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Podcast: News and Views
Episode: Decoding Dr BR Ambedkar’s Conversion to Buddhism
Description: On 14 October 1956, Dr BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, took a life-altering decision. The Dalit strongman decided to quit Hinduism and take up Buddhism, along with close to 3,65,000 of his followers, in Nagpur.
Six decades later, we look at the reasons behind Ambedkar’s decision to alter not just his own path but also the lives of a largely marginalised Dalit community.
Why Convert?
Ambedkar had long decided to change his religion to escape what he considered a “threat to freedom” – the varna or caste system, propagated by Hinduism. Frustrated by what he belie...