(This piece was originally published on 13 April 2022. It has been republished from The Quint's archives on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti.)
Babasaheb Ambedkar was born on 14 April 1891 in Mhow, a garrison town near Indore, though his family hailed from Maharashtra. He is one of those few political and intellectual figures from our recent past who is being appropriated by all political formations. I do not need to explain why this is happening – it is too obvious. His name and legacy appeal to a huge section of our population that has been on the margins for centuries. He gave voice to the millions of these voiceless Indians, who were empowered with the franchise to elect their government.
But all those who extol Ambedkar for votes should also try to explore the intellectual and political ideas he left behind. He envisioned an India that was inclusive, where no religion or caste distinction mattered, an idea that was intrinsic to democratic governance.
This is particularly essential today when some of us are busy defining the identity of our fellow citizens, excluding a section on the basis of religious identity. The past few days have seen this ‘othering’ being manifested in the form of extreme hate and violence against Muslims. The idea of composite nationalism is being blatantly undone.