Ramabai Dr. B.R. Helped Ambedkar to pursue higher education abroad and supported his efforts for social justice. (Image: Shutterstock)
Ramabai was known for her humility, resilience and compassion. Not many people know that Babasaheb Ambedkar’s life was greatly influenced by him
Death Anniversary of Ramabai Ambedkar: Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s wife Ramabai Bhimrao Ambedkar is fondly remembered as Ramai or Mata Ram. Ramabai was known for her humility, resilience and compassion. Not many people know that Babasaheb Ambedkar’s life was greatly influenced by him. Ramabai helped the father of the Indian Constitution to pursue higher education abroad and supported his efforts for social justice.
Heartfelt Tribute to Tyagamurthy Ramabai Ambedkar, who was the author of Mahabharata, the framer of the Indian Constitution. Babasaheb stood steadfastly behind Ambedkar in his social and political journey.— Eknath Shinde – Eknath Shinde (@mieknathshinde) May 27, 2023
On the occasion of Ramabai’s death anniversary, here are some lesser known facts about her:
- Ramabai was born in 1898 in a poor Dalit family. She was the second daughter of Bhiku Dhatre Valangkar, a labourer. From the port of Dabhol, his father used to carry baskets of fish to the market.
- Ramabai lost both her parents early in life. She and her three siblings were brought up by her uncles in Mumbai.
- In 1906, she married Babasaheb Ambedkar in Byculla. Ramabai was nine years old when she married Babasaheb who was then 15 years old. When Ramabai called her husband ‘Saheb’, her husband called her ‘Ramu’.
- Ramabai B.R. supported Ambedkar’s ambitions and she even encouraged him to pursue higher education abroad.
- While Ambedkar was abroad for his studies, Ramabai endured hardships, but that did not stop him from encouraging him to pursue his goals. Ramabai would make cakes of cow dung and carry it on her head, using it as cheap household fuel.
- Babasaheb Ambedkar and Ramabai had a daughter, Indu, and four sons – Yashwant, Gangadhar, Ramesh and Rajaratna. Yashwant was the only child who lived to adulthood.
- After a long illness, Ramabai breathed her last in 1935.
- B.R. Ambedkar acknowledged her influence on his life through his book Thoughts on Pakistan. Of his beloved wife, he remembered her for “the goodness of heart, the nobility of her mind, and the purity of her character, as well as her calm fortitude and readiness to suffer.”