Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar: What One Man Can Do

                     Every great organisation is the lengthened shadow of one man
                                                                                           
                                                                                              - BA Forbes        

Dr. Bhim Rao Babasaheb Ambedkar (MA., Ph.D., M.Sc., D.Sc., Barrister-at-Law, L.L.D., D.Litt)

It has been said before that we choose books to read, but some times they choose us.

I was walking along the streets of Nairobi the other day when the cover of 75 People Who Changed The World, neatly displayed on a newsstand, caught my eye. After a bit of haggling with the vendor and emptying the contents of my wallet to his face in a desperate attempt to prove that we both just had to compromise on the price, he let me have the book to the best of my liquidity at the moment. I couldn’t wait to sit down somewhere and devour it.

The book, forwarded by Pulitzer Prize winner, Dr. Robert Coles, is an opinion poll-kind of research compilation based on the general public’s opinion on the subject, which makes the conclusion a bit more relatable and therefore, acceptable.

It comprises of a brief description of these 75 great Men and women (who are from all races, political and religious persuasions) and includes a paragraph or  two on What They Said. It’s one of those easy to read books that will interest even the slowest of readers.

I bet you are now itching to know who Dr. Ambedkar is, and what the authors of the book say about him.

As a matter of fact, he is not on the list; but luckily, neither do the authors pretend that their summary was exhaustive.

Nonetheless, having read the book and compared  the shortlisted notables, who include Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., Billy Graham, the Tibetan spiritual leader, The Dalai Lama, Psychotherapist Abraham Maslow and Prophet Elijah Muhammad of the Nation of Islam, in terms of their calling and the depth of their influence amongst their people, I would excuse this omission as an oversight.

Otherwise it can only be explained from the prism of untouchability – conceptualized through the centuries-old Hindu Social Order, where hundreds of millions of Indians were disadvantaged simply by being born from a certain  caste- A philosophy Dr. Ambedkar vehemently fought against all his life as we shall see shortly.

So, who is this Dalit (lower caste) that six decades after his transition to the next life is still revered by hundreds of millions across India, and reputed beyond for almost single-handedly mid-wifing the independent India’s socialist-capitalist constitution?

To what extent did the Man impact his society to warrant airports, museums, hospitals, awards, more than forty high schools, institutions of higher learning and research centres, railway stations, and streets to be named after him - and not to mention his birthday being gazetted as a National Public Holiday in India in 2015?

This unmistakable influence denotes the very essence of leadership that is worth dissecting.

It is against this backdrop that I have painstakingly compiled a list of 10 leadership characteristics evident from the life of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar that we can all mirror to enable us reach for our greater selves.Enjoy!

1. They have out-suffered everyone around them

It is a widely-acknowledged fact that all great leaders have had more than an enough share of suffering as compared to the rest of the population. Think of Nelson Mandela being incarcerated for twenty seven years; or Sir Richard Branson being born dyslexic but still managing to reach billionaire status with more that two hundred successful companies to his name (And still counting); or Barack Obama, born of mixed-race descent and raised an orphan by his grandparents in the race-intolerant 1960s America.

Suffering tends to breed strength hitherto unbeknown. Nothing really significant or radical has ever been achieved from the comfort zone.

It is usually through pain and suffering that the human soul is pushed to the limit and disrupts what seems normal and acceptable by society, regardless of the consequences, to discover its greater self.

Therefore, since problems will always be there, why not embrace them and grow through them.

Other than facing discrimination as a young boy at school, and later on as an adult in places of work, social clubs and also at the Temple due to his untouchable status prevalent at the time towards his kind, Dr. Ambedkar experienced other personal tragedies that nearly shook his resolve to continue living.

To begin with, the death of his father when he was still a young boy left him exposed as he was his main source of inspiration and was a confidant each time he ran back home in tears after being teased or ridiculed for his lower caste status. This enabled him to mature fast as the eldest son in the family since he had big shoes to fill.

Years later, the death of his two young sons - one which helplessly occurred when he was miles away for studies in Britain  and was particularly painful as his wife had lacked money to take the boy to hospital- were devastating. Later on, his wife's passing on as well significantly knocked the wind out of him.

