The UK government has allowed India’s Maharashtra State Government to continue using a north-west London property as the museum for Dr B R Ambedkar, who lived in that house briefly in 1920s, when he studied at the London School of Economics. The decision came following a public inquiry.
Also known as Babasaheb Ambedkar, one of the key architect of the Indian constitution, he was an Indian jurist, economist, politician and social reformer. In October 1916, Dr Ambedkar enrolled for the bar course at Gray’s Inn, and at the same time enrolled at the London School of Economics where he started working on a doctoral thesis. In June 1917, he returned to India because his scholarship from Baroda (then in Maharashtra and now in Gujarat) ended. His book collection was dispatched on different ship from the one he was on, and that ship was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine. He got permission to return to London to submit his thesis within four years. He returned at the first opportunity, and completed a Master's degree in 1921. His thesis was on 'The problem of the rupee: Its origin and its solution'. In 1923, he completed a D.Sc. in Economics, and the same year he was called to the Bar by Gray's Inn.
The house in Primrose Hill at 10 King Henry’s Road was bought by the Maharashtra State Government for £3.1mn and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2015, during his first visit to the UK as India’s Prime Minister. A blue plaque was placed by English Heritage outside the house mentioning that Dr Ambedkar lived there while studying at LSE.
It was then converted into a museum including a statue, photo exhibition depicting his life and his books, managed by the Indian High Commission on behalf of the Maharashtra State Government.
But its use as a museum was denied by the Camden council later for its breach of planning permission in 2018 and eventually an enforcement notice was issued on November 16, 2018. However in 2019, the Maharashtra State Government’s lawyers in the UK argued in favour of continuing to use the property as the museum.
Robert Jenrick, Secretary of state for Housing, Communities and Local Government, granting the permission to use the property as a museum, tweeted, "I was pleased to grant planning permission for a museum in London to Dr Ambedkar - one of the founding fathers of modern #India and an important figure to many British-Indian. I wish the museum every success."
Tagging his tweet, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar welcomed UK’s decision and tweeted by saying, "We welcome the decision by UK Secretary @RobertJenrick to grant planning permission for a museum dedicated to Dr Ambedkar.
"The museum was inaugurated by PM @narendramodi in 2015 as a tribute to Dr Ambedkar''s unparalleled contribution in the making of our nation."
