Ambedkar, who had two PhDs — one from New York’s Columbia University and the other from LSE — studied at the prestigious London institution in the early 20th century. After completing his doctorate at Columbia University, he pursued a Master’s degree in economics at LSE, while simultaneously training to be a barrister.
According to documents released, “In 1916, he registered at LSE for a master’s degree and took courses in Geography with Halford Mackinder, and Political Ideas with G Lowes Dickinson, alongside Social Evolution and Social Theory with Professor L T Hobhouse. The fees for the course were 10 pounds 10 shillings. At the same time, Ambedkar enrolled for the bar course at Gray’s Inn.”
Ambedkar was a key member of the team that framed independent India’s constitution in 1947, and also worked for social reform and the abolition of the caste system. Being a member of the so-called ‘untouchable’ caste himself, he was seen as a leading reformer in this arena.
Ambedkar however did not have a smooth run at the LSE. He was attending the school on a scholarship from the prince of Baroda, a princely state in India under British rule. Ambedkar had to postpone his course and head back to Baroda to serve as Military Secretary in July 1917. He was only able to return in 1920, with money he had saved up and a loan from a friend. He then completed a Master’s at the LSE and a PhD at the University of London. His thesis was titled “The Provincial Decentralisation of Imperial Finance in India”. The thesis was considered too critical of British administration in India, and Ambedkar had to rewrite many parts of it before it was accepted.
April 14, 2016, marks the 125th birth anniversary of Ambedkar, and is set to be celebrated in a big way by the Indian government. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently unveiled plans to build an Ambedkar memorial in New Delhi, not far from where Ambedkar breathed his last in 1956. The government will also be launching a web portal with much of Ambedkar’s writings available in many languages.
