Jagjivan Ram’s Birthday in India Date in the current year: April 5, 2024

Jagjivan Ram, often referred to as Babuji (“Father”), was born on April 5, 1908 near the city of Arrah. His parents belonged to the Chamar caste, which made them and, by extension, their son untouchables. Ram first faced caste discrimination in school, which definitely affected his future political views.

In 1927, Ram entered the Banaras Hindu University. While there, he continued to face discrimination, and so he organized a number of protests for the rights of untouchables. Eventually, he left the Banaras Hindu University to continue his education in the University of Calcutta, where he joined Mahatma Gandhi’s movement against caste discrimination.

In 1935, four years after graduating with a B. Sc. Degree, Ram was elected to the Bihar assembly as a representative of the Indian National Congress. He also co-founded the All-India Depressed Classes League. In the early 1940s, Ram was imprisoned twice for his active participation in nonviolent resistance movements, Satyagraha and Quit India.

In 1946, Ram was appointed Minister of Labor, becoming the youngest minister in Jawaharlal Nehru’s provisional government. In addition, he was member of the Constituent Assembly responsible for drafting the Constitution of India. Ram served as Minister of Labor until 1952, laying the foundation for several labor welfare policies.

After that, Ram held other ministerial posts in Nehru’s government: Minister of Communications (from 1952 to 1956), Minister of Transport and Railways (from 1956 to 1962), and Minister of Transport and Communications (from 1962 to 1963).

When Indira Gandhi was elected as the 3rd Prime Minister of India, Ram held a number of ministerial posts in her cabinet. He served as Minister of Labor, Employment and Rehabilitation from 1966 to 1967, Minister of Food and Agriculture in 1967 to 1970, Minister of Defense from 1970 to 1974, and Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation from 1974 to 1977.

In 1977, Morarji Desai became the new prime minister, and Ram was convinced to join the cabinet as the Deputy Prime Minister of India. He held the post until 1979. It was Ram’s last job in the government, but he remained a member of Parliament until his death in 1986. Altogether, he was a member of legislature (first regional, than national) for 50 uninterrupted years, which is a world record.

Jagjivan Ram’s Birthday is sometimes referred to as Equality Day (Samata Diwas) due to his contribution to the struggle against the caste system. In 2008, his birth centenary was celebrated all over the country.