‘A just society is that society in which ascending sense of reverence an descending sense of contempt is dissolved into the creation of a compassionate society.’
Dr. BR Ambedkar
Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was the torch bearer of social justice in contemporary India. He belonged to the Mahar caste. The members belonging to his caste were treated as untouchables and were subjected to socio economic discrimination in the society. He was a zealot of equality, justice and liberty. Ambedkar was born in an unjust and oppressed society. Facing discrimination all his life and seeing the plight of his fellow caste members, he wanted to bring a revolutionary change in the society by destroying social injustice. He made it his mission to free the Indian society and political system from any form of exploitation. He dedicated himself to securing human rights and dignity for all the oppressed citizens. He fought against all the odds and hurdles in his way and attained higher education, which was a rarity for members of the backward castes. He fought relentlessly for ensuring that a new social order came into existence.
He wanted to alter the existing social order of the society, erected on the pillars of caste and class and attempted to inculcate the concept of social justice by enthusiastically campaigning for bringing to light, various issues faced by Dalits. He advocated for the plight of Dalits, women, labourers to bring them out of the bubble of humiliation and inequality that these people had suffered through their entire lives. His idea of social justice was founded on three values: Equality, liberty and fraternity. He wanted every person in the society to get equal opportunities.
Dr. Ambedkar’s understanding and concept of social justice can be rightfully interpreted as a way of life, where each and every person, no matter what caste or class they belong to, have an equal standing in the society; a lawful, legitimate an deserved place. The axioms relating to social justice can include living a conscientious life, respecting each and every person, providing each individual with their fair share of due, credit and opportunities without harbouring any artificial prejudice in mind or believing in a fabricated, unnatural classification of the society.
From a moral point of view, the underlying crux of Dr. Ambedkar’s perspective of this theory is the focus on ensuring equality, unity and liberty for all human beings, which is completely independent of any pre-conceived notions of caste, race, gender or class. What is necessary to achieve this is an open mind free from stereotypes and prejudices, patience, resilience, strength, empathy, understanding. Practically, what is required is the abrogation of a caste based society and making education available for all. He always placed emphasis on social and economic justice rather than political justice. He advocated for individual liberty to annihilate the disparities brought into existence by the caste system. He envisioned a society where an individual’s stature was known through his intellect, merit, virtue and achievements instead of the family he was born in. He was also the emissary of preferential treatment on the basis of caste. He wanted the grant of benefits and extra opportunities for the socially exploited and economically backward people. He wanted to rid the society of all its imbalances by dispensing justice to all those to whom it had been denied in the past.
After centuries of inter-generational trauma, Dalits are still facing the consequences of the caste system. From being labelled backward not just by caste, but in economical and opportunistic terms as well, the living conditions of Dalits in this country is not anything to be proud of. His perspective was progressive. He wanted the down trodden people to enjoy the same rights and benefits as everyone else. The credit for the improved condition of Dalits is to granted to Dr. BR Ambedkar. His hard work has enabled the low caste people to enjoy equal representation in the major fields and institutes today. He is responsible for giving a voice to Dalits and making them feel that they’re as equal members of the society as everyone else. He coined an umbrella term- SC’s/ST’s (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) and brought all the oppressed castes under this term so that they could avail benefits from the government. The most remarkable policy- Reservation; was pursued by him and made a part of the Constitution due to his efforts. This policy enabled the people from SC’s/ST’s castes to gain entry in the fields of education and government services, hence aiding them in flourishing educationally, economically as well as socially.
Following this, a plethora of programmes and policies have been introduced by various governments for their upliftment. However, even after all these efforts and progressive steps that have certainly been taken in the right direction, the fact cannot be completely denied that social justice as a concept in practical world is still far behind than in a theoretical sense.
The caste system and the consequences that follow it, still remain a harsh reality. Untouchability and social differences in the society still persist because people are still living in a bubble of blind belief. Even though there are no more separate wells, schools and living areas for the Dalits, they are still the subject of heinous atrocities as a result of caste based violence.
Even after Ambedkar’s efforts, the principle of social and equal justice has failed to have a complete effect. His notion of justice was based on equal rights and opportunities for each member of the society and the treatment of every citizen with human dignity, through legal framework. His idea of social justice encompassed not just legal measures, but moral grounds as well. His ideas were loosely based on the concept of sustainable development for Dalits, to help them lead a life full of respect and dignity, something that they had been denied since centuries. Being a Dalit himself, he was concerned about the development of the vulnerable sections of the society. He wanted to establish a society free from a caste based social structure. His ideas, however, failed to be completely applicable in the society but his progressive mind-set and perspective continues to influence thousands of Dalits every day. His ideas are relevant even in the modern Indian society for the implementation and promotion of legal methods for upholding the rights and dignities of the backward sections of the society. To establish an egalitarian social, economic and political order in the diverse societies like ours, Ambedkar’s rational philosophy of social justice has been the greatest influence and inspiration which has cast major impact on the depressed classes or Scheduled Castes in India especially in the direction of making them cognizant of their rights, the way to live a respectful life and the class consciousness low social status. In course of time, the privileges for the privileged class increased and the other classes became more and more oppressed and depressed; such a social structure bred inequality in status and denial of equal opportunities for all. It ushered in an unjust social order in the country. Social justice in India seeks to remove the glaring inequalities in society based on such a hierarchical caste system.
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