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Ambedkar Research Scholars
The sac encourages research scholars to engage with dr b r ambedkar's history, from his time at the lse and beyound..
Dr B R Ambedkar is one of the most important alumnus of LSE, from where he was awarded his MA and PhD. His doctoral thesis on ‘The Indian Rupee’, written in 1922-23, was later published as The Problem of the Rupee: Its Origin and Its Solution (London: P S King & Son, Ltd, 1923). Ambedkar was a Social Reformer, Economist, Parliamentarian, Jurist, and the Principal Architect of the Constitution of India.
A short biography can be found on the LSE History blog, along with a description of his time at the LSE.
2015 Scholars Visits
As part of the 125th Birth Anniversary Celebrations of Dr B R Ambedkar, the SAC hosted two delegations of research scholars and government officials for week-long visits on 24-31 October 2015 and 21-28 November 2015, in collaboration with the High Commission of India in London and the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India.
With two tours of 25 students & three officers each, the objectives of these trips were i) to show how HE institutions function in the UK, ii) the academic and educational facilities available that are relevant to theirresearch interests at LSE, iii) the rare archival collections relevant to India in museums and collections in London, iv) the multiculturallie in London and v) to introduce students to issues of social inequality, injustice and empowerment affecting contemporary Britain.
Whilst here, two students were interviewed by Rozelle Laha from the Hindustan Times , culminating in an article published in the Delhi edition (in page 19) on Wednesday, 2 December 2015.
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Columbia University Libraries
Dr. ambedkar and columbia university: a legacy to celebrate.
For those of you who may not know, Dr. Ambedkar is a Dalit, an Indian jurist, economist, politician, activist and social reformer, who systematically campaigned against social discrimination towards women, workers, but most notably, towards the Dalits, and forcefully argued against the caste system in Hindu society. Dr. Ambedkar was the main architect of the Constitution of India, and served as the first law and justice minister of the Republic of India, and is considered by many one of the foremost global critical thinkers of the 20 th c., and a founder of the Dalit Buddhist movement. Ambedkar’s fight for social justice for Dalits, as well as women, and workers consumed his life’s activities: in 1950 he resigned from his position as the country’s first minister of law when Nehru’s cabinet refused to pass the Women’s Rights Bill. His feud with Mahatma Gandhi over Dalit political representation and suffrage in the newly independent State of India is by now famous, or I should say notorious, and it is Dr. Ambedkar who comes out on the right side of history.
The bronze bust, sculpted by Vinay Brahmesh Wagh of Bombay, was presented by the Federation of Ambedkarite and Buddhist Organizations, UK to the Southern Asian Institute of Columbia University on October 24, 1991, and then the marble pedestal on which the statue now rests was donated by the Society of the Ambedkarites of New York and New Jersey, and placed in Lehman Library in 1995. The bust is the only site in the city where Dr. Ambedkar is honored, and is one of the most popular sites in enclosed spaces on campus that I have seen (you have to walk past the library entrance to get to it).
Every year, on April 14 th, Ambedkar’s birthday, Ambedkar Jayanti or Bhim Jayanti, is celebrated in India (as an official holiday since 2015), at the UN (since 2016), and around the world. On this day, many visitors flock to Lehman Library, to pay tribute to Baba Saheb and place garlands on the bust. The sight of the visitors– many of whom come to Columbia just to see the bust and pay homage to the man who changed Indian society, brings home the significance of recognizing our critical thinkers, across cultures, eras, languages, divisions and types of social injustice, in the public fora of libraries. It is a powerful reminder that it is through scholarship and indeed through libraries and learning that human differences and injustices can be better understood, addressed and perhaps overcome.
Years later, Dr. Ambedkar writes: ‘The best friends I have had in life were some of my classmates at Columbia and my great professors, John Dewey , James Shotwell, Edwin Seligman , and James Harvey Robinson.'” (Source: “‘Untouchables’ Represented by Ambedkar, ’15AM, ’28PhD,” Columbia Alumni News, Dec. 19, 1930, page 12.)
Ambedkar majored in Economics, and took many courses in sociology, history, philosophy, as well as anthropology.
