BR Ambedkar was a lifelong public diplomat
Public diplomacy has many definitions, but broadly speaking, it means a country communicating its values, culture or policies to a foreign audience. BR Ambedkar, an ambassador of human rights, epitomised this in many ways. He was a strong global communicator of what plagued India and what India ought to do to overcome its challenges to be a model for the world. He also championed soft power much before the term came into the foreign policy lexicon — never resorting to violence in pursuit of social change, nor backing anything that called for violence.
Public diplomacy is also a method by which a country communicates about itself to its populace. Ambedkar did both forms of public diplomacy within and outside India with aplomb. All his life, he stood for persuasion, negotiation, trust and consensus building.
He believed Buddha’s mission was to change the “mind of the man”. Interestingly, the focus of contemporary public diplomacy today is on changing minds and perceptions across the world. In addition, the influence of Buddhism as India’s soft power export can be seen across Asia and beyond. It is a true signifier that both “dharma” and “dhamma” can coexist to create just, harmonious societies.
Ambedkar criticised the United States (US) for attacking Japan against the backdrop of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. In our book, Makers of Modern Dalit History, we write how Ambedkar called the US a “Christian” country, underlining the need for it to be made accountable for its actions, especially for bombing an Asian country, that too a “Buddhist” one.
Ambedkar also knew that the challenges faced by Dalit communities in India were akin to those facing deprived communities globally. He sought global affirmative action to fight this challenge. To forge partnerships and effect change, Ambedkar began communicating with world civil society leaders.
The scholar, Suraj Yengde, records that Ambedkar started communicating with leaders of the African-american struggle and mentioned in particular, WEB Du Bois, the foremost Black intellectual and civil rights activist, to build a coalition to “unify the struggle against dominating oppressive groups in their respective societies”.
As India takes over the G20 presidency, it will look to communicate to the world the idea of collective work and collaboration. That is why reformed multilateral organisations are key in the new global order after Covid-19. Working together to solve social evils that include non-state actors is an important aspect of public diplomacy. Ambedkar foresaw this at the time the United Nations (UN) came into being. He wanted India to have the high table in the world’s premier multilateral organisation, the UN, as its member. He forewarned people about the nefarious designs of China and firmly advocated the parliamentary form of democracy to be India’s pursuit. He favoured a parliamentary democracy which he believed existed in India eons ago. “Parliamentary democracy is unknown to us at present. But India, at one time, had parliamentary institutions. India was far more advanced in ancient times. If you go through the suktas of Mahaparinibbana, you will find ample evidence in support of my point,” he wrote. Public diplomacy is about the seamless transnational flow of ideas in a multi-centric world. From the land of Buddha and Krishna, India must also pay heed to religion-led dialogues and other transnational ideas that can enable cohesive societies.
Beyond the prism of him championing the cause of Dalit-led empowerment and drafting the Constitution, Ambedkar was an inveterate public diplomat. He communicated his ideas to a global audience and found resonance among countless people. He ensured that people are at the centre of what he espoused as social democracy. Finally, public diplomacy is also about listening and owning up to your challenges. Examining Ambedkar’s life, it is discernible that India has innumerable challenges that it must fight. The true testament to the life and message of Bharat’s Ratna will be how pragmatically we, as a civilisational nation-state, fight these challenges by listening to critics and admirers alike.