Ramabai Ambedkar Death Anniversary: Lesser-known facts about B.R. Ambedkar's wife

Ramabai Bhimrao Ambedkar is also known as Ramai or Mother Rama. She was the wife of B.R. Ambedkar. Ramabai has been the subject of a number of biographical movies and books. A number of landmarks across India have also been named after her.

Here are some interesting facts about Mother Rama:

1. Ramabai was born in a poor Dalit family to Bhiku Dhatre and Rukmini.

2. She lived with her three sisters and her brother Shankar.

3. Ramabai's father earned his livelihood by carrying baskets of fish from Dabhol harbour to the market.

4. Her mother died when she was young and later, after her father's death, her uncles Valangkar and Govindpurkar took the children to Bombay to live with them in Byculla market.

5. Ramabai married Ambedkar in 1906 in a very simple ceremony in the vegetable market of Byculla.

6. At the time of their marriage, Ambedkar was 15 and Ramabai was 9.

7. His affectionate name for her was "Rāmu."

8. Ramabai would call B.R. Ambedkar "Saheb."

9. Together, Ramabai and B.R Ambedkar had five children- Yashwant, Gangadhar, Ramesh, Indu and Rajaratna.

10. Yashwant was the only one of their children who survived beyond his childhood.

11. Ramabai passed away on 27 May 1935 at Rajgruha in Hindi Colony, Dadar, Bombay after a prolonged chronic illness.

12. Ramabai had been married to Ambedkar for 29 years.

13. B.R. Ambedkar's book Thoughts on Pakistan was dedicated to Ramabai. In the preface, Ambedkar credits her with his transformation from an ordinary Bhiva to Dr. Ambedkar.