Name: Fighting For Change: Reform Movements Across India
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 5 min 46 s
Description: The 19th century was a time of great social change across India. Various reform movements emerged as leaders fought for more rights.

Question

Write a note on Mahatma Gandhi and B. R. Ambedkar's role in fighting the curse of untouchability.

Accepted Answer

Role of Mahatma Gandhi in fighting untouchability

Gandhi was of the belief that there should be unity in the Indian masses in order to fight against the British Empire. But the Indian society was divided on the basis of caste where the status of lower castes was deplorable. He took several steps to incorporate the lower castes into the national movement by working on their upliftment.

He addressed them as Harijans - which literally means children of God. He started a nationwide movement against untouchability. He founded the All India Anti Untouchability League. He also started the weekly called Harijan to bring out the plight of lower castes to the general society.

Role of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar in fighting untouchability

B. R. Ambedkar wished to abolish untouchability, caste prejudice, and Harijan exploitation. To convey his message, he launched various journals. Between $1927$ and $1932$ , he organised a series of nonviolent initiatives to assert the untouchables' right to enter temples and draw water from public wells.

He belonged to the Mahar caste in Maharashtra and due to his movements for temple entry, he achieved success. His ideas about caste and social injustice were also instrumental in separate electorates for the lower castes and upliftment of Dalit politics in India.

He drafted the Indian constitution and also tried to give proper space for the development of the lower castes in India. His ideas are relevant even today and political leaders belonging to lower castes use them to unite the lower castes in India.

Both Gandhi and Ambedkar played important roles in fighting the curse of untouchability in their own ways. Gandhi's perspective was aligned with the national movement, therefore his reforms brought the peasants and the working class together in the national movement. Ambedkar's experiences of caste inequalities shaped his ideas and his reforms.

Write a note on Mahatma Gandhi and B. R. Ambedkar's role in fighting the curse of untouchability.

Important Questions on Reforms in Indian Society

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