Ramabai Bhimrao Ambedkar (7 February 1898 – 27 May 1935) was the first wife of

B. R. Ambedkar Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who headed the committee drafting the Constitution of India from the Constituent Assembly debates, served a ...

, who said her support was instrumental in helping him pursue his

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after compl ...

and his true potential. She has been the subject of a number of biographical movies and books. A number of landmarks across India have been named after her. She is also known as ''Ramai'' (Mother Rama).

Early life

Ramabai was born in a poor family to Bhiku Dhotre (Valangkar) and Rukmini. She lived with her three sisters and a brother, Shankar, in the Mahapura locality within the village of

Vanand Vanand () is the area of historic Armenia that roughly corresponds to the Kars Province of present-day Turkey. Named after the Armenian family of Vanandi, it was a principality of the Kingdom of Armenia and a later province of the Democratic ...

near Dapoli Ratnagiri. Her father earned his livelihood by carrying baskets of fish from Harnai Bunder & Dabhol harbour to the market. Her mother died when she was young and, after her father also died, her uncles Valangkar and Govindpurkar took the children to

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the '' de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the sec ...

to live with them in

Byculla Byculla ( ISO: Bhāykhaḷā; pronunciation: ʱaːjkʰəɭaː is an area of South Mumbai. Location Byculla is neighboured by Nagpada and Mumbai Central and Mahalaxmi on the west; Agripada, Jacob Circle on the north-west: Chinchpokli to th ...

market.

Marriage

Ramabai married Ambedkar in 1906 in a very simple ceremony in the vegetable market of

, Mumbai. At the time, Ambedkar was aged 15 and Ramabai was Eight. His affectionate name for her was "Rāmu", while she called him "Saheb". They had five children –

Yashwant Yashwant or Yashawant is a given name. People *Yashwant Vithoba Chittal (born 1928), Kannada fiction writer, Academy Award recipient for his work ''Purusottama'' * Yashwant Jadhav, Indian politician * Yashwant Singh Parmar (1906–1981), Indian p ...

, Gangadhar, Ramesh, Indu (daughter) and Rajratna. Apart from Yashwant (1912–1977), the other four died in their childhood.

Death

Ramabai died on 27 May 1935 at Rajgruha in Hindu Colony,

Dadar Dadar ( ̪aːd̪əɾ is a densely populated residential and shopping neighbourhood in Mumbai. It is also a prominent railway and bus service hub with local and national connectivity. Dadar holds the distinction of being Mumbai’s first plann ...

, Bombay, after a prolonged chronic illness. She had been married to Ambedkar for 29 years.

Credit by her husband

B. R. Ambedkar's book ''Thoughts on Pakistan'', published in 1941, was dedicated to Ramabai. In the

preface __NOTOC__ A preface () or proem () is an introduction to a book or other literary work written by the work's author. An introductory essay written by a different person is a '' foreword'' and precedes an author's preface. The preface often close ...

, Ambedkar credits her with his transformation from an ordinary ''Bhiva or Bhima'' to Dr Ambedkar.

Influence and in popular legacy

Ramabai's life has been featured in the following:

Movies, televisions and drama

* ''Ramai'', a 1992 drama directed by Ashok Gawali * ''Bhim Garjana'', a 1990 Marathi film directed by Vijay Pawar, the role of Ramabai Ambedkar was played by Prathama Devi. * ''Yugpurush Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar'', a 1993 Marathi film directed by Shashikant Nalavade, the role of Ramabai Ambedkar was played by Chitra Koppikar. * ''

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who headed the committee drafting the Constitution of India from the Constituent Assembly debates, served ...

'', a 2000 English film directed by

Jabbar Patel Dr. Jabbar Patel (born 23 June 1942, Pandharpur) is a former paediatrician and a Marathi-language theatre and film director of India. His production of the play Vijay Tendulkar's play Ghashiram Kotwal, in 1973 is considered a classic in M ...

, the role of Ramabai Ambedkar was played by

Sonali Kulkarni Sonali Kulkarni (born 3 November 1974) is an Indian actress, producer, and writer who primarily appears in Marathi and Hindi films. She has also appeared in Kannada, Tamil, Gujarati and English films. She has worked in over 70 films, both ...

. * '' Dr. B. R. Ambedkar'', a 2005 Kannada film directed by Sharan Kumar Kabbur, the role of Ramabai Ambedkar was played by

Tara Anuradha Tara may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tara'' (1992 film), an Indian film directed by Bijaya Jena * ''Tara'' (2001 film), an American film, also known as ''Hood Rat'', directed by Leslie Small * ''Tara'' (2010 film), a ...

. * ''

Ramabai Bhimrao Ambedkar Ramabai Bhimrao Ambedkar (7 February 1898 – 27 May 1935) was the first wife of B. R. Ambedkar, who said her support was instrumental in helping him pursue his higher education and his true potential. She has been the subject of a number of biog ...

'', a 2011 Marathi film directed by Prakash Jadhav, the role of Ramabai Ambedkar was played by Nisha Parulekar. * '' Ramabai'', a 2016 Kannada film directed by M. Ranganath, the role of Ramabai Ambedkar was played by

Yagna Shetty Yagna Shetty is an Indian actress known for her work in Kannada cinema. She made her debut in the 2007 film ''Ondu Preethiya Kathe'', following which she appeared in '' Eddelu Manjunatha'', a performance that won her a Filmfare Special Award. ...

. * ''Dr. Ambedkar'', a Hindi television series aired on

DD National DD National (formerly DD1) is a state-owned public entertainment television channel in India. It is the flagship channel of Doordarshan, India's public service broadcaster, and the oldest and most widely available terrestrial television channe ...

. * ''Garja Maharashtra'' (2018–19), a Marathi television series aired on

Sony Marathi Sony Marathi is an Indian pay television channel that broadcasts programming in Marathi. It was launched on 19 August 2018 and is owned and operated by Culver Max Entertainment. Current broadcast Drama series (Mon-Sat) Reality shows Upcom ...

. * ''

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar - Mahamanvachi Gauravgatha ''Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar - Mahamanvachi Gauravgatha'' (Translation: ''Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar - Glory Saga of Great Man'') is a Marathi television series aired on Star Pravah. The drama is based on life of B. R. Ambedkar was released on 18 May 201 ...

'' (2019), a Marathi television series airing on

Star Pravah Star Pravah is an Indian Marathi language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly ''Star India''), a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. It was launched on 24 November 2008. Its programming consis ...

starring Shivani Rangole as Ramabai Ambedkar while Mrunmayi Supal portrayed the young version of the character.

Books

* ''Ramai'', by Yashwant Manohar * ''Tyagawanti Rama Mauli'', by Nana Dhakulkar, Vijay Publications (Nagpur) * ''Priya Ramu'', by Yogiraj Bagul, Granthali Publication

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ambedkar, Ramabai Bhimrao 1898 births 1935 deaths 20th-century Indian women 20th-century Indian people Spouses of Indian politicians Spouses of national leaders Ramabai Bhimrao Women from Maharashtra People from Ratnagiri district