A visit to Ambedkar House in London gives a peek into his travails and triumphs

HYDERABAD: The Ambedkar House down King Henry’s Road in London (UK), visited by Minister for IT and Industries K T Rama Rao on Sunday, was the place where Babasaheb had lived, while pursuing his studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

He was also enrolled at the Grays Inn for his D Sc degree.

The house thus played an important role in shaping the architect of the Indian constitution and firmed up his views on justice and equality.

However, not much was documented about the London abode of Dr Ambedkar till the Federation of Ambedkarite and Buddhist Organisation (FABO), the Government of Maharashtra, and former UK civil servant Santosh Dass joined hands, pursued the issue and purchased the property in 2015 and refurbished it.

In the latter year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally inaugurated the museum.

The museum visited by KTR and his delegation consists of four floors, a meeting-cum-study room, and a basement. The reading room has a magnificent view of a garden where a bronze life-sized statue stands surrounded by flower beds. The visitors will realise that the meeting room and the surroundings have witnessed several intellectual conversations.

The ground floor has the bronze bust of Dr. BR Ambedkar to which the Minister has offered floral tributes. The room also has several select portraits from his life events.

The study-cum-diner table and wooden shelves on the first floor contained his collection of books. The second floor has his bedroom. Visitors can have a glimpse of his bed and personal belongings such as a writing pad, spectacles, and clothes.

Once the visitors complete the tour of the museum, they will realise that the evening time hustle and bustle of the house near the railway station has not changed much.