The Ambedkar tourist circuit

Recently, the Central government has announced a special tourist circuit encompassing five key sites associated with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

Dr. B. R Ambedkar

• Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader.
• He headed the drafting committee the Constitution of India from the Constituent Assembly.
• He also served as Law and Justice Minister in the first cabinet of Jawaharlal Nehru.
• He inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement after renouncing Hinduism, fighting the caste system prevalent in India at that time.
• Ambedkar graduated from Elphinstone College, University of Bombay, and studied economics at Columbia University and the London School of Economics, receiving doctorates in 1927 and 1923 respectively and was among a handful of Indian students to have done so at either institution in the 1920s.
• He also trained in the law at Gray's Inn, London. In his early career, he was an economist, professor, and lawyer.
• His later life was marked by his political activities; he became involved in campaigning and negotiations for India's independence, publishing journals, advocating political rights and social freedom for Dalits, and contributing significantly to the establishment of the state of India.
• In 1956, he converted to Buddhism, initiating mass conversions of

Key highlights of the Tourist Circuit

• The five cities in the tourist circuit as announced by the government are;
  • Mhow (his birthplace),
  • London (where he resided and studied),
  • Nagpur (also studied here),
  • Delhi (where he passed away) and
  • Finally Mumbai (where he was cremated)
• These sites are already visited by Dalits as pilgrimage spots; the idea is to attract members of the public from outside the Dalit community.