text:
"Ambedkar" redirects here. For other uses, see Ambedkar (disambiguation).
"Bhimrao Ambedkar" redirects here. For the Uttar Pradesh politician, see Bhimrao Ambedkar (Uttar Pradesh politician).
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar
Ambedkar as a young man
Member of Parliament of Rajya Sabha for Bombay State[1]
3 April 1952 – 6 December 1956
1st Minister of Law and Justice
15 August 1947 – 6 October 1951
Governor General
Position established
Charu Chandra Biswas
Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee
29 August 1947 – 24 January 1950
Member of the Constituent Assembly of India[2][3]
9 December 1946 – 24 January 1950
• Bengal Province (1946-47)
• Bombay Province (1947-50)
Minister of Labour in Viceroy's Executive Council [4][5]
22 July 1942 – 20 October 1946
The Marquess of Linlithgow
The Viscount Wavell
Feroz Khan Noon
Leader of the Opposition in the Bombay Legislative Assembly[6][7]
Member of the Bombay Legislative Assembly[6][7]
Bombay City (Byculla and Parel) General Urban
Member of the Bombay Legislative Council[8][9][10]
Bhīmrāo Rāmjī Āmbēḍkar
Bhiva Ramji Sakpal
(1891-04-14)14 April 1891
Mhow, Central Provinces, British India
(present-day Bhim Janmabhoomi, Dr. Ambedkar Nagar, Indore district, Madhya Pradesh, India)
6 December 1956(1956-12-06) (aged 65)
Dr. Ambedkar National Memorial[11][12] (Dr. Ambedkar Parinirvan Bhoomi), Delhi, New Delhi, India
Chaitya Bhoomi, Mumbai
19°01′34″N 72°50′05″E / 19.026149°N 72.834599°E / 19.026149; 72.834599Coordinates: 19°01′34″N 72°50′05″E / 19.026149°N 72.834599°E / 19.026149; 72.834599
• Independent Labour Party
• Scheduled Castes Federation
• Republican Party of India
Ramabai Ambedkar
(m. 1906; died 1935)
Savita Ambedkar
Yashwant Ambedkar
See Ambedkar family
• Rajgruha, Mumbai, Maharashtra
• 26 Alipur road, Dr. Ambedkar National Memorial, New Delhi
University of Mumbai (B.A., M.A.)
Columbia University (M.A., PhD)
London School of Economics (M.Sc., D.Sc.)
Gray's Inn (Barrister-at-Law)
social reformer
Dalit rights movement
Drafting Constitution of India
Dalit Buddhist movement
(posthumously in 1990)
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar ([bhɪməɑo ɹæmdʒi ɑmbɛdkɑə][citation needed], 14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956), also known as Babasaheb Ambedkar ([bʌbəsɑheb ɑmbɛdkɑə])[citation needed], was an Indian jurist, economist, politician and social reformer, who inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement and campaigned against social discrimination towards the untouchables (Dalits). He was the member of the Drafting Commission of Indian constitution. He was independent India's first Minister of Law and Justice, and considered as the chief architect of the Constitution of India.
Ambedkar was a prolific student, earning doctorates in economics from both Columbia University and the University of London, and gaining reputation as a scholar for his research in law, economics and political science.[13] In his early career, he was an economist, professor, and lawyer. His later life was marked by his political activities; he became involved in campaigning and negotiations for India's independence, publishing journals, advocating political rights and social freedom for Dalits, and contributing significantly to the establishment of the state of India. In 1956, he converted to Buddhism, initiating mass conversions of Dalits.[14]
In 1990, the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, was posthumously conferred upon Ambedkar. Ambedkar's legacy includes numerous memorials and depictions in popular culture.
2.1 Post-secondary education
2.2 Undergraduate studies at the University of Bombay
2.3 Postgraduate studies at Columbia University
2.4 Postgraduate studies at the London School of Economics
3 Opposition to untouchability
4 Poona Pact
5 Political career
6 Drafting India's Constitution
7 Economics
8 Second marriage
9 Conversion to Buddhism
12.1 Aryan Invasion Theory
12.2 Communism
Ambedkar was born on 14 April 1891 in the town and military cantonment of Mhow in the Central Provinces (now in Madhya Pradesh).[15] He was the 14th and last child of Ramji Maloji Sakpal, an army officer who held the rank of Subedar, and Bhimabai Sakpal, daughter of Laxman Murbadkar.[16] His family was of Marathi background from the town of Ambadawe (Mandangad taluka) in Ratnagiri district of modern-day Maharashtra. Ambedkar was born into a poor low Mahar (dalit) caste, who were treated as untouchables and subjected to socio-economic discrimination.[17] Ambedkar's ancestors had long worked for the army of the British East India Company, and his father served in the British Indian Army at the Mhow cantonment.[18] Although they attended school, Ambedkar and other untouchable children were segregated and given little attention or help by teachers. They were not allowed to sit inside the class. When they needed to drink water, someone from a higher caste had to pour that water from a height as they were not allowed to touch either the water or the vessel that contained it. This task was usually performed for the young Ambedkar by the school peon, and if the peon was not available then he had to go without water; he described the situation later in his writings as "No peon, No Water".[19] He was required to sit on a gunny sack which he had to take home with him.[20]
Ramji Sakpal retired in 1894 and the family moved to Satara two years later. Shortly after their move, Ambedkar's mother died. The children were cared for by their paternal aunt and lived in difficult circumstances. Three sons – Balaram, Anandrao and Bhimrao – and two daughters – Manjula and Tulasa – of the Ambedkars survived them. Of his brothers and sisters, only Ambedkar passed his examinations and went to high school. His original surname was Sakpal but his father registered his name as Ambadawekar in school, meaning he comes from his native village 'Ambadawe' in Ratnagiri district.[21][22][23][24] His Devrukhe Brahmin teacher, Krishnaji Keshav Ambedkar, changed his surname from 'Ambadawekar' to his own surname 'Ambedkar' in school records.[25][26][27][28][29]
In 1897, Ambedkar's family moved to Mumbai where Ambedkar became the only untouchable enrolled at Elphinstone High School. In 1906, when he was about 15 years old, his marriage to a nine-year-old girl, Ramabai, was arranged.[30]
Undergraduate studies at the University of Bombay
Ambedkar as a student
In 1907, he passed his matriculation examination and in the following year he entered Elphinstone College, which was affiliated to the University of Bombay, becoming, according to him, the first from his Mahar caste to do so. When he passed his English fourth standard examinations, the people of his community wanted to celebrate because they considered that he had reached "great heights" which he says was "hardly an occasion compared to the state of education in other communities". A public ceremony was evoked, to celebrate his success, by the community, and it was at this occasion that he was presented with a biography of the Buddha by Dada Keluskar, the author and a family friend.[31]
By 1912, he obtained his degree in economics and political science from Bombay University, and prepared to take up employment with the Baroda state government. His wife had just moved his young family and started work when he had to quickly return to Mumbai to see his ailing father, who died on 2 February 1913.[32]
Postgraduate studies at Columbia University
In 1913, Ambedkar moved to the United States at the age of 22. He had been awarded a Baroda State Scholarship of £11.50 (Sterling) per month for three years under a scheme established by Sayajirao Gaekwad III (Gaekwad of Baroda) that was designed to provide opportunities for postgraduate education at Columbia University in New York City. Soon after arriving there he settled in rooms at Livingston Hall with Naval Bhathena, a Parsi who was to be a lifelong friend. He passed his M.A. exam in June 1915, majoring in Economics, and other subjects of Sociology, History, Philosophy and Anthropology. He presented a thesis, Ancient Indian Commerce. Ambedkar was influenced by John Dewey and his work on democracy.[33]
In 1916 he completed his second thesis, National Dividend of India - A Historic and Analytical Study, for another 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.
