Post by Dr. Jaimine V

“Bhakti in religion may be a road to the salvation of the soul. But in politics, Bhakti or hero-worship is a sure road to degradation and to eventual dictatorship.” Dr. B.R. Ambedkar spoke these words with the clarity that defined his life. Today, on his 135th birth anniversary, they feel more urgent than ever. Born on 14 April 1891 into a Mahar family in Mhow, Ambedkar overcame exclusion from school wells, classrooms, and even barbers. He went on to earn degrees from Columbia and the London School of Economics, became a barrister, and chaired the Drafting Committee of our Constitution. Yet he never let personal success blind him to the unfinished work ahead. In his final speech to the Constituent Assembly on 25 November 1949, he warned: “On the 26th of January 1950, we are going to enter into a life of contradictions. In politics we will have equality and in social and economic life we will have inequality.” #Ambedkar did not want statues or hollow tributes. He wanted the annihilation of caste. He wanted a republic where liberty, equality and fraternity were not just constitutional words but lived realities. Hero-worship without action is exactly what he cautioned against. Read the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/dFEEWYK4 via The CSR Journal