- Jagjivan Ram (known popularly as Babuji) was born in Chandwa in Bihar to a Dalit family. His father was in the British army but later left it and acquired farming land in his native place.
- He pursued his schooling at the nearby town of Arrah where he faced discrimination for the first time. He was considered ‘untouchable’ and had to drink water from a different pot. Jagjivan Ram protested against this by breaking the pot. The principal then had to remove the separate pot from the school.
- In 1925, Jagjivan Ram met scholar Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya and was greatly inspired by him. On Malaviya’s invitation, he joined the Banaras Hindu University.
- Even at the university, Jagjivan Ram faced discrimination. This inspired him to protest against such social boycott of a section of society. He also organised the scheduled castes to protest against injustice.
- After his stint at BHU, he joined the University of Calcutta from where he secured a B.Sc. degree in 1931.
- He was noted by Subhas Chandra Bose because of his organisational skills. In 1935, he assisted with the formation of the All-India Depressed Classes League. He joined the Congress Party where he was appreciated as a brilliant spokesperson for the Depressed Classes.
- In 1935, he proposed at a session of the Hindu Mahasabha that drinking water wells and temples be open to untouchables.
- He took part in the freedom movement as well and was imprisoned during the Quit India Movement.
- When Jawaharlal Nehru formed the provisional government, Jagjivan Ram became its youngest minister. After independence, he was appointed the country’s first labour minister.
- He also became India’s Deputy Prime Minister when Morarji Desai became the Prime Minister after the Emergency.
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