Postgraduate studies at the London School of Economics
Ambedkar (In center line, first from right) with his professors and friends from the London School of Economics (1916-17)
In October 1916, he enrolled for the Bar course at Gray's Inn, and at the same time enrolled at the London School of Economics where he started working on a doctoral thesis. In June 1917, he returned to India because his scholarship from Baroda ended. His book collection was dispatched on different ship from the one he was on, and that ship was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine.[32] He got permission to return to London to submit his thesis within four years. He returned at the first opportunity, and completed a master's degree in 1921. His thesis was on "The problem of the rupee: Its origin and its solution".[35] In 1923, he completed a D.Sc. in Economics which was awarded from University of London, and the same year he was called to the Bar by Gray's Inn. His third and fourth Doctorates (LL.D, Columbia, 1952 and D.Litt., Osmania, 1953) were conferred honoris causa.[36]
Opposition to untouchability
Ambedkar as a barrister in 1922
As Ambedkar was educated by the Princely State of Baroda, he was bound to serve it. He was appointed Military Secretary to the Gaikwad but had to quit in a short time. He described the incident in his autobiography, Waiting for a Visa.[37] Thereafter, he tried to find ways to make a living for his growing family. He worked as a private tutor, as an accountant, and established an investment consulting business, but it failed when his clients learned that he was an untouchable.[38] In 1918, he became Professor of Political Economy in the Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics in Mumbai. Although he was successful with the students, other professors objected to his sharing a drinking-water jug with them.[39]
Ambedkar had been invited to testify before the Southborough Committee, which was preparing the Government of India Act 1919. At this hearing, Ambedkar argued for creating separate electorates and reservations for untouchables and other religious communities.[40] In 1920, he began the publication of the weekly Mooknayak (Leader of the Silent) in Mumbai with the help of Shahu of Kolhapur i.e. Shahu IV (1874–1922).[41]
Ambedkar went on to work as a legal professional. In 1926, he successfully defended three non-Brahmin leaders who had accused the Brahmin community of ruining India and were then subsequently sued for libel. Dhananjay Keer notes that "The victory was resounding, both socially and individually, for the clients and the doctor".
While practising law in the Bombay High Court, he tried to promote education to untouchables and uplift them. His first organised attempt was his establishment of the central institution Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha, intended to promote education and socio-economic improvement, as well as the welfare of "outcastes", at the time referred to as depressed classes.[42] For the defence of Dalit rights, he started many periodicals like Mook Nayak, Bahishkrit Bharat, and Equality Janta.[43]
He was appointed to the Bombay Presidency Committee to work with the all-European Simon Commission in 1925.[44] This commission had sparked great protests across India, and while its report was ignored by most Indians, Ambedkar himself wrote a separate set of recommendations for the future Constitution of India.[45]
By 1927, Ambedkar had decided to launch active movements against untouchability. He began with public movements and marches to open up public drinking water resources. He also began a struggle for the right to enter Hindu temples. He led a satyagraha in Mahad to fight for the right of the untouchable community to draw water from the main water tank of the town.[46] In a conference in late 1927, Ambedkar publicly condemned the classic Hindu text, the Manusmriti (Laws of Manu), for ideologically justifying caste discrimination and "untouchability", and he ceremonially burned copies of the ancient text. On 25 December 1927, he led thousands of followers to burn copies of Manusmriti.[47][48] Thus annually 25 December is celebrated as Manusmriti Dahan Din (Manusmriti Burning Day) by Ambedkarites and Dalits.[49][50]
In 1930, Ambedkar launched Kalaram Temple movement after three months of preparation. About 15,000 volunteers assembled at Kalaram Temple satygraha making one of the greatest processions of Nashik. The procession was headed by a military band, a batch of scouts, women and men walked in discipline, order and determination to see the god for the first time. When they reached to gate, the gates were closed by Brahmin authorities.[51]
Poona Pact
M.R. Jayakar, Tej Bahadur Sapru and Ambedkar at Yerwada jail, in Poona, on 24 September 1932, the day the Poona Pact was signed
In 1932, the British colonial government announced the formation of a separate electorate for "Depressed Classes" in the Communal Award. Gandhi fiercely opposed a separate electorate for untouchables, saying he feared that such an arrangement would divide the Hindu community.[52][53][54] Gandhi protested by fasting while imprisoned in the Yerwada Central Jail of Poona. Following the fast, Congress politicians and activists such as Madan Mohan Malaviya and Palwankar Baloo organised joint meetings with Ambedkar and his supporters at Yerwada.[55] On 25 September 1932, the agreement known as Poona Pact was signed between Ambedkar (on behalf of the depressed classes among Hindus) and Madan Mohan Malaviya (on behalf of the other Hindus). The agreement gave reserved seats for the depressed classes in the Provisional legislatures, within the general electorate. Due to the pact, the depressed class received 148 seats in the legislature, instead of the 71 as allocated in the Communal Award proposed earlier by the colonial government under Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald. The text used the term "Depressed Classes" to denote Untouchables among Hindus who were later called Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes under India Act 1935, and the later Indian Constitution of 1950.[56][57] In the Poona Pact, a unified electorate was in principle formed, but primary and secondary elections allowed Untouchables in practice to choose their own candidates.[58]
Ambedkar with his family members at Rajgraha in February 1934. From left – Yashwant (son), Ambedkar, Ramabai (wife), Laxmibai (wife of his elder brother, Balaram), Mukund (nephew) and Ambedkar's favourite dog, Tobby
In 1935, Ambedkar was appointed principal of the Government Law College, Bombay, a position he held for two years. He also served as the chairman of Governing body of Ramjas College, University of Delhi, after the death of its Founder Shri Rai Kedarnath.[59] Settling in Bombay (today called Mumbai), Ambedkar oversaw the construction of a house, and stocked his personal library with more than 50,000 books.[60] His wife Ramabai died after a long illness the same year. It had been her long-standing wish to go on a pilgrimage to Pandharpur, but Ambedkar had refused to let her go, telling her that he would create a new Pandharpur for her instead of Hinduism's Pandharpur which treated them as untouchables. At the Yeola Conversion Conference on 13 October in Nasik, Ambedkar announced his intention to convert to a different religion and exhorted his followers to leave Hinduism.[60] He would repeat his message at many public meetings across India.
