Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (1891–1956), also known as Babasaheb, was an Indian jurist, economist, politician, and social reformer. Early Life and Education:

• Born into the Mahar caste, considered untouchable, Ambedkar experienced significant socio-economic discrimination in his early life.
• He was the 14th and last child of Ramji Maloji Sakpal, an army officer, and Bhimabai Sakpal.
• Ambedkar's original surname was Sakpal, but it was changed to Ambadawekar in school records, and later to Ambedkar by his teacher.
• He faced segregation and discrimination in school, being denied water and not allowed to sit inside the classroom.
• He went on to become the only untouchable enrolled at Elphinstone High School.
• He earned degrees from the University of Bombay, Columbia University (MA, PhD), and the London School of Economics (MSc, DSc).
• He also trained in law at Gray's Inn, London.
• Ambedkar was among a small number of Indian students to have earned doctorates from these institutions in the 1920s.

Opposition to Untouchability:

• Ambedkar dedicated his life to fighting against untouchability and the caste system.
• He advocated for separate electorates and reservations for untouchables and other religious communities.
• He launched public movements to open up public drinking water resources and fought for the right to enter Hindu temples.
• He publicly condemned the Manusmriti for justifying caste discrimination and led followers to ceremonially burn copies of the text.
• He led the Kalaram Temple movement, organizing a large procession to fight for the right of untouchables to enter the temple.
• He started the weekly publication Mooknayak (Leader of the Silent) to advocate for the rights of untouchables.

Political Career:

• Ambedkar was appointed Military Secretary to the Gaikwad of Baroda but had to quit due to discrimination.
• He served as a professor of political economy at Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics in Mumbai.
• He was a member of the Bombay Legislative Council and the Bombay Legislative Assembly.
• In 1936, Ambedkar founded the Independent Labour Party.
• He was appointed to the Bombay Presidency Committee to work with the Simon Commission.
• He served on the Defence Advisory Committee and the Viceroy's Executive Council as minister of labour.
• He was elected to the Constituent Assembly of India.
• He served as India's first Law and Justice Minister in Jawaharlal Nehru’s cabinet.
• He resigned from Nehru's cabinet after the Hindu Code Bill was defeated in parliament.

The Poona Pact:

• Ambedkar signed the Poona Pact with Madan Mohan Malaviya, representing the depressed classes, after Mahatma Gandhi protested against a separate electorate for untouchables.
• The agreement reserved seats for the depressed classes in the Provisional legislatures within the general electorate.

Drafting of India's Constitution:

• Ambedkar chaired the Drafting Committee of the Constitution of India.
• He played a key role in drafting the constitution which outlawed discrimination against untouchables and guaranteed various civil liberties for all citizens.
• The constitution was adopted on 26 November 1949.
• He also argued for extensive economic and social rights for women and introduced a system of reservations for jobs in civil services, schools, and colleges for members of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.
• Ambedkar expressed his disapproval of the constitution in 1953, saying that he was a "hack" and that he would be the first person to burn it out.

Economics:

• Ambedkar was the first Indian to pursue a doctorate in economics abroad.
• He argued that industrialisation and agricultural growth could enhance the Indian economy.
• He advocated for investment in agriculture and national economic development.
• He opposed income tax for low-income groups and contributed to land reform and state economic development.
• He favoured a free economy with a stable Rupee and advocated birth control to develop the Indian economy.