Birth, childhood
Ambedkar was born on 1891 April 14 in the town and military cantonment of Mhow
(now officially known as Dr Ambedkar Nagar, Madhya Pradesh).
He was the 14th and last child of Ramji Maloji Sakpal, an army officer who held the rank of Subedar, and
Bhimabai Sakpal, daughter of Laxman Murbadkar.
His family was of Marathi background from the town of
Ambadawe (Mandangad taluka) in Ratnagiri district of modern-day Maharashtra.
Ambedkar's ancestors had long
worked for the army of the British East India Company, and his father served in the British
Indian Army at
the Mhow cantonment.
Ambedkar was born into a Mahar (Dalit) caste, who were treated as untouchables and subjected to
socio-economic
discrimination.
Although they attended school, Ambedkar and other untouchable children were segregated and
given little attention or help by teachers. They were not allowed to sit inside the class.
When they needed to
drink water, someone from a higher caste had to pour that water from a height as they were not
allowed to touch
either the water or the vessel that contained it. This task was usually performed for the young
Ambedkar by the
school peon, and if the peon was not available then he had to go without water; he described the
situation later
in his writings as "No peon, No Water"
He was required to sit on a gunny sack which he had to take home with him.
Ramji Sakpal retired in 1894 and the family moved to Satara two years later. Shortly after their move,
Ambedkar's mother died.
The children were cared for by their paternal aunt and lived in difficult circumstances.
Three sons - Balaram, Anandrao and Bhimrao - and two daughters - Manjula and Tulasa - of
the Ambedkars survived them.
Of his brothers and sisters, only Ambedkar passed his examinations and went to high school.
His original surname
was Sakpal but his father registered his name as Ambadawekar in school, meaning he comes from
his native village
'Ambadawe' in Ratnagiri district
When he passed his English fourth standard examinations, the people of his community wanted to
celebrate because they considered that he had reached "great heights" which he says was "hardly
an occasion compared to the state of education in other communities". A public ceremony was evoked,
to celebrate his success, by the community, and it was at this occasion that he was presented with
a biography of the Buddha by Dada Keluskar, the author and a family friend.