In 1936, Ambedkar founded the Independent Labour Party, which contested the 1937 Bombay election to the Central Legislative Assembly for the 13 reserved and 4 general seats, and secured 11 and 3 seats respectively.[61]
Ambedkar published his book Annihilation of Caste on 15 May 1936.[62] It strongly criticised Hindu orthodox religious leaders and the caste system in general,[63] and included "a rebuke of Gandhi" on the subject.[64] Later, in a 1955 BBC interview, he accused Gandhi of writing in opposition of the caste system in English language papers while writing in support of it in Gujarati language papers.[65]
Ambedkar served on the Defence Advisory Committee[5] and the Viceroy's Executive Council as minister for labour.[5]
After the Lahore resolution (1940) of the Muslim League demanding Pakistan, Ambedkar wrote a 400 page tract titled Thoughts on Pakistan, which analysed the concept of "Pakistan" in all its aspects. Ambedkar argued that the Hindus should concede Pakistan to the Muslims. He proposed that the provincial boundaries of Punjab and Bengal should be redrawn to separate the Muslim and non-Muslim majority parts. He thought the Muslims could have no objection to redrawing provincial boundaries. If they did, they did not quite "understand the nature of their own demand". Scholar Venkat Dhulipala states that Thoughts on Pakistan "rocked Indian politics for a decade". It determined the course of dialogue between the Muslim League and the Indian National Congress, paving the way for the Partition of India.[66][67]
In his work Who Were the Shudras?, Ambedkar tried to explain the formation of untouchables. He saw Shudras and Ati Shudras who form the lowest caste in the ritual hierarchy of the caste system, as separate from Untouchables. Ambedkar oversaw the transformation of his political party into the Scheduled Castes Federation, although it performed poorly in the 1946 elections for Constituent Assembly of India. Later he was elected into the constituent assembly of Bengal where Muslim League was in power.[2]
Ambedkar contested in the Bombay North first Indian General Election of 1952, but lost to his former assistant and Congress Party candidate Narayan Kajrolkar. Ambedkar became a member of Rajya Sabha, probably an appointed member. He tried to enter Lok Sabha again in the by-election of 1954 from Bhandara, but he placed third (the Congress Party won). By the time of the second general election in 1957, Ambedkar had died.
Ambedkar also criticised Islamic practice in South Asia. While justifying the Partition of India, he condemned child marriage and the mistreatment of women in Muslim society.
No words can adequately express the great and many evils of polygamy and concubinage, and especially as a source of misery to a Muslim woman. Take the caste system. Everybody infers that Islam must be free from slavery and caste. [...] [While slavery existed], much of its support was derived from Islam and Islamic countries. While the prescriptions by the Prophet regarding the just and humane treatment of slaves contained in the Koran are praiseworthy, there is nothing whatever in Islam that lends support to the abolition of this curse. But if slavery has gone, caste among Musalmans [Muslims] has remained.[68]
Drafting India's Constitution
Ambedkar, chairman of the Drafting Committee, presenting the final draft of the Indian Constitution to Rajendra Prasad on 25 November 1949.
Upon India's independence on 15 August 1947, the new Congress-led government invited Ambedkar to serve as the nation's first Law Minister, which he accepted. On 29 August, he was appointed Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee, and was appointed by the Assembly to write India's new Constitution.[69]
Granville Austin described the Indian Constitution drafted by Ambedkar as 'first and foremost a social document'. 'The majority of India's constitutional provisions are either directly arrived at furthering the aim of social revolution or attempt to foster this revolution by establishing conditions necessary for its achievement.'[70]
The text prepared by Ambedkar provided constitutional guarantees and protections for a wide range of civil liberties for individual citizens, including freedom of religion, the abolition of untouchability, and the outlawing of all forms of discrimination. Ambedkar argued for extensive economic and social rights for women, and won the Assembly's support for introducing a system of reservations of jobs in the civil services, schools and colleges for members of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and Other Backward Class, a system akin to affirmative action. India's lawmakers hoped to eradicate the socio-economic inequalities and lack of opportunities for India's depressed classes through these measures.[71] The Constitution was adopted on 26 November 1949 by the Constituent Assembly.[72]
Ambedkar opposed Article 370 of the Constitution of India, which granted a special status to the State of Jammu and Kashmir, and which was included against his wishes. Balraj Madhok reportedly said, Ambedkar had clearly told the Kashmiri leader, Sheikh Abdullah: "You wish India should protect your borders, she should build roads in your area, she should supply you food grains, and Kashmir should get equal status as India. But Government of India should have only limited powers and Indian people should have no rights in Kashmir. To give consent to this proposal, would be a treacherous thing against the interests of India and I, as the Law Minister of India, will never do it." Then Sk. Abdullah approached Nehru, who directed him to Gopal Swami Ayyangar, who in turn approached Sardar Patel, saying Nehru had promised Sk. Abdullah the special status. Patel got the Article passed while Nehru was on a foreign tour. On the day the article came up for discussion, Ambedkar did not reply to questions on it but did participate on other articles. All arguments were done by Krishna Swami Ayyangar.[73][74]
I personally do not understand why religion should be given this vast, expansive jurisdiction, so as to cover the whole of life and to prevent the legislature from encroaching upon that field. After all, what are we having this liberty for? We are having this liberty in order to reform our social system, which is so full of inequities, discriminations and other things, which conflict with our fundamental rights.[75]
During the debates in the Constituent Assembly, Ambedkar demonstrated his will to reform Indian society by recommending the adoption of a Uniform Civil Code.[76][77] Ambedkar resigned from the cabinet in 1951, when parliament stalled his draft of the Hindu Code Bill, which sought to enshrine gender equality in the laws of inheritance and marriage.[78] Ambedkar independently contested an election in 1952 to the lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha, but was defeated in the Bombay (North Central) constituency by a little-known Narayan Sadoba Kajrolkar, who polled 138,137 votes compared to Ambedkar's 123,576.[79][80][81] He was appointed to the upper house, of parliament, the Rajya Sabha in March 1952 and would remain as member till death.[82]
Ambedkar was the first Indian to pursue a doctorate in economics abroad.[83] He argued that industrialisation and agricultural growth could enhance the Indian economy.[84] He stressed investment in agriculture as the primary industry of India.[citation needed] According to Sharad Pawar, Ambedkar's vision helped the government to achieve its food security goal.[85] Ambedkar advocated national economic and social development, stressing education, public hygiene, community health, residential facilities as the basic amenities.[84] His DSc thesis, The problem of the Rupee: Its Origin and Solution (1923) examines the causes for the Rupee's fall in value. In this dissertation, he argued in favour of a gold standard in modified form, and was opposed to the gold-exchange standard favoured by Keynes in his treatise Indian Currency and Finance (1909), claiming it was less stable. He favoured the stoppage of all further coinage of the rupee and the minting of a gold coin, which he believed would fix currency rates and prices.[86]
