Ambedkar received PhDs in economics from both Columbia University and the London School of Economics and has done research in law, economics and political science. In the early part of his professional life, he was a professor of economics and also a lawyer, and later his life became more devoted to political activities. Thereafter, Ambedkar became involved in campaigns and debates for Indian independence, publishing newspapers, advocating for Dalit political rights and social freedom, and was instrumental in building India.