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Babasaheb: My Life With Dr Ambedkar
Born into a middle-class, Sarasvat Brahmin family, Dr Sharada Kabir met and got to know Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar as a patient riddled with life-threatening diseases, and eventually married him on 15 April 1948, getting rechristened as Savita Ambedkar. From the day of their wedding to the death of Dr Ambedkar on 6 December 1956, she aided him in some of his greatest achievements—drafting the Constitution of India, framing the Hindu Code Bill, writing some of his most celebrated books, including The Buddha and His Dhamma, and leading millions of Dalits into Buddhism.
Following his death, she was hounded into obscurity by some of Dr Ambedkar’s followers, who saw her as a threat to their political ambitions. She re-emerged into public life in 1970 and got back to working on the mission to which her husband had devoted his life—the welfare of the Dalit community. Her autobiography, Dr Ambedkaraanchya Sahavaasaat, was first published in Marathi in 1990.
This English translation by Nadeem Khan unearths a much valuable and forgotten account, an intimate portrait of one of the greatest figures of the twentieth century. A tenacious fighter, an outstanding scholar and an iconic leader, Dr B.R. Ambedkar was all that and more. Savita Ambedkar brings alive a different side of her husband: a man who wrote romantic letters, dictated what she should wear, whipped up delicious mutton curry, played the violin, and even tried his hand at sculpting. This is a book that humanizes Ambedkar as no other book has done yet.
Following his death, she was hounded into obscurity by some of Dr Ambedkar’s followers, who saw her as a threat to their political ambitions. She re-emerged into public life in 1970 and got back to working on the mission to which her husband had devoted his life—the welfare of the Dalit community. Her autobiography, Dr Ambedkaraanchya Sahavaasaat, was first published in Marathi in 1990.
This English translation by Nadeem Khan unearths a much valuable and forgotten account, an intimate portrait of one of the greatest figures of the twentieth century. A tenacious fighter, an outstanding scholar and an iconic leader, Dr B.R. Ambedkar was all that and more. Savita Ambedkar brings alive a different side of her husband: a man who wrote romantic letters, dictated what she should wear, whipped up delicious mutton curry, played the violin, and even tried his hand at sculpting. This is a book that humanizes Ambedkar as no other book has done yet.
401 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 24, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 18, 2022
ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ ಅವರ ಖಾಸಗಿ ಜೀವನದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಹಲವು ವಿವರಗಳನ್ನು ಕೊಡಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಕೊನೆ ಕೊನೆಗೆ ಲೇಖಕಿಯ ಸಮಜಾಯಿಷಿ ತರಹ ಭಾಸವಾಯಿತು. ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ ಅವರ ಅಧ್ಯಯನ ಶೀಲತೆ, ಜ್ಞಾನದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ವಿವರಣೆ ಒಳನೋಟಗಳಿವೆ
October 21, 2025
Dr. Sharada Kabir was a practicing doctor in Mumbai when she made the acquaintance of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. During one of her interactions, she offered to stay at his home for a few weeks to train his housekeeper to provide adequate nutritional and medical care for him. Since he was widowed and didn't have any female relatives living with him, he declined the offer, but a few weeks later, he made the offer of marriage. He was clearly looking less for a partner and more for a medical attendant, but as their relationship progressed she also came to provide intellectual compatibility.
Savita Ambedkar was the constant companion of Dr. Ambedkar in his last years- these were the years of constantly deteriorating health, but they were also years of great intellectual productivity. In these memoirs she speaks of his work in the last months of the Constituent Assembly, on the debates that went into drafting the Hindu Code Bill, and his work on the propagation of Buddhism in India and abroad.
There is clearly an agenda in writing this memoir (a fraction of Dalit Leaders spread rumours against Savita Ambedkar in order to isolate her and cease control over Dr. Ambedkar's legacy), and this makes the book tedious at times (do we, for instance want to read boring excerpts from letters written by Dr. Ambedkar from the 1920s to accept that he always suffered from poor health). While the book is about her relationship with Dr. Ambedkar, I for one, would have liked to read more about her life, of how she came to become a doctor, and of how her family reacted to her marrying a Dalit stalwart like Dr. Ambedkar.
There are also parts where the public persona of Dr. Ambedkar doesn't always match up to how he acted in real life, but one has to refrain from judging anybody using standards that have taken decades to evolve. The only reason these instances strike dissonating notes is because he is repeatedly described as "ahead of his time".
It is an important book to read, because it not only covers the life of an important personality, but also because it gives a ringside view into the political landscape of the time and highlights the challenges that Dalits faced and continue to face. The narrative style is conversational, and reading it seems like listening to oral stories told over several meetings. I might have preferred different kind of book, but since this is the memoir that Savita Ambedkar wrote, I am glad I got to read it.
Savita Ambedkar was the constant companion of Dr. Ambedkar in his last years- these were the years of constantly deteriorating health, but they were also years of great intellectual productivity. In these memoirs she speaks of his work in the last months of the Constituent Assembly, on the debates that went into drafting the Hindu Code Bill, and his work on the propagation of Buddhism in India and abroad.
There is clearly an agenda in writing this memoir (a fraction of Dalit Leaders spread rumours against Savita Ambedkar in order to isolate her and cease control over Dr. Ambedkar's legacy), and this makes the book tedious at times (do we, for instance want to read boring excerpts from letters written by Dr. Ambedkar from the 1920s to accept that he always suffered from poor health). While the book is about her relationship with Dr. Ambedkar, I for one, would have liked to read more about her life, of how she came to become a doctor, and of how her family reacted to her marrying a Dalit stalwart like Dr. Ambedkar.
There are also parts where the public persona of Dr. Ambedkar doesn't always match up to how he acted in real life, but one has to refrain from judging anybody using standards that have taken decades to evolve. The only reason these instances strike dissonating notes is because he is repeatedly described as "ahead of his time".
It is an important book to read, because it not only covers the life of an important personality, but also because it gives a ringside view into the political landscape of the time and highlights the challenges that Dalits faced and continue to face. The narrative style is conversational, and reading it seems like listening to oral stories told over several meetings. I might have preferred different kind of book, but since this is the memoir that Savita Ambedkar wrote, I am glad I got to read it.
August 20, 2025
A must read for all the Ambedkarites!!!
October 19, 2025
It is always a delight to read about my inspiration..
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November 26, 2025Ambedkar is the most noblest man in the country.highly recommended
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews