01-02-2021 The Asian Independent

www.theasianindependent.co.uk
NEWS
01-02-2021 to 15-02-2021
19
Savita Ambedkar, a ‘social worker
in her own right’ who kept
BR AMBEDKAR’S legacy alive
Savita Ambedkar, the wife of Dr B.R. Ambedkar, was a close witness
to his contributions in framing the Indian Constitution.
BY PIA KRISHNANKUTTY
New Delhi: Savita Bhimrao
Ambedkar, also known as ‘Mai’ or
‘Maisaheb’, was a medical practitioner
and the second wife of Dr Bhimrao
Ramji Ambedkar, one of India’s most
powerful social reformers and father of
the Indian Constitution.
Savita was a close witness to his contributions
in framing the Constitution.
She was also present during his induction
into Buddhism at Deekshabhoomi
in Nagpur. In an unpublished preface to
his last book The Buddha and His
Dhamma, Ambedkar credited Savita
and his personal doctor, Dr Malvankar,
for nursing him back to health during
the five years while he was writing the
book.
Savita was, however, blamed for
Ambedkar’s death in December 1956.
There were conspiracy theories that she
had poisoned Ambedkar with a glass of
buttermilk or suffocated him with a pillow,
said archivist Vijay Surwade, who
has dedicated his life to collecting memorabillia
concerning Ambedkar.
The rumours even prompted the government
to launch an inquiry into
Ambedkar’s death but the probe ruled
out any foul play.
Many have also doubted her commitment
to the Dalit-Buddhist movement
because of her Brahmin roots, despite
her converting to Buddhism along with
Ambedkar. A researcher and an
Ambedkarite, Sadanand Fulzele, has
said, “The people of Maharashtra had
many misgivings about her, and think
that she gave Babasaheb a slow poison.
Once, (Ramdas) Athawale tried to bring
her to the dais at a party event, but the
people did not accept her.”
Fulzele added that those who took an
extreme stance on Savita’s role were
seen as more legitimate at the time,
while those taking a more neutral view
were believed as betraying the cause.
Savita died on 29 May 2003 at the
J.J. Hospital in Mumbai after a prolonged
illness. She was 94-year-old at
the time of her death. Prime Minister
Atal Bihari Vajpayee had expressed
grief over her death, and called her
Ambedkar’s “principal source of inspiration”
and “a great social worker, in her
own right”. On her 112nd birth anniversary
Wednesday, ThePrint takes a look
at the woman who stood behind
Ambedkar and the many ways in which
she helped preserve his legacy.
Early life, letters to Ambedkar &
marriage
Born on 27 January 1909, Savita
hailed from Dorla village in Ratnagiri
district of Maharashtra. Her maiden
name was Sharda Kabir, which she later
changed to Savita Ambedkar. Savita’s
father was a registrar of the Indian
Medical Council.
She completed her early education in
Pune and obtained her MBBS degree
from Grant Medical College, Mumbai
in 1937. After briefly working as a chief
medical officer at a hospital in Gujarat,
she came to Mumbai where she met
Ambedkar, who was suffering from diabetes
and blood pressure at the time.
The two exchanged around 40-50 letters
for a year after that. Ambedkar
would pen letters that were 18-25
pages-long, said Surwade. In one of the
letters to Savita in February 1948,
Ambedkar had discussed the blurring of
his private and public life. “You have
not cared to inquire into my past,” he
wrote. “But it will be available to you at
any time in the pages of many Marathi
magazines.” The two married on 15
April 1948 in New Delhi, 13 years after
the death of Amebdkar’s first wife,
Ramabai.
Keeping Ambedkar’s legacy alive
After Ambedkar’s death, Savita
spoke at many conferences and public
events concerning the Dalit-Buddhist
movement and contributed to the cause,
Surwade said. She also introduced figures
like former Union minister Chinta
Mohan, who often speaks out against
caste discrimination and the importance
of upholding Ambedkar’s legacy, to politics.
Savita was instrumental in setting
up the Symbiosis Society’s Dr
Babasaheb Ambedkar Museum and
Memorial in Pune that was inaugurated
in 1996. In 1982, 26 years after
Ambedkar’s death, she began donating
many of his belongings for the construction
of a museum by the Symbiosis
Society. Today, the museum preserves
and displays many of the social
reformer’s books and manuscripts, his
violin, silver-framed spectacles, the
Bharat Ratna medal and more. Until
2001, Savita visited the museum every
year on Ambedkar’s birth and death
anniversaries, said the director of the
memorial. It was also her and other
extended members of his family who
granted permission to the government
for publication of Ambedkar’s complete
writings. Savita was consulted during
the making of a feature film on
Ambedkar’s life that was directed by
Jabbar Patel and released in 2000. Actor
Mrinal Dev-Kulkarni, best known for
her role in the popular TV serial Son
Pari, played the role of Savita.
Courtesy : The Print
UK unveils cash boost
scheme to help businesses
London : The UK government
has unveiled a 1,000-
pound ($1,374) cash boost
scheme to help businesses with
the cost of providing a traineeship
aimed at helping young
people with jobs.
"The new scheme will support
young people to gain the
skills and experience they need
from the very start, helping them
to get a job, an apprenticeship, or
pursue further study," a joint
statement issued on Wednesday
by the Department for Education
and the Treasury said.
The funding is expected to be
available until July 31 this year,
Xinhua news agency reported.
Businesses providing new
traineeship opportunities will
receive the 1,000 pounds bonus
for every trainee they take on
with up to a maximum of 10
trainees, said the document.
The announcement came as
the UK's unemployment rate
estimate for people aged 16
years and over surged to 5 per
cent for the period between
September to November 2020,
the Office for National Statistics
(ONS) said on Tuesday.
An estimated 1.72 million
people were unemployed in the
three months, 418,000 more than
a year earlier and 202,000 more
than the previous quarter, as the
country's labour market continued
to be hit significantly by the
Covid-19 pandemic.
"The annual increase was the
largest since October to
December 2009, with unemployment
reaching its highest level
since July to September 2015,"
said the ONS.
England is currently under the
third national lockdown since
the outbreak of the pandemic in
the country.
Similar restriction measures
are also in place in Scotland,
Wales and Northern Ireland.