16|11|2024 - DR Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar - London House - Quick Walkthrough

DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR the father of Indian Constitution lived at this house during 1920-21
Ambedkar House, London, offers a chance revisit a difficult journey
His time in the UK in the early 1900s shaped Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar’s views on justice and equality
Walking down King Henry’s Road in London you will come around a blue plaque that reads: Ambedkar House, London. Anyone around the neighbourhood should be able to tell you-here lived the man who went on to become the architect of the Indian Constitution and led a crusade against caste discrimination and the abolition of untouchability in India. It was around mid-1910s that Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, also known as Babasaheb Ambedkar, came to London to pursue his studies at the London School of Economic and Political Science. Alongside, he also enrolled in Grays Inn for his DSc degree. His stay in London had many provocations that shaped his rational persona. Unfortunately, there stands very little documentation of his time here and only finds its references in his piece: Waiting for a Visa. It was only after persistent efforts of the Federation of Ambedkarite and Buddhist Organisation (FABO) and former UK civil servant Santosh Dass that the government of Maharashtra bought the property in 2015 and was formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the following year. It took almost two years for the property to be refurbished and opened to the public as a museum.
Ambedkar House in London consists of four-floor levels with a meeting-cum-study room in the basement and a reading room overlooking the garden in the rear portion which has a bronze Ambedkar statue and flower beds that borders the area adding to the green scenery. Over time, the hall has hosted many intellectual conversations. The very ceiling of this hall and its view of the garden behind is enchanting, and has an especially wholesome vibe in the summers. The ground floor has a bronze bust of Dr Ambedkar and flower pots along with his portraits and pictures from his various life events. On the first floor, we come to study-cum-diner table and wooden shelves comprising his collection of books. In his journals, Dr Ambedkar often mentioned this apartment near the railway station and how at night, the hustle-bustle would fill up the background. This scene can still be viewed from the rear side of the house.
On the second floor, we can see Dr Ambedkar's room-his bed and belongings such as his writing pad, spectacles, clothes. These evoke a curiosity about his life and time in London. The sun brimming into the room lightens every corner, and floral tributes, shelves filled with his books add to the serenity of the place.
This gentrified neighbourhood was just a few miles away from his campus in Holborn, passing the routes of Primrose Hill, Regents Park, and the Central University Library. The path encompassing the Camden Canal, Chalk Farm, and the Euston region is often part of a “peace walk” among the Buddhist and Ambedkarite organisations in London, where people take up the same roads to capture the essence of Ambedkar’s journey to his school.
How to visit
Ambedkar House, London, 10 King Henry's Road. Open Monday-Friday from 11am-5pm. Closed Saturday and Sunday.
Ambedkar House in London captures a slice of this great man’s life. Dr Ambedkar started a journey that is carried forward by many of us. The memorial offers a peek into the circumstances that shaped Dr Ambedkar’s quest for equality-and for that one reason, is a must-visit for every Indian.