Vol. 17, Part III · pages 491–495

134 ALLIANCE TO APPOSE “Mr. Ashok Mehta, General Secretary of the Socialist Party, told an election meeting at Chowpatty on Sunday the 23rd December 1951, that the Party’s alliance with the Scheduled Castes’ Federation has created a new force. He was followed by Dr. Ambedkar, the leader of the Federation, who said the alliance was merely to oppose the Congress. Mr. Mehta attacked Mr. Nehru’s criticism of the alliance. Dr. Ambedkar said the Congress had done nothing during the last four years. Several processions from different parts of the city joined the public meeting at Chowpatty.”1 zz 1: Bharat, dated 24th December 1951.

135 I ALWAYS HAVE THE INTEREST OF THE COUNTRY AT HEART “The renowned University of Columbia of America in an unequivocal decision in 1950 decided to honour Dr. B. R. Ambedkar by conferring a prestigious degree of LL. D. upon him for his pivotal role in drafting the constitution of the independent India. Dr. Ambedkar’s joy knew no bounds to get this news from his alma mater from where he had obtained M. A. and Ph. D. degrees in 1915 and 1917 respectively. But there were many problems before the newly formed Government of India. These were constitutional problems and had to be solved by the expertize of Dr. Ambedkar. Knowing his responsiblity Dr. Ambedkar could not accept the invitation. Moreover, his ill health would not allow him to go to America. He, most humbly, informed the University about his inability to attend the ceremony. General Eisenhower was the President of the Columbia University at that time who later served America as her President. He was going to preside over the convocation function. T he University was ready to award the degree in absentia. But Dr. Ambedkar informed the University that he would come in one or two years to accept the degree personally. T he University was happy to honour this illustrious son of I ndia and conceding to his request decided to hold the function on June 5, 1952. The list of the proud recepients of the degrees in which figured the name of Dr. Ambedkar appeared in the fourth week of May. There was a flood of letters by his friends, fans and well wishers congratulating him on his grand success. Even, Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, the then Vice-President of I ndia, took pride in his achievement and congratulated D r. Ambedkar with the following words. In his letter, he said,

464 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES 2, King Edward Road, New Delhi. 26th May 1952. My dear Dr. Ambedkar, I am very pleased to see in the papers that the Columbia University is conferring on you the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws. It is an appropriate recognition for your great work in regard to our Constitution. My warmest congratulations. There will be no time limit today and tomorrow for the first hour or so. So, if you wish to speak on the General Budget, it will be convenient if you do so today or tomorrow forenoon. With kind regards, Yours sincerely, Sd/- S. Radhakrishnan. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Member, Council of States, Parliament House, New Delhi.” 4001-4003. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s reply, “26, Alipore Road, Delhi, the 27th May 1952. Dear Dr. Radhakrishnan, Thank you very much for your letter of the 26th May 1952 containing your congratulations on the project of the Columbia University to confer an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws on me. I am very glad to say there were at least some in India who are prepared to appreciate the honour that is being done to me. With kind regards, Yours sincerely, Sd/- B. R. Ambedkar, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, Vice-President of India, New Delhi.”

465I ALWAYS......................HEART Pollux praised Dr. Ambedkar for his achievement in the following words published in the Illustrated Weekly of India, dated June 15, 1952. “THESE NEWS MAKE NEWS” “Whether in office or out of it, Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is always news. Earlier in the week he once again hit the headlines with a ruthless speech in the Upper House, in which he attacked the Government’s Kashmir policy towards the formulation of which he is supposed to have taken a share as Minister in the last Cabinet. The Treasury Benches will, no doubt, have a sign of relief at the news that the formidable Doctor is going out of the country on June 1. He is flying to New York to receive the Honorary Degree of LL.D. from his old University, Columbia. He should have received this degree three years ago, at the hands of General Eisenhower who was then President of the University, but Cabinet responsibilities and, later, electioneering came in the way of the trips and the university was reluctant to confer it in absentia. Dr. Ambedkar will be visiting the United States of America, after 20 years. He told Pollux that Mrs. Ambedkar was not accompanying him on the trip for lack of an adequate supply of dollars. While in New York he plans to enter a clinic for medical treatment.” [Column 4 of the article by “Pollux” in the Illustrated Weekly of India, Sunday, 1-6-1952, page 8]. Dr. Ambedkar was to leave for New York on the night of Sunday, the 1st of June 1952. His friends, well wishers, fans and the employees of People’s Education Society arranged a Grand Dinner in his honour, on the night of Saturday the 31st May 1952, the previous day of his departure at specious lawns of the Cricket Club of India. Many eminent personalities like Principal Dr. V. S. Patankar, the Secretary of People’s Education Society, Mr. K. V. Chitre, Mr. Prabhakar Padhye, Mr. B. H. Rao, Mr. W. Alfred, Chairman of the Union of Journalist graced the dinner by their august presence. On this occasion. Patankar said that many among Indians feared that

466 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES Dr. Ambedkar would launch a scathing attack on Untouchability in India during his stay in America to draw the attention of the world to this unjust practice and thus would expose the Indian Government’s failure in tackling the problem. But this fear was baseless. Because Dr. Ambedkar was an Indian first and would do nothing disgraceful to damage the reputation of his motherland. Dr. Ambedkar while expressing his gratitude towards all said that he had not arranged any lecture programme in the United States and therefore no one need be under the apprehension that he would say anything harsh there about this country. Dr. Ambedkar said that although it was said that he posses a vitriolic temperament and had on many occasions crossed the floors and come into conflict with those in authority he had not on a single occasion been a traitor to the country. He always had the interest of the country at heart. Even at the Round Table Conference, he said, he had been ‘ 200 miles ahead of Mahatma Gandhi ’ so far as the interests of India were concerned”. (The Times of India, Monday, 2-6-1952, Page 7, Column 3). While throwing light, on this dinner party hosted in honour of Dr. Ambedkar a columnist of The Evening News of India’ observed thus : “A GREAT MAN” It is an irony of fate—to quote Principal U. S. Patankar of Siddhartha College— that none of the Indian Universities has so far taken the initiative in honouring Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, one of the Chief Architects of our Constitution, by conferring an honorary degree on him. Even Bombay University of which Dr. Ambedkar was an alumnus, has been “slow and halting” It has fallen to the credit of Columbia University, to which also the learned doctor was a student, of being the first to honour Dr. Ambedkar by conferring on him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. Dr. Ambedkar left for the United States last Monday by a T. W. A. plane. He will stay in the States for only a few weeks during which he hopes to get some treatment for his legs.