Abstract

The name MAHARASHTRA is considered as the land of the MARATHI speaking people, seems to be derivative from the Sanskrit words ‘Maha’ meaning ‘Great’ and Rashtra meaning ‘Nation’, thus interpreting the name Maharashtra plainly meaning great nation. One of the finest personalities from Maharashtra was Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. He proved, himself to be a prodigy and was known as a great radical, philosopher, theorist, jurist – par excellence, social activist, creative writer and critic. However his opinions never received satisfactory thoughtfulness in the platitude of Indian society just because he was born as an untouchable. His main motive in life was to recreate society along the contemporary democratic ideas of liberty, equality and fraternity. He had made the genuine efforts in laying down the resilient bases for codifying the common Civil Code for Hindus and other sections of the Indian society. He stalwartly believed that women empowerment can be consummate by security and happiness of women. The accomplishments of empowering women globally should follow the idea of Dr. B.R Ambedkar. He battled against unfair and vicious practices like devdasi system, child marriages and strongly promoted family planning. In Bombay Legislative Assembly, he intensely encouraged for family planning measures for women. He left no stones unturned for the development of women that are associated with malicious practices like prostitutions. Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar saw women as the sufferers of the stiff hierarchical social system which was despotic and caste driven. Today’s women are imprisoned in the loop of diffidence, masculine ascendancy, lack of awareness about her rights and no decision making powers. He contributed in Hindu personal laws and introduced many women welfare provisions in Indian Constitution. He not only tried to include women’s right in the political vocabulary but also in the Indian constitution. He generated consciousness among deprived, uneducated women and encouraged them to combat against discrimination and injustice. Dr Ambedkar extricates women from archaic servitudes and conferred upon them equal rights and freedom through legislations. This paper attempts to focus on Dr. Ambedkar's view on women glitches in pre and post independent India, his role in empowering and emancipating not only Dalit women but other sections of the society through various constitutional safeguards, his slogan “Educate, organize and agitate” helped the women to mobilize in the freedom movement and even after seventy years of independence the society had failed to give the due rights to the women.

Key words: women empowerment, Indian Constitution