It is said that the pain you feel today is the strength you will feel tomorrow. Decades after, when he was a member of The Rajya Sabha (upper house) and as India’s first Minister for Law responsible for tabling crucial Bills in Parliament, his push for Social legislation that was meant to provide the underprivileged, regardless of caste, a safety net in terms of quality medical care, education and other social amenities was fueled by the degrading helplessness he had personally experienced in his earlier years.

 Author Robin Sharma postulates that pain is potential unexpressed. Having been regarded highly abroad with his impressive credentials from Columbia University, US (MA Econ, PhD) and the London School of Economics, LLB ,and as the most educated student of his generation, he couldn’t get any respect on his return home because of his untouchable status which condemned him to obscurity, from the cradle to pyre.

It is noteworthy that his first job as an Accounts Clerk for Baroda City was wrought with instances of discrimination as well as insubordination from his junior colleagues due his Dalit status despite being even more qualified than some of his bosses.But he soldiered on.

Lastly, the death of one of his great mentors,The Maharaja of Baroda, who had sponsored his studies abroad also re-fueled his resolve to pursue social justice for the vulnerable in society as had been imparted in to him.

So, if you feel like you’ve had a more than enough share of suffering, be it physiological or psychological, you are in the right company. As the cliche' goes, to be the best, you have to be able to handle the worst.

Like Dr. Ambedkar, if you don’t allow your past or present struggles to define or defeat you, you are destined for greatness!

2. They are visionaries

Leaders always set big goals and organize and execute their affairs around them until they are accomplished. They are men and women who have discovered their purpose in life and see ahead of everyone else. They no longer live for themselves and are always seeking for ways to uplift others.

For those of us who attended Dr. Ambedkar College of Arts & Commerce or Dr.Ambedkar College of Law in Aurangabad, you are no doubt one of the beneficiaries of The People’s Education Society’s (PES) goals articulated  in 1945 in Bombay with the immediate aim of providing quality education and learning environments to the Dalits and the underprivileged in society, who were grossly marginalized at the time.

Today, the PES has spread beyond Bombay to other parts of India and its scope obviously expanded beyond the education of the aforementioned only.

Having schooled in ivy league schools in America and in England as early as in 1915, Dr. Ambedkar  had witnessed the extent to which education could liberate even the most marginalised of individuals. For instance, he interacted with Black Americans at school and also while doing his part time job as a dishwasher in restaurants, a job left non-whites only at the time.

This helped him to identify with the black man's struggle for civil rights barely a few decades after removing the shackles of slavery and thereby enabled him to come to the conclusion that every human being's basic desire is to be treated with respect and have his basic human rights protected.

He could have chosen to live a comfortable life with his achievements after schooling, but his people were still living under religious-social oppression and he knew the sure way for their emancipation from the chains of poverty and degradation was through education.

Therefore, just like other visionaries such as Nelson Mandela and MLK, he used his personal accomplishments, brand and capital to influence systems and processes for the benefit of others and therefore, did not let his personal challenges, upbringing, or historical background stand in the way to accomplishing his beautiful dreams for his people.


3.  They out-work everyone around them

Great leaders are driven by results. They get the job done and are not afraid of getting their hands dirty. They let their actions speak louder than their loftiest intentions, have a strong work ethic and understand that success is pegged on the expeditious and effective completion of individual tasks, however minor.

Dr. Ambedkar probably worked harder than anyone in his time, if his academic credentials are anything to go by.While graduating for his LLB in England, he already had Master of Arts ( Economics) and PhD degrees from Columbia University in the US. Later on in his working life, he would rise through the ranks, breaking stereotypes to becoming one of the most bankable individuals if you wanted something done.

Other than being a famed scholar, a human rights crusader and an accomplished lawyer, Dr. Ambedkar’s feather in the cap was in being the Architect of post-independence India’s Constitution.

Although the role was tasked to a committee that he was heading, he found himself working alone after the other members gradually withdrew due unavoidable, personal reasons. And since he was working under strict timelines, he delivered the goods- producing one of the most progressive and critically acclaimed constitutions worldwide, still in use to date.

4.  They have mastered their craft

Mastery of one’s craft implies attaining the highest level of skill proficiency way above your peers in your industry or trade where excellence is manifested even in your smallest of tasks. It entails acquiring sufficient experience over a considerable period of time -some say doing the same task for a minimum of 7 years or 10,000 hours (Gladwell) - and at the same time finding creative and better solutions by continuously improving yourself.