He also analysed revenue in his PhD dissertation The Evolution of Provincial Finance in British India. In this work, he analysed the various systems used by the British colonial government to manage finances in India.[86][87] His views on finance were that governments should ensure their expenditures have "faithfulness, wisdom and economy." "Faithfulness" meaning governments should use money as nearly as possible to the original intentions of spending the money in the first place. "Wisdom" meaning it should be used as best as possible for the public good, and "economy" meaning the funds should be used so that the maximum value can be extracted from them.[88]
In 1951, Ambedkar established the Finance Commission of India. He opposed income tax for low-income groups. He contributed in Land Revenue Tax and excise duty policies to stabilise the economy.[citation needed] He played an important role in land reform and the state economic development.[89] According to him, the caste system, due to its division of labourers and hierarchical nature, impedes movement of labour (higher castes would not do lower-caste occupations) and movement of capital (assuming investors would invest first in their own caste occupation). His theory of State Socialism had three points: state ownership of agricultural land, the maintenance of resources for production by the state, and a just distribution of these resources to the population. He emphasised a free economy with a stable Rupee which India has adopted recently.[citation needed] He advocated birth control to develop the Indian economy, and this has been adopted by Indian government as national policy for family planning. He emphasised equal rights for women for economic development.[citation needed]
Ambedkar's views on agricultural land was that too much of it was idle, or that it was not being utilized properly. He believed there was an "ideal proportion" of production factors that would allow agricultural land to be used most productively. To this end, he saw the large portion of people who lived on agriculture at the time as a major problem. Therefore, he advocated industrialization of the economy to allow these agricultural labourers to be of more use elsewhere.[89]
Ambedkar was trained as an economist, and was a professional economist until 1921, when he became a political leader. He wrote three scholarly books on economics:
The Problem of the Rupee: Its Origin and Its Solution[90][91][92]
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), was based on the ideas that Ambedkar presented to the Hilton Young Commission.[90][92][93][94]
Second marriage
Ambedkar with wife Savita in 1948
Ambedkar's first wife Ramabai died in 1935 after a long illness. After completing the draft of India's constitution in the late 1940s, he suffered from lack of sleep, had neuropathic pain in his legs, and was taking insulin and homoeopathic medicines. He went to Bombay for treatment, and there met Dr. Sharada Kabir, whom he married on 15 April 1948, at his home in New Delhi. Doctors recommended a companion who was a good cook and had medical knowledge to care for him.[95] She adopted the name Savita Ambedkar and cared for him the rest of his life.[96] Savita Ambedkar, who was called 'Mai', died on May 29, 2003, aged 93 at Mehrauli, New Delhi.[97]
Conversion to Buddhism
Main article: Dalit Buddhism
Ambedkar delivering speech during mass conversion
Ambedkar considered converting to Sikhism, which encouraged opposition to oppression and so appealed to leaders of scheduled castes. But after meeting with Sikh leaders, he concluded that he might get "second-rate" Sikh status.[98]
Instead, around 1950, he began devoting his attention to Buddhism and travelled to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) to attend a meeting of the World Fellowship of Buddhists.[99] While dedicating a new Buddhist vihara near Pune, Ambedkar announced he was writing a book on Buddhism, and that when it was finished, he would formally convert to Buddhism.[100] He twice visited Burma in 1954; the second time to attend the third conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists in Rangoon.[101] In 1955, he founded the Bharatiya Bauddha Mahasabha, or the Buddhist Society of India.[102] He completed his final work, The Buddha and His Dhamma, in 1956 which was published posthumously.[102]
After meetings with the Sri Lankan Buddhist monk Hammalawa Saddhatissa,[103] Ambedkar organised a formal public ceremony for himself and his supporters in Nagpur on 14 October 1956. Accepting the Three Refuges and Five Precepts from a Buddhist monk in the traditional manner, Ambedkar completed his own conversion, along with his wife. He then proceeded to convert some 500,000 of his supporters who were gathered around him.[100][104] He prescribed the 22 Vows for these converts, after the Three Jewels and Five Precepts. He then travelled to Kathmandu, Nepal to attend the Fourth World Buddhist Conference.[101] His work on The Buddha or Karl Marx and "Revolution and counter-revolution in ancient India" remained incomplete.
Mahaparinirvana of B. R. Ambedkar
Since 1948, Ambedkar suffered from diabetes. He was bed-ridden from June to October in 1954 due to medication side-effects and poor eyesight.[100] His health worsened during 1955. Three days after completing his final manuscript The Buddha and His Dhamma, Ambedkar died in his sleep on 6 December 1956 at his home in Delhi.
A Buddhist cremation was organised at Dadar Chowpatty beach on 7 December,[105] attended by half a million grieving people.[106] A conversion program was organised on 16 December 1956,[107] so that cremation attendees were also converted to Buddhism at the same place.[107]
Ambedkar was survived by his second wife Savita Ambedkar (known as Maisaheb Ambedkar), who died in 2003,[108] and his son Yashwant Ambedkar (known as Bhaiyasaheb Ambedkar), who died in 1977.[109] Savita and Yashwant carried on the socio-religious movement started by B. R. Ambedkar. Yashwant served as the 2nd President of the Buddhist Society of India (1957–1977) and a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council (1960–1966).[110][111] Ambedkar's elder grandson, Prakash Yashwant Ambedkar, is the chief-adviser of the Buddhist Society of India,[112] leads the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi[113][114] and has served in both houses of the Indian Parliament.[114] Ambedkar's younger grandson, Anandraj Ambedkar leads the Republican Sena (tran: The "Republican Army").[115]
A number of unfinished typescripts and handwritten drafts were found among Ambedkar's notes and papers and gradually made available. Among these were Waiting for a Visa, which probably dates from 1935–36 and is an autobiographical work, and the Untouchables, or the Children of India's Ghetto, which refers to the census of 1951.[100]
A memorial for Ambedkar was established in his Delhi house at 26 Alipur Road. His birthdate is celebrated as a public holiday known as Ambedkar Jayanti or Bhim Jayanti. He was posthumously awarded India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1990.[116]
On the anniversary of his birth and death, and on Dhamma Chakra Pravartan Din (14 October) at Nagpur, at least half a million people gather to pay homage to him at his memorial in Mumbai.[117] Thousands of bookshops are set up, and books are sold. His message to his followers was "educate, agitate, organise!".[118]
See also: List of things named after B. R. Ambedkar
People paying tribute at the central statue of Ambedkar in Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University in Aurangabad.
