April 14, Mahajan Dibas........!!

Today is April 14, Mahajan Dibas, a national holiday. To many people of the country it is just a holiday to enjoy at home with friends and family members. In today’s world of hard core professionalism a break of one day brings an essence of comfort and pleasure. A day’s off without slash in the monthly pay means ‘time for a party’. We don’t even think about the reason why we are enjoying a national holiday. We don’t think about the contributions of great men and women to this country for which they are honored on these special days. Ministers do their duties by putting garlands on their stone statues, schools and colleges arrange for cultural programs and young people enjoy their time playing cricket on road and by arranging picnic. It may sound bad but that’s how we Indian’s pay tribute to our national heroes who have fought for our nation. Frankly speaking, few people of our generation know why April 14 has been declared as a national holiday by the Central government. If you ask, some may take the trouble of saying that it’s the birthday of Dr B R Ambedkar. But who is he and what were his contributions to the country for which we are getting the opportunity to get rid of our professional life? Ask this question and you will find pin drop silence.

Born on April 14, 1891, Dr B R Ambedkar or Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, who is also known as Babasaheb, is considered as the chief architect of the India’s Constitution. But that’s not the only contribution of this great man to his nation. Being a member of a poor untouchable family, Dr Ambedkar spent most of his life fighting against social discrimination, something that he had been victim of. He was a Dalit political leader and also a Buddhist revivalist. He fought against the Chaturvarna system, the Hindu categorization of four varnas and also led the Dalit Buddhist movement for which he was posthumously honored with Bharat Ratna in 1990, the highest Indian civilian award.

His qualifications and depth of knowledge about the society worked in his aid and after India’s independence on 1947 he was invited by the Congress-led Central government to take the chair of the country’s law minister. Later, he was appointed as the chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee and was given the charge of writing the text of India’s Constitution. Though Dr Ambedkar followed Western models, the Constitution that he prepared was full of Indian spirit with special emphasize on the tribal classes. It was due to his knowledge and in-depth study on the tribal classes, that Indian Constitution today provides Constitutional guarantees and protection for civil liberties for individuals, freedom of religion and abolition of untouchability.

Babasaheb also argued for extensive social and economic rights for the women and contributed largely to the introduction of system of job reservations in civil services and educational institutions for members of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, the benefit of which thousands of Indian people are enjoying today. The great soul passed away on December 6, 1956 but left behind his contributions that will act in the favor of billions of countrymen who even in the 21st century fall victim to hatred for the castes and tribes they belong to. Whatever you say about this great man, is too little to describe his contributions to the country. But what we can and must do is showing respect. Let’s pay tribute to this great soul today and promise to ourselves that we will never again forget why April 14 is declared as a national holiday, because it indeed is a Mahajan Dibas.

We at Aslogtech salute the great Babasaheb and pay tribute to him from the bottom of our heart. Babasaheb, you will never forget you and your great contributions that help us held our head high.