Jagjivan Ram was born on April 5th 1908 in Bihar into an ‘untouchable’ caste. Even during his education and formative years, he showed his desire to fight for the rights of the scheduled castes and the oppressed and downtrodden.
Though he gained a degree in science in 1931, he showed an interest in social activism, that caught the eye of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose drawing him into a life of political service.
In fact, Babu Jagjivan Ram holds the world record for being a parliamentarian for 50 uninterrupted years, from 1936 to 1986.
He was a member of the First Cabinet of Jawaharlal Nehru’s interim Government where he was the youngest Minister and a member of the Constituent Assembly of India. He would go on to high office and serve as Minister of Defense (1970 – 1974) and Deputy Prime Minister (1977 – 1979).
He remained a member of Parliament till his death in 1986.
In 1935, he contributed to the establishment of the All-India Depressed Classes League, an organisation dedicated to attaining equality for untouchables.
Today, he is regarded as a Dalit icon who dedicated his life for the betterment of the untouchables.