Ambedkar's legacy as a socio-political reformer, had a deep effect on modern India.[119][120] In post-Independence India, his socio-political thought is respected across the political spectrum. His initiatives have influenced various spheres of life and transformed the way India today looks at socio-economic policies, education and affirmative action through socio-economic and legal incentives. His reputation as a scholar led to his appointment as free India's first law minister, and chairman of the committee for drafting the constitution. He passionately believed in individual freedom and criticised caste society. His accusations of Hinduism as being the foundation of the caste system made him controversial and unpopular among Hindus.[121] His conversion to Buddhism sparked a revival in interest in Buddhist philosophy in India and abroad.[122]
Many public institutions are named in his honour, and the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport in Nagpur, otherwise known as Sonegaon Airport. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, Ambedkar University Delhi is also named in his honour.
The Maharashtra government has acquired a house in London where Ambedkar lived during his days as a student in the 1920s. The house is expected to be converted into a museum-cum-memorial to Ambedkar.[123]
Ambedkar was voted "the Greatest Indian" in 2012 by a poll organised by History TV18 and CNN IBN, ahead of Patel and Nehru.[124] Nearly 20 million votes were cast.[124] Due to his role in economics, Narendra Jadhav, a notable Indian economist,[125] has said that Ambedkar was "the highest educated Indian economist of all times."[126] Amartya Sen, said that Ambedkar is "father of my economics", and "he was highly controversial figure in his home country, though it was not the reality. His contribution in the field of economics is marvelous and will be remembered forever."[127][128]
(left) The statue of B. R. Ambedkar in the Parliament of India
(right) The portrait of B. R. Ambedkar in the Central Hall of the Parliament House
On 2 April 1967, an 3.66 metre (12 foot) tall bronze statue of Ambedkar was installed in the Parliament of India. The statue, sculpted by B.V. Wagh, was unveiled by the then President of India, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.[129][130][131] On 12 April 1990, a portrait of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar is put in the Central Hall of Parliament House.[132][133][134] The portrait of Ambedkar, painted by Zeba Amrohawi, was unveiled by the then Prime Minister of India, V. P. Singh.[132] Another portrait of Ambedkar is put in the Parliamentary Museum and archives of the Parliament House.[135][136]
Indian Post issued stamps dedicated to his birthday in 1966, 1973, 1991, 2001, and 2013, and featured him on other stamps in 2009, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2020.[137][138]
Ambedkar's legacy was not without criticism. Ambedkar has been criticised for his one-sided views on the issue of caste at the expense of cooperation with the larger nationalist movement.[139] Ambedkar has been also criticised by some of his biographers over his neglect of organization-building.[140]
Ambedkar's political philosophy has given rise to a large number of political parties, publications and workers' unions that remain active across India, especially in Maharashtra. His promotion of Buddhism has rejuvenated interest in Buddhist philosophy among sections of population in India. Mass conversion ceremonies have been organised by human rights activists in modern times, emulating Ambedkar's Nagpur ceremony of 1956.[141] Some Indian Buddhists regard him as a Bodhisattva, although he never claimed it himself.[142] Outside India, during the late 1990s, some Hungarian Romani people drew parallels between their own situation and that of the downtrodden people in India. Inspired by Ambedkar, they started to convert to Buddhism.[143]
Ambedkar viewed the Shudras as Aryan and adamantly rejected the Aryan invasion theory, describing it as "so absurd that it ought to have been dead long ago" in his 1946 book Who Were the Shudras?.[144] Ambedkar viewed Shudras as originally being "part of the Kshatriya Varna in the Indo-Aryan society", but became socially degraded after they inflicted many tyrannies on Brahmins.[145]
According to Arvind Sharma, Ambedkar noticed certain flaws in the Aryan invasion theory that were later acknowledged by western scholarship. For example, scholars now acknowledge anās in Rig Veda 5.29.10 refers to speech rather than the shape of the nose.[146] Ambedkar anticipated this modern view by stating:
The term Anasa occurs in Rig Veda V.29.10. What does the word mean? There are two interpretations. One is by Prof. Max Muller. The other is by Sayanacharya. According to Prof. Max Muller, it means 'one without nose' or 'one with a flat nose' and has as such been relied upon as a piece of evidence in support of the view that the Aryans were a separate race from the Dasyus. Sayanacharya says that it means 'mouthless,' i.e., devoid of good speech. This difference of meaning is due to difference in the correct reading of the word Anasa. Sayanacharya reads it as an-asa while Prof. Max Muller reads it as a-nasa. As read by Prof. Max Muller, it means 'without nose.' Question is : which of the two readings is the correct one? There is no reason to hold that Sayana's reading is wrong. On the other hand there is everything to suggest that it is right. In the first place, it does not make non-sense of the word. Secondly, as there is no other place where the Dasyus are described as noseless, there is no reason why the word should be read in such a manner as to give it an altogether new sense. It is only fair to read it as a synonym of Mridhravak. There is therefore no evidence in support of the conclusion that the Dasyus belonged to a different race.[146]
Ambedkar disputed various hypotheses of the Aryan homeland being outside India, and concluded the Aryan homeland was India itself.[147] According to Ambedkar, the Rig Veda says Aryans, Dāsa and Dasyus were competing religious groups, not different peoples.[148]
Ambedkar's views on Communism were expressed in his essay "Buddhism and Communism." He accepted the Marxist theory that the privileged few's exploitation the masses perpetuated poverty and its issues. However, he did not see this exploitation as purely economic, theorizing that the cultural aspects of exploitation are as bad or worse than economic exploitation. In addition, he did not see economic relationships as the only important aspect of human life. He also saw Communists as willing to resort to any means to achieve proletarian revolution, including violence, while he himself saw democratic and peaceful measures as the best option for change. Ambedkar also opposed the Marxist idea of controlling all the means of production and private ownership of property: seeing the latter measure as not able to fix the problems of society. In addition, rather than advocating for the eventual annihilation of the state as Marxism does, Ambedkar believed in a classless society, but also believed the state would exist as long as society and that it should be active in development.[86]
In popular culture
Several movies, plays, and other works have been based on the life and thoughts of Ambedkar. Jabbar Patel directed the English-language film Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar in 2000 with Mammootty in the lead role.[149] This biopic was sponsored by the National Film Development Corporation of India and the government's Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The film was released after a long and controversial gestation.[150] David Blundell, professor of anthropology at UCLA and historical ethnographer, has established Arising Light – a series of films and events that are intended to stimulate interest and knowledge about the social conditions in India and the life of Ambedkar.[151] In Samvidhaan,[152] a TV mini-series on the making of the Constitution of India directed by Shyam Benegal, the pivotal role of B. R. Ambedkar was played by Sachin Khedekar. The play Ambedkar Aur Gandhi, directed by Arvind Gaur and written by Rajesh Kumar, tracks the two prominent personalities of its title.[153]
Bhimayana: Experiences of Untouchability is a graphic biography of Ambedkar created by Pardhan-Gond artists Durgabai Vyam and Subhash Vyam, and writers Srividya Natarajan and S. Anand. The book depicts the experiences of untouchability faced by Ambedkar from childhood to adulthood. CNN named it one of the top 5 political comic books.[154]
The Ambedkar Memorial at Lucknow is dedicated in his memory. The chaitya consists of monuments showing his biography.[155][156]
Jai Bhim slogan was given by the dalit community in Delhi in his honour on 1946.