Mastery also helps them refine their purpose as they are able to bring the discipline and excellence of their craft in to their mighty mission larger than themselves.

Already with a Phd in Economics from Columbia University, he returned to England to pursue his LLB degree in 1920 after which he focused his mastery on the field of law having been conferred with the title of Barrister-at- Law.

Years in practice and in scholarship in the field culminated in his appointment as India’s first Law Minister. He had ceased being a jack of all trades and was now a Master of his craft!

It is noteworthy that his other qualifications and expertise complemented his work in the legal profession and thus provided him astounding edge over his peers.


5.   They understand the value of mentorship

Walking with giants, as mentorship is always likened to, is a prerequisite to self-actualisation if one is to accomplish their highest ideals.

A Mentor helps you to see further than you could possibly do by yourself. You are able to avoid most mistakes that they made on their way to mastery of their craft and thereby reach your defined goals sooner.

It is of utmost importance that one has a mentor in all aspects of their life, be it in religion, career, business, family and even on culture. That is why it is said that success has many fathers but failure is an orphan.

An orphan, therefore, is just but someone who is yet to find mentors.

Dr. Ambedkar had great mentors all through his life, starting from his firm father who inculcated in him the traits of tenacity and resilience each time he faced discrimination due to his low caste status, something of which was not his own choosing. He also taught him to have an unwavering discipline to pursue his studies to the highest level so as to change whatever he felt needed to be changed in society instead of crying about it.

Of most importance is the fact that his father’s last words to the young Ambedkar while on his deathbed were invoking God’s blessings upon his life.

Though he had great academic mentors at home in India, his professors while abroad such as Herbert Foxwell, of the University of London were fascinated by his brilliance and hard work that they provided him an enabling environment to extend the existing body of knowledge through research.

The other mentor who significantly impacted his life was Saiyyaji Rao Gaekwad, The Maharaja of Baroda (1875-1939) who twice organized for his studies abroad, and years later, funded his first fortnightly publication in 1926 to expose the plight of the Untouchables in Society and give them a voice.

Though born in to privilege himself in the Gaekwad Dynasty, The Maharaja acknowledged that the Hindu Chaturvania doctrine that categorized people into castes, i.e. The Brahmins (Priests), Kshatriya (Warriors and rulers), Vaishya (Traders) and Sudhra (The Untouchables/Dalits), was inherently skewed to forever condemn The Sudhras to sub-human treatment. These untouchables were at the time even forbidden to enter the Hindu temple, could not be drafted in the military nor could they get any meaningful employment.

Were it not for his benevolence by offering scholarships to bright Untouchable students, there might never have been a Dr. Ambedkar to talk about today.

Ambedkar’s father upon learning of the opportunity promptly sent his son to the Maharaja for the interview after which he was fortunate to receive the scholarship together with three other young men to study at Columbia University, US with a £25 monthly stipend - a tidy sum at the time for an untouchable.

In his later public life after he had began active movements challenging the inherent human rights abuse on the Untouchables and agitating against this Hindu social order, Dr. Ambedkar also  implored upon his fellow Dalits not to let other people define their worth.

He would relentlessly remind them to battle for freedom and self-respect, which is probably one of his major lifetime achievements as most Dalits had accepted the religion-sanctioned 'lesser being' status on them and therefore could be mistreated by other castes as they wished.

He often urged them to agitate for better living conditions, educate themselves and their children and to stay clean!

A dapper dresser himself, he mentored them and made them believe that all men are born equal and that status should not be determined by birth but by merit.This may explain why Dalits are arguably  the most vocal people in Indian society today.

During the initial social revolts, like the one that  pushed for  the right of the Untouchables to drink water from public wells, Dr. Ambedkar worked hand in hand with young Dalit leaders from all walks of life to spread the message. Decades after his death, significant gains have been made on other fronts as well through the efforts of these mentees who have also mentored others and continued to push for far-reaching social and legal reforms for the untouchables.

It is noteworthy that despite Dr. Ambedkar’s public confrontations with Mahatma Gandhi at the time, the two protagonists still had mutual admiration for each other, so much so that when India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was forming his cabinet, it was Mahatma Gandhi who proposed the name of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar as a worthy candidate to him,above other notables, some of whom were expatriates. The rest, as they say, is history.

