Dr BR Ambedkar's vision, understanding permeate the Constitution: Attorney General R Venkataramani

Dr BR Ambedkar was not merely a person who drafted the Constitution of India with certain ideas borrowed from elsewhere. Rather, he wanted to bring in certain visions and understanding that today permeate the Constitution, which is premised on equality, justice, fraternity and governance, remarked Attorney General for India R Venkataramani recently.

Attorney General (AG) Venkataramani made the observation during his inaugural address of the National Convention on 'Dr B R Ambedkar's Legacy: Advancing Rights, Justice and Constitutional Governance' held at OP Jindal Global University from April 12-14.

To celebrate the 134th birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar, a three-day national convention on Dr Ambedkar's legacy was organized at the OP Jindal Global University (JGU).

The National Convention was also addressed by IAS officer and Additional Chief Secretary to the government of Haryana, Dr Raja Sekhar Vundru.

National Convenor, National Council of Women Leaders, Manjula Pradeep; Former Judge Madras High Court, Justice K Chandru; Member of Parliament Rajya Sabha, Dr Sasmit Patra; General Secretary National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights, Beena Pallical; and Founder and CEO of the Femme First Foundation, Angellica Aribam were among the other dignitaries present at the event.

Founding Vice-Chancellor, JGU, Prof (Dr) C Raj Kumar said,

“Dr. BR Ambedkar stands as one of India’s most formidable scholars and revolutionary leaders of the 20th century. A visionary advocate for rights and a just society, particularly of and for marginalised communities, his ideas and practice made some of the most important and foundational structures of India possible, including the Indian Constitution. Dr. BR Ambedkar continues to inspire movements for justice and emancipation worldwide. To appreciate his enduring legacy, we want to facilitate, support and host some conversations - enlivening his life with our learnings and his remarkable scholarship with what concerns us today. This National Convention will prove to be a leading intellectual discourse enabling a contemporary understanding of Dr. BR Ambedkar in modern India.”

Executive Dean, Jindal Global Law School, Prof (Dr) Dipika Jain said,

“The discussions, panels and keynote address over the three-day of the national convention will help us to better understand the legacy of Dr. BR Ambedkar. It addresses how the Indian Constitution has been an enduring document which has helped India commit to its democratic roots and has ensured the rights of the individual. Various sessions during the convention will delve into these themes, which also include an incisive debate on the foresight of Dr Ambedkar in shaping India’s political ideas as well as economic thought.”

Multiple sessions were held during the event including on themes such as Dialogues of Dissent on Dr Ambedkar, Sociology and the Construction of the Other, Dr Ambedkar and Global Human Rights, Dr Ambedkar and the Women's Question, Reservation and its Futures, Religious Pluralism and Dr Ambedkar’s Embrace of Buddhism, Dalit Feminist Theory: Critique, Power and Revolutionising Feminist Thought, and The Legal and the Ethical in Ambedkar's Conception of Emancipation.

It further examined contemporary questions like Constitutional Moralities and Decriminalising Same-Sex Relations: A Critical Conversation, Digital India and the Question of Caste, Role of Media in Advancing Dr Ambedkar's Legacy, to name a few.

Those who were part of the event also included Rituparna Borah, Co-founder of Nazariya; Abirami Jotheeswaran, General Secretary of the All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch-NCDHR; Apar Gupta, Advocate and Co-founder of Internet Freedom Foundation; Dr. Riya Singh, Founder of Dalit Women Fight; Nikita Sonavane, Co-Founder of Criminal Justice and Police Accountability Project; Meena Kotwal, Founder of The Mooknayak; and Sudipto Mondal, Executive Editor of The News Minute.

Renowned academics from leading universities like Jawaharlal Nehru University, the NALSAR University of Law, Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, University of Hyderabad, Indira Gandhi National Open University, and the University of Delhi also participated.

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