Google commemorated Ambedkar's 124th birthday through a homepage doodle on 14 April 2015.[157][158] The doodle was featured in India, Argentina, Chile, Ireland, Peru, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom.[159][160][161]
A television show named Ek Mahanayak: Dr. B. R. Ambedkar portraying his life aired on &TV in 2019.[162]
The Education Department, Government of Maharashtra (Mumbai) published the collection of Ambedkar's writings and speeches in different volumes.[163]
Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development and 11 Other Essays
Ambedkar in the Bombay Legislature, with the Simon Commission and at the Round Table Conferences, 1927–1939
Philosophy of Hinduism; India and the Pre-requisites of Communism; Revolution and Counter-revolution; Buddha or Karl Marx
Riddles in Hinduism ISBN 978-81-89059-77-4
Essays on Untouchables and Untouchability
The Untouchables Who Were They And Why They Became Untouchables ?
The Annihilation of Caste (1936)
What Congress and Gandhi have done to the Untouchables; Mr. Gandhi and the Emancipation of the Untouchables
Ambedkar as member of the Governor General's Executive Council, 1942–46
The Buddha and his Dhamma
Unpublished Writings; Ancient Indian Commerce; Notes on laws; Waiting for a Visa ; Miscellaneous notes, etc.
Ambedkar as the principal architect of the Constitution of India
(2 parts) Dr. Ambedkar and The Hindu Code Bill
Ambedkar as Free India's First Law Minister and Member of Opposition in Indian Parliament (1947–1956)
The Pali Grammar
Ambedkar and his Egalitarian Revolution – Struggle for Human Rights. Events starting from March 1927 to 17 November 1956 in the chronological order; Ambedkar and his Egalitarian Revolution – Socio-political and religious activities. Events starting from November 1929 to 8 May 1956 in the chronological order; Ambedkar and his Egalitarian Revolution – Speeches. (Events starting from 1 January to 20 November 1956 in the chronological order.)
India portal
Ambedkar family
Chaitya Bhoomi
Deekshabhoomi
Statue of Equality
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^ https://rajyasabha.nic.in/rsnew/picture_gallery/b_r_ambedkar_3.asp
^ Ambedkar on stamps. colnect.com
^ B. R. Ambedkar on stamps. commons.wikimedia.org
^ Menski, W. F. "The role of the judiciary in plural societies". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. Cambridge University. 52 (1): 172–174. doi:10.1017/S0041977X00023600.
^ Omvedt, Gail (1994). Dalits and the Democratic Revolution: Dr Ambedkar and the Dalit Movement in Colonial India. SAGE publications. p. 185. ISBN 9788132119838.
^ "One lakh people convert to Buddhism". The Hindu. 28 May 2007. Archived from the original on 29 August 2010.
^ Michael (1999), p. 65, notes that "The concept of Ambedkar as a Bodhisattva or enlightened being who brings liberation to all backward classes is widespread among Buddhists." He also notes how Ambedkar's pictures are enshrined side-to-side in Buddhist Vihars and households in India|office = Labour Member in Viceroy's Executive Counciln Buddhist homes.
^ "Magazine / Land & People: Ambedkar in Hungary". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 22 November 2009. Archived from the original on 17 April 2010. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
^ Bryant, Edwin (2001). The Quest for the Origins of Vedic Culture, Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 50–51. ISBN 9780195169478
^ Bryant, Edwin. The Quest for the Origins of Vedic Culture, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. pp. 50.
^ a b Sharma, Arvind (2005), "Dr. B. R. Ambedkar on the Aryan Invasion and the Emergence of the Caste System in India", J Am Acad Relig (September 2005) 73 (3): 849.
^ Sharma, Arvind (2005), "Dr. B. R. Ambedkar on the Aryan Invasion and the Emergence of the Caste System in India", J Am Acad Relig (September 2005) 73 (3): 851.
^ Sharma, Arvind (2005), "Dr. B. R. Ambedkar on the Aryan Invasion and the Emergence of the Caste System in India", J Am Acad Relig (September 2005) 73 (3): 854-5, 863.
^ "Resurgence of an icon Babasaheb Ambedkar".
^ Viswanathan, S (24 May 2010). "Ambedkar film: better late than never". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 10 September 2011.
^ Blundell, David (2006). "Arising Light: Making a Documentary Life History Motion Picture on Dr B. R. Ambedkar in India". Hsi Lai Journal of Humanistic Buddhism. 7. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
^ Ramnara (5 March 2014). "Samvidhaan: The Making of the Constitution of India (TV Mini-Series 2014)". IMDb. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015.
^ Anima, P. (17 July 2009). "A spirited adventure". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 2 January 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2009.
^ Calvi, Nuala (23 May 2011). "The top five political comic books". CNN. Archived from the original on 9 January 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
^ "Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal". Department of Tourism, Government of UP, Uttar Pradesh. Archived from the original on 19 July 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013. New Attractions
^ "Ambedkar Memorial, Lucknow/India" (PDF). Remmers India Pvt. Ltd. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013. Brief Description
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2015. CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ Gibbs, Jonathan (14 April 2015). "B. R. Ambedkar's 124th Birthday: Indian social reformer and politician honoured with a Google Doodle". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
^ "B R Ambedkar 124th birth anniversary: Google doodle changes in 7 countries as tribute". The Indian Express. 14 April 2015. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015.
^ "Google's BR Ambedkar birth anniversary doodle on 7 other countries apart from India". dna. 14 April 2015. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015.
^ Nelson, Dean (14 April 2015). "B.R. Ambedkar, a hero of India's independence movement, honoured by Google Doodle". Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016.
^ "A new TV show on B.R.Ambedkar raises questions of responsible representation".
^ Ambedkar, B. R. (1979), Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, writings and speeches, Mumbai: Education Dept., Government of Maharashtra, OL 4080132M
Ahir, D. C. (September 1990). The Legacy of Dr. Ambedkar. Delhi: B. R. Publishing. ISBN 81-7018-603-X.
Ajnat, Surendra (1986). Ambedkar on Islam. Jalandhar: Buddhist Publ.
Beltz, Johannes; Jondhale, S. (eds.). Reconstructing the World: B.R. Ambedkar and Buddhism in India. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
Bholay, Bhaskar Laxman (2001). Dr Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar: Anubhav Ani Athavani. Nagpur: Sahitya Akademi.
Fernando, W. J. Basil (2000). Demoralisation and Hope: Creating the Social Foundation for Sustaining Democracy—A comparative study of N. F. S. Grundtvig (1783–1872) Denmark and B. R. Ambedkar (1881–1956) India. Hong Kong: AHRC Publication. ISBN 962-8314-08-4.
