RELEVANCE OF AMBEDKARISM TO MODERN INDIA

Abstract

The question of the relevance of the intellectuals and the idealists require one to enquire into the universality of the theories propounded and the efforts made at implementing them in practice by such great men. From this point of view one can classify the intellectuals into three categories. One category of thinkers and leaders who are almost worshipped as legends during their life-time but would go into oblivion no sooner than they breathe their last; second category of persons enjoy reputation during their life time as much as they are remembered after their death; the third category of souls are those who are subjected to criticism and humiliation while they are alive but their worth will be recognized and are worshipped more than divinities after they depart from this world. It is significant that Ambedkar belonged to the third category of intellectual giants whose relevance has been better established now than during their lifetime.

It was an irony of fate that Ambedkar who deserved to be described as the great prophets of humanism due to their intense love of liberating the mankind from all forms of exploitation and acute desire of emancipating the ignorant and the innocent masses from all kinds of oppression were subjected to high degree of criticism and humiliation during their life time. This may be mainly attributed to the fact that the thinker and reformer were far ahead of the age when their ideas and actions were better required. It is indeed gratifying that Ambedkar are more alive today than during their life-time and that the worth of their thoughts and actions are not only recognized but also are found to be inevitable for the progress and survival of the mankind as a whole in general and for the uplift of the oppressed in particular.