 6.  Stand by universal truth

Great leaders are not ashamed of their past, and neither are they afraid of dealing with its uncomfortable reality. They do not sugar coat injustice and will speak up even when their voice is shaking.

Dr. Ambedkar’s discontent with the Hindu social order was no longer a secret the moment he realised that being born an Untouchable, he would have to remain so all his life.

His public confrontations with Mahatma Gandhi were legendary, even at one time causing the Mahatma to embark on his second, and longest hunger strike yet after Dr. Ambedkar refused to make concessions on the number of issues touching on rights of the untouchables. It is noteworthy that the Mahatma had used the same approach against the British Colonial Government while in jail in protest against their continued illegal rule over India.

He considered Gandhi a bit hypocritical in that, as a fellow Hindu, he did not view the plight of the untouchables as an agenda worth being prioritised during the round table discussions with the British government in readiness for India’s independence.

For instance, Gandhi allowed for political safeguards for the Muslims and Sikhs but none for the untouchables. Instead of agitating for political representation for them and for their rights to be enshrined in the constitution, he vehemently opposed giving any one caste special treatment as it would elicit similar demands from the others and thereby elicit unforetold conflict.

Though his concerns were justified to an extent since the fight for India’s independence was of paramount importance above any one religion’s infighting, he might have mistakenly under-estimated Dr.Ambedkar’s resolve, as a few years later, the latter led a mass conversion of his followers to Buddhism.

At the time, Dr. Ambedkar assumed the demeanour of a controversial public figure, but in his heart he appreciated the simple universal truth that every man is born equal. Just like Gandhi, he had a purpose to fulfill in this life and his mission to emancipate the Dalits from centuries of inhuman treatment was no less important in the wider context.

That is why when he was invited in the first Round Table in London on the 6th of September, 1930 by the British Prime Minister to discuss India’s independence, he took the opportunity to express his shock at the British Government’s one hundred and fifty year rule in India that did not recognize the plight of the Untouchables, much to Gandhi’s dismay.


 7. They never work alone

Great leaders understand that they cannot solve all the world’s problems and neither can they accomplish anything significant alone. They know that focusing on a problem only magnifies it,  so that they eventually lose sight of the goal.

However, when they focus on the solution, the importance of teamwork becomes apparent since they can attain synergic advantages from the unique strengths of others.

What is remarkable was that some people from other religions and castes also supported Dr. Ambedkar’s cause to outlaw all forms of discrimination against the Dalits. In fact, some of his Brahmin (who were only three per cent of the Hindu population) friends acknowledged  these injustices and accompanied him in burning of religious literature that advocated for the caste system.

Little wonder then that when he re-married, thirteen years after his first wife’s demise, he married a Brahmin girl whom she met in a hospital working as a nurse as she administered insulin shots  to manage his diabetic condition.

The famous Poone Pact was signed by Dr. Ambedkar together with other notables of the day such as Educationist  Pandit Mohan Malviya among others who represented the various factions.  The aim was to end Gandhi’s long  fast which was in protest against the British Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald’s  decision to recognize Dalits as a separate electorate in the provincial legislative assembly elections.

As usual, Dr. Ambedkar found Gandhi a bit untruthful (which was within his rights) for ignoring the injustices inherent in the Hindu religion against the Dalits, and this general inconsistent attitude by other Indian freedom struggle proponents was unpalatable to him

He, however, recognized that he could not go far alone, and had to make concessions so as to cordially pull together for the greater good of the country. Nonetheless, he stuck to his guns in ensuring that civil liberties for the Dalits were guaranteed in the constitution- which he accomplished.

 8. They are always learning

Sometimes success is best measured by the journey one has taken to be where they are now. Great leaders never compare themselves with others but will always push themselves to their highest potential.

They appreciate the diversity and richness of life and aside from mastering their craft, they also expose themselves to environments where they can learn something new on a daily basis and thereby gain insights from others’ expertise and experiences.

Dr. Ambedkar was always reading and had an impressive library of, reportedly, more than 65,000 books in his home .This always helped him have unique perspective on issues that enabled him see further as great leaders should; and see possibilities where others only saw insurmountable obstacles.

Even in his sunset years, Dr. Ambedkar was still learning new skills. It is noteworthy that in his spare time, he would engage a professional violinist for tutorship and within no time could play some quite complex compositions.