In 1915, he submitted an M. A. thesis entitled: The Administration and Finance of the East India Company . (He is believed to have begun an M. A. thesis entitled Ancient Indian Commerce earlier. That thesis is unavailable at the RBML but it is reprinted in volume 12 of Ambedkar’s collected writings). By the time he left Columbia in 1916 Ambedkar had begun research for his doctoral thesis entitled: “National Dividend of India–A Historic and Analytical Study. About this thesis, Ambedkar writes to his mentor Prof. Seligman, with whom he forged a long and friendly correspondence, even after he left Columbia: “My dear Prof. Seligman, Having lost my manuscript of the original thesis when the steamer was torpedoed on my way back to India in 1917 I have written out a new thesis… [ …from the letter of Feb. 16, 1922, Seligman papers, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University ” cited in Dr. Frances Pritchard’s excellent online website about Ambedkar ]. In 1920, Ambedkar writes: “My dear Prof. Seligman, You will probably be surprised to see me back in London. I am on my way to New York but I am halting in London for about two years to finish a piece or two of research work which I have undertaken. Of course I long to be with you again for it was when I was thrown into academic life by reason of my being a professor at the Sydenham College of Commerce & Economics in Bombay, that I realized the huge debt of gratitude I owe to the Political Science Faculty of the Columbia University in general and to you in particular.” B. R. Ambedkar, London, 3/8/20” , (Source: letter of August 3, 1920, Seligman papers, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University, cited in Pritchard’s website ). Ambedkar would join the London School of Economics for a few years and submit a thesis there, but then, he would eventually come back to Columbia, to submit a Ph.D. thesis in Economics , in 1925 under the mentorship of his dear friend Prof. Seligman, entitled: The Evolution of Provincial Finance in British India: A Study in the Provincial Decentralization of Imperial Finance . (It should be noted here that the thesis was first published in 1923 and again in 1925, this time with a Foreword by Edwin Seligman, by the publishers P. S. King and Son).
If it is Seligman he stayed in touch with and corresponded throughout, the person who most influenced his thought and shaped his political, philosophical and ethical outlook, was Dewey. For many thinkers, the links between Dewey and Ambedkar’s ethical and philosophical thinking are obvious. Ambedkar deeply admired Dewey and repeatedly acknowledged his debt to Dewey, calling him “his teacher”. Ambedkar’s thought was deeply etched by John Dewey’s ideas of education as linked to experience, as practical and contextual, and the ideas of freedom and equality as essentially tied with the ideals of justice and of fraternity, a concept he would go on to apply to the Indian context, and to his pointed criticism of the caste system. Echoing many ideas propagated by Dewey, Ambedkar writes in the Annhilation of Caste : “Reason and morality are the two most powerful weapons in the armoury of a reformer. To deprive him of the use of these weapons is to disable him for action. How are you going to break up Caste, if people are not free to consider whether it accords with reason? How are you going to break up Caste, if people are not free to consider whether it accords with morality?”
Having sat in several classes given by Dewey, and as early as 1916, Ambedkar would go on to address, at a Columbia University Seminar taught by the anthropologist Prof. Alexander Goldenweiser (1880-1940), his colleagues and friends with many of the ideas he later developed in his famous book: the Annihilation of Caste. The paper “ Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis, and Development ” contains many similarities to the Annihilation of Caste, and some of the books’ essential tenets., as acknowledged by Ambedkar himself ( Preface to the 3rd edition, Annihilation of Caste ).
The Columbia University Archives and the Columbia University Libraries hold many resources related to Dr. Ambedkar and to the Dalit movement and Dalit literature. For any inquiries regarding relevant resources, please do not hesitate to contact us: Gary Hausman : South and Southeast Asian Librarian , Global Studies; Rare Book and Manuscript Library: RBML Archivists
Happy Baba Saheb Ambedkar Juyanti!
