Yashwant Bhimrao Ambedkar (12 December 1912 — 17 September 1977), also known as Bhaiyasaheb Ambedkar, was an Indian socio-religious activist, newspaper editor, politician, and activist of Ambedkarite Buddhist movement. He was the first and only surviving child of

Ramabai Ambedkar Ramabai Bhimrao Ambedkar (7 February 1898 – 27 May 1935) was the first wife of B. R. Ambedkar, who said her support was instrumental in helping him pursue his higher education and his true potential. She has been the subject of a number of biog ...

and

B. R. Ambedkar Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who headed the committee drafting the Constitution of India from the Constituent Assembly debates, served ...

, Indian polymath, human rights activist, and the first law minister of India. Yashwant devoted his life to

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...

after the demise of his father and kept pace his father's struggle for social equality. He tried to keep the Ambedkarite community united and also took an active part in the Dalit Buddhist movement. After his father died in 1956, he became the second president of the

Buddhist Society of India The Buddhist Society of India, known as the Bharatiya Bauddha Mahasabha, is a national Buddhist organization in India. It was founded by B. R. Ambedkar on 4 May 1955 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Ambedkar was the father of the Indian Constituti ...

and continued his father's struggle. In 1968, he organized an All India Buddhist Conference. After his death, his wife Mira became the president of the Buddhist Society of India. He had four children, including

Prakash Yashwant Ambedkar Prakash Yashwant Ambedkar (born 10 May 1954), popularly known as Balasaheb Ambedkar, is an Indian politician, writer and lawyer. He is the president of political party called Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh. He is a three-time Member of Parliament ...

. He had been the editor of the "Janata" newspaper since 1942.

Personal life

Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar with his son Yashwant (left) and Nephew Mukund (right)

Yashwant Ambedkar was born on 12 December 1912 in

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...

. On 19 April 1953, he married Meera Ambedkar in a Buddhist manner. They have four children - Prakash, Ramā, Bhimrao and Anandraj. His only daughter Rama is married to

Anand Teltumbde Anand Teltumbde (born 15 July 1950) is an Indian scholar, writer, and civil rights activist who is a management professor at the Goa Institute of Management. He has written extensively about the caste system in India and has advocated for the r ...

Religious work

On 14 October 1956, he converted to

Navayana Navayana (Devanagari: नवयान, IAST: ''Navayāna'') means "new vehicle" and refers to the re-interpretation of Buddhism by Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar; it is also called Neo-Buddhism and Ambedkarite Buddhism. Ambedkar was a polymath, theol ...

. After the death of his father Babasaheb Ambedkar on 6 December 1956, he became the second president of the

. This position he held until his death (1956-1977). In 1958, he represented India at the World Buddhist Conference in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. He erected many Buddhist temples, and monuments of Babasaheb Ambedkar. On 2 August 1958, at Bhimnagar in Pune, he erected a full-sized bronze statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar. Babasaheb Ambedkar's tomb

Chaitya Bhoomi Chaitya Bhoomi (IAST: ''Caityabhūmī'', Officially: ''Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Mahaparinirvan Memorial'') is a Buddhist chaitya and the cremation place of B. R. Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian Constitution. It is situated besides D ...

memorial work was completed by Yashwant Ambedkar's efforts. He represented India at the World Buddhist Conference in Sri Lanka in 1972.

Political work

Yashwant Ambedkar was the co-founder of the

Republican Party of India The Republican Party of India (RPI, often called the Republican Party or simply Republican) is a political party in India. It has its roots in the Scheduled Castes Federation led by B. R. Ambedkar. The 'Training School for Entrance to Poli ...

, which has its roots in the

Scheduled Castes Federation The Republican Party of India (RPI, often called the Republican Party or simply Republican) is a political party in India. It has its roots in the Scheduled Castes Federation led by B. R. Ambedkar. The 'Training School for Entrance to Polit ...

led by

. On 30 September 1956, B. R. Ambedkar announced the establishment of the "Republican Party of India" by dismissing the "Scheduled Castes Federation", but before the formation of the party, he died on 6 December 1956. After that, his followers and activists planned to form this party. A meeting of the Presidency was held in Nagpur on 1 October 1957 to establish the party. At this meeting, N. Sivaraj, Yashwant Ambedkar, P. T. Borale, A. G. Pawar, Datta Katti,

Dadasaheb Rupwate Damodar Tatyaba Rupwate (28 February 1925 – 23 July 1999), commonly known as Dadasaheb Rupwate was an Indian politician, Ambedkarite social activist and newspaper editor from Maharashtra. Initially he was a member of the Scheduled Caste Feder ...

were present. The Republican Party of India was formed on 3 October 1957. N. Sivaraj was elected as the President of the party. He was a member of the

Maharashtra Legislative Council The Maharashtra Vidhan Parishad or Maharashtra Legislative Council is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of Maharashtra state in western India. Location The seat of the Vidhan Parishad is situated at the Nariman Point area of South M ...

from 1960 to 1966. RPI President N. Sivaraj elected Ambedkar as the Mumbai State President of RPI in 1964. RPI started agitation for landless people in 1959.

Death

He died on 17 September 1977. More than one million people attended his funeral. He was cremated in a Buddhist manner in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

at the

Dadar Dadar (Help:IPA/Marathi, ̪aːd̪əɾ is a densely populated residential and shopping neighbourhood in Mumbai. It is also a prominent railway and bus service hub with local and national connectivity. Dadar holds the distinction of being Mum ...

Cemetery (next to the Chaityabhoomi Stupa).

Books on Ambedkar

* "Suryaputra Yashwantrao Ambedkar" (The son of sun: Yashwant Ambedkar) — writer: Phulchandra Khobragade; Sanket Prakashan, Nagpur, 2014 * "Loknete Bhaiyasaheb Ambedkar" (The people's leader: Bhaiyasaheb Ambedkar) — writer: Prakash Janjal, Ramai Prakashan, 2019

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ambedkar, Yashwant 1912 births 1977 deaths Indian Buddhists 20th-century Buddhists Indian civil rights activists Y Members of the Maharashtra Legislative Council Marathi politicians Republican Party of India politicians Social workers Social workers from Maharashtra Converts to Buddhism from Hinduism Dalit activists Activists from Maharashtra Indian newspaper editors 20th-century Indian politicians Buddhist activists Bombay State politicians Indian newspaper journalists Indian newspaper publishers (people) Scheduled Castes Federation politician