Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was one of the most impactful individuals who have ever lived in India as he transformed the social and legal aspects of the country. Coming from a Dalit family background, he was subjected to extreme oppression, which greatly shaped his perception of social equity. He was an accomplished academic, acquiring degrees from noted universities such as Columbia University and the London School of Economics. While serving as the head of the Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution, Ambedkar’s influence was instrumental in including provisions of upholding justice, equality, and safeguarding the rights of minorities.

Ambedkar’s untiring efforts towards fighting discrimination based on caste inequalities, and his advocacy for the rights of the Dalits – the emancipated “untouchables” – deeply integrated him into the framework of Indian history as “the father of the Indian Constitution.” The work he did towards the removal of untouchability and consideration towards social reforms with his adoption of Buddhism in 1956 significantly transformed the socio-political fabric of India. He pioneered the campaign for human rights in India and his life’s work remains a source of inspiration for countless people in social movements around the world.

Ambedkar was not only a freedom fighter or some ancient politician with a long name in textbooks. He was a straight-up revolution wrapped in human form. Born into a system that literally informed him he didn’t belong, he turned the tables with sheer intellect—like, not only “worked hard” but “flexed so hard he received several doctorates” type.

But it wasn’t degrees alone. He didn’t drive up to Oxford and Columbia just to groove. He learned about how societies function so he could dismantle what was broken in India—such as caste, inequality, and artificial social order. And then this guy returns, writes the Indian Constitution (essentially the user guide of the nation), and incorporates elements such as Article 32 so people could finally question injustice. That’s crazy.

And the best part is, he didn’t leave politics alone. He learned about power in every way—religion, law, money, knowledge. So when he became a Buddhist, it wasn’t a spiritual choice—it was a mic drop moment of declaring, “I don’t need your permission to be free.”