An eminent politician, jurist and free-India’s first Law Minister, Dr B R Ambedkar, was born in April 1891, in Mhow district of Madhya Pradesh. He played a pivotal role in drafting the Constitution of India and worked extensively to eradicate the injustice meted out to the socially backward classes, particularly the Dalits. He was born a Dalit, considered untouchables by the upper caste then. Babasaheb, as he is popularly known, became a victim of this social evil since he was a child and bore the brunt of being a Dalit his entire life. This horrors of casteism haunted even after he obtained his first doctoral! This led him to work for upliftment of the Dalits, who looked up to him as their demi-god.

Remembering him on his 125th birth anniversary, Global Indian International School Ahmedabad students of class 7, elaborately discussed on his life and ideologies. The discussion was intense with the two groups comparing the India we live in today, with the one which was burdened with social evils. Is India what Babasaheb wanted it to be? The students gave a thought to the question and pointed out that our country is not all free of discrimination. And, answered that education is the way to curb evils like discrimination. The young students reminded all that India still is a slave to dowry, sex determination, skewed sex ratio and casteism. And, free India from the shackles of such evils we all have to work in unison, said class 7 students.

Babasaheb graduated from the Bombay University in 1912 and then went on to obtain several doctoral degrees from foreign universities. In 1990, Bharat Ratna - India’s highest civilian award was conferred upon him posthumously. Though he faced many hurdles in life, he never shied away from fulfilling his dreams. Our students today were enlightened with such traits of Ambedkar and derived courage to fight back any evil. They pledged to spread the message of equality by creating awareness and educating people in their own small ways. Believing in holistic learning that focuses on all aspects of personality, GIIS teaches its students values and ethics in their formative years to make them successful ladies and gentlemen!