Savita Ambedkar Birth Anniversary: All You Need to Know About Maisaheb, Second Wife of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar

SAVITA AMBEDKAR BIRTH ANNIVERSARY: Dr Savita Ambedkar, also known as “Maisaheb” or simply “Mai”, was the second wife of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution. A doctor by profession, she was also actively involved in social activism, especially the anti-discrimination and Dalit upliftment movements, alongside her husband. Dr Savita lived in the shadow of Dr BR Ambedkar for the entirety of her life.

On her 114th birth anniversary on January 27, here are some facts about her life:

1. Dr Savita’s original name was Sharada Kabir. She was born in a Marathi Brahmin household in 1909 in the Ratnagiri district. Her father was a registrar of the Indian Medical Council.
2. Savita Ambedkar gained her early education in Pune. After that, around 1937 she did MBBS from Grant Medical College, Mumbai.
3. She worked as a chief medical officer in a hospital in Gujarat. After a brief stint in this position, she moved to Mumbai. Dr BR Ambedkar, who was suffering from diabetes and blood pressure, was her patient.
4. In the span of a year after their meeting, the two exchanged around 40-50 letters. The two got married on April 15, 1948 in New Delhi. This was 13 years after the death of Ramabai, Ambedkar’s first wife.
5. She took the name Savita Ambedkar after her marriage to Dr Ambedkar.
6. In an unpublished preface of The Buddha and His Dhamma, his last book, Dr BR Ambedkar credited her for extending his life by 8 to 10 years.
7. Dr Savita actively advocated for the Dalit-Buddhist movement, speaking at many conferences and public events and contributing to the cause.
8. She played an instrumental role in the establishment of Symbiosis Society’s Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Museum and Memorial in Pune.
9. She began donating Dr BR Ambedkar’s belongings in 1982, 26 years after his death, for the construction of the museum.
10. Until 2001, Dr Savita visited the museum every year on Ambedkar’s birth and death anniversaries.

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