People, South Asian Politics & Law

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar is India’s iconic champion of social justice and equality. Born in a dalit (untouchable) family, Dr. Ambedkar overcame insurmountable odds to become a leading thinker, scholar and visionary of modern India who had an enduring impact on the lives of millions. He was the chief architect of the Constitution of Independent India and was the country’s first Law minister. An eminent scholar and writer in a wide range of disciplines, such as economics, politics, law, sociology, religion and philosophy, he was a civil rights leader and an undaunted crusader for equality. In 1990, he was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna (the Jewel of India), India’s highest civil honour, for his role in promoting justice, freedom, equality and fraternity. Since 2011, his birthday has been declared a national holiday. (Text from the York University poster of the event)

Dr. Ambedkar International Mission, Canada, Toronto has generously donated a bust of Dr. Ambedkar to the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, York University. This bust was placed at the Scott Library and unveiled at a ceremony on 02 December 2015. Read the YFile story on the event.

A stately bronze bust of Dr. Ambedkar can also be found at the Lehman Library at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and at the Burnaby campus of Simon Fraser University.