Question

Discuss the contribution and achievement of Dr BR Ambedkar in the field of social reform.

Answer 1

Concept of Dalit:

Generally, the word Dalit includes those who are designated in administrative parlance as Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). However, in common political discourse, the term Dalit is so far mainly referred to Scheduled Castes.

Dalit Liberation: Subaltern Approach:

With the advent of Ambedkar into the Indian political arena during 1920s, the issue of social reforms achieved a new dimension. He was of the opinion that until and unless the downtrodden themselves came forward to fight their battle, no one else could alleviate their grievances. No one else could know better than them about their own state of affairs.

Analysis of the Writings of Ambedkar:

Rodrigues (2002) made an attempt to highlight the best of Ambedkar’s writings, reflecting the depth and range of his life’s work, his intellectual incisiveness, and his realistic assessment of the social and political issues. We find that the analysis given by Rodrigues is very useful for the understanding of Ambedkar’s writings. Therefore, we are describing here the abridged version of the Rodrigues’ analysis on the following issues as reflected in Ambedkar’s writings.

Exploration of Concepts:

Ambedkar found the need to reflect upon a wide range of concepts either to substantially explore them, decipher their different deter­minations, or to chisel and fine tune them by removing the dross. He adopted different approaches to present them, sometimes in the light of historical developments and at other times, in view of contentions.

Answer 2

Concept introduction:

Social reform refers to the remodeling or changing of traditionally accepted laws and conventions in response to evolving cultural paradigms. Social change can take place on a local, provincial, national, or international scale.

Explanation:

We have to Discuss the contribution and achievement of Dr. BR Ambedkar in the field of social reform.

A statement related to this has been given to us.

Typically, the term "Dalit" refers to people who are classified as Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes in administrative terminology (OBCs). However, the term "Dalit" has historically mostly related to Scheduled Castes in political discourse.

Liberation of Dalits: A Subaltern Perspective

The problem of social reforms took on a new significance when Ambedkar entered the Indian political scene in the $1920s$. He believed that nobody else could make things better for the oppressed unless and until they stood up and took up their own cause. They were the only ones who could have a greater understanding of their own situation.

Analysis of the Writings of Ambedkar:

Rodrigues $(2002)$ made an attempt to highlight the best of Ambedkar’s writings, reflecting the depth and range of his life’s work, his intellectual incisiveness, and his realistic assessment of the social and political issues. We find that the analysis given by Rodrigues is very useful for the understanding of Ambedkar’s writings. Therefore, we are describing here the abridged version of the Rodrigues’ analysis on the following issues as reflected in Ambedkar’s writings.

Final answer:

The final answer of the question is In administrative jargon, the term "Dalit" refers to those who are categorized as Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). However, in political discourse, the term "Dalit" has historically mostly referred to Scheduled castes. We believe that Rodrigues' analysis is quite helpful for comprehending Ambedkar's writings.

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