Kaoukab Chebaro , Global Studies, Head
Today, for the first time studying for Civil Services I got to know about this great man. I think that in the galaxy of freedom fighters which India have produced he was the one we can truly say as the ‘Pole Star’. A true leader who walked the talk, he fought not only for country but also for the rights of the minority who were being annihilated for centuries. We should take cue from this man and try to go for equality, and that equality should be of thoughts, feelings and desires. It’s not at all wrong to aspire for greatness in life but to stifle a man’s path with the chains of societal norms is a sin in my sense. I hope to imbibe some of his qualities in my life. Let long live his legacy.
Thus my goodDr.BR. Ambedkar
Indeed Great emancipator of millions marginalised people, architect of Indian constitution, philosopher, economist, social reformer, jurist, astute politician no lastly father of modern India !! Jaibhim !!
What a great man. Wonderful article.
If it wasn’t for Dr.Ambedkar I wouldn’t be here in this country and have a life that I do now. I will forever be indebted to this Great Man’s courage in the face of adversity. Words cannot describe the gratitude I have for this man Thank you
Excellent effort to make this blog more wonderful and attractive.
Dr. Ambedkar was a great man.
Wonderful Article and an excellent blog. Greetings. Llorenç
Baba Saheb Dr. B R Ambedkar is alive in his works for humanity. Study Social Science or Law, or Education, or about farmers, or Dams and irrigation, or planning commission and budget or journalism, or human rights ……. on most of the subjects and disciplines, his live seen in his works and writtings. By reading him; his life, and his works, he inspires others by his works for the betterment of the society and a world, as a whole.
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Every breathe I take today is because of your struggle to give us an equal and fair society. It could not be possible to imagine even a single day without understanding your life and struggles. Each and every aspect of my existence is because of you Babasaheb. However, the current state of Dalit society pains me.
Such a great personality, tried hard to improvise the system in the country but had to face too much opposition and hatred. Salute to his strength and beliefs that he continued his fight for social justice despite such circumstances.
He was a great man, I considered India’s progress because of his work for the emancipation of millions of marginalized people in India
Is Columbia University conducting a Post Graduate course or PHD on Dr. Ambedkar thought?
Baba sahab Was great human Baba sahab is great human Baba sahab will great human .
Baba sahab god gifted and human for students, politicians, poor humans and all leaders ❤❤
I am thankful to Babasaheb Ambedkar for the beautiful living given to me by his at most efforts to eradicate the caste system through out India and to uplift the standard of living of the downtrodden of this country. He was a great man who fought for the rights and upliftment of the downtrodden and the dignity of women of this nation. A true Indian and a great patriot of the nation. I salute him for his work and knowledge.
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Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, a lifelong champion of social justice and civil rights for the "untouchable" Dalit caste, received his PhD in Economics from Columbia University in 1927 and an honorary degree in 1952.
Ambedkar was the first highly educated, politically prominent member of the Hindu "untouchable" caste. He is best remembered today for leading colonial India's only autonomous struggle for Dalit rights and social recognition; for his extensive writings that reprised caste as a form of inequality and historical injustice; and for his role as Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution, which allowed him to leave a profound and enduring mark on Indian trajectories of democratic justice and affirmative action policy.
As a student at Columbia, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar studied with some of the greatest figures of interwar American liberalism, such as John Dewey and Edward Seligman , and the American historians James Shotwell and James Harvey Robinson. John Dewey, an American philosopher and educational reformer, was Dr. Ambedkar's intellectual mentor at Columbia University. Under his guidance, Ambedkar formulated the blueprints of his ideas for social justice and equality.
"The best friends I have had in my life," he told the New York Times in 1930, "were some of my classmates at Columbia and my great professors."
Like his near contemporary, W.E.B. Du Bois , Ambedkar was an insurgent thinker whose writings consistently engaged European and American history and political thought. This allowed him to explore the universality of political concepts, as well as to expose the dark histories of Euro-America with regard to its histories of injustice and dehumanization. It is this doubled character of Ambedkar's thought-its deep globality, as well as its persistent concern with the specific distress of untouchability that distinguishes him from other anticolonial thinkers of his generation.
