What today’s leaders need to learn from Dr Ambedkar?

After quitting the Nehru cabinet on 31 October, 1951, over his serious differences with him over Hindu Code Bill, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar vacated his official 22, Prithiviraj Raj Road residence early next day and shifted to 26, Alipur Road in North Delhi, now just at a shouting distance from Civil Lines metro station. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also live close to 26, Alipur Road.

Even though Dr Ambedkar could live there for couple of months as rules permit, he decided otherwise and asked his PA Nanak Chand Rattu and other close friends to ensure that he would like to leave the Prithiviraj Road house next day at any cost whatsoever. 22 Prithiviraj Road house was allotted to him when he became the Law Minister in interim government headed by Pt Nehru in 1946. So he was living there for the last five years or so. Now it is the Turkish ambassador’s residence. He also lived briefly at 1, Tilak Marg (earlier known as Hardinge Lane) close to India Gate.

Shifting to rented home

Almost 30 years back, Mr Rattu, who was a Punjabi gentleman and remained personal assistant to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, told yours truly in his Paschim Vihar residence, "I was told by him that I do not want to live in government accommodation even for a day as I am no longer part of the government.” While Rattu and others were frantically searching for an alternative accommodation to shift in Karol Bagh area as Dr Ambedkar had large number of followers living there, former Raja of Sirohi came at his place after hearing his decision to quit the cabinet. He knew him and greatly respects him. He requested Dr Ambedkar to live at his vacant 26, Alipur Road house. After briefly discussing the proposal of Raja of Sirohi with his wife Savita ji, he was agreed to shift to Alipur Road, but with one rider. He told Sirohi that he would pay token amount as a rent. He won’t live there free of cost. Reluctantly Raja agreed.

Lessons for others

And next day (1 November, 1956) Dr Ambedkar left his official home lock, stock and barrel with Savita Ambedkar and shifted to 26, Alipur Road house. Will all those trying to grab the Lutyens Delhi’s bounglows learn from ted alit icon? We have seen in the recent years that many leaders try to retain or grab the exclusive bounglows of Lutyens Delhi. And in this house, he lived there till 6 December, 1956 when he died in his sleep. Here at 26, Alipur Road, only his cook Sudama used to live. Rattu ji lived in Kingsway Camp area and remain with Dr Ambedkar from 9 in the morning to 9 pm. He was more a follower of Dalit icon than anything else.

Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar used to meet activists, intellectuals and his followers at his new home for hours together. Simple lunch was served to them. Those were the early days of freedom from British Raj and partition of the country. Therefore, more often than not discussion revolves around these subjects only.

There at Alipur Road, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar wrote his classic book ‘Buddha and his Dhamma.’ Buddha and his Dhamma is a treatise on Buddha's life and Buddhism, was the last work of Ambedkar. It was first published in 1957 after Ambedkar's death. Written in English, the book has been translated to many languages including Hindi, Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Malayalam, and Kannada.

And despite his busy schedules of meeting people and reading, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar used to go for a walk in Ridge area close to Delhi University almost daily.

Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar had no airs of a very big and mass leader. He used to walk in local parks of Alipur Road too with his wife or friends. He freely mixed-up with the local residents as well.” After his demise in 1956, Mrs Savita Ambedkar lived here for another three years. Later, Raja of Sirohi sold this historic house to one local businessman, Madan Lal Jain. Jain sold the house to Jindal family of Jindal steel later. And on the demand of large number of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar followers 26, Alipur Road was converted in to his memorial in 2003.

Meanwhile, it is important to discuss here the relationship between Gandhi ji and Dr Ambedkar too as it is said that they had different thoughts on many subjects. Writes Dr Kavita, Assistant Professor Institute of Law Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, “When drafting of the Constitution of India was embarked upon, Pandit Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel thought of inviting and consulting Sir Guor Jennings, as internationally known constitutional expert of those times. When approached for advice in the matter Gandhiji have told them why they should be looking for foreign experts when they had the right within India an outstanding legal and constitutional expert in Dr Ambedkar who ought to be entrusted with the role which they badly need as he so richly and rightly deserved.” That is an ample evident that Gandhi ji had great regard for Dr Ambedkar abilities and skills.

However, Gandhi ji and Dr Ambedkar had divergent views on dalit rights. Both of them were attending the Round Table Conferences of 1930-32. Ambedkar had gone for the first, as the prime representative of Dalits. “But when Gandhi finally decided to attend the second conference, he argued fervently that he represented the Untouchables, because they were an integral part of the Hindu fold - which he represented. To Ambedkar, the Untouchables were not a part of the Hindus but “a part apart”, a uniquely oppressed people,” says Gail Omvedt - a veteran chronicler of the Dalit movement.

In 1932, the Britishers announced 'The Communal Award' which was considered as one of the tools of divide and rule in India. Mahatma Gandhi understood their move and knew that this was an attack on Indian nationalism. Therefore, Mahatma Gandhi went on a hunger strike and objected to the provision of separate electorates for the Dalits. Gandhi opposed the British since he felt that their policies would divide the Hindu society. And this brought him into direct confrontation with Ambedkar. For Ambedkar, the problem was simple. If Gandhi died, in villages throughout India there would be pogroms against the Dalits. Ambedkar surrendered, and the Poona Pact formalized.

Gandhi and Ambedkar had different views on India’s path of development too. Gandhi argued for a village-centred model of development, one which would forsake any hard path of industrialism but seek to achieve what he called “Ram Rajya”. Gail Omvedt writes, “Ambedkar, in contrast, wanted economic development and with it industrialisation as the basic prerequisite for the abolition of poverty. He insisted always that it should be worker-friendly, not capitalistic, at times arguing for “state socialism” (though he later accepted some forms of private ownership of industry). He remained, basically, to the end of his life a democratic socialist. To him, villages were far from being an ideal; rather they were “cesspools”, a cauldron of backwardness, tradition and bondage. Untouchables had to escape from the villages, and India also had to reject its village past.” All said and done, Baba Sahab was a champion of the down trodden and deprived section of Indian society.

(The author is Delhi-based senior journalist and writer. He is author of Gandhi's Delhi which has brought to the forth many hidden facts about Mahatma Gandhi)