On October 14, a new statue was unveiled to the public at the Ambedkar International Center in Accokeek, Maryland. The statue is 5,8 meters (nineteen feet) tall and depicts Dr BR Ambedkar, a civil rights activist who was instrumental in drafting the Indian constitution. Dr. Ambekar was a champion of equality and social justice. This is the first time that a statue has been honored to him in the United States.
The design of the statue is attributed to Ram Sutar and it is called The statue of equality. Ram Satar is also credited with the creation The Statue of Unity in Gujarat.
Followers of Ambedkar's political and social philosophies are known as Ambedkarites, and many of them attended the unveiling of the statue, meant to serve as a symbol of equality and human rights.
The event was also accompanied by performances by Native American groups from across the United States of America.
Keeping in mind the purpose of the statue, members of the Ambedkar International Center chose to locate the statue in close proximity to the White House. It is about 35 kilometers from Washington DC and members hope it will reinvigorate the movement for global justice, providing a platform for oppressed people to come together in solidarity.
Ram Kumar, President of the Ambedkar International Centre, said this about the unveiling of the statue: “The statue of Dr BR Ambedkar is a symbol of the common values of democracy, justice and human rights that bind India together. and the United States. This reminds us of the importance of defending the rights and dignity of all individuals, regardless of their origin. (Yahoo News)
BR Ambedkar was born on April 14, 1891 and died on December 6, 1956. He was born into the Dalit caste, formerly called The Incorruptibles, and he served as a government official from 1947 to 1951.
As a child, Ambedkar was bullied by his classmates because he belonged to a Dalit family. Despite this, he was academically gifted enough to obtain a scholarship from the reign of Baroda, which allowed him to study at universities in the United States and Europe. After graduating, he entered the civil service, but mistreatment by his high-caste colleagues caused him to turn to teaching and developing a law practice.
In 1947, he worked as the Law Minister of the Government of India. In this position, he took the lead in drafting the Indian constitution, which included many important civil rights guarantees. For example, it prohibits discrimination against members of the Dalit class and makes it illegal to refer to them as untouchables.
It took two years and eleven months to draft the constitution, which turned out to be the longest written constitution in the world with 448 articles divided into 22 parts, 12 annexes, 97 amendments and 145 words.
The constitution was officially adopted on January 26, 1950, a day now known as Republic Day. However, in 1951, BR Ambedkar resigned from his government post in protest against the mistreatment of Dalits in India and his failure to bring about greater change through official channels.
In 1956, he abandoned the Hindu faith and converted to Buddhism in a mass ceremony attended by around 200 other Dalits. The ceremony took place in Nagpur, southwest India. He died two months after the ceremony. However, the day BR Ambedkar embraced Buddhism is celebrated by his followers as Dhammachakra Parivartan Din.
In addition to his work as a lawyer, politician and activist, Ambedkar was also an author. Some of his most popular works were Annihilation of castes (Self-published in 1936) and The Buddha and his Dhamma (Siddhartha College Publication 1957).
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