Thread by @IWTKQuiz

#JaiBhim
Today, we have a thread (🧵) on the genius that is Dr. B.R. Ambedkar

As a member in the viceroy’s council from 1942 to 1946, Dr Ambedkar was instrumental in bringing about several labour reforms.

He changed working hours from 12 to 8 in 1942.

He also introduced DA, medical leaves & periodic revision of pay.
📸 @ROUNDTABLEIND

Babasaheb studied for two PhDs in his career in addition to his qualification as a lawyer 🤯

His PhD dissertation in Economics at @LSEnews was titled ‘The Indian Rupee’.

A few years ago, @stefeich unearthed a first edition of this work with Ambedkar’s original dedication!

The good archivists @LSEnews have maintained a copy of Babasaheb's application to the school from 1916!

Between 1920-23, Ambedkar's academic achievements are nothing short of EXTRAORDINARY. - - MSc & DSc in Econ from London
- Published books on monetary policy & fiscal policy.
- Completed the book that gave him his PhD @Columbia
- Was admitted to the bar ... (contd)

When he was in @Columbia he took 60 courses in 3 years!!! 29-econ, 11-history, 6-sociology, 5-philosophy, 4-anthropology, 3-politics, 1 each in elementary French & German! Goto columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pri…… to see the full list

When asked about the the reason for such determination, Babasaheb reportedly said "poverty and want of time required him to finish his studies as early as possible and hence the dogged and ceaseless persistence" 🫡🫡🫡

Another fascinating and a painful story in all of this is that Dr. Ambedkar lost a manuscript of his original thesis due to the ship being torpedoed when it was returning to India!
So, he prepared a fresh draft! 👇👇

Babasaheb was a prolific scholar (Duh!).
His complete works are collected into 40 volumes, yes 40 volumes!! You can find ALL of it here: 👇drambedkarwritings.gov.in/content/index.…

Throughout his writings he quoted several people in the epigraph (or otherwise). Here is a selection of some these quotes.

"Know Truth as Truth and Untruth as Untruth” - Buddha (Writings & Speeches Vol. 1, pp.23)

“He that WILL NOT reason is a bigot
He that CANNOT reason is a fool
He that DARE NOT reason is a slave”
-- H. Drummond (Writings & Speeches Vol. 1, pp.23. "Annihilation of Caste with Reply to Mahatma Gandhi")

"The distance you have gone is less important than
the direction in which you are going today.”
— Tolstoy
(Writings & Speeches Vol. 1, pp.279, "Federation versus Freedom, Kale Memorial Lecture")

“More brain, O Lord, more brain! or we shall mar, Utterly this fair garden we might win”

(Writings & Speeches Vol. 8, From the title page of “Thoughts on Pakistan”)

“It may be your interest to be our
masters, but how can it be ours to be
your slaves ?”
— Thucydides
(Writings & Speeches Vol. 9, From the title page of " What Congress and Gandhi Have Done to The Untouchables")

(Writings & Speeches Vol. 9, pp. 433)

Babasaheb's was a fierce opponent of the caste system. In fact, he converted to Buddhism in 1956 & did so in Nagpur at a place now called Deekshabhoomi.

The city of Nagpur commemorated this event by unveiling a stupa in 2001.

The train connecting Nagpur to Gaya (where Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment) is hence called the Deekshabhoomi Express.

Babasaheb's fiery work "Annihilation of Caste" was written for a 1936 meeting of "Jat Pat Todak Mandal" a group Hindu caste-reformers.

However, the group withdrew their invitation after seeing the contents of this work! Consequently, Ambedkar published the work himself!

Babasaheb represented social reformer Raghunath Dhondo Karve when the latter was accused of obscenity.

Obscenity charges were based on the fact that his monthly magazine Samaj Swasthya covered topics such as sex education

This is what Babasaheb had to say about an ideal society in the Annihilation of Caste👇👇👇