In 1936, Ambedkar wrote the Annihilation of Caste for a 1936 meeting of a group of liberal Hindu caste-reformers. However, the group withdrew their invitation after seeing the draft of his speech. As a result, Ambedkar published the work himself, and it became an instant classic. The Columbia Center for New Media Teaching and Learning offers an annotated version of the work at their Annihilation of Caste website . Columbia’s celebration of its 250th anniversary in 2004 included a profile of Ambedkar on its website.
Ambedkar's mark on Indian trajectories of democratic justice based on the ideas of liberty, equality, and fraternity could be heard during US President Barack Obama's address to the Parliament of India in 2010. President Obama invoked Ambedkar's contribution to the Indian constitution and Indian society, saying "We believe that no matter who you are or where you come from, every person can fulfill their God-given potential. Just as a Dalit like Dr. Ambedkar could lift himself up and pen the words of the constitution that protects the rights of all Indians. We believe that no matter where you live – whether a village in Punjab or the by lanes of Chandni Chowk, an old section of Kolkata or a new high-rise in Bangalore – every person deserves the same chance to live in security and dignity, to get an education, to find work, and to give their children a better future."
For a timeline of Ambedkar’s life, see this historical site created by Columbia Professor Emerita Frances W. Pritchett. See also the Columbia University Department of History website .
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Sue Donnelly
January 29th, 2016, “no more worlds here for him to conquer” – dr b r ambedkar at lse.
27 comments | 44 shares
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Dr B R Ambedkar first visited LSE in 1916, returned in 1921 and submitted his doctoral thesis in 1923. LSE Archivist Sue Donnelly investigates Dr B R Ambedkar’s life at LSE.
In 1920 the economist Edwin R Seligman wrote from Columbia University to Professor Herbert Foxwell, teaching at LSE recommending a former student, Bhimrao Ramji (B R) Ambedkar, and asking Foxwell to help him in his research. In November 1920 Foxwell wrote to the School Secretary, Mrs Mair:
I find he has already taken his doctor’s degree & has only come here to finish a research. I had forgotten this. I am sorry we cannot identify him with the School but there are no more worlds here for him to conquer.
Despite this B R Ambedkar registered for a master’s degree and completed a PhD thesis on his second attempt to study at LSE. 2016 marks the 125 th anniversary of B R Ambedkar’s birth in 1891 and the centenary of his first visit to LSE in 1916. Ambedkar was born into a family from a so-called “untouchable” caste. Ambedkar became a social reformer and architect of the Indian constitution.
After studying at Elphinstone High School in Bombay he was the first Dalit to enrol at Elphinstone College and the University of Bombay taking a degree in economics and political science. In 1913 he was awarded a Baroda State Scholarship and moved to Columbia University, New York, completing a masters in 1913 and a thesis, National Dividend of India-A Historic and Analytical Study in 1916. A desire to undertake research into the history of Indian finance and currency led Ambedkar to study in London where a wider range of research sources would be available.
In 1916 he registered at LSE for a master’s degree and took courses in Geography with Halford Mackinder, and Political Ideas with G Lowes Dickinson , alongside Social Evolution and Social Theory with Professor L T Hobhouse. The fees for the course were £10 10s. At the same time Ambedkar enrolled for the bar course at Gray’s Inn.
In 1916 LSE was only 21 years old but with a high reputation in the social sciences and for its international student body, in 1913-1914 142 students had come from outside of the Britain. The outbreak of the First World War had impacted on the work of the School and student numbers had fallen by almost half to around 800. Ambedkar’s studies were interrupted as he was recalled to India to serve as Military Secretary in Baroda and in July 1917 the University of London gave him leave of absence of up to four years.
In 1920 Ambedkar returned to LSE after working as professor of political economy at Sydenham College in Mumbai and giving evidence to the Scarborough Committee preparing the 1919 Government of India Act on the position and representation of “untouchable” communities. Initially he applied to complete his masters degree and write a thesis on The Provincial Decentralisation of Imperial Finance in India. His fees had gone up by a guinea to £11 11s. There was a slight glitch in his LSE career in April 1921 when he failed to send in his form for the summer examinations and the School Secretary, Mrs Mair, had to write to University of London’s Academic Registrar for permission to submit the form late.