Chakrabarty, Bidyut. "B.R. Ambedkar" Indian Historical Review (Dec 2016) 43#2 pp 289–315. doi:10.1177/0376983616663417.
Gautam, C. (2000). Life of Babasaheb Ambedkar (Second ed.). London: Ambedkar Memorial Trust.
Jaffrelot, Christophe (2004). Ambedkar and Untouchability. Analysing and Fighting Caste. New York: Columbia University Press.
Kasare, M. L. Economic Philosophy of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. New Delhi: B. I. Publications.
Kuber, W. N. Dr. Ambedkar: A Critical Study. New Delhi: People's Publishing House.
Kumar, Aishwary. Radical Equality: Ambedkar, Gandhi, and the Risk of Democracy (2015).
Kumar, Ravinder. "Gandhi, Ambedkar and the Poona pact, 1932." South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies 8.1-2 (1985): 87-101.
Michael, S.M. (1999). Untouchable, Dalits in Modern India. Lynne Rienner Publishers. ISBN 978-1-55587-697-5.
Nugent, Helen M. (1979) "The communal award: The process of decision-making." South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies 2#1-2 (1979): 112-129.
Omvedt, Gail (January 2004). Ambedkar: Towards an Enlightened India. ISBN 0-670-04991-3.
Sangharakshita, Urgyen (1986). Ambedkar and Buddhism. ISBN 0-904766-28-4. PDF
Ambedkar, Bhimrao Ramji. Annihilation of caste: The annotated critical edition (Verso Books, 2014).
B. R. Ambedkarat Wikipedia's sister projects
Media from Wikimedia Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Texts from Wikisource
Data from Wikidata
N/A Member of Parliament
for Rajya Sabha Bombay State (now Maharashtra)
1952-1956 Succeeded by
Position established Minister of Law and Justice
N/A Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee


Home Caufield & Shook Collection Louisville Free Public Library, Western Branch children's room, 1928.
Title Louisville Free Public Library, Western Branch children's room, 1928.
Description Address: 604 S. Tenth Street, Louisville, Kentucky. African American children sit at tables or stand by bookshelves in the children's room of the Western Colored Branch of the Louisville Free Public Library. A number of books are on the tables and more books are on the shelves. The bookshelves have panels at the top that have drawings. Above one set of shelves is a clock. The Western Colored Branch of the Louisville Free Public Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
Source 8 x 10 in. b&w nitrate negative. Item no. ULPA CS 091520 in the Caufield & Shook Collection, University of Louisville Photographic Archives.
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First-hand account of Hayden's 1854-55 Missouri River expedition : the F.V. Hayden letters to S.F. Baird.
Denver : Westerner's Inc., ©1971.
Denver westerners roundup, v. 27, no. 3.
Scientific expeditions -- Missouri River.
Caption title: Hayden's 1854-55 Missouri River expedition.
"By F. Martin Brown"--Page 3.
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<http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/21315760> # First-hand account of Hayden's 1854-55 Missouri River expedition : the F.V. Hayden letters to S.F. Baird.
schema:about <http://id.worldcat.org/fast/1240244> ; # Missouri River.
schema:publisher <http://experiment.worldcat.org/entity/work/data/23062679#Agent/westerner_s_inc> ; # Westerner's Inc.
schema:hasPart <http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/21315760> ; # First-hand account of Hayden's 1854-55 Missouri River expedition : the F.V. Hayden letters to S.F. Baird.
schema:about <http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/21315760> ; # First-hand account of Hayden's 1854-55 Missouri River expedition : the F.V. Hayden letters to S.F. Baird.
schema:organizer <http://experiment.worldcat.org/entity/work/data/23062679#Agent/westerner_s_inc> ; # Westerner's Inc.


On FunnyGames.ir you'll find the best collection of 3D! You'll find no less than 688 different 3D, such as Alcoholic Simulator 2015 & Teen Titans: Last Villain Standing.
These games take place in a 3-Dimensional world! Jump into amazing surroundings and experience numerous exciting adventures!


It's an important firm within the FinTech ecosystem, but a little hard to categorize. Anthemis advises large financial services firms on digital strategy and offers a recruitment practice. It is best known as an active FinTech investor – current and past portfolio companies include Atom Bank, Betterment, Climate Corporation, Currency Cloud, Fidor Bank, Moven, QuanTemplate, Simple, and Trov. The ultimate goal, according to Anthemis, is to become one of the world's leading diversified financial services firms.
The company, with more than 30 employees, certainly has been on the move. It recently announced the first close of Anthemis Venture Fund I, with European Investment Fund and Italian Bank UniCredit as its lead investors. Earlier this year it also announced the formation of a new €200 million investment partnership with UniCredit. Called UniCredit evo, the JV will invest in innovative early- and mid-stage financial services startups, focusing primarily on those in Europe and North America. Anthemis also has opened a U.S. office.
Tom Ryan joined Anthemis as Head of North American Operations in November 2015, coming from the venture capital arm of Archer Gray, a New York-based media investment company. He was previously with Barclays' investment bank, where he oversaw technology, product, and marketing initiatives within the firm's BARX electronic markets business.
Q. Tom, what is the fundraising environment like now for FinTech startups seeking seed money or a Series A? Is it different for companies that are raising a B or C round? Is there an investment chill?
A. The fundraising environment has been challenging for entrepreneurs in the last nine months or so, particularly post-seed. But I wouldn't say that we've felt it in FinTech more or less than any other vertical.
One noticeable trend we've seen on the capital front is the dramatic growth of corporate venture. Banks and insurance companies are rightly looking to invest in new business models to participate in (and/or hedge against) innovation. Just about every top tier bank, asset manager, and insurance company has some form of venture initiative, and a good chunk of those have been formed in the last 24 months. We think it's a net positive; we've always said that the transition of financial services to the digital age would take multiple decades and require capital and innovation both from within and outside of incumbents to reach its future state. So this is all part of that process.
Q. As an investor, how do you feel about participating in a round with strategic investors?
A. It depends on the institution. It's important for strategic investors to resist the temptation to push pet projects, and instead give entrepreneurs the space to iterate and explore. Those strategic investors that are used to managing creative tension and operating outside of their corporate comfort zones are great to see in deals.
Q. How did the UniCredit evo deal come about?
A. Anthemis have two main lines of business: an advisory business and an investment business. We deliberately built a business that on one hand was investing in disruptive early-stage companies and on the other was helping large institutions reinvent themselves for the digital age. We decided to bring these strategies together in the form of what we call investment partnerships, to help institutions like UniCredit tap our experience to co-develop and execute their investment strategies. The UniCredit evo deal was our first of these investment partnerships.
UniCredit fits our criteria for the kind of partner we want to work with; innovation isn't a novel concept for them – they've done a lot of interesting things over the years.
