Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: His ‘Subdued’ Economic Visions

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar gained prominence as the principal architect of the Indian Constitution and as a messiah for the depressed classes; the scheduled castes, the scheduled tribes, women and labour alike. But little was ever recorded in the yellowed pages of history about his economic thoughts that are usually subdued because of the diverse activities he undertook. His economist identity of course cannot be allowed to dilute endlessly, him being a chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution and various other pursuits he was engaged in. As such, this paper attempts to throw light on the ignored aspects of Ambedkar’s economic thoughts. Secondary sources; the mighty Constitution which in itself is a great witness of his rational thinking, various newspaper clippings, scholarly articles and books were referred to, by the author in an attempt to apply his thoughts in today’s economic scenario.