9. Have conviction

Great leaders have conviction. They are principled and will stand with what they believe in regardless of the repercussions. They are considered a bit hard-headed because they tend flow against the acceptable social currents with the aim of eliciting change in the minds and lives of their people for the common good. They are self-confident and alive to the fact that every path in the forest may not be lighted, and have to push through anyway.

Rarely has the world seen an individual with the level of conviction demonstrated by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. Partly as a result of out-suffering everyone around him, he was burdened with the desire to see a better life for his fellow ostracized Dalits who did not have the advantage of exposure and education like he had and were doomed to a life of oblivion.

What triggered Dr. Ambedkar’s desire to convert from Hinduism was his dying wife’s last wish to go for a pilgrimage at a certain Hindu sanctuary. He unapologetically expressed the conflict he felt about that deity that discriminated against them as not worthy being called their god any more.

Citing the example of ancient Europe, where an entire nation would convert their religion, say when the King was baptized, Dr. Ambedkar from there on toyed the idea of exiting Hinduism much to the chagrin of The Hindu Council which thought he was bluffing.

But On October 15^th 1935, when he pledged to embrace any faith that would guarantee equality, there was a near-stampede at his office as various religious leaders flocked at his door to sell their religion’s ideals for a possible 50 million Dalit converts.

Christian missionaries dangled, ‘‘the poor shall inherit the earth.’’ carrot but did not get his endorsement. However, he appreciated Christian teachings (having read the various versions of the Holy Bible through and through- though, obviously, not the spirit) and that probably made him understand why almost all Indian Christians were Dalits.

While The Muslim and Sikh religious leaders demonstrated how close Islam was to Hinduism, the former went even further to cite the example of how a multitude of Hindus had already converted to Islam in Kohinoor. He was nonetheless noncommittal on the two.

After years of soul-searching and doing a thorough research on religions, he concluded (in his own wisdom) that Buddhism was the answer to exploitation in the world; and on 14^th of October, 1956 led more than five hundred thousand Dalits in taking the oath of Buddhism in an elaborate ceremony in Nagpur.

His famous reply when asked if it was justified for one to change his religion was, ‘‘Today, religion has become a piece of ancestral property. It passes from father to son, and so does inheritance. What genuineness is there in such cases of conversion?’’ 

It is reported that at his funeral pyre, upon his death on 6^th December 1956, more than a million of his followers renounced Hinduism and embraced Buddhism.

       10.   Integrity

Integrity means walking the talk. It is basically practicing what you preach.

Great leaders are men and women of integrity, whose word is their bond.

Dr. Ambedkar’s first visit to Britain ended prematurely when he received a letter from his benefactor, The Maharaja of Baroda, asking him to return home to work for Baroda State as bonded.

His Professor at the London School of Economics tried to dissuade him by offering him all the assistance necessary to conclude on a research he was undertaking with the department, but he could not relent since he was under obligation to serve his people first, but would return if another opportunity to return to England would present itself in the future.

He went back to work for the Baroda State which had sponsored his education, and as time went by the second scholarship was not hard to come since he had proven his loyalty to his people first and had demonstrated unimpeachable integrity.

It is noteworthy that The London School of Economics recently honoured this gallant Indian son in 2009  by unveiling a statue in recognition of his excellence in his studies as well as the service that he had rendered to humanity in spite of his social and financial limitations.Columbia University had done so earlier and has a statue of his bust prominently positioned in the entrance of the University Library.

Decades later when serving as Minister for Law in Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s government, he introduced very critical bills in parliament such as the Bill for Coal Mines, Maternity Benefits, Minimum Wages Bill, as well as provided reliefs to certain categories of the population.

So, when his far-reaching Hindu Code Bill, which guaranteed protection of women’s rights in marriage and divorce cases  as relates to property inheritance was rejected by parliament as a result of little backing from the Nehru government, Dr. Ambedkar opted to resign from the plum position in the cabinet and assumed the role of leader of opposition.

Talk about integrity!

In conclusion, if his name had been missing say, from the list of 10 people who changed the world, that would have been understandable; but surely not from a list of 75 People Who Changed The World!

Anyway, isn’t it amazing what one ordinary individual can accomplish?

So can you.

Sources:

1.       Essays on Untouchables and Untouchability

2.       Ambedkar: The fight for Justice

3.       Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar (Film)