In economics Ambedkar’s tutors included Professor Edwin Cannan and Professor Herbert Foxwell both of whom had taught at the School since its opening in 1895. He would also have met Theodore Gregory who began as an assistant in economics but became Cassell Reader in International Trade in 1920. Gregory became an economic advisor in India from 1938-1946.
Ambedkar finally submitted his doctoral thesis, The Problem of the Rupee , in March 1923 but it was not recommended for acceptance. Reports claim that the thesis was too revolutionary and anti-British for the examiners. However there is no indication of this in Ambedkar’s student file. The thesis was resubmitted in August 1923 and accepted in November 1923. It was published almost immediately and in the preface Ambedkar noted “my deep sense of gratitude to my teacher, Professor Edwin Cannan “noting that Cannan’s “severe examination of my theoretical discussions has saved me from many an error”. Cannan repaid the complement by writing the Foreword to the thesis in which he found “a stimulating freshness” even if he disagreed with some of the arguments.
After his success Ambedkar returned to India where he was prominent in the campaign for Indian independence and opposing discrimination for Dalit communities. In 1947 he became the first Law Minister of independent India and was Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee. LSE continued to take an interest in his career and in 1932 the Director, William Beveridge, wrote to Professor Cannan that Ambedkar had been invited to the School by John Coatman, Professor of Imperial Economic Relations, formerly director of public information for the Indian Police Service and the British government in India, to meet Professor Gregory while attending the roundtable discussions on the Indian constitution.
In 1973 a portrait of B R Ambedkar was unveiled in the lobby to Clement House. A bust unveiled in 1994 is currently displayed in the Atrium Gallery of the Old Building.
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About the author
Sue Donnelly is formerly LSE's Archivist, where she specialised in the history of the School.
27 Comments
Marvelous, Kudos to Baba Saheb Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
He was great humen Being
Just amazing so talented and a great person belongs to the whole world that is Dr.BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR
Dr. Ambedkar was great revolutionary Student who oppose wrong policies of British Government in student life.
Ambedkar finally submitted his doctoral thesis, The Problem of the Rupee , in March 1923 but it was not recommended for acceptance. Reports claim that the thesis was too revolutionary and anti-British for the examiners.
You wrote – Ambedkar was later to popularise the use of the term Dalit meaning ‘oppressed’
Dr. Ambedkar didn’t popularise the term Dalit. He hardly used term Dalit instead he preferred Scheduled castes or Untouchable. Dalit term became famous in early 70s with the rise of Dalit Panthers movement in India.
The title of this piece speak the lot… ‘No More Worlds Here for Him to Conquer’ – Dr BR Ambedkar at LSE.
Unfortunately, the “Savarnas Academia” tried their level best to boycott the scholarship of “BabaShaheb Ambedkar”, but “the power” of his scholarship now turning the table
Great man!!!!!!!!!!!! Jai Bhim
A phenomenally inspiring individual who achieved so much for so many.
“Not only very able but exceedingly pleasant fellow” to a foreigner beyond all kinds oppression he underwent in his home country. A genious and revolutionary thinker much ahead of his time. History will remember him for long.
Dr. babasaheb Ambedkar was Ultimate man for India. I Read “The problem of Rupees”. sir im saluting you. i got many good knowledge from this book. Sagar Jagtap B.Sc., MBA- Finance
Thank you for the information but it was not Dr. Ambedkar who popularise the term Dalit. Dalit term became the household name after Dalit Panthers in 1970s.
Baba saheb ambedkar is the most intellectual person and he design the society of human how to live on earth with equality fraternity and freedom. And he give the new ideas to society of the world, to creat something new for benefits of the human and for their betterment.
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was and is the voice of voice less. I adore him for his interpretation of Freedom and justice. He can be compared to himself and none.
Respected sir/Madam, I like to know whether anybody conducted research on “Library use study of Dr B R Ambedkar” at university library. Can I will know library records, entry records of Students, their usage, timing most brobaly about Dr B R Ambedkar
Dr BR AMBEDKAR was a person who had proved that one untouchable can write thesis of PhD from prestigious university LSE at the time when India was under British ruling.Even some people who believe in casteisms are not appreciate his work..
