Jai Bhim (alternatively spelled Jay Bhim or Jai Bheem; ; pronounced or ) is a slogan and greeting used by followers of

B. R. Ambedkar Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (Bhīmrāo Rāmjī Āmbēḍkar; 14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who chaired the committee that drafted the Constitution of India based on t ...

, an Indian politician, social reformer and first Law and Justice Minister of India. It refers to Ambedkar's given name Bhimrao. In 1935, ''Jai Bhim'' was conceived and developed by Babu L. N. Hardas (1904–1939), a staunch follower of Ambedkar, and the secretary of Samata Sainik Dal. However, its origin is obscure and may date as far back as 1818, well before Ambedkar's birth. Jai Bhim is also called as a slogan by some political parties like the

Bahujan Samaj Party The Bahujan Samaj Party ( BSP) is a political party in India that was formed to represent Bahujans (literally means "community in majority"), referring to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes (OBC), along with Religious ...

(BSP),

Republican Party of India The Republican Party of India (RPI, often called the Republican Party or simply Republican) was a political party in India. It had its roots in the All-India Scheduled Castes Federation led by N. Sivaraj and B. R. Ambedkar. The Party was e ...

(RPI).

History

The slogan 'Jai Bhim' was given by Babu Hardas in 1935. It is recorded that Babu Hardas L. N. (Laxman Nagarale) himself gave the slogan of 'Jai Bhim' in Ramchandra Kshirsagar's book ''Dalit Movement in India and Its Leaders''. In 1938, a meeting was held at Makranpur in Kannad taluka of Aurangabad district by Bhausaheb More, an activist of the Ambedkarite movement. In this meeting, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was also present. In that meeting, More told the people that from now on, they would only say 'Jai Bhim' while greeting each other. Former

Judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

and scholar of the Dalit movement Suresh Ghorpade said, "The salutation 'Jai Bhim' started during Dr. Ambedkar's lifetime. Activists of the Ambedkarite movement used to call each other 'Jai Bhim' but some activists also directly salutated Dr. Ambedkar as 'Jai Bhim'." Narendra Jadhav says, "The slogan of Jai Bhim was given by Babu Hardas. It is an important triumph for all Dalits. 'Jai Bhim' has become a symbol of struggle, it has become a cultural identity as well as a political identity, it also shows the relationship with the Ambedkarite movement, this utterance has become a symbol of all kinds of identities. I think 'Jai Bhim' has become the overall identity of the revolution," said Uttam Kamble. In 1946, on the occasion of the birthday celebrations of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, for the time in the presence of Dr. Ambedkar, Jai Bhim was proclaimed by Dalit Poet Bihari Lal Harit (1913–1999) through a poem in Gandhi Ground, Opp. Old Delhi Railway Station.

In popular culture

* Several Marathi songs feature the phrase 'Jai Bhim'. * This phrase is used in the title of the 2018 Indian film ''Bole India, Jai Bhim'', which is based on the life of

Babu Hardas Hardas Laxmanrao Nagrale (6 January 1904 – 12 January 1939), popularly known as Babu Hardas, was an Indian Dalit leader, politician and social reformer. He was an ardent follower of B. R. Ambedkar and was pioneer of the practice of exchanging ...

, a Dalit rights activist. * This slogan is used as a title of the 2021 Tamil film '' Jai Bhim'', which tells the story of a lawyer's fight for justice for a marginalized tribal man. * On 24 June 2024, in the

Parliament of India The Parliament of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Government of India, Government of the Republic of India. It is a bicameralism, bicameral legislature composed of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok ...

, nearly two dozen MPs—Dalits, OBCs, Muslims, and Tribals from various political parties such as

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

Samajwadi Party The Samajwadi Party ( SP; ) is a Socialism, socialist political party in India. It was founded on 4 October 1992 by former Janata Dal politician Mulayam Singh Yadav and is headquartered in New Delhi. It is the third-largest political party in ...

, and others—concluded their oath-taking ceremony with the slogan 'Jai Bhim'.

Notes

References

{{reflist Slogans Hindi words and phrases Greeting words and phrases of India Dalit culture B. R. Ambedkar Indian political slogans

History

In popular culture

See also

Notes

References