Q. Am I right in thinking this is the first time Anthemis has raised outside capital to invest?
A. We've raised money over the years from strategic investors who have invested in Anthemis Group, which has allowed us to invest from the balance sheet. But between the UniCredit investment partnership, a similar partnership with MMI Holdings out of South Africa, and the initial close of Anthemis Venture Fund I this week, we've raised $285M to date. It's been an exciting year for us.
Q. Will you invest in truly disruptive startups or is UniCredit looking for incremental improvements in its existing business lines?
A. We're looking at some adjacent incremental opportunities, but more importantly – and more interestingly for all involved – we are looking for the big ideas, the new, differentiating business models. So you might say a mix of near-in-the-money options and deep out-of-the-money options.
Q. Thinking broadly about everything Anthemis does, and not just in the context of the UniCredit deal, which areas of FinTech are most compelling from an investment standpoint today? Are there any emerging themes you're following?
A. First of all, we define FinTech very broadly. We invest in risk management, payments, retail and corporate banking, capital markets and trading, wealth and asset management, data, and all related and underlying infrastructures.
Insurance is obviously an exciting investment theme – you're talking about 300-year-old companies with high margins and low customer satisfaction. It's no secret that the current models are flawed and that insurance as we know it will change dramatically. Interestingly, our first exit was a company in that space called Climate Corporation. They started by providing risk management data and insurance for farmers.
Q. What do you think of P2P insurance? Do you think we'll see a full stack, de novo insurance carrier any time soon? It would take a lot of capital.
A. I don't know that that's necessary. We like on-demand insurance; it's very consumer friendly. That's why we like Trov.
Peer-to-peer insurance is really interesting, too. It presents a new asset class, potentially, for investors. Even more so than lending, insurance lends itself to peer-to-peer treatment, and there are a lot more potential data points you can use to signal risk. The whole idea of pooling risk in this way is sort of insurance going back to its roots.
So in short, it's early days, but it's super interesting to us.
Q. Do you have regional investment preferences right now?
A. We used to say we focused on the traditional financial centers of London, New York, Frankfurt, etc. But we are seeing that as less and less important. Obviously, proximity to the transactional action and to competition is important, but as in all other sectors, we are seeing great ideas coming from the far reaches of the world. On a more macro basis, we are focused on the UK, Europe, and North America, but, as I mentioned, the importance of the financial centers to innovation is eroding.
Q. Accessing the data they need during product development can be a challenge for FinTech startups. It can be costly and time-consuming to procure, and if you need consumer banking data or insurance underwriting data, it might not be available at all.
A. Data is becoming more widely available and perhaps less of a barrier to entry. Whether companies are plugging in to third party data providers or using bank APIs or even scraping, there seem to be options.
Q. I think it's still a problem on the insurance side, where people would like underwriting and claims data in order to come up with new insurance models.
A. That's true for the insurance space. It goes to the question banks were asking themselves a few years ago: "Do you fight them or join them?" And they're not really mutually exclusive choices. Insurance companies have a chance to enhance their business models and provide new distribution. Keeping a tight grip on the data is a poor defense mechanism.
Q. Where do you see the greatest potential for the blockchain? Is there a killer application?
A. The consortia that are forming around blockchain are interesting because blockchain is not really meant to be controlled by a handful of folks, or even 50. It's meant to be governed more openly.
Blockchain has a ton of potential applications, though it can't solve everything. Our view is that we want to see more actual development and less consortium building and over-capitalization. We want to see more execution, whether that's in health insurance or for tracking wine portfolios or diamonds. There has been a lot of capital and attention focused on it to date. Now it's time for more application and execution.
Q. What led Anthemis to open a New York office? You've been very active U.S. investors even without a U.S. presence.
A. A combination of things. The U.S. portfolio was growing, and our ecosystem was maturing, so we decided to place some boots on the ground, if only to facilitate exchanges with the entrepreneurs and the companies that we traffic with. It was an obvious evolution for the business.
Q. You've also recently hired Leslie Campisi as CMO, which I believe is a new position at Anthemis.
A. It made sense to us to invest in a C-level person to help make sure we are getting credit for the ideas and vision that we had. Anthemis was founded before the term 'FinTech' became common. Now, you can't walk out of the Tube or subway without bumping into a FinTech founder, lecturer, or so-called expert. It's important to us that we get credit for what we've been building for the last six years and to position us for what's to come.
Q. Will she be assisting portfolio companies with their marketing efforts, or primarily focusing on building the Anthemis brand and marketing your advisory services?
A. Initially the Anthemis brand, but inevitably some work with our portfolio companies. We've already been doing some of that. We lean in with our portfolio companies wherever there is a need, and we like doing that. It's the fun part of what we do.
We've also just announced a head of ecosystem. That person, Gavin Holland, ran the talent function for us, which still exists, but we wanted to make sure we had someone in our shop to connect the dots and match "buyers and sellers" within our ecosystem. We've spent a lot of time developing that ecosystem, and it's increasingly valuable to our portfolio companies and clients.
Q. What else would you like people to know about Anthemis?
A. We are talking to U.S. institutions to find another investment partnership – another corporate venture partner that we can bring our special sauce to shape and deploy their FinTech investment strategy. We are choosing carefully because it's an eight- or ten-year partnership and commitment. There are a lot of really smart teams out there, UniCredit being one of them.
We've been in this space a long time. All of us at Anthemis share this common thread, it seems, of having been disrupters elsewhere. We know what it's like to fight the good fight. We've built a really strong team of like-minded folks that are passionate about shaping the future of financial services.
Q. How would you like people to contact you?
A. Tom @ anthemis dot com.
This entry was posted in FinTech, Venture Capital and tagged Anthemis, CMO, P2P insurance by jim. Bookmark the permalink.


A leading Pharmaceutical company located in Beirut Jnah is looking for a Female Business Analytics Officer.
The Business Analytics Officer is responsible for providing data, reports and presentation material from the database and other information sources, in a professional and accurate format. Also responsible for the analysis of the data to support management decision making and to help drive sales.
We are a leading company in the field of pharmaceutical distribution, delivering an array of top-quality healthcare products in Lebanon.


text:
Q: two contact listeners? (iOS, cocos2d, box2d) I am develop game using cocos2d and box2d.This game have some similarity with angry birds (not so much, but i hope it helps me to explain my question). I have special objects that I throwing (like birds) in other objects (rocks,wood, glass etc). Some special objects have special properties, and when I choose them I need to know when the first contact occurred. For example I choose the bomb, throw it, and when it contact with other object I have to call explosion method.
My question is: How I can realize this? I understand that in contact listener I can check every contact and if one of the object is bomb - then call explosion method. But I understand that it is wrong way :-)
May be I have to add second contact listener when the bomb chosen, and delete it after explosion? May be I have to use nsnotification or something like this? Help me, please
Thank you!

A: I can suggest next solution: after bomb was thrown, check at every time step its contacts; if some contact is touching, then explode the bomb. How to check contacts of the bomb you can see there.

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