Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was born on April 14, 1891, in Mhow, a small town in present-day Madhya Pradesh, India. He was the 14th and youngest child of Ramji Maloji Sakpal and Bhimabai Sakpal. His family belonged to the Mahar caste, which was considered “untouchable” in the caste-based society of that time.
Challenges in Childhood
Despite his father being a Subedar in the British Indian Army, Ambedkar faced severe caste discrimination from an early age. In school, he and other Dalit students were often seated separately, denied access to water, and treated as inferior by teachers and classmates.
Education
Ambedkar, however, was a brilliant student. His father encouraged him to pursue education, and he completed his matriculation in 1907 from Elphinstone High School, becoming one of the first Dalits to do so. Later, he earned a scholarship from the Maharaja of Baroda, which allowed him to pursue higher studies.
Ambedkar’s early life was shaped by social discrimination and educational perseverance, which later influenced his fight for social justice and equality in India.