Why this matters now
The anti-caste/Dalit movement and Ambedkar’s role are tested in GS-1 and link to social justice, the Constitution and contemporary equity debates.
Early reformers
The struggle against caste began with reformers like Jyotiba Phule (Satyashodhak Samaj, education for the oppressed and women) and Savitribai Phule in the 19th century, and figures like Narayana Guru (Kerala), Periyar (Self-Respect Movement, Tamil Nadu) and others who attacked Brahminical orthodoxy and untouchability.
Dr B.R. Ambedkar
Dr B.R. Ambedkar, the foremost Dalit leader, led movements for dignity and rights — the Mahad Satyagraha (1927) (water rights) and temple-entry movements (Kalaram). He founded organisations and journals, demanded separate electorates for Depressed Classes at the Round Table Conferences, and championed education, organisation and agitation (“Educate, Agitate, Organise”).
The Poona Pact and legacy
The Communal Award (1932) granting separate electorates to the Depressed Classes was opposed by Gandhi (who fasted); the resulting Poona Pact (1932) replaced separate electorates with reserved seats within joint electorates. As Chairman of the Drafting Committee, Ambedkar shaped the Constitution’s equality and anti-untouchability provisions (Article 17); he later embraced Buddhism (1956).
UPSC angle
Know early reformers (Phule, Periyar, Narayana Guru), Ambedkar’s movements (Mahad, temple entry), the Communal Award vs Poona Pact (1932, reserved seats), Article 17, and his constitutional role.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Jyotiba Phule?
A 19th-century social reformer who founded the Satyashodhak Samaj and championed education for the oppressed castes and women.
What was the Mahad Satyagraha?
Ambedkar’s 1927 movement asserting the right of Dalits to use public water tanks.
What was the Poona Pact?
A 1932 agreement that replaced separate electorates for the Depressed Classes with reserved seats in joint electorates.
What was Ambedkar’s constitutional role?
As Chairman of the Drafting Committee, he shaped the Constitution’s equality and anti-untouchability (Article 17) provisions.