Dr BR AMBEDKAR was a person who had proved that one untouchable can write thesis of PhD from prestigious university LSE …
A great son of India. I think he should have become the 1st Prime Minister of India.
Thanks to LSE for remembering and keeping the memory of Dr. B R Ambedkar afresh for young generations. It is indeed a great tribute to the scholar of par excellence in several fields of humanities. The appreciation of Professor Edwin R Seligman and Professor and Professor Edwin Cannan about Dr B R Ambedkar proves his intellectual ability and his academic ideas impart “a stimulating freshness”. The world remembers his instinct fight for human entitlements, human rights, human freedom and equality of opportunities to downtrodden. His struggles and hard works are inspirational to students. Many generations are benefited from his teachings and works which helped transforming India as “the world’s largest democracy”. Dr B R Ambedkar always lives in the hearts of Indians and inspires billions of Indians and the world community at large for centuries.
Professor Krishna Raj, Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bengaluru
Br ambedkar was the greatest in the world because he changed the history of india by providing equal rights to dalit(untouchables) in india and constitution of india made by br ambedkar
I grateful to LSE for sharing such a awesome and wonderful document of the man behind the creator of Indian constitution and his contribution to Indian economy. His contribution from making constitution to establishing Indian rupee, balancing the social equality is unforgettable.
he is great man .i salute him from my bottom of my heart. jai bhim ! namo buddha.
I reached a great message after a long time. It’s my good luck may be bad luck. Doctor AMBEDKAR is the father of modern india. He turned it’s direction in to a new path towards liberty, equality, and fraternity. India can became developed country by his thoughts
Dr B R Ambedkar was great philosopher of India and the father of Indian constitution all Indian people proud feeling and respectful towards D R ambedkar
First of all Jai Bhim and thank you for providing this. He is not the constitution maker of India ,but also a greatest economist , world’s greatest lawyer and social reformer. I salute you sir .
Great man Architecture of Indian Constitution and unveil Buddhisum of India again for untouchables which gives teaching of Equality, love and compassion.
He was also a mahanatma…….jai hind jai bharat🙏
As one coming from poor besides untouchable family also as its first learner from a village, I can imagine the burden of social oppression and indignity any one in his position had to undergo. Away from his native land, he, fortunately, spent rest of his educational career after graduation from Sydenham College, Bombay in the world of light, where he was marked for his merit not by his caste. He continues to be measured and viewed first as a dalit by his countrymen at home as well as abroad. In 2004, Prof. Valentine Danial, Prof. Anthropology in Columbia University wanted to create a Chair in honour of Dr. Ambedkar, one of its outstanding alumni. But the upper caste members in the Faculty, Prof. Danial was quoted by The New York Times, October 24, 2004, resisted the proposal. In 2011 ultimately the Chair was set up after, of course, creating first two Scholarships in the name of a professor, favourite of the ruling dispensation in India. Everyday the stature of Dr. Ambedkar is growing taller across the globe for his selfless service to humanity, the cause he pursued all his life and relentless fight for dignity of the voiceless and oppressed in a unequal society. I salute to him.
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Educate, Agitate, Organise - a short biography of Dr B R Ambedkar April 26th, 2016
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Looking back at Ambedkar's student life as LSE releases archives
Ambedkar went on to register for a master's degree and completed a PhD thesis at LSE.
