Bhimrao Ambedkar
(and Friend)

Although everyone knows Mohandas K. Gandhi - called the Mahatma or Great Soul - few outside of India know of Bhimrao Ambedkar. Now we can't say that Bhimrao and the Great Soul were actually friends although both worked for India's independence and the improvement of the conditions for the poor of the country.

Bhimrao is most famous for his efforts to end discrimination within Indian society in general and toward a specific group in particular. This group is the Dalits. English speakers will know the Dalits as the Untouchables. Everyone knows that the Untouchables is the lowest caste in India although that's not really true. The Dalits are outside the caste system altogether, and Bhimrao himself was a Dalit.

Anyone who has studied the history of India knows the Mahatma worked to end discrimination against the Dalits. He would meet with them, eat with them, and even move into their communities to protest their segregation from the rest of society.

So why were Bhimrao and the Mahatma, well, a bit at odds (to put it mildly)? In fact, some of the Mahatma's fans take high umbrage at what Bhimrao said about a man whom they regard as a saint. They were both working for the same goal, weren't they?

Well, yes and no. But it was less the matter than the manner of achieving their goals that pitted Bhimrao against the Mahatma. So to learn why Bhimrao is admired by a goodly chunk of the Indian population - and why his admirers do not admire the one that the world most admires - we must divert to a brief biography of the one the world does admire. Which you can read - with admiration or not - if you just click here.