UK's prestigious London School of Economics has released archival documents on Dr B R Ambedkar, one of its famous students and architect of the Indian Constitution, to mark his 125th birth anniversary. Ambedkar was studying at the Columbia University in 1920 when economist Edwin R Seligman wrote to Professor Herbert Foxwell, teaching at London School of Economics (LSE), asking him to help Ambedkar with his research. "I find he has already taken his doctor's degree and has only come here to finish a research. I had forgotten this. I am sorry we cannot identify him with the School but there are no more worlds here for him to conquer," Foxwell wrote to LSE secretary Mrs Mair soon after. The Dalit leader's student days in London were marked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last November when he opened a museum at his former home in north London. Ambedkar went on to register for a master's degree and completed a PhD thesis at LSE. The year 2016 also marks the centenary of his first visit to LSE in 1916, the LSE said in its release. "In 1916, he registered at LSE for a master's degree and took courses in Geography with Halford Mackinder, and Political Ideas with G Lowes Dickinson, alongside Social Evolution and Social Theory with Professor L T Hobhouse. The fees for the course were 10 pounds 10 shillings. "At the same time, Ambedkar enrolled for the bar course at Gray's Inn," the LSE documents show. Ambedkar's studies were interrupted as he was recalled to India to serve as Military Secretary in Baroda and in July 1917 the University of London gave him leave of absence of up to four years. In 1920, Ambedkar returned to LSE after working as professor of political economy at Sydenham College in Mumbai and giving evidence to the Scarborough Committee preparing the 1919 Government of India Act on the position and representation of "untouchable" communities. Initially, he applied to complete his masters degree and wrote a thesis on 'The Provincial Decentralisation of Imperial Finance in India'. "There was a slight glitch in his LSE career in April 1921 when he failed to send in his form for the summer examinations and the School Secretary, Mrs Mair, had to write to University of London's Academic Registrar for permission to submit the form late," the LSE records. Ambedkar finally submitted his doctoral thesis, 'The Problem of the Rupee', in March 1923 but it was not recommended for acceptance and reports claim that the thesis was too revolutionary and anti-British for the examiners. However, there is no indication of this in Ambedkar's student file. The thesis was resubmitted in August 1923 and accepted in November 1923.
After his success in academics, Ambedkar returned to India where he was prominent in the campaign for Indian independence and opposing discrimination against Dalit communities.
On August 29, 1947, the iconic leader was appointed Chairman of the Constitution's 'Drafting Committee'. He was awarded 'Bharat Ratna', India's highest civilian award, in 1990. He died in 1956 at the age of 65.
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Dr B R Ambedkar is one of the most important alumnus of LSE, from where he was awarded his MA and PhD. His doctoral thesis on ‘The Indian Rupee’, written in 1922-23, was later published as The Problem of the Rupee: Its Origin and Its Solution (London: P S King & Son, Ltd, 1923).
Ambedkar majored in Economics, and took many courses in sociology, history, philosophy, as well as anthropology. In 1915, he submitted an M. A. thesis entitled: The Administration and Finance of the East India Company. (He is believed to have begun an M. A. thesis entitled Ancient Indian Commerce earlier. That thesis is unavailable at the RBML ...
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, a lifelong champion of social justice and civil rights for the "untouchable" Dalit caste, received his PhD in Economics from Columbia University in 1927 and an honorary degree in 1952. Ambedkar was the first highly educated, politically prominent member of the Hindu "untouchable" caste.
In 1916, he completed his second master's thesis, National Dividend of India – A Historic and Analytical Study, for a second M.A. [34] On 9 May, he presented the paper Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development before a seminar conducted by the anthropologist Alexander Goldenweiser.
Ambedkar finally submitted his doctoral thesis, The Problem of the Rupee, in March 1923 but it was not recommended for acceptance. Reports claim that the thesis was too revolutionary and anti-British for the examiners. However there is no indication of this in Ambedkar’s student file.
Besides preparing several other manuscripts and papers in economics, Ambedkar secured his MSc and DSc degrees from London and published two major books, one on monetary policy and the other on...
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar had two doctorate degrees. The first one was London School of Economics in the year 1923 . He received his D.Sc (Doctor of Science) in Economics for the thesis "The problem of the rupee: Its Origin and Its Solution". The second one was from Columbia University in the year 1927.
Ambedkar went on to register for a master's degree and completed a PhD thesis at LSE. The year 2016 also marks the centenary of his first visit to LSE in 1916, the LSE said in its release.
The correct answer is ‘The Problem of the Rupee’. ‘The Problem of the Rupee’ was the title of the thesis that Dr B R Ambedkar submitted to the London School of Economics for which he was...